What Sort of Man Reads MC ART?

A hip guy who's big on blazing his own trail. The kind of guy who finds that trail leads him to MotorCycle entertainment that's Right On track.

This Month's Header-First Ride

WTF? This Month's Header explanation is a bit late, but is about and dedicated to First Rides. (Since no photos exist of this machine, I decided to illustrate this story)

When I say First Rides, I'm talking about that first time you rode a two wheeler powered by something other than your own two feet.

Here's how my story goes....

I'm the youngest of 3 boys, all two years apart. My oldest brother Lewy says the year was either 1964 or '65. This would mean he was about 13 or 14 years old, my next brother was 11 or 12, and I was 9 or 10.

He says that a friend from school with the last name Cruise had a homemade mini-bike and was in the process of upgrading to a better one. He told my brother if he bought 2 wheels with solid rubber tires for $5 dollars he'd give him the frame.


The Beast. A bicycle framed, lawnmower engine powered, push started, clutch-less/direct belt drive, solid rubber wheeled, no brakes suicide machine, on sesame seed bun.

While I don't remember every detail of what went down when my brother first brought it home , I seem to recall that dad was a bit pissed off and it taking him a few days to be OK with it.

A deal was made. If my brothers and I agreed to use the old push mower, then he could borrow the Briggs and Stratton engine from the Craftsman power mower. It was a second hand mower also on the older side, made in the early fifties.


Dad lays down the ground rules before the trial run.

I'll never forget the last part of how that first trial run went. I believe dad tried it out first, deemed it sound, and assembled the troops in the driveway. He then says to my oldest brother, "Take it out around the block... (turning to my brother John), and when he gets back... you can ride it." He pauses a moment, turns to me and says, "You can't ride it... you're to little!"

Since it had no clutch, we pushed Lewy to get it started and off he went. When he returned he shut it down to stop, John climbed aboard, and again we pushed to start it for his turn.


The running hand off. Before long, we came up with a better system. Since it had no clutch, you'd go as slow as possible, jump off and hand it over to the next rider who'd run up beside you. To stop you would kill the throttle lever and let it chug to a halt.

I don't know if it was the disappointment on my face or what, but when my brother John came back, dad said, "Oh... alright, you can try it.... just don't move the throttle lever past here."

What that says about my dad, I'm not sure, but for the next few days we were chasing each other riding what had to be one of the most dangerous vehicles a kid could have fun on... yelling for our turn and smiling ear to ear.


Flatheads Forever. Several years ago, I found the exact same type of engine off another Craftsman mower at a local swap meet for $10. I'd love to recreate that first bike but, with a clutch, pneumatic tires, and brakes. I failed to mention, while riding that deathtrap you had to keep your leg away from the spinning, sock eating, rope starter.

It doesn't seem like we rode it for long and I can't recall why we stopped, or what became of the frame. I do know my oldest brother soon got a better unfinished frame, but that project never got done.

Later, we had proper mini bikes. I got a new Taco 44 and then my brother John got a Flexo Big Bear Scrambler from a friend. That got crazy!

For a lot of us, it's in our blood. Once you get a taste of 2 wheel power, there's no turning back.

I'm sure many of you got your own start in a very similar way.

All Hallow's Eve

Have a "Safe Insane" one.

This Month's Header

"The Luck of the Biker"

This Month's Header features a tongue in cheek look at the plight of the Biker. Run ins with "The Man" have always been a familiar theme.


The Source

I grew up buying Pete Millar's Drag Cartoons, but didn't have this particular issue until a few years ago. I was familiar with it from the back issues and always thought it was cool. I've been planning to use it as a header pretty much since the blog began.

The location is in nearby Palos Verdes Estates CA, and still looks about the same. I should go there and take a photo from the same spot some time.

This is How it Starts

Art Imitates Life

Many of the crazy images that were put out by Roth had some basis in reality. Note the Iron Cross on the gas tank.


Dick Cook aboard "Big Daddy's" mini bike. It was said to be too big for Ed. This thing is more ridiculous than in the art.

The Starship Enterprise

and a Mighty Mini

A new reader of the blog who goes by Mingal sent an email and included some photos.

Chris....feel free to post it... the guy I bought the photo from , said that the owner of the body work had brought it around to the local H-D shop and they displayed it for a week, trying to get some sales for it.

