Marusho / Lilac Motorcycle Register

Introduction

NEW MAGAZINE ARTICLE: "Kopier-Maschine", about Peter Hanke's Marusho restoration, in English and German.

Now Available: 'The BIG Marusho Motorcycle Manual', containing reproductions of parts lists, owners manuals, service literature and advertisements for the 500cc models. 196 pages, spiral bound, full-color covers. Click the picture for information.

CONVERT YOUR MARUSHO TO URAL IGNITION! Click the thumbnail to visit the Technical Articles page, where James Hughes has generously contributed directions for replacing the problemmatic Marusho advance unit and impossible-to-source points with Russian parts.

2009 was the 50th anniversary of the introduction of the Lilac V-twins, the company's most successful product.

To commemmorate this historic occasion, Mr. Kotaro Furuta, proprietor of Jungle Scooters in Japan, had the drawing below created by Takashi Harako.

The rider was the well-known Lilac designer and later Bridgestone designer Mr. Eiji Hayashi. In 2010 (my latest information) Hayashi san was still employed by Bridgestone at age 77! Thanks for the use of the image, Furuta san.

This site contains information on Marusho and Lilac motorcycles manufactured in Japan in the 1950s and 1960s.

This site was opened April 13, 1997 and last updated February 18, 2013. If you wade through this Web site you will probably learn more than you want to about this little-known maker of unusual, classy, sophisticated and quirky motorcycles. At least 50,000 were built in Japan between 1950 and 1967, and the company had a good chance of matching Honda's success. It has been 45 years since the last bike rolled off the assembly line at Hamamatsu but loyal Marusho/Lilac fans in Japan, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, France, Germany, Norway, Malaysia, India, Croatia, Thailand and other countries keep these machines on the road.

Site Map

• Introduction (this page)
• Marusho/Lilac Company History
• Marusho/Lilac Models:
  • Part 1: The Early Years, 1950-1959
  • Part 2: The V-Twins
  • Part 3: The 500cc Flat Twins
  • Part 4: Prototypes, Racers
  • Marusho/Lilac Motorcycle Register and Club News
• Notes:
  • Technical Notes (about this Web site)
  • Personal Notes
• Marusho/Lilac Gallery

This is not a real counter! The site gets about 1000 unique visitors a month. The site was created in July of 1997. I do not have records of usage before 2001. But, for the period of July 2001 to the present,

The only way I'll ever know WHO visited it and what part of the world you are from is if you send me e-mail.

Links to all my websites:

MarushoLilac.com: Marusho and Lilac Motorcycles from Japan 1951-1967.
1919 Sunbeam Motorcycle: Notes about and photos of my Sunbeam, which was sold in 2004.
1955 Victoria Bergmeister Motorcycle: Notes about and photos of my Victoria, which was sold in 2005.
1980 Honda Trail CT110 Motorcycle: Notes about and photos of my Honda, which was sold in 2008.
Ruckus Clones: Comparison photos of the Honda Ruckus and Honda Big Ruckus with the Chinese copies.

Gruetzi.com: Photos of Switzerland, with an emphasis on transport.
Zweisimmen.com: Photos of the MOB (Montreux Oberland Bernois) narrow gauge railway in Switzerland, plus information on G (garden) gauge model railroad projects of mine.
Schau.Biz: Swiss shooting medals, beer coasters, etc. for sale.
BernBear.com: Our log cabin in Greene County, Virginia, and examples of the use of the Bern Bear heraldic symbol on decorative objects.