Monark, also known as Cykelfabriken Monark AB and Monark AB, is a Swedish

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...

moped A moped ( ) is a type of small motorcycle, generally having a less stringent licensing requirement than full motorcycles or automobiles. Historically, the term exclusively meant a similar vehicle with both bicycle pedals and a motorcycle eng ...

and

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike; uni (if one-wheeled); trike (if three-wheeled); quad (if four-wheeled)) is a lightweight private 1-to-2 passenger personal motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar from a saddle-style ...

manufacturer, established in

Varberg Varberg () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg th ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, in 1908 by the industrialist Birger Svensson. As of 2016, Monark was valued at 11.5 billion kr.

Company history

In 1920, Monark produced its Esse model, which employed a British 172cc Villiers two stroke engine in a heavy bicycle frame. They gained popularity in Scandinavian countries because machines of this type were not required to be licensed, taxed or insured. In 1928, Monark hired Robert Ebe-Karlsson away from the Amal Carburettor Company to design a range of motorcycles using engines provided by the Blackburne motorcycle company. During this period, the Monark factory entered riders into

enduro Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is ...

off-road events. In the wake of the

economic depression An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economic downturn that is the result of lowered economic activity in one or more major national economies. It is often understood in economics that economic crisis and the following recession ...

during the 1930s, Monark stopped producing motorcycles in 1936 to concentrate on a 98cc motorbike. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Monark produced a military motorcycle for the Swedish army, using a reliable single cylinder engine. After the war, Monark resumed production of the 98cc motorbike which remained in production until 1950. In the 1950s, Monark had a successful record in

off-road Off-roading is the act of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, dirt, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, or other natural terrain. Off-roading ranges from casual drives with regular vehicles to competitive events w ...

motorcycle competitions. In 1954 they entered 8 bikes in the International Six Days Trial, a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics. All 8 Monark riders finished with gold medals. In 1959, Monark's Sten Lundin won the 500cc

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

. When Monark stopped racing, Lundin re-badged his Monark motorcycle as a Lito and recaptured the world championship in 1961. He dropped to third place in the world championship in 1962, finished second to Rolf Tibblin in the 1963 world championship and third in the 1964 world championship. In 1961, Monark merged with Nymanbolagen,

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

into Monark-Crescentbolagen or MCB. Monark is today part of Cycleurope, belonging to Grimaldi Industri AB. Monark is also a brand of Brazilian bicycles, related to the original Swedish Monark AB. Bicycle racer, Gösta Pettersson won the 1971 Giro d'Italia riding a Monark bicycle. The Cykelfabriken should not be confused with the Monark-Silver King, Inc.,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, IL, a manufacturer of classic bicycles from 1934 to 1957, (formerly the Monark Battery Company). Nor should it be confused with the

Monarch Cycle Manufacturing Company Monarch Cycle Manufacturing Company (1892-1899) was a bicycle manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. By 1896 the company became one of the largest manufacturers of bicycles in the world. History The company was founded in 1892 by John William ...

, 1892–1899, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Toronto, founded by John William Kiser.

Models (bicycles and scooters)

Electric bicycle

Monark produces the Elcykel, an electric bicycle, built of aluminum with the same engine system including Posten AB uses. It utilizes a 10 Ah Lithium battery for long running time and fast recharge and is equipped with a Navgenerator, approved locks and immobilizers elimination part. * ECO 1430 – Electric bicycle with an aluminum unisex frame and a Panasonic electric motor with pedal assistance for fast and comfortable cycling. Li-ion battery of 10 Ah for fast recharge and long range.

Transporter

The Transporter is a

Unisex Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality. The term 'unisex' was coined in the 1960s and was used fairly informally. The co ...

steel work bike which is equipped with a heavy-duty front carrier and a robust kickstand. The rims are made of stainless steel and reinforced spokes They are available as Shimano Single or 3-speeds. They only come in black. * Work Bike – The 450-453 Work Bike is a bicycle for business use that meets high visibility requirements. It is equipped with reflectors, sharp safety color, quality components are the obvious arguments. Available in 1 and 3 speed and comes in fluorescent yellow and black. * Bayer – The Bayer is a simple and durable work bike which only comes in a step through frame and mounts a heavy-duty carrier to the front and a rack to the rear.

Truck

The Truck is a work bike, popular in

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

, It is a steel framed work bike with a front carrier and generator lightning. It is available as a single or three speed and only comes in Black.

Military bike

The military bike is a new version of the Swedish military bicycle, it is available in a men's or women's model. The rims are made of stainless steel with reinforced spokes. The bicycles are equipped with lock and generator lighting. They are only available in red or green and come as single or 3-speeds.

Specialized bikes

Monark produces the following Specialized bikes: * Tricycle with two 20 or 24 inch rear wheels. * Tricycle with two front wheels * Tandem bicycle with 3 or 7-gears * Trailer

Scooters

Monark produces the following scooters: * Scooter 670 * Scooter 660 * Transport scooter 634 with large front carrying platform * Three-wheel scooter 624