Cesare Rizzato founded the Atala bicycle company in 1921, and like most Italian bicycle manufacturers they eventually went on to add motors to their two-wheeled creations. One was the Rizzato Califfo, which was built in 1977 and 1978 and named for the Califfo-built 49cc two-stroke engine with a 1-speed transmission. It was imported to the US by Promark Products of …
1985 Safari 300MT Turbo
Motor Bike Imports of Pennsauken, New Jersey was founded in 1964, and they created the Safari name to distribute a range of mopeds built by companies in Italy including Rovet and MZV. For the 1978 model year, Safari debuted two new models with top tanks – they were called the 300MT and 400MT, where MT stood for “Motorcycle Tank.” It …
4-Speed – 1971 Honda CT70H
For many CT70 enthusiasts, the “H” models were desirable as they came with 4-speed transmissions and a manual clutch (as opposed to the 3-speed semi-automatic transmission of the non-H models.
Rare Project – 1938 Genial Lucifer
Here’s one I had never heard of before – a Genial Lucifer!
Two Of A Kind – 1972 Yamaha JT2
A seller in Montana has a pair of JTs that are claimed to be original (unrestored) and appear to be in quite nice shape. They were built in the same month with VINs within 50 of each other, and both have less than 800 miles each. These were popular mounts for many first riders, and Yamaha sold plenty of them. …
1979 Cosmo Colt
Cosmopolitan Motors of Hatboro, Pennsylvania closed down several years ago, but for a while they had claim to the title of America’s oldest motorcycle distributor. Back in their heyday you could stop by and find bikes from a wide range of smaller Italian manufacturers – many Parillas, Benellis, Capriolos, Garellis, Betas, (and more) featured here on Bike-urious were originally sold …
CA Plated – 2003 Kawasaki KRR150
I have to admit, at first glance I thought this was just a poorly repainted Ninja 250. But it’s actually a KRR150, a mini two-stroke that was never officially sold in the US.
Rare German Find – 1964 Göricke-Werke GÖ 100/4 S
9-14-21 Update: Three years later, this bike is back up for sale. The seller “borrowed” Tim’s excellent description below to complement the new set of photos – find it still in West Palm Beach, Florida with an unmet opening bid of $3,500 here on eBay. Despite existing for some 90 years, Göricke-Werke AG has only been heard of by a …
1972 Ruttman Horny Toad
There’s some great names in motorcycling history – Combat Wombat, Interceptor, and, to name a few. But damn if “Horny Toad” ain’t high up on the list as well!
CA Plated with No Reserve – 2002 Aprilia RS50
Introduced in the early 90s, the Aprilia RS50 became a breakout hit in 1999 thanks to an aluminum frame (making it the first mass-produced 50cc with a die-cast aluminum frame) as well as a styling update reminiscent of Aprilia’s GP race bikes. European youths were all over it as licensing rules were relaxed for <50cc motorcycles and scooters.
79 Miles – 1972 Honda CB100
Produced between 1970 and 1972, the CB100 featured styling from its bigger brothers and a claimed top speed of 60 miles per hour thanks to 11 horsepower. This example stands out as it has just 79 miles.
Owned by Brock Yates – 1987 Yamaha YSR50
This YSR50 has an interesting history, as it was gifted to Brock Yates (the former editor of Car and Driver and creator of the Cannonball Run). It hung from the wall at Brock’s pub in Wyoming, New York until recently, and now it’s passed through the hands of a couple of people as a collectible.
No Reserve – 1982 Honda XL100S
The XL100 evolved into the XL100S in 1979, and it continued that way until the model was discontinued in 1985.
1981 Suzuki FS50X
Sold in some markets as the Shuttle, the Suzuki FS50 was a family of scooters related to the FZ50 and FA50. The FS was built between 1980 and 1991 and was powered by a 49cc 3.2 hp engine paired with a two-speed transmission.
In Italy – 1967 Moto Morini Corsarino
The Moto Morini Corsarino was sold between 1963 and 1977 in Scrambler, Touring, and the Sport version seen here. The adorable name translates to “Little Pirate,” (arguably, a little Corsican pirate) which explains the logo on the tail.