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Toyoko....? Mini bike barn find.

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MikeL50

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Stumbled across it today in a friends barn I've never been in. He said I could take it.

I havn't a clue what it is year or motor that's supposed to be in it.

Its a complete roller w/ Frame, lights, seat, tank wheels/ tires everything but the motor.



I'll have pics of it tomorrow to show you guys.



It's red with a red frame, Tank and a black seat w/ red Toyoko on the back of it.



Are these desireable and or restorable?



anyone on here have one?
 
Discussion starter · #6 ·
shawnbassett26 said:
I thought that what it was, lawn mower powered monkey bike knock off. You should put a huge motor in it.

~Shawn
Click to expand...
I might just have to do that...



It looks just like the red one in that link.



thanks for the responses so far. I'm gonna grab it tomorrow and take a few pics.
 
#7 ·
Frame looks like a Rupp Roadster II/Black Widow, but with a tubular swingarm instead of a stamped channel swingarm. Seat and tank are different, though.



Appears to be Tecumseh-powered. The word I've heard is Tecumseh is no longer making engines, contracts to supply replacement parts are still up for grabs and therefore, unless some outfit jumps on that business, replacement parts will be limited to old stock.



That info may be dated though. Can't go wrong with a GX-series (OHV) Honda industrial engine, although it might be tough to fit because the cylinder will be slanting backwards, which might make exhaust routing awkward.



How about one of those little Yanmar or (Changfa) clone air-cooled diesels? Or a Hatz diesel, if you're feeling spendy? That could be an obnoxious-sounding neighborhood blaster...
 
#8 ·
Thread, I too just came across a barn find with a similar name, but mine is a TOYOCO made by the Toyoco Motor Co. in Levittown, PA. I know it's old because it has a holder on the face of the front forks for a small can of oil like 3in1 oil or similar oil to keep the chain oiled. It has a Kohler K91T engine. If anyone knows anything about these or can give any clue as to its worth, it would be of great help to me.
 
#9 ·
K91? As I recall that was a 4hp Kohler. Haven't seen one of those since driving a concessions go-kart many many years ago that was powered (barely) by one.



Don't know much about Toyoco, but have you searched around on sites like Mini Doodle and whatnot, which are more geared toward the pre-Japanese invasion minibikes?



How about some photos of it?
 
#11 ·
I owned several Toyoco mini bikes as a kid. I lived in Levittown PA and their US facility was there. How lucky could I be.. you walk in to a warehouse and 2 nice oriental gentleman would sell you anything you need. They had every single part of the bikes up on the pegboard wall. I remember buying a brand new painted frame right off the wall for $21.



After a little research and jogging my brain I have updated the info below..



As far as I know they basically had 4 models. The smallest was the "Alligator 250" and had I believe a 2.5 hp Tecumseh, no suspension or lights and drum brakes.



The middle one had an emerald green and white paint job and was called the "Alpha 350" for the 3.5 hp Tecumseh engine. Was a nice little bike with an engine driven lighting system (no battery). It had front springs and I think a solid rear. Drum brakes front and rear. I haven't seen one these bikes since. They had very soft frames (the reason I was buying one) and probably the reason they aren't around anymore. I had numerous footpeg mount failures and one bike broke in half at the steering neck when I hit a series of humps! Pretty funny sight if it wasn't me. would love to hear from someone having one of these or a link to a pic.



The higher end model was the Red & White "Hunter 400 or Beta 400". It had a 4 hp Tecumseh engine and I'm pretty sure originally was equipped with a torque converter. Front and rear suspension and a single tube frame. It also had the engine driven lighting and I believe the engine was canted forward. It had a long chrome muffler and drums front and rear. I see these around still (as in the link in a post above). I remember my friend was getting one of these for christmas and his parents put it next to the christmas tree a few days early but he couldn't ride it till christmas. I'll never forget the reflection of the christmas lights in the chrome of that bike! It is permanently burned into my memory if not my retina from the hours we spent staring at it.



I've also heard references of a "Masher 500" though I don't recall this bike offhand. If you have a pic or info please let me know.



If anyone has pictures, info, brochures, even stories they care to submit to me I will put together a nice Toyoco info page for all of us.



Other rare bikes I had and am knowledgeable of are the Gemini SST (Yamaha motor) and an Alexander-Reynolds EZ-Rider.
 
#13 ·
Rupps I've seen all had swingarms made of two channel-shaped stampings welded to the pivot tube; unlike the one in the link in this thread, which has tubular sides with flattened ends. Also, while I've never seen a Toyoco in person, from the photos I can see the top frame tube is larger diameter than a Rupp and runs straight back, whereas a Rupp is smaller diameter and slopes down a bit from the steering head. On the Rupp there's more distance between the top tube and downtube where they join at the steering head, too.



Cool "back when they was new" Toyoco story; I love hearing stuff like that. Need more pics!
 
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