It’s a bike! It’s a motorcycle! No, it’s a motorbike! This Whizzer motorbike caught my eye outside Walt’s Cycle in Sunnyvale. I was perplexed: the pedals and chain are clearly driving the rear wheel, as are the gas motor and belt. Is a motorbike pedal-assisted like a moped? Or are the pedals just used to start the motor?
An internet search revealed that Whizzer got its start in the late 1930s and had to petition Congress to continue production through World War II. Sales took off after the war, selling hundreds of thousands of motorbikes until they shut down operations in 1965. In 1998, the Whizzer brand was revived with reproductions like this one.
But I’m still perplexed about how they work. If you know, please enlighten me…
This Whizzer may be a reproduction less than 10 years old, but it could have fooled me.
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- The Whizzer has some surprising motorcycle features, like an odometer.
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- I’m guessing the pedals are used to start the engine.
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- Another motorcycle touch–left and right turn blinkers!
Location: Walt’s Cycles, Sunnyvale, California, USA
mattchamilton103
August 2, 2012 at 9:36 pm
Hi Ladyfleur,
Thanks you for your post, I most admit that there is a certain sex appeal element to your bike.