There Used To Be A Wild Kit That Made Whole Motorcycles Fit Into Suitcases

Flying a plane is a joy that I recommend every enthusiast experience at least once in life. It doesn’t matter if you strap yourself into a cute Ercoupe or a utilitarian Cessna 172, flying is great fun. What’s not always so fun is what happens after you land the plane at your destination, especially when it’s a tiny rural airport. What do you do when there are no taxis or rental cars? For one company, the answer was a kit that made whole road-legal motorcycles fit into suitcases. A motorcycle that pops out of a suitcase sounds like something from science fiction. Yet, the Suitcase Cycle was a real, wild thing, and now I desperately want one.

There are more than 340,000 general aviation aircraft in the world. Of which, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association says, roughly 220,000 of them alone can be found here in the United States. These aircraft vary from cute and affordable ultralights to complex jet aircraft. You’ll find no shortage of pilots telling you how liberating it is to take control of an aircraft, something I fully agree with. One of the promises of flying a small plane is being able to hop in, fly somewhere, perhaps to lunch for a burger, and get back to home base far quicker than it would have taken in a car.

Yet, something that isn’t often talked about in major publications is just how you’ll get to the diner when you land. It’s not like rural airports have car rental counters, and you’ll be lucky if you can find a taxi. Honestly, this isn’t even an issue limited to general aviation, either. There have been times when I’ve gotten off of a commercial plane, and it was so late that there were no rental counters open and rideshare services were charging mega money. Or, maybe I get off a plane, and all of the rental cars are already taken.

The Last-Mile Problem

There have been times when I thought to myself that it would be so cool to be able to carry around my own transportation. Who needs a rental car or a taxi when you’re self-sufficient? Clearly, I’m not the only person who thinks this way. Some of history’s cutest little scooters, like the Honda Motocompo and its Motocompacto sequel, were created to allow people to get themselves to their final destinations.

The idea of a luggage-based vehicle isn’t even that new. Fuji Heavy Industries made a minibike that folds into a tiny cube. A French inventor made a bicycle that fits into a suitcase. You can buy self-propelled suitcases today, and in the early 1990s, Mazda even put a go-kart into a suitcase, creating the Suitcase Car.

But here’s the thing: Most of those concepts and products are either only barely road-legal or are relegated to sidewalks. What if you could pack a motorcycle with something resembling decent performance into a suitcase?

Back in the 1960s, Americans had cash in their pocket and a desire to have fun away from home. Countless folks soon found themselves behind the wheels of new 4×4 SUVs while others bought some of the latest motorhomes and hit the road. All sorts of vehicular hobbies and outdoor activities saw a sharp rise in participation as Americans got out there and had a good time.

General aviation didn’t miss out on the boom. Some middle-class Americans found themselves with enough money to get a pilot’s license and to buy a small plane. Those people lucky enough to partake in the thrill of aviation soon discovered the problem I described above. How do you get from a tiny airport to your destination? Some airports had shuttles, but that was it.

According to the aviation history site Check-Six, this was an issue that perplexed Lawrence S. Shapiro as well. Shapiro had been a flying fanatic, and his first airplane was a Stinson purchased when he was just 18. In 1941, Shapiro made a career out of his love of aviation, joining United Airlines that year. Shapiro would become a captain at only 23, and by his retirement in 1978, he amassed over 35,000 flying hours and an impressive resume of aircraft. Check-Six notes that Shapiro flew Douglas DC-3s, -4s, -6s, -7s as well as Boeing 247s and Boeing 747s.

As Hemmings writes, the impetus for the Suitcase Cycle wasn’t Shapiro’s day job with United, but when he flew his small aircraft to remote destinations in Mexico for vacations. In the mid-1960s, Shapiro decided to solve the personal mobility problem.

There were two major obstacles Shapiro had to work around. The first was a space constraint. Small planes typically have only a small luggage compartment, so the suitcase couldn’t be exceptionally large. Weight was also a concern for multiple reasons. A bike that was too heavy would throw off the weight and balance of an aircraft, which is a non-starter. Of course, you’re also supposed to be able to lug the bike around, and you can’t do that if it weighs 400 pounds.

The Suitcase Cycle

Reportedly, Shapiro started his project off with a Honda CT90 ‘Trail 90.’ These little motorcycles, which had a lineage going back to the iconic Super Cub, were promising for this role. Its little 89cc single was good for a theoretical top speed of 55 mph, which is more than enough for something that fits in a suitcase. The CT90 also weighed around 192 pounds, which means it could be lifted into the aircraft by one strong person or by two people.

