1-31-17 Update: This Runpet is back up for sale with a BIN of $1,500 or best offer
March, 1967, Spokane, Washington
State B Basketball Tournament was (still is) a big deal in Spokane, March ‘67 I was a Sophomore and the BB Tourney was a perfect excuse to get needed supplies for Baseball season and to cheer for my HS team. Was also the time my best buddy and I got to look at Motorcycles in the ‘Big City’. One of them was the Tohatsu line that was sold at JC Penney. I recall a 50 CC single and a 125 CC twin that looked particularly sporty. The reason I remember the Tohatsu so vividly is that the clerk gave us each a promotional ‘How’s your Tohatsu’ button that made us pretty visible at the Basketball Tourney.
Information is spotty on the ‘59 Tohatsu. It is a 50 CC two stroke air cooled single with a 4 speed transmission and hydraulic suspension on both ends. Top speed was thought to be near 60 MPH. It was pretty highly regarded in it’s day, as Tohatsu was particularly famous for outboard motors in Japan. In 1959 Tohatsu outsold all other Japanese manufacturers. By 1967 they were out of business.
This 1959 Tohatsu Runpet CA1B is in Los Angeles, CA and listed as a 1367 mile survivor. Listing claims the frame and engine numbers match (why weren’t they used as VIN?). The bike has an opening price of $1,800 with no bids received yet