In the 1970s, Japanese four-cylinder motorcycle engines became increasingly powerful, while chassis and brakes did not always advance at the same pace. In Switzerland, that gap created room for small specialist workshops. One was Moko, founded in Ebikon in 1979 by Hansjörg Hilti, Urs Scheidegger and Ernst Strahm.
At the centre of a Moko motorcycle was a rigid, usually fully chromed central tube frame. The team tailored other parts to customers’ wishes, including forks and seating. On an early Moko Kawasaki 1000, the entire rear section could be exchanged to make a solo or two-person version.
Around 280 Moko motorcycles had been made by 1988. Surviving examples include the early Kawasaki 1000 and the futuristic D01. Together they evoke a period when a few builders did not wait for a factory solution: they redesigned the motorcycle’s foundation to suit stronger engines and individual tastes.