The captain is ready for blast off!

I've seen similar pictures that describe it as an "Enterprise" and I think it was from 1961. Just thought you might get a giggle out it for your blog, which I might ad, is very well done.

Here's another cool photo, taken of me on a 1969 Honda Mini-Trail with a mid 60's 650 Triumph engine in it. Starts on the first kick, makes a lot of noise and grabs a lot of attention.......yeah, it's "only" a single carb. :)

I'm surprised how well the engine fits. In addition to the down tubes and lower frame rails, I'd guess the backbone is also stretched some. -C.K.

Meyers Lynx, McQueen's Mini Bike

The mini bike shown in the last post is a Meyers Lynx. Here's a page from the Meyers Lynx brochure. If they look like Taco Mini Bikes it's because they were actually made by John Steen.

The Lynx logo is actually the cooler of the two.


Just in case you forgot who Bruce Meyer was, here's an ad from 1969. He was the originator of the fiberglass dune buggy body kits for VW's. He still sells kits today. You might also remember seeing McQueen driving a Manx in the Thomas Crown Affair.

Hot Taco

Taco 22 with extra Hot Sauce

Here's an all new (not vintage), custom Taco 22 thats been given the hot rod treatment. Features: 6hp overhead Tecumseh, tuned stainless exhaust, torque converter, 5" Mickey Thompson flat spoke mags, aluminum gas tank. Built by Dave Miller. Dave builds some killer mini bikes. It's up on ebay right now.


You don't usually see this kind of craftsmanship on a mini bike.

Mondays Mini

An Old Pro

This guy means business. Check the determination on this kids face. Found on a Hill Climber site. Caption read: Gary Waddell (Harold's dad), in 1956 on a homemade mini bike built by his father... and oh yeah,... Bobber!

LOOK...

what followed me home from the Long Beach MC Swap.

It's a "Lil" Indian.

I'm not sure what to do with it. The 5 inch tri-spoke wheels may not be original. From what I've seen and read, they offered 4" or 6" four spoke mags.


A nice restored one from: http://minidoodle.com/

The earliest models had Clinton 2 stroke engines. Then, Briggs and Strattons became a option, while later models used only Tecumsehs.


I also Gleeped this 1971"Lil" Indian brochure shot from the minidoodle site.

"Lil" Indian's are among the smaller minis that were manufactured and the same family has continued building them from 1959 to today. The history of this mighty mini is intertwined with Ruttman mini bikes which were made by the 1952 Indy 500 champ Troy Ruttman. They are one of the few brands of minis I like. During the late sixties and early seventies there were a ton of crappy and ugly minis made. Most of the best and coolest hale from (where it all started), CA. To me, Taco ranks top, followed by others like Flexo (Big Bear Scrambler), and Bonanza.

December is for mini bikes.

Mini Bike Mania

For kids, this time of year used to mean dreaming of a Mini Bike for Christmas.

In 1969, I wanted and got a Taco for Xmas but, I had to pay for most of it. It was a 44 like the one in the upper right.

The traditional Mini Bikes of the sixties and early seventies were the original outlaw machines that got a lot of us started on bikes and as gearheads.

Vava-voom! What adolescent male wouldn't get revved up? Former playmate of the year June Cochran (1963), on a Rupp. Later, June joined Linda Vaughn as one of the Hurstettes. June died May 21, 2004. Getting old sucks!

I only like lawnmower engine powered small wheeled minis, not mini motorcycles. I also don't care for most of today's mini choppers. Most are too big, ugly and stupid.

Damn. I use to have this and a few other Mini Bike Guides


Choppers, Trikes, and Minis were big then. What kid in the 60-70's wouldn't go ape for this rig? I did.

I still love'm. Recently, I've collected several Tacos and a couple others that need to be restored.

I'll post more mini bike stuff later.

Space Bikers

I hear there's a strict helmet law on the moon.

Nasa experimented with the idea of using this mini bike on the moon instead of the Lunar Rover. This photo was taken aboard the "Vomit Comet". That's the nickname for the KC-135 aircraft that simulates zero gravity by flying in a roller coaster like manner. Somehow they were also able to simulate the 1/6 earth gravity of the moon. It appears he's jumping a small ramp.

Too bad this never progressed beyond the experimental stage. Imagine how cool it would have been to be the first bikers jamming on the moon.