Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1538840
A er a year or so of collec ng parts, much pain ng and polishing, and lots of pa ence, the end result is what you see in these pictures. Domi Racer was indeed a tremendous resource. Without their help, the bike would have never been rebuilt. All the work, save for chrome pla ng, was performed by my own grubby hands, and the bike debuted at Vintage Motorcycle Days, where it garnered a fair bit of a en on. It is correct and original except for the color of the tank, although I do have the second tank in the correct color and graphics. I've also fi ed a Mikuni carb, a er trying unsuccessfully to make the original Dellorto work properly. All in all, a neat and uncommon machine. To this day, fires right up and runs like a champ. I have more recently a empted, albeit unsuccessfully, to learn a bit more about the origins of Moto Beta-branded bikes. Although I've turned up very li le, it would appear these motorcycles were produced by the same manufacturer, which is now Beta Motorcycles. I have encountered very, very few others like mine, although one turns up now and then. I know a couple of other fellows who have owned them, and a nice young man literally rode up on one at our VMD vendor spot a couple of years ago. How does it perform? Well, let's say that folks in the market for a lightweight Enduro machine back then were not choosing the Premier over a 125 Penton Six- Day, for example. Power is peppy but generally modest. Note that the bike is not even equipped with a proper expansion chamber. And speaking of the Premier's pipe, if it appears to s ck out to the point that it interferes with the rider's leg, that's because it does – excessively. Suspension was typical for price-point bikes of the day – good enough to hold up both ends of the motorcycle, and that's about it. Clutch, gearbox, brakes, all work decently. Overall quality of components is not bad. Despite steel rims, alloy fenders, a steel tank, full street-legal (at the me) equipment, a large-ish ba ery, and quite stout frame, the Premier s ll came in at a not en rely unreasonable 206 lbs., dry. While digging around online, I found images of what appears to be a more seriously Enduro-equipped version of the Premier, although there is no indica on that any of these were ever imported into the U.S. Probably the biggest appeal of my bike was its price. At a me when a new Penton or Husqvarna 125 Enduro would run you about $1200, the Premier undercut even Hodaka's bargain-priced, $800 Wombat with a suggested retail of just $659. And, for a ready-to-ride, knobby-equipped li le street-legal trail bike, that's not bad. Unfortunate there were apparently so few ever imported or sold.