Rokon Two Wheel Drive

[Cabrito]

Working at the Sawmill enduro race this past weekend I saw a Rokon. Sick bike. I think it was the Trail-Breaker model

Rokon
http://www.rokon.com/products/trailbrkr.htm

Front wheel is chain driven

You can fix it with a Hammer!

The front wheel is also a spare fuel tank??

 

[SunTzuNephew]

A friend of mine had one since the late 1980's....he finally decided he's a bit too old for it so he sold it and got a 4-wheel ATV.

But he had a GREAT time running around the desert on it

 

[Stumpalump]

He uses one of my Yamaha YF200R1 engines. The stock engine in that bike is a Kohler 6HP but Burris racing and I teamed up to build a 12.5HP drop in replacement engine that have been bulletproof. It turns it into a real bike instead of a lawn mower speed cruiser.
They have been building Rokons in America since the 60's and yes the wheels are hollow storage drums. I can put fuel in one and burbon in the other and go all week long! Most are left empty because it will run 5+ hours straight on a tank of fuel even with the Yamaha motor in it, and two with air in them the bike will float. You can't ride it on water but you can float it on it's side keeping the carb up.
The newer 4 strokes all have a strong drive train and are a little bit longer. I literally beat the snot out of mine but I think Don has me beat. He snapped a fork and broke a frame while racing. I don't know how because I have pounded on mine like I stole it for two years straight without hurting anything. He is the only person racing one. He's the man!
The old ones are two strokes and if you go way back they had a british tranny. Collectors and enthusiast keep the used prices high and even a one from the late 60's that still runs is worth 2 grand. One like mine or the one in the photo is a little better bike but new will be about 6 grand and used 3-4.
They are worth it if you will use it. I'm an explorer. I explore old Indian sites in Arizona and used it in the Colorado mountains looking for old cabins and mines and gold when I lived there. The bike is simple to ride and very safe with it's torque converter tranny and very low center of gravity. Great Radial tires are finally available from Pitbull and Maxxis making them ride smooth and go where no other vehicle can go. I have a nice Honda XR400 and a Montesa 315R trials bike that I just got and love. Guess what bike I went on my Sunday afternoon ride to explore a hidden canyon? The Rokon! Tom is the guy at the factory to talk to or Kearn Rokon in California has a great reputation.
I obviously can go on all night about this fine machine but will finish with the part I love the best. Like I said I like to explore and that means ancient trailways or no trails at all. The Rokon with it's large floatation tires at 3 psi with both of them pulling leaves less enviromental impact than a human foot print! I can go any place with only so much as knocking down a few blades of dead grass. It's very stealthy and I don't feel bad if a cow trail turns into meadow. I leave less impact than the deer or cow just left but it will also pull me out of the nastiest creek bank or canyon you would not even want to walk out of. I have no idea why a million arn't sold.

 

[paulj]

another Rokon thread (5 pages long)
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=750

 

[Cabrito]

another Rokon thread (5 pages long)
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=750

I had a feeling that would happen right after I posted it.

I should have done a search first.

Mods: feel free to merge this into the original RokoN thread.

 

[skysix]

He uses one of my Yamaha YF200R1 engines. The stock engine in that bike is a Kohler 6HP but Burris racing and I teamed up to build a 12.5HP drop in replacement engine that have been bulletproof. It turns it into a real bike instead of a lawn mower speed cruiser.

Ever put in a diesel? Thinking of the Hatz used in the 1WD EcoRoamer from Scotland

 

[805gregg]

I looked at those a few years ago, cool bike. Then I remembered 1960's technology, although easy to keep running. I think there was another similar one called a mule?

 

[Stumpalump]

Rumor has it that a coal mine in Mexico took delivery of a few equiped with a diesel. The factory is closed lip because militarys around the world also use Rokons. I have shipped engines to some folks that didn't say much and I have never heard anything else about them. I hope they are chasing rats out of caves with them because a souped up Rokon is an unstopable little beast. A diesel has such a short RPM range. I don't think it would go that well even with the snow mobile style torque converter in it. Rokon does offer a single wheel trailier that hold a lot of weight. It works fantastic and I bet a diesel would work with that load. The new stock 4 strokes in them now do well also. They are more than powerfull enough for hunting and exploring but if you get to the point you want to push it and max out it's capabilitys then more is fun.

 

[bigdog]

old tech yes, but more importantly low tech. This thing just runs has great torque and lots of accessories available.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

man...they make a side car for them...now thats neat

 

[bigdog]

yea, and the things you can run with the PTO are pretty cool too.

 

[Stumpalump]

I got to fool with a freinds very early Nethercutt version with an extreamly rare hand clutch. He has a few other unrestored but working Rokons for sale that I'll post in the for sale section.

 

[paulj]

A segment on Pawn Stars with a Rokon caught my attention several weeks ago. It was a 60s model. Restoration cost was quite a bit more than the purchase, but they still expected to clear a profit with the sale.

 

[Stumpalump]

A segment on Pawn Stars with a Rokon caught my attention several weeks ago. It was a 60s model. Restoration cost was quite a bit more than the purchase, but they still expected to clear a profit with the sale.

I record that show on DVR and never miss an episode. I allways ...... Well I never liked that guy who does those restorations for them. He does a great job on old Coke machines and Jukeboxes but he was out of his expertise when he restored that Rokon. First off was him saying that parts were hard to find. In the end they had way way too much money in what should have been a simple fixup and paint job. There may be a very few parts that are harder to find than others but a quick search on Bob Gallager's Rokon world of a call to the Tom at the Rokon factory will get you most anything you need. Kearn Rokon in California is a good source as is Dave Fillman at Fillman Machining. If those guys can't get a part then you would certainly be directed to a work around or a source for a good used part. Mark Woods does a great job on carbs and will completly rebuild a two stroke for less than I payed for one of my van tires. Milo is the guy on the Nethercutt and I know he has a few parts including complete frames that he would sell and I'm the supplier for the Yamaha YF200R1 12.5 HP engines that make the newer Kohler engine equiped bikes get up and go. Parts, repairs and fun rideing them all over the country are what owning a Rokon is all about. Keeping the allmost bulletproff things going and fixing them is the simple and easy part. They are all American made and simple to strip to the frame and build up with new paint and whatever new parts you would want. Just like in off roading .... Some like clean and expensive tricked out rigs and some like the home made grunge look. In the end it's all good and that guy did produce a good looking bike in the end.

 

[Czechsix]

I've had my '73 trailbreaker for a while now, and there are a few other members, including one guy here (he'll probably pop up sooner or later) with some really trick stuff. Anyway, they have their place, and I've had lots of desert fun on it. Like Stump says, there's actually a great network out there on these bikes - Dave Fillman is a terrific parts and upgrade source, and Bob's Rokon World board is the go-to info site on them.