Doodlebug history

PatrickCraik

Well-Known Member
#2
Very Cool! Thanks for the post. I had no idea Max-Torque clutches are made by the same company which invented the Doodbugs. The nice old gent did have one hick up, he confused Tecumseh engines with Clinton Engines. The 1st 750-1000 Doodbugs used Clintons. I think this plays into another thread about "The 1st minibike"as well.
 
#3
Actually, Beam Mfg made 5 variations of the Doodle Bug, Types A thru E. The second, Type B were powered by Clinton 700ASLB engines. Beam bought the Clintons because demand was extremely high in 1946 and Briggs could not supply enough NP engines. Clinton was a start-up engine manufacturer and had a number of problems with their early engines. Primarily their camshafts were not hard enough, causing the exhaust lobe to roundoff due to the added load of the oil pump push rod. Clinton re-designed their engines to utilize splash lubrication, and replaced many under warranty, but Beam never bought Clintons again. After 1948, Demand for Doodle Bugs dropped and Beam stopped factory production. Small batch (12 units per order) of Standard and Super models was contracted out to New Monarch Mfg in Des Moines. Even this production was stopped in 1955, and the factory parts supply was sold to Illinois Foundry for their Forall scooter, and the Omaha Tangier Shrine Temple for their Doodle Bug Motor Patrol.
 
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