California Scooter Company's new "Classic" was directly inspired by the Mustang, which was built from 1947-1965.

New retro bikes continue to grow in popularity. Royal Enfield, Triumph, Harley and Moto Guzzi all build motorcycles geared to riders whose tastes lean to yesterday’s classics. Add one more to the list thanks to the newly incorporated California Scooter Company, which is launching a line of bikes directly inspired by the classic Mustang motorcycles built in Glendale, Calif., from 1947 to 1965.

The California Scooter represents company founder Steve Seidner’s enthusiasm for motorcycles in general and passion for Mustang motorcycles in particular. Seidner has a long history in motorcycle sales, with extensive experience designing and marketing motorcycle accessories.

Now, he’s building motorcycles, with deliveries of production machines starting in March. Like the Mustang that inspired them, the new bikes coming out of Seidner’s Pomona, Calif., facility will be almost Lilliputian compared to the average Harley-Davidson. Wheels are only 12-inchers (just like the original), while power comes from a lightweight, all-aluminum 149cc 4-stroke single. The original Mustang Colt used a 122cc Villier’s 2-stroke. [Update: Several people have written in to clarify the fact that very few Mustangs were built with the Villier's 2-stroke engine. In 1947 the company introduced the Model 2 with a 320cc side-valve single and a 3-speed Burman gear box. In theStandard Catalog of American Motorcycles, Jerry Hatfield suggests a little over 200 Mustang Colts equipped with the Villiers engine were sold.] Saddle height is a low 27 inches, and the entire bike is only some 6-feet long. But that means relatively light weight of around 240 pounds wet. That basic formula worked well for the original Mustang, which was actually a surprisingly good performer thanks to its excellent power to weight ratio and low center of gravity.

Some 20,000 Mustangs were built during the original bike’s almost 20-year production life, and Seidner’s clearly banking there are still thousands of boomers like him with fond memories of riding or wanting to ride a Mustang as a kid. Three models are planned, including the aptly named Classic, which is almost a dead ringer for the original, down to its steel disc wheels. The modern engine gives it away, as does the front disc brake (early Mustangs had no front brake at all), but other than that you’d be hard-pressed to spot the differences until up close. The other two models include the very pink and tarted up Babydoll and the flat black and somber Greaser, a sort of mini bobber complete with red wheels.

The mini-bobber "Greaser" from California Scooter Company.

All three retail at $4,995, and while it’s hard to say without riding one whether they’re “real” motorcycles, chances are good they’ll surprise cynics just as the original Mustang did, which proved itself in a variety of competitive events including the famed Catalina Grand Nationals at Catalina Island off the coast of southern California. – Richard Backus

This original 1895 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller "motorrad" will be auctioned by Bonhams April 25

Bonhams will auction one of the few surviving Hildebrand & Wolfmüller motorcycles, a circa-1895 model that’s been in the same ownership since the early 1930s, at its annual International Classic Motorcycle Show in Stafford, England, April 25.

In the early 1890s, brothers Henry and Wilhelm Hildebrand decided to build a Motorrad (German for motorcycle), the first machine to use the term. Partnering with Alois Wolfmüller and his mechanic, Hans Geisenhof, they developed a 2-cylinder, water-cooled 4-stroke engine. Displacing 1,488cc, it produced 2.5hp at 240rpm.

Instead of a chain or driveshaft, the machine used direct drive, with connecting rods from the cylinders acting directly on the rear wheel via eccentrics, much in the way an old locomotive engine connects its driven wheels. Top speed was estimated at 30mph.

Patented in 1894, fewer than 2,000 Hildebrand & Wolfmüllers were built in Germany and France (where it was licensed to an outside firm) before production stopped in 1897. Although it was ultimately a failure, it was the first-ever series production of a motorcycle, marking its place in history.

Pre-sale estimates for the apparently original and unrestored machine range from $65,000 to $100,000 for what must be one of the world’s most exclusive motorcycles. Look for a follow-up report in our next issue or go to www.bonhams.com/stafford – Richard Backus 

1970 Husqvarna 400 Cross, made famous in Bruce Brown's seminal motorcycle movie, "On Any Sunday." This bike was displayed at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington, Ohio, as part of the "Malcolm!" exhibit.

Husqvarna, the legendary make that ruled AMA Racing off-road competition throughout the 1970s and 1980s, has recently made a full-throttle return to national championship contention. This July 9-11, the iconic brand will celebrate its heritage and build toward its future as the Marque of the Year at the 19th annual AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days.

Recognized as the world's largest gathering of vintage motorcycle enthusiasts, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days attracts tens of thousands of fans of all ages, eras and brands. The event takes place at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Ticket information is available at MidOhio.com.

