Kustom Kart Shop
- Thread starter KustomKartKid
- Start date
- Tags kart kustom shop
KK, Thank you so much for this story.... I've done a lot of reading here on OldMiniBikes in the last few months but this story took me back to sweeter times as a kid..... You hit some kinda primal thing in my heart I guess..... Thank you thank you.....
P.S. I turned the corner into the kitchen and I heard the angels sing.... LOL I love it !!!!
P.S. I turned the corner into the kitchen and I heard the angels sing.... LOL I love it !!!!
I can’t thank you enough for that trip down memory lane, Gerry! I grew up on Staten Island, and was into karting and minibikes from a very young age. I ordered my first Taco 44 from Steen’s when I was 12 years old and I still remember the big box van from UPS delivering it to my house. I beat the heck out of the 3 hp Briggs, and I couldn’t wait to replace it with a new WB-820! I’ve had too many bikes and karts to count over the years, and when I was 17 I enrolled in Lincoln Tech on Vauxhall Road in Union. I had to drive up Morris Avenue every day to school and would pass Kustom Kart twice a day. My true passion was Karts, so this was like finding the Holy Grail! Richie is a heck of a guy. You are very right in saying that he NEVER talked down to any of the kids that pestered him on a daily basis. He knew we had no money, but he also knew that someday we just might. After I finished my time at Lincoln, I got my first job as a line mechanic in an Oldsmobile dealership. My weekly check back then was about $120 per week. I saved all I could for a few months and headed over to see Richie. He was a master at merchandising – all the karts were displayed on wall mounted racks that were angled downward so as to present each one in the best light. I couldn’t resist an orange Margay Concept Enduro with the polished tanks and a chrome MC-101. That package set me back around $1,000 back in ’72 or’73 which was a TON of cash for anything back then when the average car was in the $2,500 - $3,500 range! His patience finally did pay off because when I did have some money, I wouldn’t have gone to anyone else. It always struck me as odd that a Kart shop would thrive in Jersey. If I remember correctly, kart racing was outlawed sometime in the State in the early or mid-sixties because of a couple of fatalities. Staten Island had a small track, but to find anything decent the only choice was to make the trek to Long Island or Pennsylvania. If you get to talk to Richie again, ask him if that is correct – I think he was the one that told me the story, but it’s been over 40 years ago and the memory is not what it used to be. Again, thanks for all your effort in putting the story together, and the pictures are priceless!
Ha!....I "did some time" in Lincon Tech myself. I started around 1976-77 when I was still in high school. I remember everybody there was older than me. They kind of took me under their wing and on break we would pile into this one guy's custom van and head out to eat pizza and drink beer. It was one of those vans with the shag rug and captain's chairs...no seats in the back, just sit on the floor or wherever, there'd be 6 or 7 of us.
I wasn't even old enough to be hanging out in a bar..these guys were driving around smoking pot and stuff and I'm thinking what the hell did I get myself into here hahaha.
I took (Drum) Brake Rebuilding and Manual Transmission/Clutch Repair. I guess some of it stuck because I still do my own brake jobs and recently rebuilt a '37 Lasalle transmission.
Anyway I'm rambling again...post up some pics of your old karts or mini bikes if you have them, we'd love to see them!
Thanks for stopping by and posting up your memories.
I wasn't even old enough to be hanging out in a bar..these guys were driving around smoking pot and stuff and I'm thinking what the hell did I get myself into here hahaha.
I took (Drum) Brake Rebuilding and Manual Transmission/Clutch Repair. I guess some of it stuck because I still do my own brake jobs and recently rebuilt a '37 Lasalle transmission.
Anyway I'm rambling again...post up some pics of your old karts or mini bikes if you have them, we'd love to see them!
Thanks for stopping by and posting up your memories.
Well it was over a year ago that Bayareaburrito told me about this original "Kustom Kart" Bonanza on Ebay. A 1971 BC1300 survivor.
It turned out I knew the seller , I had bought a mini bike from him once before. I called him up and told him I just had to have the bike so we made the deal and I drove to PA to pick it up. I tucked the bike away in the back of the garage.
I decided a month or so ago to drag it out and get it ready for Windber...
The bike looked like it had always been well cared for...it was just tired. My kid and I tore the whole bike down and started polishing the original paint and cleaning the chrome.
Luckily whoever added the front peg bar was not a good welder...we were able to carefully remove it, as well as the incorrect bolt on mid peg.
One of the mid mounted footpegs had broken off, so we found another original peg and bracket (Thanks EvilEd
imp and welded it on.
We pulled the original HS40 motor down just to be safe....the rod journal on the crank was worn out of spec so we replaced the crank along with the rod (Thanks for the parts ATKRider!)
Next was new throttle and brake cables (thanks OldMiniBikes.com). And finally...an NOS patina matching, white recoil .(Thank-you Bandit40 :bowdown
That was it... the rest of the bike: wheels, tires, shocks, fenders, clutch cover, chrome tank, exhaust, headlight, tailight, throttle, grips, brake lever, sprockets, kickstand, etc etc...even the shock boots and seat...all original!
It turned out I knew the seller , I had bought a mini bike from him once before. I called him up and told him I just had to have the bike so we made the deal and I drove to PA to pick it up. I tucked the bike away in the back of the garage.
I decided a month or so ago to drag it out and get it ready for Windber...
The bike looked like it had always been well cared for...it was just tired. My kid and I tore the whole bike down and started polishing the original paint and cleaning the chrome.
