With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

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Keith Bryan
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Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:47 pm
Vintage Karting items owned: 1960 Capitol Kart UMP Special
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With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Keith Bryan » Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:20 pm

Go-kart manufacturing noticed that many racers were fabracating minibikes and using them in the pits so they decided to expand their line and produce a minibike they called it the go-kart cycle two models were made the enduro powered by a Clinton A400 Phantom and the scrambler powered by a westbend
these were (aurguably) the first American mass produced mini bikes and they are very rare.
.
Now I know this is not a vintage kart but I thought you might find this interesting I have more pictures if anyones interested Image

david a luciani
Posts: 671
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Vintage Karting items owned: gk800 -r1 -gilson excalibar -rupp concept dual,concept,Cheetah ll, panther -Bug
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Location: new haven ct.

Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by david a luciani » Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:27 pm

is this a go kart mini bike then.
how neat to see a complete one.
i don't know if it's appropriate but i'd like to see more pix myself.
maybe a link to photobucket or other picture site would be better though.
dave 8-)

Keith Bryan
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:47 pm
Vintage Karting items owned: 1960 Capitol Kart UMP Special
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Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Keith Bryan » Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:36 pm

Look at how small it is next to a heathkit mini bike frame http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54 ... 1c78eb.jpg
Clinton Panther http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54 ... c294e8.jpg
you may notice that this is a reverse rotation engine http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54 ... d3d250.jpg
megaphone exhaust http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54 ... a3e3e7.jpg

Alan Warn
Posts: 63
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 2:54 am
Vintage Karting items owned: GK 800

Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Alan Warn » Fri Nov 26, 2010 12:27 am

That thing is cool!!!! Love it! Did you ride it yet?

Rob Voska
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Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Rob Voska » Fri Nov 26, 2010 7:41 am

I have a Big Bear Scrambler. Cool tiny little bike. Mine has the welded side plate to mount a 580 WB. I also have a Lil Indian with a Clinton A400. Ruttman, Rupp Continental, 2 Lil Indian frames, Fox Campus & a bunch of other stuff I brought home.

Terry Sullivan
Posts: 298
Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:36 am
Vintage Karting items owned: 4 Bugs, including the Wasp bought by my Dad in 1959. Many Clintons and a few Macs
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Location: Cumming, GA

Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Terry Sullivan » Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:17 am

Keith,
I would like to see a few more pictures.
I have a Greenhorn Enduro that is waiting to be asembled. The one you are showing appears to have footpegs, which I think, were an option. I would like to see more detail of the footpegs so I can decide how to put some on mine.
I restored a Big Bear Scrambler a few years ago and sold it for a loss. Picture attached.
Terry
Attachments
P1000294.JPG
(4.17 MiB) Not downloaded yet

Rob Voska
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Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Rob Voska » Fri Nov 26, 2010 10:39 am

Just got a Lancer kart brochure. They listed a minibike also but I have never seen one.

Bill Hermsted
Posts: 88
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 8:50 pm
Vintage Karting items owned: 3 AH58's and 1 MC45
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Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Bill Hermsted » Fri Nov 26, 2010 11:00 am

Ah, what memories! First, hope all of you had a happy Thanksgiving. I had the scrambler with a WB 580. That model came with a jackshaft. Later, Flexo, still in Socal, took over production with no changes. A fellow enthusiast named Irv ran the outfit. The only weak link on both minis was the front fork tube to frame attachment. The fix was a 1/8" plate welded between the fork tube and frame ends. Scott Bros. auto body of Brookville, NY did mine in 1961, probably one of the firsts. This post reminded me that in the beginning, most brands of minibikes came from the factories with two stroke motors. I use a modified PP ah 58 on my Alexander Reynolds as we speak! Bird even equipped one of their models with a Mc 101! It really was a different time.
bill

Bill Hermsted
Posts: 88
Joined: Wed May 12, 2010 8:50 pm
Vintage Karting items owned: 3 AH58's and 1 MC45
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Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Bill Hermsted » Fri Nov 26, 2010 4:43 pm

Terry-
I'm very shocked you took a licking on the Go Kart Corp. minibike. Minibike collecters usually would take out a second mortgage for something this extinct. I saw one a couple of months ago on ebay, but near the end just couldn't compete any more. Was that one yours?
I don't think this site frowns on minis, as long as they have a two stroke mounted. They're a great test bed for kart engines in progress, as they can be ridden in many more places. Also, look at the bunch Rob has!
I've been a minibike road racer since the 1960's. The high point of my career was two "unofficial" rides on a world class road course that is long gone now. Stirling Moss, Jim Hall and many other greats once raced there. We got caught the second time by the caretaker who thought guys were running chain saws near the track! I really miss those days. By the way, that was the GoKart / WB 580 mini.

Keith Bryan
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Mar 23, 2008 2:47 pm
Vintage Karting items owned: 1960 Capitol Kart UMP Special
User Agreement: Yes

Re: With great caution I'm posting hope you find it interesting

Post by Keith Bryan » Fri Nov 26, 2010 4:46 pm

When I bought the bike I asked if he had any spare parts and he said just this then he included another complete roller frame another greenhorn enduro that was chromed but the Crome was in real bad shape http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54 ... e9b7f0.jpg
I have been working on it and this is the best I could do to bring the finish back. I don't think any of these were ever chromed from the factory but hey it was the 60's I'm sure someone had it done http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54 ... 2e48ae.jpg
neither of these bikes have foot pegs what you may be seeing is a crazy foot pedal arrangment that the owner added that I will have to grind off and repaint the frame http://i921.photobucket.com/albums/ad54 ... 2fc761.jpg

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