When Mallorca made motorbikes
When we think of Mallorca’s manufacturing industry, we tend to associate it with costume jewellery, footwear or leather goods. However, in the 1950s and 1960s, there were also small motorcycle manufacturers on the island who carved out a niche for themselves in a very dynamic market. Brands such as Colomet, Coronat and BMS are little known today, but they form part of a fascinating history of ingenuity and entrepreneurship in Mallorca at that time.
Development in Spain in the 1950s and 1960s
Following the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) and the Second World War (1939–1945), Spain was left in a dire state and without any allies. The government pursued economic autarky, which left us lagging behind and struggling to obtain certain raw materials or specialised machinery. Gradually, by the 1950s, the country began to recover, and workers and employees needed to improve their mobility, whether to get to work or simply to enjoy their leisure time.
But this mobility had to be affordable, and nothing was better suited to that than a motorbike. Dozens of motorbike brands and manufacturers then began to emerge across Spain, with designs that were either original or copied, and varying in quality. But, at the end of the day, they all provided an affordable means of getting around. Many entrepreneurs saw a business opportunity in manufacturing motorbikes and threw themselves into this venture.
Mallorca and the motorcycle boom
In those years, tourism on the island was still in its infancy, and the island’s economy relied on agriculture and a few industrial sectors. But the craze for manufacturing motorcycles reached here too, and although there was no prior tradition, various initiatives sprang up, some of them truly brilliant.
Colomet: Mallorca’s best-known motorcycle
Many brands emerged in Spain, but the one that became best known in Mallorca was Colomet, which managed to manufacture the most motorbikes.
In the 1940s, Jaime Colomet was in the United States working for Chevrolet whilst studying engineering. After spending a few years there, he returned to Mallorca with sound technical knowledge, savings and, above all, a great entrepreneurial spirit.
Jaime Colomet set up a workshop with his brother Antonio on Calle Honderos in Palma, where they manufactured various items: marine engines, gas generators and also motorbikes. They started with a small 49cc model, which was essentially a bicycle with an engine attached.
Later, in 1951, they began producing a larger model, a 125cc, followed by a 150cc version. It seems that the first models were inspired by, or used parts from, the British BSA Bantam, and that gradually they came to incorporate more and more of their own design. There are no exact figures, but it is said that between 200 and 500 motorcycles were built in total.
Other motorcycles manufactured in Mallorca
Although the Mallorcan brand that became most popular was Colomet, by far the most technologically advanced was Coronat. This latter machine was so innovative that it deserves a separate article. And in addition to these, there were also other brands, such as Bordoy, BMS, Bibiloni and Joyca.
Why did Mallorcan motorbikes disappear?
Although there were entrepreneurs with great initiative and drive, Mallorca was, after all, an island and quite far removed from the supporting industries that produced the necessary components (tyres, brakes, carburettors and many others) to complete the motorbikes.
Catalonia, the Basque Country and other regions on the mainland had all this close at hand, and without the additional costs of island transport. Once the motorbikes were complete, the local market in Mallorca was limited, and if they had to be sold to the rest of Spain, there was an extra cost for sea transport. All these factors made it impossible to achieve sufficient economies of scale to ensure good profitability.
There was also fierce competition and the dominance of other brands, particularly Catalan ones such as Derbi, Montesa and Bultaco, which eventually sidelined the Mallorcan motorcycles.
Conclusion
Mallorcan motorcycles were the result of the talent, initiative and innovative spirit of a generation of entrepreneurs who sought to develop industrial projects on an island with limited resources. Although most of these brands disappeared decades ago, their history remains an example of the creative spirit that has always existed in Mallorca.
If you are interested in the stories of Mallorcan inventors and pioneers, we recommend you read the following article: The precursor of the helicopter