1941 Rikuo

[thedahmer]

Harley-Davidson : RQ : eBay Motors (item 290410997181 end time Mar-14-10 14:32:38 PDT)

pretty interesting....

[Sarge]

I wonder what he means, "The original engine was too rusted out so I had a 74 engine put into it?" It's obviously not a 74 cubic inch UL motor, it's a 45, either US or Rikuo. Last registered G motors were 1973, if memory serves. It's a pile of parts, anyway. Parts 1940s, parts 1950s, part Japanese, part H-D 45, at least.

[shoveled71]

Im sure some of yall have seen these, a fella had two of these at Eustis when I was there friday a week ago. Spike

[Limey_Dave]

Somebody said something,he changed the description at 22.55 PST March 7th.

[64Panhead]

Yeah he doesn't know what he is talking about, since it now says

This bike is a rebuilt from Japan, some parts are original, some are from later years, (1950). The original engine was too rusted out so I had a 45 engine put into it as the tooling for Rikuo was the same as Harley Davidson. This is a good price for this bike, it's very rare to have one in this condition.Check out the website: 1958 Rikuo RT2 - Classic Bikes - Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum The front suspension is the telescopic type from the 1950's model. This bike runs great. It has a Clean Washington State Title with matching VIN..... The Harley 45 engine was rebuilt in 1996 by Bens Harley in Thorp WA. All receipts are available

[Sarge]

I was the one who "Ask(ed) the Seller a Question" on his Ebay listing the other night. He replied and apologized for the error, and fixed his listing.
What he's explaining, but isn't saying out loud, is that it's put together from all kinds of sources and countries and years. There may be a '41 Rikuo frame under it, but it looks mostly 50s Rikuo, in the tanks fenders and fork, and the engine is 100% U.S. WL (or a "G"!) that he had built for it and installed by a Harley dealer. So, it's basically a weak 45 WL "restoration," and I use the term very, very loosely, with some Rikuo visible parts.
Alfred Roth Child was only in Japan four years, from 1932 to 36, and helped the MoCo sell Sankyo Industries the tooling and manufacturing rights to Harley's then-current "RL" 45, to distribute in Asia. After that, it was whatever the Japanese wanted to copy (copyright infringe, "rip,") from subsequent models, to keep it up.
The Rikuos were the Imperial Japanese Army's equiv. of our WLA, or German BMW or Zundapp sidecars, during the Pacific War. They probably worked the bugs out of them pretty well, and put hydraulic forks on, and sold a few in the 'States, up through the 1950s.
They were always an orphan cousin of the sidevalve WL, at best, and this one has a WL or G Servicar engine, so there's not much Rikuo left to it.

[Paps]

I agree with everything Sarge said about this bike. I might add... Though the Jap sidevalve is a valuable machine, there is not enough there to justify a restoration attempt. That rusted up engine he mentioned in the auction listing would boost any restoration thought posibilities. Other than that....the oem parts are just that. Parts. Paps