Post Listing Update: This Greeves was pulled off of eBay, final sale price unknown.
Founded by Bert Greeves, the Greeves motorcycle company started when Bert was mowing his lawn and thought of mounting a lawnmower engine to the wheelchair of his disabled cousin to help with mobility. That led to a government contract, and Bert was inspired by his success to start building motorcycles as well. The company was quite successful with exports – at one point Greeves was sending more bikes to the US than it was keeping in its home country. The Greeves Ranger is considered by some to be the first ever ‘trail bike’, a road-legal dual-sport.
The Ranger was specifically designed for export to the States, utilizing a 250cc engine sourced from Villiers. Production numbers aren’t known for sure, though some estimates peg the number around 3,000 (the seller of this example claims that approximately 200 were made for the American market). This bike was known for several innovative features, like the I-beam casting, front downtube, and the crazy-looking front suspension design – take a look at the photo for a view of the leading-link. Greeves was well-known a decade before Honda and the rest of the Japanese competition took over the market.
This example (VIN: 24CS166) was restored in 2005, including a repaint in the original Moorland Blue color. The only non-original part seems to be the chain guard, which is an aluminum reproduction. The restoration also included a rebuilt of the motor with new crank bearings, big end bearing, seals, and gaskets. The original piston was kept during the restoration but it was replaced (along with the seals) this year. Unfortunately, the seller notes that the motor has not been “running properly” since the piston was replaced. Everything else seems to work but it has a misfire so he suspects it’s an issue with the ignition system.
Find this Greeves for sale with a BIN of $3,000 in Tallahassee, Florida
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