The Ridley Speedster was one of the few models from the now defunct Ridley Motorcycle Company. Ridley was founded back in 1995 on the premise that no motorcycles at the time were available with an automatic transmission, and the hope was that removing shifting from the equation would make it easier for some individuals to get on a bike and start riding.
Ridley’s biggest flaw was naming one of their bikes the “Auto-Glide”, an odd decision after Harley-Davidson had used the “Glide” term for decades. After years of consistent growth, HD sued Ridley over the term, and the ensuing legal fees and settlement put Ridley out of business.
The CVT-equipped bikes live on, though, and owners are loyal. Nowadays, there are a few bikes available with automatic transmissions, including the Aprilia Mana and the Yamaha FJR – but if you want a fully-automatic bike with low seat height, the Ridley Speedster of old is probably your only option. I’m still taking my time getting used to how the left grip looks without a lever nearby.
This specific example sports a 625cc engine, interesting moon-style wheels, and custom exhausts that run alongside the CVT transmission. Find this Ridley Speedster here on Craigslist for $6500 in Miami, Florida.