Powered Machines
Motorcycles That Ran These Engines
Indian ME100S · c. 1970 · F500K engine
Indian ME100S
The Indian ME100S was sold under the storied Indian brand name by Indian Sales Corporation from 1972 until operations ceased in 1977. "ME" stood for Mini Enduro, and the 100S indicated the 100cc displacement class. These machines were powered by the Fuji F500K — a 97cc air-cooled two-stroke fed by a Mikuni 20mm carburetor, upgraded to a 22mm unit in 1974. Good for around 8 horsepower at 7,500 rpm and a top speed near 55 mph, the ME100S offered a simple steel frame, drum brakes front and rear, and an oil injection system — motorcycling at its most essential, wearing one of America's most legendary badges.
HPE Muskin El Gato · 1970–1973 · F480 engine · Chrome Yellow
HPE Muskin El Gato
HPE Muskin was a California-based company primarily known for swimming pools — but in the late 1960s they turned their attention to motorized vehicles, producing minibikes, go-karts, and mini dune buggies sold through catalog retailers like JCPenney, Sears, and Montgomery Ward. Their "Cat" series bikes became their most celebrated machines, and none more so than the El Gato.
The El Gato — Spanish for "The Cat" — refused to call itself a minibike. Muskin coined the term "Midi-Cycle" to set it apart, and with good reason: at 125 lbs, a 44-inch wheelbase, and 16-inch wheels, it genuinely sat between a minibike and a full-size trail bike. The one-piece fiberglass gas tank and seat unit finished in signature Chrome Yellow made it impossible to miss on a showroom floor. Muskin's own literature called it an "All Family Bike" — small enough for children at 27 inches seat height, but large enough for adults to ride with some dignity. The leading-link front suspension was another point of distinction, giving the El Gato handling characteristics well above the lawnmower-fork minibikes it competed against. Power came from Fuji Heavy Industries' F480 80cc two-stroke — the same supplier that provided engines to Hodaka — mated to a four-speed constant-mesh transmission and a noise-compliant spark arrester exhaust.
Rupp L100 · 1973 · Fuji F500K engine · Mansfield, Ohio
Rupp Industries
Founded in 1959 by Mickey Rupp in Mansfield, Ohio, Rupp Industries grew from a small go-kart shop into one of the most prolific mini-bike and snowmobile manufacturers in American history. By the early 1970s, Rupp had pivoted from their Tecumseh-powered flathead minibikes toward proper dirt bikes and trail machines — and Fuji Heavy Industries became their engine supplier of choice for the machines that needed genuine performance.
Rupp built several Fuji-powered models across the early 1970s. The RMT80, introduced in 1972, was Rupp's first larger minicycle and used the 80cc Fuji F480 with a four-speed transmission and 17-inch front / 16-inch rear wheels. The L80 and L100, offered in 1973, were Rupp's dedicated dirt bikes: the L80 used the Fuji 80cc with a four-speed, while the L100 stepped up to the F500K 100cc unit paired with a five-speed. The RST100, one of Rupp's final machines sold in 1975, was also powered by the F500K and finished in blue. Rupp Fuji-powered bikes are among the most collected machines from the era today, prized for their quality construction and the rarity of finding them in good condition.