The friends of Bike Urious, once again, show us pearls from the world of two wheels, as is the case of this exotic HPE Muskin “El Tigre”, an MX similar to our Puch Minicross, which was marketed in the US. back in the 70s. This example of the model has recently been for sale, in auction mode, on the well-known online advertising portal Ebay.
However, its seller has not received any offer for it, something that seems striking considering the uniqueness it has and the condition of this unit in question.
HPE Muskin “El Tigre”: The MX that the Yankee children of the 70s dreamed of
For more than one person, the HPE Muskin brand probably doesn’t sound familiar at all. And not without reason, since this is the result of a crazy idea from a company that was mainly dedicated to the manufacture of cement, and also had other secondary activities such as the construction of swimming pools.
However, in the 60s and 70s they decided to diversify their business into other fields, such as manufacturing children’s toys. And within this idea arose the possibility of creating a range of motorcycles and trikes focused on this part of the population. From there, models like this HPE Muskin “El Tigre” were born, but also others like the Muskin Tri-Cat or the one known as Muskin “El Gato”.
We do not know if those in charge of giving the commercial name to the HPE Muskin models had a special attachment to the feline world, but as you can see, a good part of the models were baptized with names referring to this theme. In any case, and focusing on our protagonist and as detailed in the sales advertisement itself, we are looking at a Mini MX manufactured in 1971 and which was recently almost completely restored.
It is equipped with an 80 cc Fuji F480 engine and was once sold by the JC Penney store chain. Of course, it does not have documentation nor is it suitable for walking on public roads. The body is made of fiberglass and has all the original elements that it came with as standard. The seller argues that the seat cover is preserved in its original condition. However, it presents ‘some small imperfections as shown. Original tank decals too.”
The original Strader Engineering exhaust pipe is also present and it is also made clear that “starts, runs and shifts as it should”. Countless parts were replaced during the restoration process, including tires, grips, control pins and handlebars.
You can consult all the images and details at this link, where its owner requested an initial price of 2,500 dollars, about 2,400 euros at the exchange rate, although it is no longer possible to bid on it.
