Suzuki Sport 80

I am not sure if the first Suzukis arrived in California in late 1962 or sometime in '63. The official U. S. distributor, called U. S. Suzuki Motor Corporation, was founded in Los Angeles in 1963. Pictured at left is one of the company's earlier models marketed in this country. The lineup in these early years included 50cc and 80cc singles and 125cc and 250cc twins. I'm not sure what models were available in '62 or '63, but the 1964 brochure shows seven models: a step-through 50, a road 50, a road 80, the Sport 80, a road 125, a sport 125, and a road 250. All were mix-it-yourself two-strokes with pressed-steel frames. The Sport models were distinguished by lower handlebars, upswept exhausts, and trimmer gas tanks and fenders. The road models had white sidewall tires.