This is the Skat Kitty, a minibike built by Projects Unlimited in Dayton, Ohio in the 1960s that had a clever folding design – allowing it to be carried in car trunks, boats, and even light aircraft.
Interestingly, the reason the Skat Kitty was originally developed was because one of the company founders had a boat and needed some sort of portable motorized trailer transportation for when he was in port. Thus the Skat Kitty was born.
This is the Skat Kitty, a minibike built by Projects Unlimited in Dayton, Ohio in the 1960s that had a clever folding design – allowing it to be carried in car trunks, light aircraft, and boats.
History Speedrun: The Projects Unlimited Skat Kitty
In the early 1950s two brothers in Dayton, Ohio, David Wyse and Harold Wyse, were running a company named Wyse Laboratories – an aircraft parts company founded during WWII that supplied parts to the Army Air Corp and other military customers.
Projects Unlimited was founded in 1951 and they soon made a name for themselves developing and manufacturing mission critical electronics including circuit card assemblies (CCA), cables, harnesses, and integrated box assemblies to major defense contractors, leading aviation companies, the US Government, and foreign governments.
Initially the company experimented with minibike design by developing the Wyse Cycle in the late 1940s, when Projects Unlimited was formed soon after, the company carried that small-motorcycle manufacturing experience forward.
The larger Skat Kat minibike came first, and the smaller Skat Kitty followed for a somewhat personal reason, one of the founders owned a luxury yacht and wanted a compact minibike runabout that was small enough to be carried aboard, to then be used in port. The result was a minibike designed around portability and low weight above all else.
Upon its release, the Skat Kitty was marketed as instant transportation, and the brochure made its mission clear. It was just 20 inches high and 36 inches long, with foldable handlebars so it could be tucked into the corner of a car trunk, boat deck, or even a light aircraft cabin. Advertised weight was 68lbs, light enough for one person to lift.
Interestingly, the reason the Skat Kitty was originally developed was because one of the company founders had a boat and needed some sort of portable motorized trailer transportation for when he was in port. Thus the Skat Kitty was born.
The design was based around a one-piece cast aluminum frame and fenders, an unusual choice in a market dominated by tubular steel, though the use of aluminum may have had something to do with the company’s history of manufacturing aircraft parts.
Power came from a 2.5 bhp four-stroke engine paired with a centrifugal clutch. Other engines were used across the production run, including Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh single-cylinder units.
Drive was via a chain to the rear wheel, and a 4-inch steel drum brake handled stopping duties. The brochure claimed a 25 mph top speed, 100 miles per gallon fuel economy, and a 250lbs load capacity – impressive specs for the era. The retail price was listed at $309.50 USD, which works out to approximately $3,196 USD in 2026 dollars.
The manufacturing and assembly of the Skat Kitty was a small, hands-on operation in Dayton, with family members involved in testing and all aspects of production. At least one new-in-box example is said to survive with one of the son’s of a company founder.
It’s not known exactly how many examples of the Skat Kitty were made, but we do see them come up for sale from time to time.
The 1965 Projects Unlimited Skat Kitty Shown Here
The minibike you see here is an original Projects Unlimited Skat Kitty from 1965. It has been fully refurbished, with the frame now powdercoated in red, the Tecumseh four-stroke single and centrifugal clutch refreshed, and the solo seat reupholstered.
The minibike you see here is an original Projects Unlimited Skat Kitty from 1965. It has been fully refurbished, with the frame now powdercoated in red, the Tecumseh four-stroke single and centrifugal clutch refreshed, and the solo seat reupholstered.
The steel 4″ wheels were refinished in white and shod with 3.50″ wide tires. The bike now essentially looks brand new, and it’s the best condition we’ve seen a Skat Kitty offered in for years.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Miami, Florida at no reserve with a bill of sale. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
