Founded by Bert Greeves, the Greeves motorcycle company started when Bert was mowing his lawn and thought of mounting a lawnmower engine to the wheelchair of his disabled cousin to help with mobility. That led to a government contract, and Bert was inspired by his success to start building motorcycles as well. The company was quite successful with exports – at one point Greeves was sending more bikes to the US than it was keeping in its home country. The Greeves Ranger is considered by some to be the first ever ‘trail bike’, a road-legal dual-sport.
The Ranger was specifically designed for export to the States, utilizing a 250cc engine sourced from Villiers. Production numbers aren’t known for sure, though some estimates peg the number around 3,000. This bike was known for several innovative features, like the I-beam casting, front downtube, and the crazy-looking front suspension design – take a look at the photo for a view of the leading-link. Greeves was well-known a decade before Honda and the rest of the Japanese competition took over the market.
This example (VIN: 24CS191) shows 1,256 miles on the odometer and the seller says that the clutch may need adjustment. He’s the second owner and notes that the original owner has the missing front fender brace, which will be mailed to the new owner.
Find this Greeves for sale in Meridian, Idaho with bidding up to $2,850 and the reserve not yet met here on eBay.