Established in 1923, making motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles. It flourished during the ‘golden years’ of cycling and by the late 1970s

Motobecane had become a top French brand now using mostly Japanese components with 2000 employees.

In 1981 it was bankrupted, bought by Yamaha and re-branded as "MBK."

In very recent years, the Motobecane brand has reappeared on mail-order Chinese-made bikes, apparently as a result of a licensing arrangement.