Any idea how to get in contact with them? Are they still operating ?
This is the story about K&S that I found which originally was manufactured in Waco Texas ... It started off as a Hornet produced by Mercury Tool
This was posted back in 2017
My name is Richard Peck and I would like to clear up the story of the Hornet Mini-Bikes; I am Richard Peck of Waco and I had P&R Enterprises in Waco and my dad (now deceased), Jack N Peck co-owned Mercury Tool and Machine.
The original Hornet Mini bike was produced in Mercury Tool in 1960-61 and there were very few made.
Mercury phased out the mini-bike and go kart division in the fall of 1961 and I moved out of Mercury Tool into a company called P & R Enterprises to focus on Hornet kart manufacturing and marketing.
In the late 60's I added mini-bikes to our line again and the first model was as the gentleman from Waco described, without a rear fender. In fact we called that economy version the MB-49. In the early 70's I was contacted by George King from K&S Enterprises, manufacturer of Lawn Edgers. George wanted to go into mini-bike production within three weeks and wanted me to put together a prototype and order the parts for his first run of mini-bikes. He was a large customer of Mercury Tool, as they already manufactured all of the steel components for K&S Lawn Edgers. The advantage to me would be that Mercury Tool would make all of the parts and Mercury Tool and P & R would share in the welding of the mini-bikes. In turn, unless they were privately labeled for companies, the would be called the Hornet Mini Bikes.
SUMMARY:
1. So all Hornet mini-bikes components parts from the early 1960 until the last bike produced were built at Mercury Tool and Machine in Waco.
2. Mercury Tool manufactured and marketed a very small quantity in 1960-61. As I recall, we used West Bend 510 and 580 2 cycle
engines.
3. P & R Enterprises Inc of Waco manufactured and marketed small quantities in the late 60's until K & S Manufacturing (Fort Worth)
started assembling and marketing mini-bikes. As P & R, we exclusively Tecumseh 4 cycle engines.
4. Mercury Tool manufactured all of the tubular and metal stampings and Mercury Tool and P & R Shared in the welding of the mini-bikes
once K & S started marketing and assembling. The first production run, K&S used Briggs 4 cycle engines due to lead time from engine
manufacturer.