Rex Como Deluxe

This is one of those rare tiddlers for which I happened to have requested a brochure from the U.S. distributor back in one of those few years in which it was imported. Not only have I never seen a Como Deluxe, but I have never seen any Rex model, including its sportier brother, the KL-35. The photo is a scan of the small, B&W, 8.5 x 5.5-inch brochure.

The Rex brand in general, and the top two models in particular, are interesting in their unusual design. These were referred to as Economy Motorcycles in the brochure. They were built in Munich, West Germany, and the importer was located in Salt Lake City, of all places, not exactly an East Coast checkpoint! Of course my brochure may have come from the western distributor and there was actually a P.O.E. for Rex on the Eastern Seaboard, but my brochure calls the SLC office the U.S. and Canadian distributor. Rex offered five 50cc models, and nothing larger, as far as I know. Note, however, that this Rex is not to be confused with several other makers of larger motorcycles under the same brand name, but different companies. A Motorbike Kit for $99.95 was the entry-level machine. It is not clear from the brochure if the bicycle was included in the price. The one pictured looks like a standard, three-speed, English touring type of the day. Next up was the Piccolo Moped for $199 that made the Allstate Moped look like a roguish escapee from The Wild One. In other words, it, too, was little more than a glorified bicycle. The Monaco Moped was a close facsimile to the Allstate Moped. The top of the line was the KL-35 for $349 with its twin carbs and twin exhausts on a single-cylinder 50. That's why it deserved the Tiddlerosis treatment long before the Como!

Let's talk Como, shall we? The KL-35 screamed out 4.4 horsepower with its silly dual accoutrements on a single cylinder two-stroke, but the Como makes do with 3.6. With its 155-pound curb weight, I wouldn't challenge any Honda Sport 50's to a drag race, and you may want to avoid a girl driving a Cub, too. The three-speed hand shift is not exactly sporting, either, but you can lift your nose in the air when you tell them your Como has an Earles front suspension design, just like you-know-who. The white paint job also sports hand pinstriping just like the famous snotbrand, too. The handlebars and frame are pressed steel on the Como, just like on a Honda Cub, and the chain is fully enclosed, but you can see the tank is up front. It is puzzling why this one holds only 1.5 gallons when the one on the KL-35 holds 2.9. That space between the tank and seat seem totally unnecessary. The engines on the KL-35 and Como are fan-cooled. Both models were obviously trying to offer German quality and detail in a smaller machine. $309 for the Como in 1962 pushed its price above even the Honda Sport 50. Is it any wonder that this is a very rare tiddler?

See also: Rex KL-35