Minibikes have a more universal appeal in the motorcycle world quite possibly more than any other type of motorized two-wheeler. So many motorcyclists have stories to share of piloting a mini that they, a cousin, or a kid down the street owned. For many of these riders, this would be their first introduction into a lifelong moto-obession. Indian wasn’t particularly …
1952 Monark Super Twin Tribute
The Super Twin was one of the rarest products from the Monark Silver King bicycle company. This example…is not a Super Twin, but it’s a cheaper model with some Super Twin parts added to it.
Mini DT1 – 1971 Yamaha JT1 Mini Enduro
The Yamaha JT1 Mini Enduro was a bonafide motorcycle that was simply scaled down. The fact that the motorcycle it was largely based on was the DT1 – and “On Any Sunday” came out the same year this example was made – helped Yamaha succeed in selling huge amounts of these bikes. Cycle World’s Andrew Bornhop said the JT1 “helped …
Santa Barbara – 1964 Yamaha YA6
The YA6 was best known for being Yamaha’s first production bike with automatic oil injection – you may remember the feature by the name of “Autolube.” The oil injection was immensely popular and was offered throughout Yamaha’s lineup for decades. The YA6 was much less successful, making them a rare find nowadays. This survivor has remained in good shape and …
Ex-Red Bull Rookies Cup – Metrakit 125 GP Racer
For the last decade, the Red Bull Rookies Cup has been allowing up-and-coming riders to prove themselves on professional-quality machines at world-class motorsport circuits. The league has clearly accomplished what it set out to do, as Johann Zarco was the champion of its inaugural season, followed by JD Beach. Other riders like Jake Gagne, Lorenzo Savadori and the late Luis …
A Variety of Minimotos
For the majority of the today’s fastest Grand Prix racers, their racing careers began on pocket bikes, or as they’re better known around the world: minimotos. Some riders started as tots on micro-displacement dirt machines, but most of today’s champions all honed their skills by dragging their knees in local parking lots that served as impromptu circuits thanks to a …
All Original Survivor – 1967 Honda P50
First introduced in 1966, the P50 would only have a three year production run before being replaced by its successor: the PC50. The P50 – also known as the P25 or “Little Honda” – was an important bike in Honda’s history. To the best of my knowledge, this little scoot was the first Japanese moped to be imported to UK …
Rare Marque – 1947 La Ray Power Cycle
La Ray Motorcycles had a brief history with supposedly only a single year of production about 70 years ago, which makes finding information on the short-lived manufacturer a difficult task. Different sources make different claims, but supposedly the Milwaukee-based manufacturer produced motorcycles somewhere between ’46 and ’48 before the factory was shut down by the IRS for back taxes. The …
Project Woodstock – Honda Z50 Custom
Winner of Planet Minis’ 2014 Classic Mini of the Year, this is one of the best Z50 builds I’ve ever seen. In the seller’s words, this bike “will eat a Grom for breakfast and laugh at its sillyness.” It could be argued that a bright yellow mini bike isn’t very far on the “sillyness” scale, but this bike is nothing …
All Terrain Cycles – 1986 Yamaha BW200 and Honda TR200
A lot of unconventional motorcycles were built in the 1980’s, especially in Japan. When one manufacturer released an unorthodox scoot, another manufacturer would often follow suit, just in case one of these novel gambles worked. Forced induction is a good example of this, but the factory ATV-wheeled dirt bikes of the new-wave and cocaine-fueled decade may be the best example. …
Ending Soon – 3 Tiny Restored Hondas
You all know I love the Honda S90 (probably irrationally so), but it’s the CL90 that really gets my attention in this trio of 3 Honda 90s that were restored by South Brooklyn Moto.
Restored – 1987 Yamaha YSR50
This YSR is in impressive shape thanks to a recent restoration to what the seller calls “show quality” in a bit of exaggeration. Since the work was done it’s had a few miles put on it, but this is still one of the nicer YSR’s I’ve seen in a long time. Most examples spend their lives getting beat up and …
1957 Moto Guzzi Cardellino
Built between 1954 and 1962, the Cardellino (Italian for Goldfinch) was the successor to the Guzzino. Initially, it had a 65cc motor but in 1957 Guzzi bored out the motor to 73cc. Other changes in ’57 included a change from hand shifter to foot shifter and the inclusion of a horn.
Vintage Folding Scooter – 1955 Argyle Cub
Designed to be stowed in your car, boat, or airplane, the Argyle Cub weighed about 50 pounds and could fold up in 15 seconds. Over time, the rights were sold to a manufacturer that sold the Cub to a variety of distributors who sold it under their own names like Argyle Cub, Dinky-Cycle or JoyRide. Whatever brand you bought, you …
Rare in the US – 1977 Honda CT125 Trail
In Australia, Honda sells a series of Agricultural bikes with features like front and rear racks, comfier seats, backup kickstarters, and even a clutch lock so you can leave your bike in gear and hop off to open a gate. Back in the 70s, Honda sold a farm version of the XL125 off-roader. It was called the CT125 Trail and …