Renard (motorcycle)

Renard is a motorcycle manufacturer in Estonia. The brand was founded in 1938 by J. Lään and was based in Tallinn.[1]

Early production

Renard produced lightweight motorcycles from 1938.[2] "Renard" is French for fox, and a fox's head was used as the brand's logo.[3] The first models had a 98cc Sachs two-stroke engine,[4] and had an appearance similar to a Wanderer motorcycle. They were finished in black with gold coach-lines.[5] In March 1944, when the country was occupied by Nazi Germany, during a bombing raid by the Soviets,[6] the factory suffered a direct hit and was destroyed. Production never started again.[3][7] No examples of the machines exist, but frame no. 2 from 1938 frame survives.[8][9]

2008 revival

In 2008, a number of Estonian engineers and business people, led by Andres Uibomäe, decided to revive the brand.[1] In April 2010, a prototype of a new motorcycle was presented at the Hanover Technology Fair: the Renard Grand Tourer.[1][9] This has a 125hp longitudinal eight-valve Moto Guzzi V-twin as power source.[10] The machine had a very modern design, with a carbon fiber/Kevlar monocoque frame and a trailed swing front fork with a single, central coil spring.[5] The first production bike was delivered in September 2015.[3] Production is around 100 units a year.[1]

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