One look at the restored Rikuo Type 97 Motorcycle from Japan that you see here is all it’s going to take to fall in love. It’s been impeccably rebuilt to the original condition, down to the mid century modern style armchair seat and the machine gun (presumably non-functional) in the sidecar that’s attached to it. The history behind this bike, and the company as a whole, is every bit as interesting as this stunning example of an original production model. In the early 1930s, one of Japan’s first motorcycle manufacturing companies wasn’t making Rikuo (“King of the Road”) or even Sankyo (their previous moniker) bikes, they were making Harley-Davidsons with Japanese components in a factory that Harley shipped overseas as part of a licensing agreement to help them get out of the Great Depression. The bikes would ultimately go through multiple revisions and changes after the initial Harley license expired, but all them remain rolling pieces of both motoring and military history.
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Huckberry’s Essential Holiday Gift Guide
Unzip your coat and have some mulled wine on the house—you’ve arrived at your final gifting destination: The Holiday Gift Guide. It’s like your friendly neighborhood one-stop holiday shop, except instead of balsa wood ornaments, ours is packed with thoughtful gifts for everyone on your list. Future heirlooms, small-but-significant stocking stuffers, and gear for getting out there (or staying in)—are all right here. There’s no music playing in the background though, so you’ll just have to hum Bing Crosby while you click around instead.
