Had not heard of this Japanese bike before ...

[MikeH1A]

My classic japanese bike group is busy organising our 3rd show (17th March) and we got told about an 85 year old local guy who had an unusual old bike he wanted to show. One of our guys went to have a look and it turned out to be a 1958-9 CS28 Lilac 125cc. I'd never heard of such a thing and the description from our scout was of a "solid thing with foot pegs through the pipes and a v-twin motor". As with all reports of new species (think platypus) this fell on disbelieving ears - until I went to trusty old Aunty Google. Below is a link to an amazing site (bit like Ian's really) about this company

http://www.marusholilac.com/ml2.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm sure one of you more knowledgeable guys has come across this before but it was an interesting find for me. So, our show has a new star attraction - it'll be both the oldest and most unusual bike present.

[oldjapanesebikes]

Excellent - thanks for sharing ! There are at least a couple up here in Canada - a fellow in Saskatchewan owns one of the 1967 Marusho Electra 500's, and there is another in Ontario - quite a unique bike.

[jabcb]

Pics of a 1965 Marusho ST500 in excellent condition that was sold at a classic car/bike dealer in western PA:
http://sportscargallery.com/1965%20Marusho%20ST500.htm