Well, this little motorcycle isn’t exactly Finnish, but it was sold mainly in Finland, with a few being sold in Sweden. This Japanese market bike never made it to the U.S., and they’re rare to see here. This 1990 Suzuki EPO PV50 can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Holly Springs, North Carolina, and the seller is asking $7,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to PRA4SNW for the tip!
We all know that tiny, unusual motorcycles like this aren’t for everyone. I love them, but I’m in the vast minority here in the Barn Finds family, and that’s ok. If you don’t have any interest, as with any of the vehicles being shown here, there’s no need to comment about what a waste of time this is, who in their right mind would spend $7,500 on this when they could get a Harley for that much money, or any other arguments against it. But we fully expect negative comments; it’s just human nature. We all have different likes and dislikes, and there isn’t one human on the globe who has an opinion that’s more important than anyone else’s opinion.
All that disclaimer stuff is out of the way, and we can get back to trying to brainwash you into loving these tiny motorcycles! I didn’t just say that out loud, did I? The first thing I notice, other than that I’ve never seen one of these things before, is that there is no SUZUKI on the back of the seat cover. For show duties, I’d want to get a correct cover or paint the name on it. Turn signals, a luggage rack, and other street-riding goodies are unusual to see, but this one is, or was, street legal in a lot of countries. I shouldn’t have to say this again, but they aren’t meant for freeway driving, and yes, if you get plowed into by a Suburban, it’ll be your last ride. I have a 1971 Suzuki MT50 Trailhopper that I’ve mentioned too many times, but it’s a totally different bike.
17,879 km = 11,109 miles! ELEVEN-THOUSAND MILES?! How is that even possible?! I love it. The Suzuki PV50 never made it to the U.S., but was mainly sold in Finland and Sweden. They were made from 1979 through 2000 and were known for their ability to be modified. Tuners were often able to get 100 km (62 mph!) in one with modifications. I’ll stick with 25 mph on my Honda Motocompo. I thought the 1990s-era bikes were black, but the seller has it listed as a 1990, and we don’t have any numbers, so that’s what we’re sticking with. I also thought that there was a hiatus between 1982 and 1992 when they weren’t made. The info on these things is pretty spotty. The seller has a couple of great videos on YouTube, here and here, showing this bike.
The engine is Suzuki’s 49-cc two-stroke single-cylinder with just under 4 horsepower. I don’t believe this one has oil injection, so you use pre-mixed gas and oil. The transmission is a 5-speed manual, or a 4-speed in some markets. The seller says it runs great and doesn’t leak, and it sure looks clean. I can’t imagine it selling for $7,500 when a perfect Honda 70 or any other number of small motorcycles are much cheaper, but you’d have the only one at the next vintage show, if that’s important to you. Have any of you seen one of these tiny Suzukis?
What? I happen to like “monkey” bikes they serve a useful purpose when the legs give out, and give out they shall. I too have a tough time believing someone put 11,000 miles on one, and what is that, a “speed light” ? What in tarnation is that? I’ve never seen this particular one, but if one Asian maker had them, they all had them. Pretty sure they were Asian specific, I don’t recall any other country doing this. A Royal Enfield monkey bike? Hardly. Had a lot of fun on these, they were the 1st machines we actually got hurt on, but t’was all in good fun.
I must say, this bike looks very clean for 11000 miles. Thats a good amount of miles for something you can’t ( or shouldn’t) take on the highway. That being said, I have a deep, thought provoking question….. If you “throw your leg” over the seat of a Harley….. What on earth do you do with this? You could walk right over it pretty much lol. I think this would be fun to take a short spin on. I’m not too sure if I stay on something this size too long my knees and back would lock up and I wouldn’t be able to get back up, let alone be able throw my leg over anything!!! Neat bike Scotty thanks!! And another cool find from PRA4SNW TOO!!