"Arguably the most dominant off-road racing brand in the United States for a generation of racers, Husqvarna has recently returned full force to AMA Racing national competition,'' said Tigra Tsujikawa, AMA special events and marketing manager. "We're pleased to showcase both Husqvarna's history and the company's renewed investment in motorcycling's present and future at this year's AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days."

"Husqvarna Motorcycles is delighted to be the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Marque of the Year for 2010," said Husqvarna Motorcycles North America President Mark Brady. "Launching the new decade with this prestigious recognition is indeed an honor. Everyone at Husqvarna Motorcycles is very much aware of the great history of the brand, and we are determined to bring back the glory days.

"We believe that developing a closer relationship with the AMA is an important part of growing and protecting the rights of every rider in America," Brady added.

As part of Husqvarna's participation in AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, fans will be able to get up close and personal with the Husqvarna's moto-history, from its genesis in Sweden in the early 1900s to the high-tech off-road, motocross and dual-sport bikes the company sells and races today.

In addition, every year an individual with ties to the AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days Marque of the Year is selected as Grand Marshal for the event. The 2010 Grand Marshal will be announced shortly.

Although many U.S. riders first became familiar with Husqvarna in the early 1960s, the company had been selling motorcycles since 1903 when it fitted Husqvarna frames with engines from makers such as FN and Moto-Reve. In 1920 Husqvarna began building its own engine, a 550cc four-stroke 50-degree side-valve V-twin. Another early milestone was the legendary "Svartkvarna," built in 1946. It was a lightweight, reliable two-stroke that could endure hard use with minimal maintenance. The machine established a reputation that would define the Husqvarna marque for decades to follow.

By the early 1960s the two-stroke revolution had yet to reach the United States. U.S. riders were still tackling the woods and deserts on converted Harley-Davidsons, Triumphs and BSAs. It was about this time that a man named Edison Dye, now a member of the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, took a motorcycle tour of Europe during which he became instantly enthralled with the European sport of motocross, and a new breed of lightweight two-stroke bikes favored by its competitors.

A few years later, Dye put a Husqvarna motocross bike in the hands of a young American rider named Malcolm Smith for evaluation. Smith, also an AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer, gave the bike a thumbs up. This persuaded Dye to become the U.S., Husqvarna importer in 1966. As part of a marketing campaign Dye organized visits to the U.S., by the reigning Swedish world motocross champion Torsten Hallman, who also has since taken a seat in the Hall of Fame. Not only did Dye sell Husqvarna motorcycles but he also introduced a new style of motorcycle racing to America.

While educational displays and seminars at AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will focus on Husqvarna's rich history, the machines also will be among the many brands that amateur racers will test on the racetrack in the multiple racing disciplines that are part of the weekend's competition schedule.

In addition to vintage and post-vintage competition in motocross, trials, hare scrambles, roadracing and dirt track, AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days features North America's largest motorcycle swap meet. Also on tap: bike shows, demo rides of current production bikes, motorcycling seminars, stunt shows, the new product Manufacturers' Midway, and club corrals featuring marque and regional clubs.

Proceeds from AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days benefit the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum. The goal of the AMA Hall of Fame, located on the campus of the American Motorcyclist Association in Pickerington, Ohio, is to honor the distinguished men and women whose competitive spirit, passion, vision and entrepreneurship have played a vital role in shaping the sport, lifestyle and business of motorcycling. For more information, call (614) 856-2222, or visit the Museum's website at MotorcycleMuseum.org.

For more information about AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days 2009, visit AMAVintageMotorcycleDays.com.

Kenny Eggers on his BSA Shooting Star at Daytona Beach, 1954. He later constructed an exact replica of this bike. 

Sad news comes from the vintage racing world, where it’s been reported that Kenny Eggers, one of the top riders of the 1950s, has passed away at the age of 80 of natural causes. Eggers shot to national attention in 1954 when he sailed to fifth place in the Grand National Series opener at Daytona, riding a BSA Shooting Star. BSA took the top five spots, and the famed BSA Wrecking Crew was born.

We chronicled Kenny’s 1954 exploits in the January/February issue of Motorcycle Classics in an article penned by Margie Siegal and accompanied by great photography from Stephen Jacobson. The sub-plot of that article was Kenny’s creation of a replica of the BSA Shooting Star he rode to victory in 1954, which Kenny said was “an exact replica” of the bike he rode at Daytona and later at Willow Springs, where he took first place. Kenny built the replica Shooting Star in 2005 after years of building replicas of some of the other bikes he rode in his career.  

Kenny in 2005 with the replica 1954 BSA Shooting Star he built.

Kenny was a respected and much-admired member of the racing fraternity, and will certainly be missed by all who knew him and appreciated his successes on the track. Our deepest sympathies to the Eggers family. We’ll let readers know if and when a public memorial is planned. It would be great to see someone establish a race fund for novice racers in Kenny’s name. – Richard Backus