Those Mighty Mini-Motos
THOSE MIGHTY MINI-MOTOS
SOMETIMES THERE'S just no accounting for the wacky crazes that sweep across Europe. This one, however, might just make a little sense.
It’s called Mini-Moto, and it involves tiny, 38cc, motorcycle-like rocketships painted to look like World Superbike or 500cc GP contenders. And they are tiny, with a claimed dry weight of 31 pounds. These disc-braked little jewels race on kart tracks and attain speeds of about 40 mph from their single-cylinder, two-stroke engines, which buzz to 10,200 rpm.
Gary Ethridge and Howard Swinnerton, of Action Sport Cycles, in Fort Lauderdale,
Florida, apparently figure that what’s good for European enthusiasts also will be good for Americans. So they’ve added
the Vittorazi mini-moto line to their dealership, which also sells Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Husqvarna and Maico.
Complete bikes, in a choice of paint jobs that mimic Ducati 851s, Kawasaki ZX-7s, HB and Rothmans Hondas, Pepsi and Lucky Strike Suzukis, as well as a pair of Bimotas, are available for $995 plus tax and shipping. An unassembled and unpainted kit, for those who wish to apply custom paint, is available for $895.
Swinnerton says a number of kart tracks in Florida now feature mini-moto races, and says his store has so far sold about 40 of the tiny bikes to all areas of the country. Enthusiasts ride these things sufficiently hard to require the wearing of hockey-style leg protectors, as riders drag not just their knees in corners, but their entire lower legs.
If this sounds like your kind of racing, you can obtain additional information from Swinnerton at Action Sport Cycles, 305/587-7061.
