Trail Rider Magazine

36 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Vintage Feature Vintage Feature 1975 Moto Beta Premier 125 1975 Moto Beta Premier 125 By Ted Guthrie By Ted Guthrie Growing up in the '60s and '70s in Northeastern Ohio, I recall a real variety of bikes turning up on the trails we frequented. In fact, there seemed to have been as many off-brand bikes around as there were from the Big Four. Evidently, looking to cash in on the burgeoning motorcycle market during this period of me, distributors were bringing in all sorts of machines from manufacturers outside the U.S., plus there were various small manufacturers turning out minibikes and mini cycles right here in America. One such off-brand machine was a "Premier", owned by a buddy of mine. We really didn't consider it all that odd at the me, what with a sampling of Bridgestone's, Rupp's, Steens, Benelli's, Bronco's, and even a Cooper out and about in our area at that me. From all those bikes and many more, somehow the memory that Premier stuck with me, aided in part by a period test on one in Cycle World magazine, a copy which I s ll have. Many years later, and with many, many bikes under my belt, I was in the process of obtaining yet another old machine from a fellow motorcycle hoarder with whom I had come in contact. While digging through dozens of bikes stashed away in one of his garages, I spo ed through the dim light inside the structure, a familiar profile. It was well buried, but eventually I was able to get close enough to confirm the iden ty of what turned out to be a 1975 Moto Beta 125 Premier Enduro, the same model that had belonged to my buddy back in the old days, and was featured in the CW magazine ar cle. I quickly made a deal with the bike's owner, who couldn't believe I was interested in the thing. One hundred twenty-five dollars changed hands, and I was on my way home with my prize. The deal even included an extra fuel tank, new, unused gaskets and piston rings, and best of all – a parts book and a parts source in the form of the late, great Domi Racer Supply, located then right down in Cincinna , Ohio. With other projects taking precedence, a couple of years passed before I got around to working on the Premier. Despite its rather rough appearance, the bike appeared to have seen very li le use. Most everything was there, including two keys, the original ba ery, and all parts except for the headlight, taillight, and speedometer assembly. The bike was even s ll wearing its original Metzler "Six-Day" res, which, although hard as a rock, were like brand new – all the knobs s ll featuring sharp edges.

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