its Puch time!

'Most people probably don't know much about Puch Motorcycles but they happen to be one of the oldest manufacturers on the planet. Founded in 1889 in Austria they didn't start producing motorcycles until the early 1900's. Then 100 years after it was founded the Puch motorcycle company was sold to Piaggio, maker of the Vespa, who apparently still produce bikes under the name "Puch". The pictured bike is technically a moped but there's no denying it has some really nice cafe racer aesthetics. I first spotted this beautifully restored 1978 Puch Magnum XK on Flickr and was kindly sent some information by it's owner, Puch enthuisiast Jeremy from Kentucky. He told us "this 1978 was the first year and model of the Magnum released by Puch. It was the same year that Puch had record sales upwards of 275,000 mopeds and motorcycles. Of course, most riders have probably heard of the Puch Twingle, not as many have heard of or seen the Puch Magnum. In the late 70's and early 80's, mopeds were quite popular for getting around without having to spend a lot of money on petrol. The appeal of the Magnum is, in my opinion, obvious. Clean lines, cafe racer-type styling, and the classic Puch e50 moped engine made the Magnum an easy sell.'


text via pipeburn.
images from puch time! flickr set.