The Chimera was a bit ahead of its time – despite rarely seen features (for the time) like a single rear shock and the futuristic styling, Aermacchi was only able to sell 119 examples of the 175cc variant and 177 examples of the 250cc. Here’s an example of the former that will unfortunately need some work before it hits the …
1940s Brockhouse Corgi
A civilian version of the Excelsior Villiers Welbike, the Corgi was produced between 1948 and 1954 – 27,050 units were created. Based on the estimated year of production, I’m going to guess this is a Mk1, which means it has to be bump started. Either way, the Corgi was also known as the Indian Papoose when it was imported to …
1973 Auranthetic Charger
Post-Sale Update: This Auranthetic sold for $920 after 14 bids on eBay. When I say ‘electric motorcycle’, you’ll probably think of Zero or Victory, now that the latter has acquired Brammo. If you’re passionate about the dirt, you may even have heard of Alta Motors and the Redshift MX. But what if I asked you for an electric motorcycle from …
Portuguese Scooter – 1973 Casal Carina S170
Here’s something I’ve never encountered before: the Portuguese company of Veiculos Casal. They made mopeds, small motorcycles, and scooters – here’s one of the last, a Carina S170.
1949 Salsbury Imperial Model 85
Post Listing Update: Despite 30 bids on eBay, bidding did not meet reserve at $8,100. Back in 1936, a man named E. Foster Salsbury co-developed the Salsbury Motor Glide, a scooter with an enclosed drivetrain underneath the seat. His later development of the first CVT to be used on a scooter made his product such a success that he even …
In Belgium – 1961 IWL SR 59 Berlin
Established by Daimler-Benz in 1936 to build airplane engines, Industriewerke Ludwigsfelde (IWL) built scooters between ’54 and ’65 – they’re still kicking under Mercedes Benz, where they build Sprinter vans.
Scoot With a Roof – 2002 BMW C1
Ever wanted a machine that oozes sex appeal? No? Well here you go.
1971 Simson Schwalbe
The Simson Schwalbe (German for Swallow) was a moped built between 1964 and 1986. They were never officially imported to the US, but here’s one that just crossed the ocean.
1942 Excelsior Villiers Welbike
Post-Listing Update: This Welbike got no action at the opening bid of $11,000. At the request of the British government, Excelsior developed the Welbike, a tiny single seater that was designed to be dropped into combat situations via parachute-equipped containers, then unpacked and moving on the road within 11 seconds.
3 Classic Mopeds
A seller in Los Angeles is letting go of three oddball mopeds – two run, but the third isn’t producing a spark.
1970 Speedway Silver Shadow
Post Listing Update: This Silver Shadow did not meet reserve despite 26 bids up to $7,500. I’m not a huge fan of minibikes, but this is one of the most collectible of them all. Don’t believe me? Well, bidding is already up to $7,300 with plenty of time to go in this auction. I’ve seen one or two non-definitive mentions …
1960 Cezeta 501
Post-Listing Update: This Cezeta did not meet reserve with one bid of $4,500. The Cezeta 50x series of scooters are some of the most interestingly-styled vehicles that have ever been built. This is an example of the 501, the first of the series made by the Czechoslovakian company.
Wanted – 1949 Lowther Lightnin’ Scooter
I know that normal posts on Bike-urious are for motorcycles for sale, but I got a special request from a reader that has bought 4 bikes through Bike-urious in the past and I thought I’d raise the flag on his request. From what I can tell, only about a dozen (or even less) Lowther Lightnin’s were built, let alone still …
Needs Some Work – 1957 Rumi Formichino
The Rumi Formichino (Italian for “Little Ant”) was an impressive scooter with a very distinctive design – there’s a prototype now in the renovated Petersen.
1961 Demm Dick Dick
Yes, that’s the real name. Demm was an Italian manufacturer based out of Milan that specialized in small (50-175cc) two wheelers. They created bikes between ’53 and ’82 (some were briefly imported to the US between ’76 and ’78) and had some truly interesting names for their bikes, like the Dick-Matic, Ping Pong, and this Dick Dick.