Luckily whoever added the front peg bar was not a good welder...we were able to carefully remove it, as well as the incorrect bolt on mid peg.
One of the mid mounted footpegs had broken off, so we found another original peg and bracket (Thanks EvilEd
imp and welded it on.
We pulled the original HS40 motor down just to be safe....the rod journal on the crank was worn out of spec so we replaced the crank along with the rod (Thanks for the parts ATKRider!)
Next was new throttle and brake cables (thanks OldMiniBikes.com). And finally...an NOS patina matching, white recoil .(Thank-you Bandit40 :bowdown
That was it... the rest of the bike: wheels, tires, shocks, fenders, clutch cover, chrome tank, exhaust, headlight, tailight, throttle, grips, brake lever, sprockets, kickstand, etc etc...even the shock boots and seat...all original!
Today we decided it was time for a road trip...a trip down to Raceway Park in Englishtown...a trip to reuinte the bike with the guy who first unloaded it off a truck, uncrated it, and pushed it onto his showroom floor over 42 years ago... Richie Luwig , "Mr. Kustom Kart" himself.
I unloaded it out of sight, down at the end of the 1/4 mile drag...
Robosaurus was there hanging out :scared:
he's not nearly as scary during the day when he's sleeping..:wink:
As I rolled up towards Rich's spot his head instictively turned towards the sound of the approaching 4 stroke ...and a big smile ran across his face as he hopped off the truck to meet me.
He circled the bike scrutinizing every detail..when he got around to the fork plate he just stared and nodded his head. One of those great moments.
We had a great time reminiscing as usual, this guy is so much fun to talk to. His abiltity to recall events, dates, names, of things that happened almost 50 years ago is just remarkable. We made some plans to get together on some more mini bike/ go kart history projects.... so stay tuned.
Rich Ludwig
I unloaded it out of sight, down at the end of the 1/4 mile drag...
Robosaurus was there hanging out :scared:
he's not nearly as scary during the day when he's sleeping..:wink:
As I rolled up towards Rich's spot his head instictively turned towards the sound of the approaching 4 stroke ...and a big smile ran across his face as he hopped off the truck to meet me.
He circled the bike scrutinizing every detail..when he got around to the fork plate he just stared and nodded his head. One of those great moments.
We had a great time reminiscing as usual, this guy is so much fun to talk to. His abiltity to recall events, dates, names, of things that happened almost 50 years ago is just remarkable. We made some plans to get together on some more mini bike/ go kart history projects.... so stay tuned.
Rich Ludwig
Always good to see you too Jim.
For the folks on board here, Jim has also known Richie since the 70's and started out as a kid working in the Kart shop. He was eventually hand picked to be the shop driver, racing the store-built Laguna chassis. They traveled the country in that old box truck and and won the championship in 1990.
For the folks on board here, Jim has also known Richie since the 70's and started out as a kid working in the Kart shop. He was eventually hand picked to be the shop driver, racing the store-built Laguna chassis. They traveled the country in that old box truck and and won the championship in 1990.
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One of the things that always amuses me about Rich's stories is how he stops to laugh at his own jokes...
A couple of tid-bits I remember from Sunday:
Stellar of Long Island was actually an electronics manufacturer...on the side they also built the "sulkies" that the jockey's use in harness racing. They had all the tubing benders and materials for making the sulkies so when the mini-bike craze hit they were able to quickly jump in. The guy who ran the sulky and mini bike division was Al Langdon (sp?).
Cheeftah in Brooklyn NY was primarily a manufacturer of swimming pools and accessories like ladders, railings, etc...so they also had fabrication equipment and tubing benders on the premises and they were able to build bikes incredibly cheap. Rich said he could sell the bikes for $99....and still make $40! People would buy them 2 at a time they were so cheap. He would buy them 10 or 12 at a time and they would show up in a plain white truck marked Lomart Industries. Makes you wonder how Lowmart could build the bikes, add the seat, wheels tires, controls, etc.. and a Clinton engine...and wholesale them at a profit for $50.
He said Mickey Rupp built the first series of go-karts using a modified tire machine from a gas station to bend the tubing...which is pretty clever when you think about it.
He told us a lot more that I forget...I have to bring a pencil and pad next time I see him.
Anyway, thanks all for the compliments and for taking an interest in the history.
A couple of tid-bits I remember from Sunday:
Stellar of Long Island was actually an electronics manufacturer...on the side they also built the "sulkies" that the jockey's use in harness racing. They had all the tubing benders and materials for making the sulkies so when the mini-bike craze hit they were able to quickly jump in. The guy who ran the sulky and mini bike division was Al Langdon (sp?).
Cheeftah in Brooklyn NY was primarily a manufacturer of swimming pools and accessories like ladders, railings, etc...so they also had fabrication equipment and tubing benders on the premises and they were able to build bikes incredibly cheap. Rich said he could sell the bikes for $99....and still make $40! People would buy them 2 at a time they were so cheap. He would buy them 10 or 12 at a time and they would show up in a plain white truck marked Lomart Industries. Makes you wonder how Lowmart could build the bikes, add the seat, wheels tires, controls, etc.. and a Clinton engine...and wholesale them at a profit for $50.
He said Mickey Rupp built the first series of go-karts using a modified tire machine from a gas station to bend the tubing...which is pretty clever when you think about it.
He told us a lot more that I forget...I have to bring a pencil and pad next time I see him.
Anyway, thanks all for the compliments and for taking an interest in the history.
