With a beautiful baby now in my life, I unfortunately need to thin some toys. As far as I know, this is an early 60's Homelite Trailking. Here is the main link for the original ads and all the info: Northwest Trail King Ads
I bought this from the original owner which he had purchased for exactly what these things were made for, hauling game out of the woods. I was kind of neat to hear the stories of this scooter actually hauling moose and elk quarters from miles in.
It was in 'well used' shape when I bought it and the original 3.5hp Briggs motor did run but starting it was difficult and it was really quite anemic for such a heavy scooter. After some pondering, I made the decision (for good or bad) to modify it for a different motor. It now houses a mildly modified 6.5hp Harbor Freight engine. I added a custom stainless intake equipped with a UNI filter and also made a stainless exhaust (all TIG welded) capped by a standard muffler. With these mods, I re-jetted the carb and trimmed the fins to suit. In this form with my weight (170lbs) it pushes the Trailking to 25mph (as verified by the local neighborhood speed indicator) in hi gear. I should also note that it starts on the first pull every time...no matter the season.
To fit this motor in the original frame, I needed to push everything else back. The rear wheel now sits about 4" back from the stock position on adjustable dropouts and it can still easily lift the front tire in lo range. The engine as well as the transfer case reside on new crossmembers too. Keeping the original patina and look was important to me so everything was given a blended red spray to match the original colors. Besides the blue motor, which was in the plans to paint, it looks pretty much original. I also added some dimple died holes in the front foot area and rear deck to give it some more character.
Other things worth noting are machined bronze headset bushings, new twist throttle, brake levers and cables, handlebar kill switch, kickstand, new drive belt, a custom machined drive clutch lockout (to deal with the additional power), new sealed bearings, passenger foldable footpegs, new rear tire, fresh synthetic oil in the engine and case, and fresh grease in the zerks. Also the seats have no tears or stress marks of any kind...nice and cushy too. The only thing that needs attention down the road would be to change the seals in the tcase. It seeps a little around the output shaft (see the pic with the clutch lockout) and leaves a couple drops after a hot ride. Other than that, this thing is dialed.
This Trailking was a joy to own and build, gets a lot of attention, and you will never see another one around quite like it. Take it to the car shows, cruises, or just tool around the neighborhood with it and enjoy the huge smile it puts on your face! Here are a few pics from today in it's dirty glory:
I'm asking $450 or best offer. I'd really like this to go to another enthusiast, not some college kid that's going to get drunk and total it. It is located in Livingston, Montana and shipping would like to be avoided, but everything has it's price. Give me a call at 406.579.4971 or send an email to richieliebscher@hotmail.com. Thanks!
Richie
I bought this from the original owner which he had purchased for exactly what these things were made for, hauling game out of the woods. I was kind of neat to hear the stories of this scooter actually hauling moose and elk quarters from miles in.
It was in 'well used' shape when I bought it and the original 3.5hp Briggs motor did run but starting it was difficult and it was really quite anemic for such a heavy scooter. After some pondering, I made the decision (for good or bad) to modify it for a different motor. It now houses a mildly modified 6.5hp Harbor Freight engine. I added a custom stainless intake equipped with a UNI filter and also made a stainless exhaust (all TIG welded) capped by a standard muffler. With these mods, I re-jetted the carb and trimmed the fins to suit. In this form with my weight (170lbs) it pushes the Trailking to 25mph (as verified by the local neighborhood speed indicator) in hi gear. I should also note that it starts on the first pull every time...no matter the season.
To fit this motor in the original frame, I needed to push everything else back. The rear wheel now sits about 4" back from the stock position on adjustable dropouts and it can still easily lift the front tire in lo range. The engine as well as the transfer case reside on new crossmembers too. Keeping the original patina and look was important to me so everything was given a blended red spray to match the original colors. Besides the blue motor, which was in the plans to paint, it looks pretty much original. I also added some dimple died holes in the front foot area and rear deck to give it some more character.
Other things worth noting are machined bronze headset bushings, new twist throttle, brake levers and cables, handlebar kill switch, kickstand, new drive belt, a custom machined drive clutch lockout (to deal with the additional power), new sealed bearings, passenger foldable footpegs, new rear tire, fresh synthetic oil in the engine and case, and fresh grease in the zerks. Also the seats have no tears or stress marks of any kind...nice and cushy too. The only thing that needs attention down the road would be to change the seals in the tcase. It seeps a little around the output shaft (see the pic with the clutch lockout) and leaves a couple drops after a hot ride. Other than that, this thing is dialed.
This Trailking was a joy to own and build, gets a lot of attention, and you will never see another one around quite like it. Take it to the car shows, cruises, or just tool around the neighborhood with it and enjoy the huge smile it puts on your face! Here are a few pics from today in it's dirty glory:
I'm asking $450 or best offer. I'd really like this to go to another enthusiast, not some college kid that's going to get drunk and total it. It is located in Livingston, Montana and shipping would like to be avoided, but everything has it's price. Give me a call at 406.579.4971 or send an email to richieliebscher@hotmail.com. Thanks!
Richie
