1901 was the year in which what can be considered Peugeot’s first motorcycle appeared on the scene. Using a Swiss-made Zürcher and Lüthi (ZL) engine, the first Peugeot motorcycle outputted a reasonable 1.5hp. From 1906 onwards, the Sochaux brand started fitting its own in-house designed engines to bikes.
The specimen that is part of the Museu do Caramulo collection has only one brake on the rear wheel. Very cleverly, the braking on the 102 was done by two brake pads which acted on the rear wheel belt pulley at the rider’s command. However, the belt transmission and the absence of a brake on the front wheel were options that were considered already outdated in 1927. This was a deliberate design choice by Peugeot in an attempt to create a low-priced motorcycle amongst the strong market competition of the time.
In any case, the model, which lasted until 1931 with only minor upgrades, was quite a successful one for the company. It would be, however, the last model of this type of low-tech bike for Peugeot—the firm having developed much larger ambitions.
This Peugeot P 102 B was purchased in June 1967 from Francisco Metelo de Póvoa e Meadas for 7000 dolars, and it was later donated to the Museu do Caramulo by Sofia Correia de Barros.