Little bikes are fun.

[John Backlund]

Submitted for your approval....my 'little guys'. The 278cc, spunky, zippy, and stylistically elegant Italian, and the utilitarian yet visually extravagant 350cc Indian. Both of them combined put out less 3 HP less HP than my 47 hp 650 Royal Enfield does.

 

[boris bubbanov]

Looks cool!

But show us an image of you, riding it. I've got a little (very little) Suzuki my Dad handed over to me and I feel (at 5 foot 8 and 170 pounds) very much the circus clown, riding it. If it was just 10% bigger, I'd probably use it a lot.

 

[John Backlund]

Looks cool!

But show us an image of you, riding it. I've got a little (very little) Suzuki my Dad handed over to me and I feel (at 5 foot 8 and 170 pounds) very much the circus clown, riding it. If it was just 10% bigger, I'd probably use it a lot.

 

[Short on cash]

What's up with that DC3 ?

 

[John Backlund]

In order to enjoy riding a scooter, even one as classic, and yes...classy, as an Italian Vespa 300, one must learn to suppress one's vanity to some degree, and just allow the purity and pleasure of the experience to overcome all preconceived notions concerning riding such a machine.

 

[BrownBearGuitars]

Love small bikes, have a ‘21 Honda Rebel 300, insanely fun bike.

 

[John Backlund]

What's up with that DC3 ?

My wife, 'Trixie', built that thing, almost literally, on a folding table in her apartment back around 1983. I think she used a #11 Exacto bladed knife and a sanding block to construct the 83 inch wingspan DC-3. It was a Royal kit, which although high quality, was a rather intimidating large box of balsa sticks and planks.

It is not finished as far as it's livery is concerned, but is based on a Dutch registered Douglas DC-3 that at the time was sponsored by Hewlett-Packard.

The actual aircraft that her DC-3 is modeled after, unfortunately crashed back in the 1990's, with no survivors, so her model is something of a ghost plane.

She had originally intended to fly it, using twin rotary engines ('Wankel'), but it was never fitted with the engines or mechanical hardware used to fly it. This is certainly why it still exists and did not end up in a garbage can as a collection of shattered wood.

It's followed us around for almost four decades, and has hung from the ceilings of at least five apartments and houses.

Trixie was going to bust it up at one time and throw it away, but I forbid that to happen to it, so it's still with us. Right now, it's on our garage wall, obviously, at our western South Dakota house. Every now and then, I think about doing an interesting re-finish job on it, but chronic procrastination had so far prevented that to happen.

 

[Short on cash]

Those Royal kits were some of the best.
I still have a few new in box.
Flew alot in the 80's into the early 90's but haven't
played with them for years.

Thanks for the info !

 

[ChicknPickn]

I would ride a motorcycle, but my wife won't let me.

 

[Mouth]

It's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow.

 

[Barbeque John]

In the 60's I built a Harley chopper out of a 1950 Hydraglide basket case. Hydraulic forks, rigid rear. Sometime just after building that I acquired a Vespa 150, engine siezed, for 10$. A friend rebuilt it for about $100. Wife and I had way more fun on that than the Harley. I think that was about expectations. On the Harley people expected you to be some some sort of bada$$, on the Vespa, they laughed and smiled and were very friendly. Put a 1936 Goulding side car on the Harley, and folks were much more friendly and interested. Eventually I turned it back into a solo bike, and sold it to a guy, for whom I had to ride it to his house, he was so nervous about riding it.

 

[Knows3Chords]

Those bikes are absolutely beautiful! As a RC guy that could always fly them, but never really build them all that well, that DC-3 is beautiful too! My Dad could always build them though. He would have loved that plane.

 

[telleutelleme]

How has the maintenance been on the RE? I am thinking about selling my Harley Dresser and getting something lighter for my age, but not a scooter.

 

[Telecaster1954]

I really, most sincerely, desire one of this little rascals. HondaCT125 trail.

However, I’m 6’3” and ~235lbs.

My wife says I’d look like a circus clown.

I still want one.

 

[standup]

I had an Aprilia 150cc scooter for several years. When I weighed 170 I could get it up to 70mph, so useable on any road but interstates.

then we moved and it just wasn’t getting ridden, so I traded it for a cool vintage synth that was just as fun but not as useful as far as getting across town.

 

[JSMac]

How has the maintenance been on the RE? I am thinking about selling my Harley Dresser and getting something lighter for my age, but not a scooter.

That's where I'm at too. Always rode Harleys and sold my last one six years ago. Thought I'd never go back to riding but the urge is persistent. At 5' 6", 130 lbs and just shy of 70 years old, a smaller bike would probably make sense. Thinking about a Royal or a Triumph.

 

[Call Me Al]

Before a cross country move, I had a Aprillia Scarabeo 200. Super fun, I miss that bike!

Not my photo, but one like it:

 

[Tarkus60]

I like your taste!
I have been wondering about one of these.

Home - Janus Motorcycles

Hand-manufactured lightweight motorcycles designed with a simple and classical approach. Find out more here.

www.janusmotorcycles.com

 

[985plowboy]

I would ride a motorcycle, but my wife won't let me.

We should start a support group.

 

[Cheap Trills]

I'd ride the Indian and take a lot of pictures of myself on it. I'd ride the Vespa too and enjoy it, but I'd tell everyone it's my wife's.