Posts tagged as:

Mini Bikes

Weight Lifter

April 13, 2010
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This morning I shared a goofy photo of myself on an Arctic Cat mini bike, a machine not unlike the one shown in this advertisement. (although undoubtedly a different year model, given the stylistic differences) I remember thinking that the Arctic Cat bikes were particularly cool, as they were superior to the usual fare at [...]

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Arctic Cat

April 13, 2010
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If I had any sense of self-pride I wouldn’t be putting this photo on the internet, but as I’ve proven time and again, I’ll do anything for a laugh. That’s right, the desperate character you see here is me, on board a rented Arctic Cat mini bike. (the dorky helmet is also a rental) That’s [...]

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Powell Phantom

February 19, 2010
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Seldom seen today, the Powell Phantom was a sturdy and powerful player in the mini bike wars. This 1971 advertisement gives a list price for the 7hp Phantom as $225, not bad for substantial machine with that humongous Tecumseh engine. The Phantom had a number of interesting design features, including a boxed swingarm, tubular front [...]

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A Truly Fine Compact

February 17, 2010
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Another advertisement from ’65, this one showing a mini bike from Valiant Manufacturing in New Orleans. The ad says little about the machine, but I was struck by it’s similarity to the old Simplex design. Closer inspection revealed the lettering on the fuel tank: “Simplex Compact Sportsman”. I know little about the Simplex, other than [...]

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The Engray-Maico Spitfire

February 16, 2010
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This 1965 advertisement is for the Engray-Maico Spitfire, a mini bike made by Engray Industries. It featured a German-made 2-cycle engine from Maico, a company whose motocross machines would gain renown in the late ’60s. I never saw one of these, but from the ad it looks to have been significantly ahead of it’s time. [...]

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Tiny Indians

December 21, 2009
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Following the dissolution of the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company*, the rights to the Indian name changed hands a number of times, often following heated legal battles. The American designs were gone, first replaced by rebadged Royal Enfield, Matchless or Velocette models. Later those British makes were forsaken for Taiwanese-manufactured mini-cycles that utilized either an Italian [...]

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Suzuki Trailhopper

November 29, 2009
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From a 1971 magazine, this advertisement is for the Suzuki Trailhopper. A competent little machine, it could be said that the Trailhopper came along too late, as the trend from “mini-bikes” to “mini-cycles” had already begun.

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Steen’s

November 1, 2009
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I remember thinking back in the late 1960s that Steen’s really represented everything that Southern California stood for. They sold Go Karts, their own Taco brand of mini bikes, and even offered Hodaka and Rickman motorcycles. I mailed-off for a Steen’s catalog around 1970 or so, and I used to drool over all the cool [...]

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Start ‘em Young

November 1, 2009
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The March 1968 issue of Cycle Guide included an article on constructing a mini bike specifically for younger folk, built ¾-scale. What really got my attention was the choice of engines, as a 1.4 cubic inch 2-stroke from L.M. Cox (the manufacturer of those tiny model airplane engines) was selected. I’m unfamiliar with that engine [...]

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Bonanza Mini Bike Kit

November 1, 2009
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Bonanza came to be one of the biggest names in mini bikes, but I wasn’t aware that they ever offered bikes in kit form. Seventy dollars, or toss in an extra fifty and get the engine… such a deal! While Bonanza based many of their bikes on a conventional mini bike platform (rigid frame and [...]

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The Honda Mini Trail

August 14, 2009
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Over the years I’ve owned about two dozen motorcycles of various types and sizes, but the one I remember most fondly was the first, a 1969 Honda Mini Trail. The Mini Trail, or Mini Trail 50 as it was often called after the release of the Trail 70, introduced a generation to the joys of [...]

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