Hi from Sun City, Arizona

[Gramps]

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

[admin]

Welcome John.  Post some pictures of you bike and feel free to post a link on your sites.

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

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

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

   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]

That's Wayne's Servi-glide.  And I see your rides in the simplex section Rick.

[Ricks]

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.

[pd]

Rick ,

Maybe you could send him one for his site ?

Pete .

[Ricks]

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.

[OnaWingandaPrayer]

 Did Wayne purchase the Servi Glide from the Wollard estate auction ?  I remember seeing one there .

[mike montgomery]

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]

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.

[mike montgomery]

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]

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]

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]

And so , the puzzle continues to grow .
Like you said , too bad records didn't make it this far .