Cooper (motorcycles)
Cooper was a rebadged American brand of off-road motorcycles designed by Frank Cooper and manufactured by Moto Islo in Saltillo, Mexico, for distribution in the United States between 1973 and 1975.
Company history
Origins
The Cooper motorcycle company was created in Burbank, California, in 1972 by Frank Cooper who, was the American distributor for Maico motorcycles. As the baby boomer generation came of age during the 1960s and 1970s, off-road motorcycling experienced a surge in popularity. Cooper sought to fill a void in the motorcycle marketplace between the less expensive, entry level Japanese motorcycles and the more expensive European motorcycles.Cooper contracted with Isidro Lopez, the owner of a Mexican moped manufacturer named Moto Islo, to build motocross and enduro motorcycles to Cooper's specifications. Using engine parts made in Italy and later, engines made by Sachs, Cooper imported the motorcycles into the United States and sold them as Cooper motorcycles beginning in early 1973. Cooper produced an Enduro 250 cc model designed by Malcolm Smith using an engine based on a Yamaha two-stroke engine in addition to other bikes.
Although the motorcycles were initially well received, they soon developed a reputation for poor quality due to metallurgy failures, poor quality fiberglass parts and deficient quality control during the manufacturing process. Although Cooper addressed most of the reliability issues, the brand's poor reputation persisted. Cooper was also unable to manufacture motorcycles at prices low enough to compete against Japanese motorcycle manufacturers. The combination of a poor reputation along with a higher than anticipated price caused the company to cease operations after producing approximately 1,200 motorcycles.