Old National bike with crank drive

[Geebee]

Old National bike, drive system is maybe an early Panasonic?
Any info, parts available for drive?

 

[funkylyn]

That looks like a great retro style bike !
Do you know how old it is ?
As for parts.....why not ask d8veh......he apparently has a shed full
(sorry dave lol )

Lynda

 

[eddieo]

So maybe more technology unwittingly given away in the past...watching announcements of yet more factory closures and jobs lost on news this morning, it is all very depressing.

But then an economy based on consumer spending a basket case anyway.......


Oh! Hang on a minute...is that Chinese script on label?

 

[Deleted member 4366]

Oh! Hang on a minute...is that Chinese script on label?

No. It's Japanese.

 

[shemozzle999]

Looks like it is pre-2004 and probably Panasonic as they took over Matsu****a.

National (brand) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[flecc]

National is a Panasonic marketing brand, so yes, it is an early Panasonic e-bike. No internal motor spares have ever been sold for these units.

One correction on a comment above, Panasonic didn't take over Matsusbita*, Matsusbita* changed their name to that of their top brand, Panasonic.

Panasonic/Matsusbita* are in turn owned by Matsui Holdings whose major shareholder is Philips, the Dutch electrical giant. Product marketing is under the names Panasonic, National, Technics, Matsui, Sanyo and other names. Sanyo were the group's most recent acquisition.

* N.B. In the Matsusbita name each time above I've changed the "h" to a "b" to prevent the spelling censor from deleting the offending part of the word.
.

 

[RobF]

There does not appear to be a 'h' in the name in the pic, although National does suggest a Panasonic connection.

According to wiki, there is a Matsusita Electric Co.

I don't know if it's just a different Anglicised spelling, or an entirely separate company.

ファイル:Matsusita Electric Works, Ltd..jpg - Wikipedia

 

[flecc]

Don't know about that one Rob, but there is an h in the correct name. From Wikipedia (link spaced):

Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsus hita .

National was definitely a brand of that same company, products marketed for years under the double barrel name of National-Panasonic. I've owned a few.
.

 

[RobF]

Googling the obvious produces this:

Matsusita Electric Industrial Co. - Supplier Profile / Detailed Company Information, Imports & Exports

The phrasing 'Matsusita Electric Industrial Company' is the same as on the pic of the bike's tube.

Looks to me it may be separate company from the one with an 'h', although I don't claim to understand the stuff which comes up on the linked page.

 

[Deleted member 4366]

In the photo of the steering head, it does say "Matsusita Electric Industrial co. ltd"

 

[flecc]

It's an early e-bike model, so in reproducing their name into English, they may have spelled it differently, but the founder's name was definitely spelled with an "h". They do make spelling mistakes as the photo below of the first series of the Panasonic 26 volt 10 Ah battery shows, a double "n" in remaining.

It's also possible that they now deliberately leave the "h" out now to avoid the online spelling censors that are so common now, but everything published about the Panasonic name replacing the original tends to indicate that Matsus_hita no longer exists as a separate company.