Post Sale Update: After 40 bids, this Harley Davidson Bobcat sold for $4,670.
The Harley Davidson Bobcat was the culmination of a series of two-stroke, three-speed small displacement thumpers made by HD from 1948 to 1966. These Harleys were based on the DKW RT125, though they received some upgrades over the production run, including a 175cc engine. Produced for only one year, less than 1,200 Bobcats were sold in the United States.
Just like the Harley Davidson Pacer we’ve featured previously, the Bobcat was based on blueprints for the DKW RT125 given to the United States after World War II , as part of war reparations. Cheap, reliable, and easy to repair, these were a moderate sales success but could not keep up with incoming Japanese competition. In addition, they didn’t fit into the product line that Harley was trying to establish, so HD bought an Italian bike company and moved small bike production out to Italy.
The Harley Davidson Bobcat was the only RT125 with a standard dual seat, which was supported by a very, shall we say, straight, one piece body made of ABS resin. Otherwise, this bike was based on the Pacer featured above.
This specific Harley Davidson Bobcat has not been restored, but is in excellent, near-mint original condition. It had been sitting dry in a game room for nearly 20 years when the current seller picked it up. Surprisingly, the seller was able to find a technician at a local HD dealership who was familiar with these bikes, and he was able to get it running. The only flaw seems to be a small amount of touch up on the right side of the tank. You’ll also get the hard to find factory service manual, and the seller will be applying a set of NOS original decals over the current faded ones – if we were buying this bike, we’d tell the seller to keep the bike as is and just include the decals on the side.
Find this Harley Davidson Bobcat for sale here on eBay with bidding just over $1,500 and over 5 days left in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania.