You can probably guess by the title of this post that there’s something special about this Honda CL100. Thanks to an ex-United Airlines pilot named Lawrence Shapiro, this bike could be fit into a suitcase so that you could take it with you on your private plane.
The story begins in the ’60s, when the concept of “general aviation” began to take off. Average citizens could earn their pilot’s license and travel for business and/or pleasure. But once you got to an airport far from home, ground transportation could be a problem. Shapiro figured that a motorcycle would be suitable in this case, so he created the aptly-named “Suitcase Cycles” company. He was able to sell approximately 1,000 bikes before production came to an end – according to Shapiro his downfall was product liability laws: “This was a time when everyone began being sued for anything and everything. Plus, some of our suppliers were told by Honda and Suzuki not to sell motorcycles to us. They still did but I believe they suffered consequences from the big boys.” For more information on Suitcase Cycle, check out this link from Check-Six, an aviation history site. You should also check out this page which shows some photos of a bike being loaded into a Cessna 172.
This example (VIN: CL1001229230) has just under 6,000 miles and it’s claimed to be in excellent condition. That’s pretty much the extent of the information provided by the seller, so find this CL100 Suitcase Cycle for sale in Port Orange, Florida with bidding up to $790 and the reserve not yet met
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Rob B!