To break the motorcycle down into a cube small enough for a suitcase, Shapiro chopped up existing parts and then added his own custom bits. Shapiro chopped the frame in half and added a connector to join the frame back together. He also made a quick release mechanism for the seat as well as other detachment points for the bars, levers, pegs, and the fuel tank. Shapiro added some 90 parts and connections while modifying 12 others.

Check out two of the cases that were offered:

All of these bits were removed and added back without tools, either. Most parts, from the wheels, fenders, storage rack, and even the wiring harness, had quick-disconnect couplers. Once your bike was all packed up, it went into a fiberglass suitcase with wheels, ready to be carted off to a waiting aircraft, boat, or car. Supposedly, you were able to take your motorcycle apart in only two minutes and put it back together again in only three minutes.

Shapiro rolled out his new Suitcase Cycle and showed it off to other commercial pilots. They were hooked and wanted their own. In response, Shapiro founded S & K Suitcase Cycle. The Suitcase Cycle conversion was marketed to anyone who wanted a road-legal vehicle to ride after they used a bigger vehicle to get somewhere. S & K figured everyone from Ford Pinto owners to boat owners would want their own Suitcase Cycles. After all, boat owners run into the same personal transportation issues when they lash up their crafts in a new harbor. It was also marketed as a personal transportation solution for motorhome owners, too.

Here’s the S & K’s ad for how easy the Suitcase Cycle was to take apart:

The Suitcase Cycle was sold in a couple of ways. You were able to buy a kit and convert your own Honda CT90, or you could have sent in your motorcycle to have it converted. Reportedly, Suitcase Cycle also sold completed conversions. These conversions were first completed in the Shapiro family home in Westchester, California, before production moved to the Santa Monica Airport.

Over time, S & K started converting all sorts of motorcycles, from smaller and lighter Honda 50s to Suzukis and Yamahas up to 250cc. According to Check-Six, common Honda models converted by the company included the Honda CT90, CL100, and SL125. S & K also converted 100cc to 185cc Suzukis and Yamahas. However, S & K, which eventually changed its name to just Suitcase Cycle, Inc., also did custom commissions. At the height of the business in the 1970s, the biggest motorcycle converted into a Suitcase Cycle was a Yamaha 360cc bike.

The bigger bikes hid the removable bits really well:

Advertisements claimed that not only would your Suitcase Cycle run on leaded avgas, but it was also ridiculously strong compared to stock. From one ad:

The degree of safety to be expected from any vehicle is proportional to the safety consciousness of its operator. For this reason. Suitcase Cycles have established unrivaled safety records. You have every right and reason to feel safe when riding one. There are those who question the strength of a motorcycle that has been modified to come apart. Elaborate and gruelling laboratory testing has proven that Suitcase Cycles are several times stronger than the original unmodified motorcycle frames. In the photo, a 4500-pound truck is being supported by the Suitcase Cycle’s main frame clamps, testifying dramatically to the Herculean strength of a Suitcase Cycle converted from a conventional motorcycle.

Too Close To The Sun

It’s believed that Suitcase Cycle sold about 1,000 motorcycle conversions during its short life, and that includes the kit version. While Suitcase Cycle said that the conversion didn’t impact the structural integrity of the motorcycle, it’s reported that Shapiro shut the company down in 1974 due to product liability law concerns. Allegedly, the motorcycle manufacturers didn’t really approve of Suitcase Cycle chopping up their rides and tried to get their suppliers to stop sending parts to Suitcase Cycle.

While Shapiro pumped the brakes on Suitcase Cycle, he never gave up the aviation dream. He would go on to create an aircraft ram-air intercooler and a hydraulic spoiler system for pressurized piston-powered aircraft. 

Today, the few Suitcase Cycles that were built remain coveted by both pilots and motorcycle enthusiasts. They do sometimes show up for sale, and they don’t tend to be that expensive. A possible Suitcase Cycle (above) is currently for sale for just $2,000 on Craigslist. Others have sold for well under $5,000.

The concept of a motorcycle that can be stored in a tiny place has never really died. The hype behind the Honda Motocompacto and other scooters shows that. However, it’s not often you see a concept as crazy as this one. Suitcase Cycles turned actual highway-capable motorcycles into suitcase-sized contraptions, which is hilarious and awesome. For a brief moment in the 1970s, the dream of a capable motorcycle that folded up into a trunk was real. Honestly, if I found one for sale near me, I would probably buy it today and carry it in the back of one of my Smarts.