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Re: a chain of events and a PS
Posted By: Howard, on host 65.6.55.81
Date: Tuesday, September 12, 2006, at 13:54:59
In Reply To: Re: a chain of events and a PS posted by Enigma on Monday, September 11, 2006, at 17:29:32:

> > > It's the old story about "For the want of a nail, the shoe was lost. For the want of a shoe the horse was lost." The it goes from horse to rider to battle to war, or something like that.
> > >
> > > I have been working for weeks trying to get that engine swap made. You would think that changing an engine in a motor scooter would be a simple thing; take out four bolts, lift out engine, set in new engine,put four bolts back. But there are several hundred other things to do, and some of them have to be done over and over until you get them in the right order. It's not real technical, but it's aggrevating. Makes you have bad dreams.
> > > Howard
> >
> > I forgot to add the PS.
> > I have a couple of pictures posted. One shows the scooter with the body off and the new engine exposed. You might notice the gas tank in the lower right corner and the sprocket chain wrapped in newspaper on the floorboard. My red 1953 Allstate Cushman is in the background.
> >
> > The second picture shows the 1947 with the body on and my 1963 Cushman is sitting next to it.
> >
> > Just click the link below.
> > Howard
>
>
> Someday when I'm rich and famous, I'm going to get you a nice scooter. It will hover, have GPS and radar-guided automatic avoidance abilities, be powered by a small fusion power plant the size of a briefcase, and have nifty little rockets on the sides (for looks, if nothing else).
>
> (I actually don't want to be rich or famous, come to think of it - but if I did, then it would be at least that long before I actually got there.)
>
> - Enigma

It's a nice thought. Thanks, but no thanks. As you can see from the pictures, I favor low tech stuff. For example, the red 1947 Cushman, had style and class but little else. No speedometer, brakes on the rear wheel only, no turn signals, springs but no shock absorbers, bias ply tires with innnertubes, no battery, no electric start, no overhead camshaft, only one cylinder, no air conditioning, no power brakes, no nuclear reactor, no transmission, no rest room, no radio, and it doesn't even navigate for you.

It came with no rear view mirrow or horn, but you could get them as accessories. That double rail bumper around the lower body was also an extra-cost option.

Instead of a transmission, it has an automatic clutch so that all you have to do is twist the right grip and it goes, or press the brake pedal and it stops. Neither happens very quickly, but it makes them easy to ride. So what is the big feature that scooter salesmen can brag about to prospective buyers? Are you ready for this? It has - Ta Da!- a headlight with a high and low beam operated by a foot switch. Oh, and it gets 75 mpg.

So you can see what kind of scooters I like. I also have an antique car. It has four-wheel brakes and turn signals but little else. It's a '57 Volkswagen. My antique tractor is an International Super A, which was the next to cheapest thing in the International line in the mid-20th century.

I love motorized vehicles, but since I grew up poor, I seem to like the cheap stuff.

I also have about 25 old bicycles that I give away free to Rinkies who come by to pick them up. I need the space for scooters.
Howard

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