Spectrum #27: Order these motorcycle milestones by year — the solution
The Spectrum puzzle from September 10, 2026: six things on one hidden scale, earliest to latest, with every figure and where the checks were best spent.
The puzzle
Order these motorcycle milestones by year, earliest at the top and latest at the bottom. The board opened in this order:
- Kawasaki Ninja
- Vespa
- Harley LiveWire
- Honda Super Cub
- First Harley-Davidson
- First motorcycle
Honda Super Cub was already in place; First motorcycle opened 5 places from home.
The walkthrough
The ends first. First motorcycle is the earliest of the six at 1885 and Harley LiveWire the latest at 2019. Anchor those and the middle four are what is left to place.
Where the scale splits. The widest gap is between First Harley-Davidson (1903) and Vespa (1946) — 43 years apart. Everything above that line belongs on the earliest side and everything below it on the latest side, so sorting the six into those two groups is most of the puzzle.
The closest call. Vespa (1946) and Honda Super Cub (1958) are only 12 years apart — the pair that is a coin flip without the figures, and the place to spend a check: a check locks whatever is already right and leaves only the wrong tiles to swap.
The answer
| # | Earliest to Latest | Figure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | First motorcycle | 1885 |
| 2 | First Harley-Davidson | 1903 |
| 3 | Vespa | 1946 |
| 4 | Honda Super Cub | 1958 |
| 5 | Kawasaki Ninja | 1984 |
| 6 | Harley LiveWire | 2019 |
Previous: Spectrum #26 (Wed, Sep 9) · Next: Spectrum #28 (Fri, Sep 11)
About Spectrum
Spectrum is Noggin’s daily ordering puzzle: six things, one hidden scale, three checks. Tiles in the right place lock green; the figures turn over when the board is done. How to play Spectrum, or play today’s.