jb2wheels
02-19-2013, 01:33 AM
Short version:
I've been on the lookout for a green trike for a while and finally picked one up. The best part - I got to ride it at Buttercup (well, that's what we used to call it) within 24 hours...
Dad and me at Buttercup for the first time in 25 years:
163281
In the garage while buying it:
163283
Ready for first ride:
163284
No clue what I'm looking at...:
163285
First tank of gas - I hate this stupid spout:
163286
Long story:
I live near Austin TX.
My dad lives near Sacramento CA.
We still try to do a lot of stuff together.
Last December, my mom and dad drove our big van back to CA with a bunch of stuff they wanted to have in CA. That left us an empty van in CA I needed to have back in TX.
I have a great uncle in Portland Oregon. He turned 90 2 weeks ago. My cousin, his daughter, put together a great birthday party for him and the family reunion was on. My uncle basically said, "If you're planning to come to my funeral, skip it and come to my birthday party."
I figure, i can kill 3 or 4 birds with one stone and spend a weekend in Portland, a week in CA, and bring the van back to TX.
So, we have a big, 3 day party in Portland. On Sunday, I put my wife on the plane back to TX and hop back in the car with my folks and zip on back to Sacramento.
I spent most of the next week in CA working with my dad on his 55 Chevy BelAir project. While we're in the garage we get to thinking - what do you do with an empty van running from CA to TX? I figure I'll pick up a parts/project Tecate and combine it with my small, starter pile of Tecate parts and make a runner out of it.
My dad, with 30 more years of wisdom, says, "Hey, we'll be on 8 going through the dunes, why don't you get a runner and we'll go play with it?"
DUH.
I mean, really, what a SPECTACULAR idea.
So, I few hours of SearchTempest later, narrow down the candidates to this one in Corona. We check it out Friday afternoon around 7:00, make a deal and hit the road. Spend the night in El Centro, pick up supplies (like pre-mix, flag, pass for the van and pass for the trike, jeez what a CA bureacratic mess - we used to just hop the fence and ride) and hit the road to Buttercup.
On Presidents Weekend. Perfect weather.
Anyway, this was a great vacation.
The Tecate is supposed to have a 300 kit in it but I have no way to know. It has a KX cylinder on it for sure.
It an 85 and starts on the first kick. Brakes work. Sun faded but complete. Needs a clutch (grabby) and probably a chain and sprockets. And those aren't ideal sand tires.
It could use some touch up and a deep cleaning but it's a freakin' riot and I paid well under $1k for it.
I haven't even seen a nice one for sale around Austin in a while.
Now I have a Tecate, a couple of 350s and the R. Fantastic! Maybe a Tri-Z next year ;)
I've been on the lookout for a green trike for a while and finally picked one up. The best part - I got to ride it at Buttercup (well, that's what we used to call it) within 24 hours...
Dad and me at Buttercup for the first time in 25 years:
163281
In the garage while buying it:
163283
Ready for first ride:
163284
No clue what I'm looking at...:
163285
First tank of gas - I hate this stupid spout:
163286
Long story:
I live near Austin TX.
My dad lives near Sacramento CA.
We still try to do a lot of stuff together.
Last December, my mom and dad drove our big van back to CA with a bunch of stuff they wanted to have in CA. That left us an empty van in CA I needed to have back in TX.
I have a great uncle in Portland Oregon. He turned 90 2 weeks ago. My cousin, his daughter, put together a great birthday party for him and the family reunion was on. My uncle basically said, "If you're planning to come to my funeral, skip it and come to my birthday party."
I figure, i can kill 3 or 4 birds with one stone and spend a weekend in Portland, a week in CA, and bring the van back to TX.
So, we have a big, 3 day party in Portland. On Sunday, I put my wife on the plane back to TX and hop back in the car with my folks and zip on back to Sacramento.
I spent most of the next week in CA working with my dad on his 55 Chevy BelAir project. While we're in the garage we get to thinking - what do you do with an empty van running from CA to TX? I figure I'll pick up a parts/project Tecate and combine it with my small, starter pile of Tecate parts and make a runner out of it.
My dad, with 30 more years of wisdom, says, "Hey, we'll be on 8 going through the dunes, why don't you get a runner and we'll go play with it?"
DUH.
I mean, really, what a SPECTACULAR idea.
So, I few hours of SearchTempest later, narrow down the candidates to this one in Corona. We check it out Friday afternoon around 7:00, make a deal and hit the road. Spend the night in El Centro, pick up supplies (like pre-mix, flag, pass for the van and pass for the trike, jeez what a CA bureacratic mess - we used to just hop the fence and ride) and hit the road to Buttercup.
On Presidents Weekend. Perfect weather.
Anyway, this was a great vacation.
The Tecate is supposed to have a 300 kit in it but I have no way to know. It has a KX cylinder on it for sure.
It an 85 and starts on the first kick. Brakes work. Sun faded but complete. Needs a clutch (grabby) and probably a chain and sprockets. And those aren't ideal sand tires.
It could use some touch up and a deep cleaning but it's a freakin' riot and I paid well under $1k for it.
I haven't even seen a nice one for sale around Austin in a while.
Now I have a Tecate, a couple of 350s and the R. Fantastic! Maybe a Tri-Z next year ;)