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Description
Jean Manchzeck, a.k.a. Joe L'Arsouille is not the Joe of Joe Bar Team; that would be Joe, the bartender and owner of Joe Bar. Manchzeck is, however, the fan of British bikes among the four original team riders. In the original comics he rode a Norton 850 Commando, one of the last and biggest of the classic British twins, while in the ones with the updated bikes he rides a Triumph 900 Daytona three-cylinder sportbike.

So, with the patriotic Italian Guido Brasletti forced to give up his Ducati 900SS for a Vespa [link] , and Honda fan having to give up his CB750 (or later CB1000 Big One) for a Super Cub [link] , what small economy bike would I inflict on Manchzeck? Why the BSA Bantam, of course!

Unlike the Vespa and the Super Cub, the Bantam is no longer in production, but, from 1948 to 1971, it was the quintessential small British bike, despite being a copy of a pre-WWII German bike, the DKW R125. Its main competition, apart from the Japanese, were Villiers-engined tiddlers made by small independent companies and, from 1953 to 1968, the Triumph Tiger Cub. (Actually, the last of the Tiger Cubs had a Tiger Cub engine mounted in a Bantam D10 frame.)

The historic relevance of the Bantam does not seem to impress Manchzeck, however...

Jean "Joe L'Arsouille" Manchzeck, Joe Bar Team (c) Bar2 / Vents d'Ouest

Description
Jean Manchzeck, a.k.a. Joe L'Arsouille is not the Joe of Joe Bar Team; that would be Joe, the bartender and owner of Joe Bar. Manchzeck is, however, the fan of British bikes among the four original team riders. In the original comics he rode a Norton 850 Commando, one of the last and biggest of the classic British twins, while in the ones with the updated bikes he rides a Triumph 900 Daytona three-cylinder sportbike.

So, with the patriotic Italian Guido Brasletti forced to give up his Ducati 900SS for a Vespa [link] , and Honda fan having to give up his CB750 (or later CB1000 Big One) for a Super Cub [link] , what small economy bike would I inflict on Manchzeck? Why the BSA Bantam, of course!

Unlike the Vespa and the Super Cub, the Bantam is no longer in production, but, from 1948 to 1971, it was the quintessential small British bike, despite being a copy of a pre-WWII German bike, the DKW R125. Its main competition, apart from the Japanese, were Villiers-engined tiddlers made by small independent companies and, from 1953 to 1968, the Triumph Tiger Cub. (Actually, the last of the Tiger Cubs had a Tiger Cub engine mounted in a Bantam D10 frame.)

The historic relevance of the Bantam does not seem to impress Manchzeck, however...

Jean "Joe L'Arsouille" Manchzeck, Joe Bar Team (c) Bar2 / Vents d'Ouest