Following up on the Bridgestone Hurricane also available today, it seems appropriate to mention Rockford Motors. They were the American importer for Bridgestone, but when the Japanese firm stopped selling bikes in 1971, Rockford had a bit of an issue. They made a deal with Bridgestone to take over manufacturing rights for the 3 smallest bikes – two 60cc models called the Tora and the Chibi, as well as the 100cc Taka you see in front of you here.
The Taka obviously used Bridgestone’s rotary valve induction 100cc motor, paired with a 4-speed transmission. Production lasted until 1975, when Rockford shut down their motorcycle production experiment. The seller of this example (VIN: 15069) claims that it ran great before he put it on display in his “vacation cabin”, though no timeline is given of how long the bike has been sitting.
Find this Taka for sale in Anderson, South Carolina with a BIN of $10,000 – thankfully there’s also a “Make Offer” button –
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Dan D!