Legends of Scooter Sport: Harley Topper
I've never been a huge fan of Harley-Davidsons, but the Harley Topper is definitely something special. Could anything else have inspired the character (Topper Harley) responsible for the bloodiest movie ever (as seen below), "Hot Shots"? Ok, enough about the movie.
The Topper was the only scooter that Harley-Davidson ever produced and was made from 1960-1965. In case you didn't notice, Yamaha quite obviously ripped it off with their current C3 scooter. The Topper had couple of special features that were way ahead of their time including: a CVT transmission and body made from both stamped steel/fiberglass. It was powered by a 160cc 2-stroke single and was started with recoil system similar to a lawnmower or a Lambretta E model. Yes purists, they require premix.
The engine went thru several revisions over the five year lifespan. It all began with the 9HP A model from 1960-1961. During this time Harley also came out with a 5HP AU model to meet state requirements for licensing to young people. In 1961 the A model was replaced with a 9HP AH model. The H designated high compression.
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In 1959, Harley began a joint venture with an Italian company to form Harley-Aermacchi. Harley-Aermacchi's focus was on lightweight bikes and many Harley enthusiasts refuse to add the Topper to their collections because they assume it was built in Italy as a result of this venture. In fact, all signs point to this bike being manufactured in America. It was made with standard bolts (as opposed to the metric bolts of the Harley-Amermacchi bikes) and had many interchangeable parts with Harley's other small displacement bikes of the era (primarily the Hummer). As the Topper was Harley's only venture into scooterdom, I think it's fair to say the Topper is a legend of scooter sport.
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Comments
My personal definition of a scooter is a step thru design where the gas tank is located below the seat. I would call the M50 a motorcycle due to the lack of step thru and the gas tank in the conventional location for a motorcycle. I don't think the C100 constitutes a motorcycle for the same reasons, its a step thru and the seat is on top of the gas tank. JMO Quote
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