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Leeedy

Re: Autobike

#31

Home away from home

Quote:

b.wilson wrote:
Hello Leeedy

Thanks for that. I'm pleased to hear you have been beavering away cataloguing your stuff. If you don't do it, who will?

What you describe about publishing is a sorry tale, but all too common. I have a very old friend (and former top level motorcycle racer) who has been gathering and editing all the material for a widely admired antique motorcycle magazine (Old Bike) for as long as I can remember. It's a huge task - more so when the publishers moved it from quarterly to two-monthly issues. Now that it's firmly established, they are complaining about the cost and looking for somebody else to take it on. Same old story. The same guy actually did publish a couple of excellent books on the history of specific motorcycle events, but I suspect a lot of the investment came from his own pocket.

I wonder whether you'd get the same reaction to your approaches today from the same publishers. Sadly, you probably would. Quality does not really sell in their eyes and they are inclined to underestimate the value of specialist publications. It's interesting to note that the Packard "bible" now changes hands for far more than its original selling price.

The one consolation is that there are people on this site (and no doubt elsewhere) who understand and appreciate what you have done.

Cheers

Brian

Hello Brian and thanks again for the sentiments.

Now. I brought you a Solex catalogue. Here is a different kind of moped... ironically known not as "Autobike"... but rather, "Autobyk." Bigger Irony was that it was also distributed at one time by a company in the U.K. that also sold Packard automobiles!

Of course now we'll have Schwinn worshippers and Excelsior motorcycle folks jumping to include these in the family (it surely was NOT a relative to either).

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Posted on: 2020/5/25 19:06

Brian Wilson

Re: Autobike

#32

Home away from home

Thanks Leeedy

Yes, I think I remember the Autobyk from when I lived in UK many years ago. I studied at Edinburgh University and recall a few floating around there amongst the student population. Pretty much useless, because it was quite hilly. And often too cold there to start them! But I guess a step up from a bicycle. Don't ever recall seeing a Packard there.

Don't ever recall seeing Solexes there either - not done, old chap! Guess they would have had the same problems.

Do you have any Autobyks amongst your collection? That sounds like something pretty collectible now. One changed hands here not long ago for about $3k.

Cheers

Brian

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