1969 L'il Indian and Rupp Mini-Bikes

The Mini-Bike Craze

Later that year one of my buddies informed me about new mini-bikes that were being sold in Montreal; naturally, I was immediately interested, so off we went to have a look. By today's standards, the bikes could be described as quaint, but to us they were way cool. With simple frames and forks and powered by Tecumseh horizontal shaft motors with centrifugal clutches, they were more than adequate - they were a fourteen-year-old's freedom machines. After consulting our respective bank accounts, my friend purchased a 5 hp L'il Indian while I could just manage the cheaper 3 horse model.

After getting them home we headed straight for Fury Speedway. My mini-bike topped out at 30mph, while to my annoyance my friend's squeezed out 5mph more. At first we would push the little bikes to the track, but as our experience and confidence grew, we started to ride them on the streets. Then, being the cool dudes that we had become, we attracted the opposite sex. What a thrill it was for us to share our mini's tiny accommodations while racing flat out around the old oval; the poor girls hugging us for all they were worth while giving us an intimate lesson in anatomy. I still remember it like it was yesterday (gawd, I feel old).

But as with all good things, we started to get bored by all too familiar surroundings, and started to venture out to new terrain. Farm fields proved too much for the tiny wheels, and so the residential roads became the norm. Amazingly, we never got caught, but then there were only so many places one could risk riding to. At this point, another friend bought himself a Suzuki 80 Scrambler and our status dropped off the radar. I know that I sold my L'il Indian after only a year or so of ownership, but I can't seem to recall the actual event. Must have been traumatic! But like most kids, I needed the money to go to the next level. (see Honda 65s)

Five years later I was living in Toronto, working full time and had my first pang of loss for the L'il Indian. Mini-bike technology was advancing and I saw an ad for a much improved Rupp. This bike had both front and rear suspension and was starting to resemble a real motorcycle albeit at a much smaller scale. So I purchased it on a whim. If I had put 3 miles on it I would be surprised. I really had no reason to own a mini-bike as I was riding a Yammie 650 at the time, but nostalgia can be a powerful emotion. At least I got some pictures of it before I sold it to a co-worker who bought it for his son.

In doing a search of the internet for pics of my first mini-bike, I was surprised to discover that the I can still purchase a kit form of that L'il Indian. Will this story be continued? Stay tuned.