Post-Listing Update: This Marusho got no interest at the asking price of $7,850.
A barely known Japanese manufacturer, Marusho (who built bikes under the name of Lilac) peaked in the mid 50s, though they went bankrupt in 1962 after a deal with Mitsubishi went bad. Within a year they came to life with a plan to specifically target the American market with a 500cc twin engine – quite a large displacement for Japanese firms at the time.
As Lilac had no experience building engines this large, they copied the 500cc engine from the BMW /2’s 500cc (though only some internal parts were interchangeable to avoid patent infrigement issues). 600 were sold in 1965 but sales kept declining and Lilac was out of business again in either late ’66 or early ’67. For more information, head on over to the Marusho/Lilac Registry.
This Magnum has been customized by a machinist and was recently brought out of a long term collection. It will need to recommissioned before it gets back on the road, but there are some interesting touches – machined hubs, a magneto from a 30s BMW, a custom clea viewing port for said magneto, and a cutout to check out the timing. Find this Magnum for sale in Saint Louis, Missouri with a BIN of $7,850 or best offer