Created by Rob Cerundolo, the Cycles Classic Cafe and Museum is located at Cycles 128 in Beverly, Massachusetts. It’s a wonderful (and free) museum where you can check out a varied collection of motorcycles – and it happens to be a short drive away from where I grew up. So the last time I went home to check in on family, I stopped by to check out what was on display at Cycles 128!
Rob had the idea to create the collection during COVID, and he interestingly notes that “Every single motorcycle, automobile and vehicle in this museum walked in the front door. I didn’t go after any of them.” When COVID slowed down service work at his dealership, he took the time to clean up some of the bikes and create the display.
Almost everything is in one big room but the bikes (and some cool period display pieces) are organized into sections. Let’s start with the old stuff!
Antiques/Bicycles
I was amused to see a Honda Kick N Go – I first learned about these during a visit to Honda’s museum in Torrance, California and it inspired me to eventually find one for myself. I sourced a JDM version (called the GOGO 7) and enjoyed that for a few months before putting it up on Iconic for someone else to enjoy. If you’re not familiar with these, I’d highly recommend you check out that link for some history on these.
I’m not 100% sure which model this VéloSoleX is – can you identify it? I think it’s a 2200 based on the layout of the levers, which would mean it features a whopping 0.6 hp engine that drives the front wheel. There’s a tag on the handlebars that says it’s the same model as used in Apocalpyse Now but it’s been years since I’ve seen that movie and I don’t remember a Solex in it.
Designed by Carl Neracher in 1918, the Ner-A-Car was sold as a cheap automobile alternative. Approximately 10,000 were built and sold in the US, and another 6,500 were built and sold in England under license. Here’s one of the latter. The step-through design and bodywork kept riders clean, allowing them to wear ordinary clothes on their way to work or local shops. Production started in 1921, and the Model “A” had a 221cc 2-stroke engine that produced 2.5 horsepower. In the fall of 1922, Erwin “Cannonball” Baker rode a Ner-a-Car from New York City to Los Angeles – it took him just over 174 hours. Varying sources online suggest that of the 16,500 Ner-a-Car’s ever built, only about 100 remain.
Italians
This gorgeous 1971 Ducati 450 Desmo racer uses a Cheney nickel-plated frame and a beefy 4LS front brake from a Yamaha TD2. The sticker on the tank presumably means it’s participated in some USCRA racing (United States Classic Racing Association).
In 1985, you could have won a few bets with the knowledge that after the big four Japanese firms, the largest producer of motorcycles in the world was Cagiva. That spring they introduced a new model called the Aletta Oro (which roughly translates to “little Gold Wing”), and Cycle World called it “the most eagerly anticipated motorcycle in Italy“. A second generation (S2) was released the next year, and that was it. The production run was small and very few examples made it to the US.
The Aletta Oro utilized a previous-gen 125cc 2-stroke Cagiva MX motor that produced 25 horsepower, and the S2 got upgrades like an electric starter and a revised cylinder design. One cute feature is the flap on the right fairing – it looks like a fuel filler door on a car but this is actually to give access to the radiator cap!
There’s a couple of 70s Ducati 750s – one is stock, and one has been customized. I’ll take the stock Sport in yellow!
One of the most famous motorcycles to ever come out of Italy, the Laverda SFC 750 was a half-faired beauty built for competition. SFC stood for Super Freni Competizione, or “Super Brakes Competition.” The brakes weren’t the only thing that were super – the engine got bigger valves and 36mm Amal carbs to boost power up to 75 horsepower, which yielded a top speed of about 135 miles per hour.
A clean example of an early biposto MV Agusta F4.
Brit Bikes
Founded in 1919 by Gordon Francis and Arthur Barnett, Francis-Barnett was an English motorcycle manufacturer that was eventually acquired by AMC in ’47.
This 1939 Francis-Barnett Autocycle utilizes a 98cc Villiers 2-stroke engine.
Were you aware that the Triumph you know and love in England was started as a bicycle manufacturer by a German named Siegfried Bettman in 1886? A decade later, Bettman created another bicycle company in his hometown of Nuremberg – he called it the German Triumph Cycle Company. 7 years later, the German Triumph (eventually rebranded TWN for Triumph Werke Nuremberg) started making motorcycles. This is the Contessa, a scooter they offered with a 200cc engine. They also made a 125cc version called the “Tessy.”
1954 Vincent Rapide Series C.
I love the color scheme of this Velo, especially with the blue seat!
Another Velocette that caught my eye, this 1965 Velocette Venom Clubman had apparently been ridden across the United States and back.
It’s had the same owner since 1977.
1959 Triumph Twenty One – first of the unit construction Triumph twins and also known as the “Bathtub” due to the design of the rear fender.
BSA Firebird 650 Scrambler
Not Brit Bikes
This 1959 Vespa 400cc twin cylinder 2-stroke was made in France.
The 400cc two-cycle twin-cylinder was paired with a 3-speed manual transmission making a whopping 12 hp, but that was OK as the whole thing weighed just 850 pounds.
It’s one of only 200 known to still exist in the US and one of only 40 known to be running in the USA.
Only 1,000 came into the USA in 1959 and 1960.
The museum made a point of sharing that this still gets gets driven!
Memorabilia/Misc.
And we’ll wrap things up with a great display of color-sorted vintage cans:
There’s plenty more bikes I didn’t show off so if you want more photos of the facility, you can check them out here. Hopefully you get a chance to visit Cycles 128 yourself in the future!
Cycles 128
107 Brimbal Ave
Beverly, MA 01915