MkII 98cc motorcycle / parascooter, more commonly known as the "Excelsior Welbike", Reproductie

MkII 98cc motorcycle / parascooter, more commonly known as the "Excelsior Welbike", originally manufactured during World War II by the Excelsior Motor Company in Birmingham, England, between 1942 and 1945. A total of 3641 models were manufactured during this production period.

The version shown here for sale is a superb reproduction made identically with an original engine made by Nigal Silver into the UK made from original old used English sizes metal tubes
The "Welbike" was one of the smallest military motorcycles produced and certainly one of the smallest World War II military vehicles ever made. Originally manufactured for the SOE (Special Operations Executive), it was used very little by SOE agents and was mainly distributed to British airborne troops of the first st and 6th Airborne Divisions as well as the Polish 1st Independent Brigade. Designed with the intention of being dropped with the parachute troops in order to ensure mobility in the drop zone, it will be packed and parachuted into a special airdrop container (C.L.E. MKII model). It was also distributed to some British commandos during the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944 where it was landed by boats on the beaches of "Sword Beach" and "Gold Beach".

Quite innovative in design for the time, the "Welbike" has, for example, a 98 cm3 two-stroke single-cylinder engine, brand "Villiers Junior" (marking on the side of the engine) with serial number XXA16473, mounted horizontally and a fuel tank in two elements mounted astride the frame, just behind the front fork (a weld was made on one of the handlebars following a crack). The range is 90 miles (145 km), quite high for such a vehicle. The two-stroke engine can do without separate lubrication due to the very nature of the fuel and the engine. The latter is started after operating a manual fuel pump mounted at the rear of the right-hand tank. To fold the scooter, simply remove two pins: one wedges the saddle to the desired height and the other holds the vertical handlebar support. The seat tube sinks into the frame tube and the handlebars fold over the frame. The two halves of the handlebar can be easily joined by unscrewing a central bolt. To reassemble the machine and start the engine, it only takes about twelve seconds. The rear wheel was driven by a roller chain and there was no gearbox.

In combat situations, the "Welbike" could prove to be a useful vehicle as the paratroopers needed to take cover as quickly as possible. But the difference in weight between a paratrooper and a container meant that they often landed at some distance from each other, and sometimes soldiers were captured by enemy forces before they could even find their "Welbikes". The low power and small wheels also meant that these machines struggled to adequately cope with the often difficult battlefield roads, and were therefore often abandoned by paratroopers.

The motorcycle sold here is absolutely complete, featuring stunning factory dark brown paintwork, identical to the original, on which the serial number "C4658821" has been stencilled light bleu on each side of the tank.

The motorcycle is in very good running order and has been used sveral times to the famus "Race to the Bridge'' organized by the airborne Battle wheels Oosterbeek association. Please email us for the for the last video of riding this welbike

It should be noted that the original Mk1 or MK2 model of the Second World War, due to its very low production (3641 copies) is of a very great rarity, very rarely for sale on the market, with an average price estimate of 10,000 to 15,000 €, and very often in poor condition, non-functional, with missing parts for most of the time... This perfect reproduction could compensate for this lack and could be a very good "substitute" for the evocation of the original military model, both for a museum and for a private collection

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Payment by banktranfair or Cash only

welbike has made a reservation (on hold),for 5 days but the customer was unable to arrange his finances

Code: 57714