Rupp Continental

RUPP CONTINENTAL

Mini-Bike Test

THOUGH WE, AS MOTORCYCLISTS, tend not to take such things as mini-bikes very seriously, they most certainly have a place in the cycle world, and it is often a place difficult, if not impossible, to fill by any other machine.

We were loaned a new model of Rupp Manufacturing’s Continental during the CYCLE WORLD Motorcycle Show at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena last May. We used the bike for general running around the vast auditorium, along with a scooter, and spent most of our time fighting over who would take the Continental on their errands.

Simplicity of operation, ease of handling, extreme portability, very inexpensive operation, are mini-bike virtues. Small wheel instability and the general size of the machine are, of course, the things that separate the mini-bike from the motorcycle; they are drawbacks that have to be accepted in order to appreciate the vehicle.

Rupp has borrowed such features as swing arms and telescopic forks from motorcycles, added lighting equipment (as an option), mounted a nice comfortable foam rubber seat, powered it with a 3 Vi horsepower Lauson four-cycle engine, and priced it at only $199.95, plus the lighting.

Boating and airplane enthusiasts, as well as others looking for cheap, easy-to-carry temporary transportation are turning to mini-bikes; even the staunchest critic will have to admit that he would be hard pressed to find another machine with such a list of virtues that would fit in the trunk of even the smaller cars. •