MARUSHO-LILAC TW Dragon (1953-1954) Specs, Performance & Photos

Marusho Motor Co., Ltd was a Japanese motorcycle manufacturer that produced motorcycles from 1948 to 1967. Their official place of business was in Tokyo, and the factory was in Hamamatsu.

The company built a motorcycle called Lilac, which the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan recognized. The 1950 Marusho Lilac ML model was one of the 240 Landmarks of Japanese Automotive technology.

Masashi founded Marusho in Hamamatsu, Japan, in 1948 after being schooled by Soichiro Honda. The company showed its qualities in the Mount Asama Volcano Race, where it competed with brands like Meguro, Yamaha, Honda, and Suzuki.

In 1953, Zundap built a B 250 prototype. It had a 250cc overhead valve boxer engine and many metal sheets. The machine never made it into production, but an almost exact copy with a 350cc engine was presented in 1953.

The 1953 Marusho-Lilac TW Dragon used a double-cradle frame instead of the Zundap prototype with a bridge frame. The Marusho-Lilac TW Dragon was made in small numbers from 1953 to 1954

The bike was characterized by a round headlight up front, massive fenders, a single seat, a luggage rack on the rear, and wire-spoke wheels with fat tires.

At its core, the 1953 Marusho-Lilac TW Dragon had installed a 338cc four-stroke two-cylinder boxer engine paired with a three-speed gearbox and a final chain drive. It delivered 12 hp and reached a top speed of 110 kph (68 mph).