Author Topic: Hi from Sun City, Arizona  (Read 6562 times)

Gramps

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Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« on: October 07, 2013, 02:58:18 PM »
What a gold Mine I found in this Forum to help me restore my 56 M.
I just picked it up last Wednesday here in Peoria, AZ. I am the 3rd owner.
It sat in a barn for 41 years with the second owner.


It has been a real trip. The Motor Vehicle Department had a difficult time figuring out what it was when I registered it. Then I had the same problem with the insurance company.
I have been involved in two wheeled motor vehicles most of my life.
Started with a well-used Whizzer at 13. At 14 I had a mustang. In this picture in 1948 of me on the mustang, to my left is a childhood friend Billy Jo Jackson on a Simplex. He was a flying missionary and was killed in a crash somewhere in South America. I am going to name my “M” Billy Jo in his memory.

I haven’t had a two wheel ride in a couple of years and was having withdrawals so I was looking for something I could afford and handle at almost 80 and that is not MPH.

I have two websites, the US Scooter Museum and US Mini Bike Museum.
You can enter either one from this link. http://www.usscootermuseum.com/
I would like to put a link to this forum on my Simplex page in US Scooters if it is ok with you. John
« Last Edit: October 08, 2013, 01:30:40 PM by Gramps »
Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right,
There's a 90% probability you'll get it wrong.

admin

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #1 on: October 07, 2013, 03:29:57 PM »
Welcome John.  Post some pictures of you bike and feel free to post a link on your sites.
Rick

OnaWingandaPrayer

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2013, 03:59:57 PM »

   Hello Gramps / John . Welcome to the Simplex forum family .  Glad to hear you have a nice project . Enjoy your new scooter .

OnaWingandaPrayer

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2013, 04:48:12 PM »

   Hey thanks for the links to your websites . I was just looking at the Scooter Museum. In the pictures where the strays are shown is a Simplex . Its in the second row , second photo .  The Green step thru . Sorry I dont know the Simplex model name . I expect some othere here can inform us of the model .

kartjockey

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #4 on: October 07, 2013, 05:45:52 PM »
That's Wayne's Servi-glide.  And I see your rides in the simplex section Rick.

Ricks

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #5 on: October 07, 2013, 06:09:21 PM »
That's Wayne's Servi-glide.  And I see your rides in the simplex section Rick.

Yeah, I saw that.  He did not get a picture of our line up though.
Rick

pd

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2013, 07:08:56 AM »
Rick ,

Maybe you could send him one for his site ?

Pete . :)
Goes around , Comes around . :)

Ricks

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2013, 07:26:30 AM »
Rick ,

Maybe you could send him one for his site ?

Pete . :)

I didn't take the pictures of the lineup, but there are some on this site that he is more than welcome to grab and put on his.  I think Sonrisers and KartJockey have the originals.
Rick

OnaWingandaPrayer

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #8 on: October 08, 2013, 05:07:12 PM »
 Did Wayne purchase the Servi Glide from the Wollard estate auction ?  I remember seeing one there .

mike montgomery

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #9 on: October 08, 2013, 05:38:55 PM »
Wayne did purchase the Servi-Glide at the auction. If I had guessed that it would have sold so cheap, I might have bought it before the auction. Oh well, live and learn!!!!!!! Mike

admin

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #10 on: October 08, 2013, 06:11:33 PM »
Mike, don't feel so bad.  Leslie told me they wanted around $7000 for it.  I would guess they were disappointed in the selling price.

I had a chance to ride it at Portland, and it was fun, but hard to ride with so many people around as when you stop, you have to turn the motor off.
Rick

mike montgomery

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #11 on: October 08, 2013, 06:44:56 PM »
Rick, I am the one who gave Leslie that guesstimate number.  Wayne told me the price that he paid for it, but I have managed to suppress it to avoid my self-inflicted rage!!!!!!!!!!  Out of all the years that I knew Gary (1993 until his death in 2011), I never heard the ServiGlide run.  Oh well, I do have one of his nearly original rocker clutch models, and I have film footage of David Treen riding it at the festival in Hammond, LA, in 1993.  Such is life.  Mike

Mike Sal

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #12 on: October 09, 2013, 07:43:08 AM »
Regarding Grandpa's bike, I find it interesting that it has a Wico magneto, although the serial number & motor number put it right at the beginning of the '56 model year or tail end of the '56 model year (frame 10299 & motor M18523B).  It sure is a shame that none of the engineering records survived to pin down when changes were made.
Mike Sal

Mike Sal

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #13 on: October 09, 2013, 06:23:20 PM »
Gramps gave me some more clues that makes me think this bike was originally a late '55 model.  It has no brake light bracket.  It also has a 4 bar luggage rack, but it has a straight sided handlebar mounting plate (often thought to be a "'56" introduction feature).
Mike Sal

pd

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Re: Hi from Sun City, Arizona
« Reply #14 on: October 09, 2013, 09:13:23 PM »
And so , the puzzle continues to grow .
Like you said , too bad records didn't make it this far .
Goes around , Comes around . :)