The Rokon Trailbreaker is a true American legend. These things have been produced in New Hampshire for somewhere on the order of 50 years and the company is still going strong today. Essentially the Rokon is a two wheel drive motorcycle/mechanical pack mule designed to take the rider places that no motorcycle or ATV could get to. They are slow, they are brutally simple, and they are widely recognized as one of the toughest two wheeled vehicles ever built.
The first time I ever saw a Rokon as a kid was in a magazine review sometime in the 1970s and I was enthralled. To see a motorcycle with those big lugged tires that look like they were stolen off a tractor was one thing but to see the photos of guys riding them through snow drifts and other stuff was another. Was pretty much in love.
Now, this 1974 version is even more rustic than the new bikes in that it lacks the engine, chassis, and suspension upgrades that have been made over the years but it more than makes up for them in style. You’ll note that the front wheel is chain driven here, we now believe that the modern bikes use a shaft and gear set up to power the front wheel. The benefit there is that at full “lock” from side to side the modern bikes disconnect the power to the front where this one is literally always on.
These will float across rivers, they will chew through mud and they will pull hundreds of pounds of cargo behind them because of their billy goat gearing. With new Rokon models setting you back multiple thousands of dollars, you can score this one for like $2500 on eBay. Plus with this one you get the patina and the really tough looks of a classic as well.
You cannot put a price on stuff like that.
Check out the images and then hit the link for the full 1974 Rokon Trailblazer ad –
I didn’t know that these bikes were still made – I’d like to see a 600cc Rotax motor and all the fittings to make it road legal as this could be a two-wheeled Land Rover and I’m sure it would be a success.
Don’t think you would want to drive at highway speeds with those tires.
As an AMCA member, I’ve been seeing these for years. Earlier this month there was one with a sidecar at the Rhinebeck N.Y. meet. I believe it was listed on ebay directly after that weekend. If you have a lot of money and property, they’re pretty cool.
check out their website(rokon.com)—some pretty cool stuff there,including history
Hate to correct you Brian, but the Rokons still use the chain drive front wheel setup today. This bike is roughly in the year range you mention, having a 2 stroke Power Bee engine, the 2nd generation muffler (flat box behind the transmission), a three speed English built gear box w/ kick start, clutch drive (no torque converter) and a steel gas tank. If it’s clutch is still stock, the kick starter will work, if the clutch has been changed the kick start will do nothing. Transmissions for these bikes are almost non-existent, as they were obsolete when Rokon started using them.
The whole secret to the 2 wheel drive bike is the overrun clutch buried in the center frame tube. Think of the old-time kids “Chinese finger cuffs”; pull on them tightens the grip but push on them and they release. The overrun clutch does the same thing, if the front wheel goes around a turn and travels further than the rear wheel then the clutch “slips” but when power is applied from the opposite end the clutch grabs. Works very well and is very simple and trouble free.
Son has had close to a dozen of these things, including one with a sidecar. Still has three taking up space in my cellar and garage!
I remember seeing a similar motorcyle on Pawn Stars that Counting Cars restored. Love these.