The French motorcycle Midual in its new factory

Microsoft
By Microsoft 3 Min Read

It is a technological jewel, dressed in leather and aluminum, which will delight lovers of mechanics and great luxury. Midual, the French motorcycle , is now installed in its new plant of 1. 700 m2 in Juigné-sur- Loire, south of Angers. With 10 employees, it has been fully operational since the fall 2020.

There, the entrepreneur Olivier Midy and his team produce this French motorcycle of 1. 036 cm3, very high-end. This design office engineer has been sticking to this project for nearly 25 years. To date, several copies of Midual are in circulation and the company has a few machines in stock. A second series of 20 machines is launched to continue without breaking. The motorcycle is offered between 140 and 170. 000 euros depending on the finishes.

200. hours of study

The machine is the result of “170. 000 hours ”of development, argues Olivier Midy. The Angevin unit itself manufactures its parts on its machining centers, including the single-shell double-walled aluminum frame that acts as a chassis and tank. This part constitutes one of the characteristics of the motorcycle.

For the rest, most of the 1. 450 component parts “is delivered by 140 suppliers, including 70% are French ”. It is explained that this foundry part, of which the rough of 70 requires the manufacture of a mold for each casting. using 1. 700 kilos of sand, is then deburred, ground, machined and polished manually by an expert, its final weight not exceeding 25 kilos. No less than 80 manual shaping hours are required to obtain the final polish.

Lovers of mechanics will also appreciate the architecture of the engine, “the soul of the motorcycle”, according to Olivier Midy . It is in this case a boxer twin (in line) but positioned in the direction of the road, tilted from 20 °. This “generous in feeling” flat twin has been entirely developed in-house and tested on more than 90. 000 kilometers.

Bpifrance and region Country de la Loire The project was supported by bpifrance and the Pays de la Loire region with reimbursable aid and advances. After unsuccessfully trying to finance his development with French and foreign venture capital companies, Olivier Midy received the advice of French entrepreneurs including two Angevin clients, who took a stake in 2018 to allow the production of the models, the company having thus mobilized more than 5 million euros.

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