https://www.rideapart.com/features/437206/cycleweird-koehler-escoffier-motorcycles/Nice one GB!
One of the more interesting old French marques, and a convoluted story with all sorts of twists and turns. Monet-Goyon were saved from a nationalistic rule on the use of only French components for competition machines (they'd been using Swiss engines themselves) by buying the KE business way back, and did quite well as a result.
Haven't ever seen one of the V twins over here - hardly surprising! - although there were other big ones from Magnat-Debon (which was amalgamated with TerroT later on, and from René-Gilet, who made some very tasty things - but not OHC!).
France was at the forefront of design in some ways in the early days - as they were with cars too. But the grand marques all died pretty much at the same time, way before the UK's, or were reduced towards their end to making small-engined commuters owing to 'no money', 'war' etc. Some of the embellishments and 'furniture' on these bikes is a work of art (nouveau or deco or something probably) and that carried on well past WW2, with those pretty cast or stamped enhancements to the front and rear ends of mudguards and other stylish odds and ends.
I am no student of these things, but like everyone else, I like the sight of something pretty whether metallic or in the flesh, and I do admire some of the lightweight 4 strokes made by, eg, Motobécane, one of which I rebuilt from boxes as a counter to boredom a few winters back. Very robust wet-sump engines, beautiful castings, and clean lines - in flimsy frames though quite often. (Mine turned out to be too small for me to ride sadly, so has a new home where it is much used and loved.)
