Welbike hits the spot

The Bikesales Network stumbled across this fascinating little scooter during a recent visit to the Army Museum Bandiana near Albury-Wodonga on the border of Victoria and NSW.

The Welbike was produced during WWII by the Excelsior Motor Company of Birmingham, specifically for the airborne forces of the British army.

Simple in design yet rugged, the 32kg bike was designed to fit into a standard parachute drop canister (130cm long x 30cm wide x 38cm high), an example of which was also on display at the museum. The canister had a percussion head to minimize damage to the bike upon landing.

After hitting the ground, all that was required was a twist of the handlebars to lock them into place, the saddle pulled up and footrests folded out, ready to push start the Villiers 98cc single-cylinder two-stroke engine. The aim was that the paratrooper could assemble the bike and be on the move in 11 seconds (that's if he could find the container in the first place!)

The tiny fuel tank held just 3.7lt of fuel, and was good for about 130km at 45km/h before the bike would be either broken up and abandoned, hidden away, or refuelled for further use.

A total of 3853 Welbikes were produced from 1942-1945, and while not terribly successful some were used in battle including at Normandy by the Royal Marine Commandos. Leftover bikes after the war were sold to civilians, although the lack of a front brake meant they couldn't be legally used on the road.

The parachute bike concept would live on in the form of the Corgi 50 'Dinky Devil' scooter built from the late 1940s, and the popular folding Honda Monkey bike of the 1960s.

This particular example was donated by Captain G. Jensen of the Australian Army in 1981, and has been carefully restored by a local enthusiast.

Click on the following link for more information on the Army Museum Bandiana.