my passion for small engines came 3 years ago when i got into kart racing with a 1986 margay chassis that was bent and beat up but i was in love with it. after about 2 years i upgraded to a 2005 margay not as beat up but still not perfect. im 14 and have this unreal passion for small engines. Where did your guys passion for small engines come from and how old? im now restoring a foremost golden pinto with my dad. im putting my racing kart motor on there its a 6.5 clone.
just wondering where everyones passion for small engines came from?
Built a go kart out of 2x4s and a vertical lawn mower engine that would do about 10mph tops at age 13. Then nothing for 30 years til I retired from the US Navy 6 years ago, and now I have 8 minibikes.
For me, I am living. I am getting the freedom of the ride.
And a lot of rebuilding other peoples rides they screwed up.
But it makes me feel good inside. Bringing back what used to be. A time when I was happy. A time where I wanted time to stop and just enjoy what was there. To live free. Not be confined to a cubicle and become a number. The wind in your hair, the sound of the flathead between your legs making its awesome rapture.
I have ridden street bikes. Used to have a Honda Magna 750 that was my daily commuter. I have ridden Harleys'. It is not the same for me. The ride I get on my minis is something that cannot be explained. The thrill is beyond even my comprehension.
I have no words for how it makes me feel. I only hope that when I die I feel that way forever.
For me, I am living. I am getting the freedom of the ride.
And a lot of rebuilding other peoples rides they screwed up.
But it makes me feel good inside. Bringing back what used to be. A time when I was happy. A time where I wanted time to stop and just enjoy what was there. To live free. Not be confined to a cubicle and become a number. The wind in your hair, the sound of the flathead between your legs making its awesome rapture.
I have ridden street bikes. Used to have a Honda Magna 750 that was my daily commuter. I have ridden Harleys'. It is not the same for me. The ride I get on my minis is something that cannot be explained. The thrill is beyond even my comprehension.
I have no words for how it makes me feel. I only hope that when I die I feel that way forever.
I was 11-12 when minibikes started to show up in my neighborhood as the kids around us were starting to get older and looking for thrills that bicycles weren't given them anymore. Can't say I remember the first one I saw but I do know the one that got me hooked: It was a metallic blue Ruttman chopper that this local punk seemed surgically attached to. I guess it was the summer of '78. I man would I stare at that thing! So it wasn't long before me and my friends started piecing them together. Frame here, motor there. We had just enough skill to get them together and running. And nothing more. And I do mean nothing. Our bikes and no pull starts. We would jam a nickle in the clutch and push it to start. Rarely do I remember a working throttle. We drove one handed with the other hand on the carb throttle plate. Or a string. And brakes? Hahahahaha.. But the small engines we were working on seemed to make us feel so grown up. A real motor that would carry us on adventures. Those first minibikes gave us such a feeling of freedom! We could plan trips that were quite far. And we'd spend quite a lot of time mapping out the trip to avoid major intersections and cops. I had a Stellar and then a Rupp then a bunch of mongrels. No idea where they went. They were sold to some other kid for whatever. I do remember my last minibike going on fire and us frantically trying to put it out. It took a while and was totalled. The funny part was quite a few parents came out of their houses and started clapping. Their nightmare of noise was dead. They could enjoy their sunday mornings in peace. Soon after this we were driving cars anyway. Minibikes left behind. So now that I have three kids that are approaching minibike age I jumped back into it with abandon in the last year or so. It's fun stuff and gives me a stress reducer after work. My kids are learning to build things and I am learning all the stuff I decided to ignore like brakes and throttles hahahah. Nice topic, iracekarts. You know me from IG. (BCSEmotorworks)
I've always liked minibikes but the small engine 'thing' specifically started last year when I bought my clone engines. The Tecumseh PowerSports previously on my minibikes did not resonate with me, there was nothing really to do with them mod-wise, I didn't even like the way they looked. I changed the oil that was it. I'm also not naturally mechanically inclined or even interested in being so and I didn't have significant tools until recently. Then I got active on this site, started reading about clones and Predators and mods and jet and headers and air filters and governors and the hook was set. With all the intense searching to figure out and solve problems which arose from attempting those mods, I learned how to use this site and also do a few things on my engines. The $99 price made me comfortable to try what I would not have tried on a more expensive motor. The end result is great performance, better aesthetics (I love how these engines look in my minibikes) increased understanding and confidence overall.
Now, just don't get me started on my 'clutch' thing.....:laugh:
Now, just don't get me started on my 'clutch' thing.....:laugh: