Rokon 2wd Trail-Breaker

I know, I know, what a little two-wheel-drive hunting vehicle doing in a Harley magazine? While designed almost exclusively for hunters and ranchers, my own Rokon turned out to be the hit of The Border Run rally a year or so ago. I used it to run all over the parking lot giving messages to the vendors and in general keeping an eye on things. Talk about turning heads. The front chain is clearly visible and the tractor tires with drum wheels get people talking. Several vendors had their own pit bikes; one had a Ridley, one an electric scooter and another a V-twin minibike called a Little Brute. The competition in the run-around-errand bike field was intense but I consider the Rokon to be my self-declared winner.

Rokons have been manufactured for over thirty years, sometimes in Vermont and now in New Hampshire. Originally designed for big game hunting in Africa, the bikes are marketed in hunting magazines and come with a large array of accessories like game holders, rifle scabbards and GPS holders. The bike is much simpler than an ATV and easier to transport. They weigh only 208 pounds and can be manhandled if necessary. They can be loaded on the back of a car on a bicycle type rack or there are instructions in the owners manual how to ride it into the back of a pick up truck without a ramp. There are also instructions on how to float the bikes across rivers.

Just as drawbridges require very little power to raise and lower a tremendous amount of weight, the lightweight Rokon uses extremely low gearing to haul a rider anywhere he or she wants to go with only 5.5 or 6.5 horsepower. The bike is rated at being able to climb a 60 degree incline. It comes with a torque converter so there is no shifting. There are three separate gear ranges but the rider must be at a stop to choose one. Low is so low, it is even slower than a walking pace. It is used for extreme climbing. High gear is good for about 30 mph, as fast as you want to go without suspension anyway.

The front wheel is driven by a chain like the rear, with a driveshaft running through the backbone of the frame spreading the power from the rear to the front wheel. The disc brakes are mounted on the two countershaft sprockets, away from the trail. The two wheels are sealed units with filler caps and will hold five gallons of either water or fuel each. Together with the regular gas tank, the Trail-Breaker can have a fuel range of over 400 miles.

I tested the Trail-Breaker by unloading it at the base of the tallest hill in my area. The hill is a combination of sand and rock that is normally only conquered by extreme horsepower and a high speed run. I lowered the air pressure to 3 lbs in each tire and pointed the bike straight towards the top, ignoring the available trails. I figured since I was going to ride up the hill at 5 mph or so, I wouldn’t need a helmet. Well, within minutes, I was over three quarters of the way up, past the sand and into the rocky, cactus covered top part. When I looked down, I of course realized I should have brought my helmet, that the ride down might be a little scary. I made it to the top and thought my way through the problem. I didn’t want to race down the hill quickly, it was too steep. I was nervous about the lack of engine braking with the torque converter and was unsure about how strong the brakes were and didn’t want to rely only on them. I headed down giving the bike a little gas which engaged its transmission and let me gain a little engine braking. Once mastered, it was no problem. The Rokon could be ridden down hills almost as easily as up them.

While not inexpensive, most two wheelers sell for around $5300 and the sidecar adds another $1000, the Rokon is incredibly well thought out and should last a lifetime. One sees used ones from the ‘70s in the want ads all the time in perfect running condition. Overall, I have to report that both the Honda powered Ranger model and the Kohler powered Trail-Breaker are simply a ridiculous amount of fun and even more capable than their brochures and websites let on.

- Mark Barnett