Simplex Automatic - Specifications & Review

Company History

Simplex built rugged, minimalist motorcycles that blurred the line between moped and motorcycle decades before the terms were fixed. The Servi-Cycle’s small two-stroke engine, belt drive, and bicycle-like frame produced a light, economical machine that could be ridden without intimidation and repaired at home. During wartime and the austere postwar years, Simplex machines kept mail carriers, students, and shop workers moving. The company iterated slowly—improving electrics, brakes, and frame stiffness—prioritizing reliability and affordability over speed. Production ended as highways, bigger cars, and Japanese lightweights reshaped expectations, but Simplex remains a southern American icon of pragmatic mobility. Historically, the marque proves that independence on two wheels is often about simplicity: low mass, easy service, and an engine that asks little yet gives back daily freedom.