Topper

I came across this small scooter in a motorcycle museum at Niagara Falls a few years ago. The Classic Iron Motorcycle Museum had a great collection of, mostly, old Harley Davidsons with some British stuff thrown in for a bit of variety. They also had a few oddities such as this.

It's a 1960 Harley Davidson Topper, a 10 cubic inch (165cc) two-stroke single with an automatic transmission. Production of the Topper ran from 1960 until 1965.

Not many people know that Harley made a scooter. It was a belated attempt to cash in on the growing scooter market of the '60s. However, it had none of the style of a Vespa or Lambretta and it wasn't a success. Today, the Topper is exceedingly rare. 

I'd love to see the faces if you were to turn up at a 'Harleys-Only' rally on one of these.

Here's a promo video for the museum which has, unfortunately, since closed down with the collection being sold off. There is also a quick glimpse of a red MZ TS250 at around 3:22. Blink and you'll miss it.