1969 Honda Z50 & 1972 Honda QA50

1969 HONDA Z50 AK1

The Honda Z50A was the second generation of Honda's Z50 Series of mini bikes. Though its predecessor, the Z50M, was available in Europe and Japan a few years previous, in 1968 the Z50A-KO "Hard Tail", was released into other markets. Upon its release this bike was considered to be a significant leap in technology in comparison to other mini bikes. This was partly because of its efficient 49 cc four-stroke over head cam engine with semi-automatic transmission. Street legal lighting and lowered bars were added on the 1969/70 K1 "Short Tail", the 1970/71 K2 "Long Tail", and in 1972, after frame cracking became a growing issue, Honda incorporated rear suspension on the bike. In Europe and Japan, the Z50A was renamed the Z50J in 1973, and remained on the market until 1999. The Z50JP is still available in Japan and through exporters in the United Kingdom.

1972 HONDA QA50

Japanese motorcycle manufacturers were the first to mass produce minibikes. The earliest mini bikes were made by DIY mechanics in the 1930s. Most of these early one-of-a-kind minibikes were fashioned from bicycle frames and small petrol powered engines. By the early 1960s, Japanese manufacturers were developing minibike designs and engaged in mass production. Honda marketed the QA50 series as a youth model minibike. It featured patented Swivel-Lok handlebars that folded down as the bike would fit in the trunk of the family car. It was available from 1970 through 1972 as the QA50 K0, and had an OHV single cylinder, 49cc engine with an automatic clutch and two speed transmission. For model years 1973 through 1974, Honda re-dubbed each year's QA50 as K1, K2 and K3. The only difference between model years were the colours.