Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1543392
38 Trail Rider www.TrailRider.com Addi onal factors behind the demise of small motorcycle companies, such as Chaparral, were, of course, the Japanese manufacturers. With their huge capacity for design, engineering, pro- duc on, and marke ng, the Big Four steamrolled over all these li le independent brands. The early to mid-1970's were a me of great advances in motorcycle development, especially in dirt bikes. Without the resources to match such extensive chassis, suspension, and engine improvements offered by the Japanese, the off-brands disap- peared. It's a shame, really. Bikes such as those offered by Chaparral were really fun li le ma- chines and worked pre y well. And you know what? They s ll are, and do. Want to relive that fun from 50+ years ago? Track down one of these bikes. They're s ll out there and enjoy great sup- port from a small but dedicated group of enthusi- asts. Get one and experience the fun for yourself. Special thanks to Bre Buer for providing much in- forma on for this ar cle. Addi onally, Bre actual- ly owns the one and only prototype 125 Chaparral ever produced, shown in the tle shot. While the bike is currently in a rather sad state, it has a most interes ng history, and Bre plans to fully restore it. Speaking of the bike's history, Jim Halvorson, one of the principals of Chaparral, relayed to Bre an account from 1974, when they were repping the 125 at a dealer trade show in Maine. Chaparral's booth was directly adjacent to one displaying the latest Honda products, including the then-new 125 Elsinore. The Honda guys were, of course, talking up the Elsinore, expressing how it would set a new standard for 125cc performance. Chaparral coun- tered with the fact that tes ng had shown their bike to be pre y fast as well. One thing led to an-