The history of the Rokon Company is riddled with rumors and falsehoods involving a particularly clever gas station attendant and a few hunting trips to Kenya that never actually happened. In a nutshell, the real story is that the original machine was invented by one Charlie Fehn in Southern California. Fehn’s bike, dubbed the Trail-Breaker, boasted two particularly nifty features, the first being hollow aluminum wheels that could carry 4.5 gallons of water or fuel (or the wheels could be emptied, enabling the two-wheeler to float). The second was a one-way clutch that allowed the front wheel to spin faster than the rear wheel, but not the other way around.
The first bikes were produced by Nethercutt Industries and sold through various distributors. These machines were powered by a variety of small displacement engines and were sold as both kits and pre-assembled bikes. Eventually the entire company and the rights to its offerings were sold to Orla Larsen, a successful businessman who at the time was the top distributor of the two-wheel drivers. Larsen’s company Rokon continued to develop the machines, pushing his engineers to build a uniquely versatile machine that was capable of handling a wide array of real world applications.
While a handful of changes have been made to Rokon’s offerings over the years, the bikes remain strikingly similar to the original machines. Rokons are still sold today, and according to marketing materials are capable of climbing a 60 degree grade, towing nearly ten times its own weight (2,000 lbs). For a very thorough telling of the history of Rokon, it’s hard to beat this writeup by Bob Gallagher on RokonWorld.com.
Rokon first introduced the Scout as one of three new models for 1974 alongside the Pioneer and Ranger. The company pulled the plug on the Pioneer pretty quickly, but the Scout and Ranger both remained in production largely unchanged for the next quarter-century. Like the other two models, the Scout boasted a new three-speed gearbox that married the rear miter box and transmission into a single unit. Other standard features found on all three of the new models included left hand-mounted exhausts, bigger saddles, dual disk brakes, and plastic engine covers.
This particular Scout example is a 1995 model and is said to be in excellent shape. Various upgrades have been made such as the hand and foot controls, a front luggage rack, kill switch, and LED lighting. By far the coolest feature on this example is its 2X2 sidecar which is said to be brand new. The sidehack’s wheel, in traditional Rokon fashion, is capable of carrying a few spare gallons of liquid (3.2), and the seller says the entire sidecar can be tacked on or removed in a matter of minutes. Included in the sale is a handful of spare parts such as a complete recoil starter assembly and a drive belt.
You can find this 1995 Rokon Scout 2X2 Sidecar example (VIN: 1YJAS1016SP700109) for sale here on Craigslist in Brush Prairie, Washington for $4,000.