1965 Harley Davidson Scooter

With gas prices at a budget busting high there’s lots of interest in gas saving scooters. Did you know that Harley Davidson briefly dabbled in the scooter market? In 1965 Harley Davidson scooter, nick-named the “Topper”, ended its brief production run. These scooters used some technology from the 1930s and some that is still in use today.

The 1965 Harley Davidson scooter was based on the DKW RT125. The drawings for the RT 125 were taken from the Germans as World War II reparations. It was also the base for several British and Russian motorbikes. The “Topper” used a continuously variable transmission(CVT). Most scooters use that transmission to this day. The CVT allows for greater fuel economy because it enables the engine to run at its most efficient RPMs over a range of vehicle speeds. Also, this transmission has very few problems. Fewer problems leads to lower costs for the owner.

The 1965 Harley Davidson scooter ran on a 165cc single cylinder, two stroke engine that burned an oil/gas mixture. These engines never had an electric start. They used a rope-recoil system like a lawnmower. To further increase fuel economy, the “Topper” was made as light as possible. The floor, front fender, and body were made of stamped steel, but the engine cover and main body were fiberglass.

The 1965 Harley Davidson scooter, the “Topper” could have been ridden to work for a week at the whopping total cost of $1. Gas was 31 cents a gallon and a quart of oil was even cheaper. Today these great collectors items are hardly ever ridden, but they bring back memories for all that see them.