What is this mystery bike?

[Gone in 60]

Today, Mrs. G and I were simulated passengers during the “soft opening” of San Diego Airport’s new Terminal 1.

We had a simulated travel itinerary and while waiting for our “flight” to Bora Bora, we were stuffing our faces with samples from all of the restaurants in the new terminal.

One of them, a sandwich and coffee shop, had a motorcycle hanging from the ceiling as a decoration. I was eying it closely, and one of the people handing out samples called the manager over to talk with me after he noticed me studying the bike. He said “I think it’s a Ford.” Not a motorcycle aficionado apparently.

The manager came over we chatted a bit. He said he knew a little about motorcycles but he couldn’t figure out what kind it was. The emblem was too far away to easily identify staring at it from the ground.

Anyone here able to ID it?

 

[rdprdp01]

I think it is a first generation Moped, single cylinder, with no more than 50CC displacement. If I recall, Honda made a model called a Benley 50 and Suzuki had a competitor called an AP50. Both were first manufactured in the 1990s or thereabouts. They morphed from tiny motorcycles to the form we most associated with mopeds and scooters over time.

I do not believe the moped on display is either a Honda or Suzuki, but I believe it is a contemporary.

Here is a link from Honda:

Honda Announces Launch of Benly 50S/90S Sports Bikes with Specially Toughened Tire Inner Tubes to Minimize the Risk of Punctures | Honda Global Corporate Website

I hope I did not embarrass myself with this response! Have a great week. David

 

[Cormanus]

The AI in Google Lens had this to say:

The image displays a vintage motorcycle identified as a 1966 Sears Puch Sabre.
Make and Model: The motorcycle is a Sears Puch Sabre.
Year: It is from 1966.
Engine: It features a 50cc engine.
Transmission: It has a 3-speed transmission.
Speed: It is capable of reaching speeds up to 50 miles per hour.

See ISO Sears or Puch Sabre parts

 

[rdprdp01]

The AI in Google Lens had this to say:

The image displays a vintage motorcycle identified as a 1966 Sears Puch Sabre.
Make and Model: The motorcycle is a Sears Puch Sabre.
Year: It is from 1966.
Engine: It features a 50cc engine.
Transmission: It has a 3-speed transmission.
Speed: It is capable of reaching speeds up to 50 miles per hour.

See ISO Sears or Puch Sabre parts

I defer to my betters: Cormanus and Google AI. :hilarious:

At least I managed to get the 50cc right! David

 

[Henrik]

This is really interesting! As Cormanus mentioned, that would be a Puch, more specifically a VZ 50. It was a moped sold mostly across Europe until mid-70's. I remember as a kid in Sweden, the Puch Dakota (as it was called there) was a really popular moped as it could be ridden from 15 years. My brother had one, and as soon as I turned 15 I would ride it as well.

I never knew that they were also sold in the US through Sears though.

 

[Cormanus]

Rdprdp01, I missed your first 50cc moped post. Apologies. Full marks to you for applying reasoning; I just asked Google.

 

[Gone in 60]

Ahh, that makes perfect sense. I had a feeling it was a captive import sold by Sears. Thank you, Cormanus and AI! I was resisting the urge to have AI look it up.

Henrik, your story reminds me of when I was in my teens. One could obtain a driver's learner permit in California at 15 1/2 years old, letting you drive a car with an adult passenger observing. You could also ride a sub-50cc moped. I was trying to decide... new moped (there were plenty of shops selling the popular brands around me), or an old car for about the same price.

The car won out, mostly due to social pressures of being a male teen in car-obsessed California. And, when I got my second job at 17 at Disneyland, the car allowed me to take the freeway.

 

[Henrik]

Here is an add for the Sears Sabre:

 

[Tev62]

Only three moving parts in the fan the ad says. Would that really be on the mind of a buyer? 

 

[Gone in 60]

Wow, just $275. Shut up and take my money!

 

[Lord Popgun]

That would be $2729 now (if from 1966)

 

[suhawk305]

I remember as a kid pouring through the Sears and Montgomery Ward (Riverside Motorcycles) catalogs looking at these small motorcycles.