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Rieju

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Riejus start

Rieju is a manufacturer of mopeds and motorcycles from Spain. It is based in Figueres. They specialize in small displacement motorcycles (between 49 and 450cc), using Minarelli engines. Their products are available in almost all European countries. In 1934, two young entrepreneurs, Luis Riera Carré and Jaime Juanola Farrés, founded a company to manufacture bicycle accessories. The name RIEJU came from the first letters of each of their surnames. (RIEra + JUanola).

They bought some land and started to build the factory, but the Spanish Civil War thwarted their plans. The Republican Government confiscated the unfinished building and used it as a truck depot. A second story was built above the existing premises throughout the war, and was considered a payment of interests when the facilities were returned. In 1940, once the war was over, Rieju resumed its industrial activity making bicycle accessories.

In 1942, Rieju was established as a private company with limited liability (Sociedad Limitada) with a capital of 1 million pesetas. Rieju started to build their first bicycle models alongside parts. The company now had 35 employees and an average of 30 bicycles were built on a weekly basis.

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The growth

In 1947, Rieju built their first moped, with an extra 38 cc four-stroke engine (built by Serwa from France) coupled to the rear wheel on one of their bikes. This model had a capacity of 1 HP and a maximum speed of about 40 km / h. Two years later, in 1949, Rieju would launch the "No. 2" model, now with a more powerful engine and a gearbox developed in-house.

In 1964 Rieju reached an agreement with Minarelli to produce their engines under license and launched the "Jaca" model. These engines contained 3.5 hp and a top speed of 70 km / h, which should be limited to 40 km / h as a result of moped regulations.

Production continued to grow steadily in the 1980s, with new and more varied models, bringing Rieju to the best moped sellers in Spain. In 1994, the company opened itself to other markets and began exporting its models throughout Europe. By 2006, exports represented about 60% of their turnover.

Many new Rieju machines were be introduced in 2011, in particular the new RS3 50 and RS3 125LC. They are made in Spain and are powered by Yamaha engines.