In 2004, Leon Haslam earned Rookie of the Year honors while competing in World Superbike with the Renegade team with Noriyuki Haga. Leon’s best finish was 3rd, and he finished the season in 8th place. Italjet released a limited edition replica of his pit bike with a special cosmetic package that replicated what Leon would occasionally putt around on.
Rare US-Only Scooter – 1955 Zündapp Suburbanette
In a recent feature on a Zündapp Super Sport Combinette for sale, commenter dnaj noted that “the Suburbanette” was the one to have. Even though very few were made, Tim Huber has found one for you:
1 of 350 in Canada – 2005 Vespa PX150 Serie Canada
While most scooters nowadays are “twist and go” affairs with automatic transmission, the Vespa PX model line from 1977-2017 with two simple constants: a 2-stroke motor and 4-speed manual transmission with a grip shift. The PX150 was reborn in 1998 with a 10 year production run, and in 2005 Vespa made a few special editions by changing up paint colors. …
Sold by Radio Shack – 1961 Briggs & Stratton Powered Scooter
Most of you are familiar with the foreign-made bikes sold by US catalog dealers such as Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Wards back in the 60’s. Well, Radio Shack also jumped on that bandwagon, selling powered vehicles in their catalogs. Not foreign, but here is a 1961 motor scooter powered by the ubiquitous Briggs and Stratton lawnmower engine.
In Canada – 2000 BMW C1
At the turn of the century, BMW thought they could get more people on scooters by eliminating some of the weather and safety concerns. Their idea was the C1, a scooter with a roof and seat belts. With sufficient crash testing, BMW was able to convince most countries (except Sweden and the United Kingdom) that C1 riders did not have …
Spaceframed Scooter – Upgraded 2001 Italjet Dragster 180
Founded in ’59 by Leopoldo Tartarini in Bologna, Italjet has built its name on producing small displacement bikes and scooters. For a brief period around the turn of the millennium (2000-2002), Italjet even campaigned its F125 racer in the 125cc World Championship (Moto3). Back in the 1990s, the Italian marque revamped its product line by introducing a handful of new …
1 of 700 – 1963 Velocette Viceroy
One of Velocette’s least-known creations is a scooter called the Viceroy. It made sense in theory but sales were poor and production ended after just 700 were sold over 4 years (1960-1964). Obviously, they’re now hard to find, especially in the US.
2006 Honda Big Ruckus PS250
Post Sale Update: This Big Ruckus sold for $3,000 after 43 bids on eBay. The Ruckus was a surprising hit for Honda, due almost entirely to the aftermarket customization that has skyrocketed around the 50cc scooter. What many people don’t know is that Honda offered a ‘full-size’ version called the Honda Big Ruckus for 4 years in Japan and 2 …
Made by Benelli – 1965 Wards Riverside 250-D
Post Listing Update: This BIN was lowered to $2,000, but this Benelli scooter did not sell. In the 60s, Montgomery Ward’s sold a Benelli-built moped in two variants – the 150-D and 250-D. The latter got all kinds of fancy upgrades, including a speedometer!
$395 – 1981 Kreidler MP-19
Founded in 1903, Kreidler was a metal/wire factory for nearly 5 decades before they started motorcycle production in 1951. They were immediately successful, as within 8 years they were producing one third of all German bikes. From the late 60s to the early 80s, Kriedler offered MF (mofas) and MP (mopeds) models, and the US got the MP-9 and the …
Land Speed Moped – 1970 Tomos
6-15-2018 Update: Over two years later, Zack B notes that this Tomos is back up for sale. It looks much different now (and not for the better, I’d say). Check out pictures in the listing with an unmet opening bid of $999 in Crawfordsville, Indiana here on eBay. Post-Sale Update: After being relisted, this Tomos sold for a hefty $10,420.69. …
First Year in North America – 2003 Honda Ruckus
Post Sale Update: this Ruckus sold for $1,151 after 13 bids on Goodwill. The Honda Ruckus is a very unique modern scooter which combines distinctive styling, a CVT transmission, and excellent fuel economy (114 mpg) to become a popular in-town runabout. Here’s an example with just 660 miles that’s been donated to a Goodwill, so you can feel good about …
1968 Suzuki MoKick M31
Another day, another Honda Cub clone from a Japanese competitor! This is the M31, which was also known as the MoKick (because you started it by kicking, like a motorcycle, as opposed to pedaling, like a moped) or the Suzy 55.
1972 Yamaha U7E
This rare step through is a Yamaha U7E, and in the US it was only available for one year. I’ve never seen one before, and I even struggled to find reliable sources of information for basic specs. Do any of you have experience with this little scoot? And do you think it’s cuter than a Honda Cub?
1947 Salsbury Imperial Rocket
The Great Depression era shook up countless industries, creating a need for low-cost, high-efficiency products. So when E. Foster Salsbury reportedly saw Amelia Earhart romping around a California airport on a small motorized two wheeler, he recognized the potential of a cheap, reliable means of transportation. This prompted Salsbury to co-develop the Salsbury Aero Model Motor Glide in 1936 — …