Photo: thevintagent.blogspot.dk
Some of the bikes made back in the early days look really odd, and this 1929 Majestic machine is no exception. Now, the peculiar looks have nothing to do with the coolness factor, and by all means, this motorcycle ranks very high on the awesomeness scale.
This French bike looks intriguing, to say the least. Despite its old age, it has some modern air, probably because of the aerodynamic shaping and rather large bodywork. If you look closely, the drama starts to build up a bit, because the steering principle is not as obvious as with the modern-era bikes.
In fact, the steering of this 1929 Majestic has more in common with the vintage cars than it has with common motorcycles. The front of the bike sits on dual shocks but the steering is made possible with a central rotating hub and a push-pull shaft which moves the whole thing.
The back of the bike is a fixed, hardtail design, which was utterly common at the time of the manufacturing. At the heart of the 1929 Majestic lies a 500cc Chaise engine with the classic OHV architecture.
For those who don't know what OHV means, here's some light: OHV stands for OverHead Valve, an engine type with valves being operated with a camshaft, lifters, pusher rods and rocker arms. The OHV engine is compact but not that good for higher revs as the inertia of the many moving parts makes it a bit imprecise, as far as valve control is concerned.
Back to the 1929 Majestic, you get a manual hand-shifter for the three gears and everything else is pretty much standard; if you've ridden older bikes, there's nothing more to tell. The Vintagent has tested this bike and claims that steering is light and the Majestic runs nice and smooth. A better engine with less noise and more power could have been a very good idea, but it's too late for that.
The steering is a bit imprecise and needs constant adjustment to stay on track. With a zero-degree rake angle, this is, of course, expected. However, riding the 1929 Majestic felt perfectly safe and cornering was not as scary as one could imagine. We believe such a ride would really be an uplifting experience.
In fact, the steering of this 1929 Majestic has more in common with the vintage cars than it has with common motorcycles. The front of the bike sits on dual shocks but the steering is made possible with a central rotating hub and a push-pull shaft which moves the whole thing.
The back of the bike is a fixed, hardtail design, which was utterly common at the time of the manufacturing. At the heart of the 1929 Majestic lies a 500cc Chaise engine with the classic OHV architecture.
For those who don't know what OHV means, here's some light: OHV stands for OverHead Valve, an engine type with valves being operated with a camshaft, lifters, pusher rods and rocker arms. The OHV engine is compact but not that good for higher revs as the inertia of the many moving parts makes it a bit imprecise, as far as valve control is concerned.
Back to the 1929 Majestic, you get a manual hand-shifter for the three gears and everything else is pretty much standard; if you've ridden older bikes, there's nothing more to tell. The Vintagent has tested this bike and claims that steering is light and the Majestic runs nice and smooth. A better engine with less noise and more power could have been a very good idea, but it's too late for that.
The steering is a bit imprecise and needs constant adjustment to stay on track. With a zero-degree rake angle, this is, of course, expected. However, riding the 1929 Majestic felt perfectly safe and cornering was not as scary as one could imagine. We believe such a ride would really be an uplifting experience.
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