The Aero was Honda’s first modern scooter in North America, where it was introduced in 1983. A second generation was introduced in 1985, and these have served as reliable in-town runabouts ever since. The ’85-’87 models had a 49.3cc two-stroke enigne that produced 3.9 horsepower and 3.5 pound-feet of torque. The entire package weighed 121 pounds dry. Realistic top speed …
1984 Honda Motocompo
Post Sale Update: This Motocompo sold for $2,025 after 2 bids on eBay. Sold for only 3 years, the Honda Motocompo was a tiny 50cc folding scooter designed to fit into the trunks of the subcompact cars Honda was making at the time, like the City. In fact, the City’s trunk was designed specifically to house the Motocompo. Nowadays, they’re …
In Canada – 2008 Yamaha Morphous
Here’s a vehicle only true scooter fans know about – the Yamaha Morphous. Ignoring the oddball name, it was by all accounts a well designed scooter that did not achieve commercial success. It was introduced in 2005 in the US and was pulled in 2009. If you’re looking for a scooter that stands out, it’s hard to imagine a better …
Project Scooter – 1960 Triumph Tigress
Also sold as the BSA Sunbeam, the Triumph Tigress was a scooter available in 175cc two-stroke and 250cc four-stroke variants, producing 7.5 and 10 horsepower respectively. They were introduced in 1959, and production of the 250 ceased in 1964.
Holland Import – 1978 Batavus MoBat
Batavus is a long-time Dutch manufacturer of bicycles and mopeds. They produced several stylish moped models and began importing to the U.S. in the 1970s, including the HS-50 and this more sinister sister model, the MoBat. Like most Batavus models, these are powered by a 48cc Laura 2-stroke engine and sport motorcycle styling with large wheels and between-the-knees fuel tank. …
In Belgium – 1956 NSU Tandem Moped
Well, I’m not entirely sure what we’re looking at here, but the seller calls it a “double-decker” motorcycle with a NSU tank and a 98cc 2-stroke motor.
1966 Heinkel Tourist
Heinkel started as a German aircraft manufacturer that found themselves without a product after the Allies banned them from making planes after World War II. They moved on to bicycles, a microcar, and scooters like the Tourist to help Germans who couldn’t afford a car but needed personal transportation.
1944 Safticycle Scooter
Based out of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Safticycle offered a small variety of bicycle/scooter hybrids like the Sportster, Mountaineer, and the Cruiser between 1942 and 1952.
1962 Valmobile Suitcase Scooter
Post-Listing Update: This Valmobile did not meet reserve with bidding up to $2,225. Weighing just 75 pounds, the Valmobile was marketed as a ‘foldaway motor scooter and golf car.’ The front assembly folds into the the body, and a pull handle allows you to drag the box by hand as it rolls on the rear wheel!
Needs Work in Italy – 1957 Aermacchi Chimera 175
The Chimera was a bit ahead of its time – despite rarely seen features (for the time) like a single rear shock and the futuristic styling, Aermacchi was only able to sell 119 examples of the 175cc variant and 177 examples of the 250cc. Here’s an example of the former that will unfortunately need some work before it hits the …
1940s Brockhouse Corgi
A civilian version of the Excelsior Villiers Welbike, the Corgi was produced between 1948 and 1954 – 27,050 units were created. Based on the estimated year of production, I’m going to guess this is a Mk1, which means it has to be bump started. Either way, the Corgi was also known as the Indian Papoose when it was imported to …
1973 Auranthetic Charger
Post-Sale Update: This Auranthetic sold for $920 after 14 bids on eBay. When I say ‘electric motorcycle’, you’ll probably think of Zero or Victory, now that the latter has acquired Brammo. If you’re passionate about the dirt, you may even have heard of Alta Motors and the Redshift MX. But what if I asked you for an electric motorcycle from …
Portuguese Scooter – 1973 Casal Carina S170
Here’s something I’ve never encountered before: the Portuguese company of Veiculos Casal. They made mopeds, small motorcycles, and scooters – here’s one of the last, a Carina S170.
1949 Salsbury Imperial Model 85
Post Listing Update: Despite 30 bids on eBay, bidding did not meet reserve at $8,100. Back in 1936, a man named E. Foster Salsbury co-developed the Salsbury Motor Glide, a scooter with an enclosed drivetrain underneath the seat. His later development of the first CVT to be used on a scooter made his product such a success that he even …
In Belgium – 1961 IWL SR 59 Berlin
Established by Daimler-Benz in 1936 to build airplane engines, Industriewerke Ludwigsfelde (IWL) built scooters between ’54 and ’65 – they’re still kicking under Mercedes Benz, where they build Sprinter vans.