Article: Solex plexus; Matthew Valentine takes his life and his street cred in his hands and road-tests the French nation's favourite motorised bicycle.

Only after having done it did I discover that riding a Solex around London's Hyde Park Corner and Marble Arch roundabouts was considered a brave, but foolhardy lifestyle decision. Ironically, it seemed perfectly safe at the time, and it was only while travelling along the King's Road the following day that somebody tried to kill me. It can't have been for any personal reason that the woman in the silver BMW 328 coupe tried to knock me from the machine, as I'd never seen her before. I'd recognise her again, though.

In the event, the Solex's brakes performed admirably, bringing it, and me, screeching to a stop unharmed.

The Solex, for those who don't know ...

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