So I just got back a few days ago from the Mecum motorcycle auction in Las Vegas where I sell and buy bikes for my collection every year. I've never really been too much of a minibike guy, although I do have a Doodlebug and a Motra. The minibike I was really going for was a very original Tote Gote, but I didn't win the bid on that one. But on the last day of the auction this 1965 Sherpa came up and I couldn't resist it. It's all there, almost completely original as far as I can tell, and in very good condition. The motor is the original B&S 142300 series and it date-codes to February 1965. It has a Salisbury Automatic Drive Series 500 clutch. The only thing that needs a re-do is the paint-over dirt red paint job - I'm thinking of powdercoating the bike in army green even though it wouldn't be original . I'm really stoked with the purchase, and I'm eager to learn anything I can about it. I've printed the operator's manual and the parts blowup/list for the B&S engine, and I've gleaned some information from this site about the Tote Gote-Sherpa relationship and the evolution of the Hillbilly/Sherpa. But I'm glad to know anything that any of you can tell me about the bike.
Sherpa (and new forum member)
- Thread starter cyclemikey
- Start date
I haven't found much information on the late model Sherpa. I think you've read everything that is known. Your Sherpa could help add to the known information. Any photos you could post would help. Maybe we could identify the gear-box used. It may be the same a boxes used on the Tule Trooper. Take a look.
Thanks for the reply Richard. I will pull the side panels this week and take some shots of the gearbox set-up; it doesn't look anything like the boxes in that catalog, and I couldn't see any name or numbers cast or stamped into the case. I'll get a better look at it eventually since at some point I am going to pull all the running gear so that I can repaint the bike properly; the red paint on it is a quickie job and it's painted over dirt and surface rust. But I'm getting the feeling now that this little scoot may be much, much rarer than I realized, and I should probably do whatever I can to keep it as original as possible, maybe even including trying to determine what the original color of these was and duplicating it. The only color photo I can find is in the archives of this forum, and that bike (if it's original paint) appears to be the same dark-ish red as most of the Tote Gotes were painted. I'm also now thinking of removing the (badly) welded-on higher mounts for the rear pegs so they could be re-positioned for kids' shorter legs. That's why those cutouts are there in the side panels, as well.
So here are some additional photos of the Sherpa. It's hard to get a definitive view of the transmission, but I'll get a better one when I pull the running gear. This is the best for now, you can see the dual-range hand shifter. You can also see the disc brake on the output shaft, outboard of the front chain sprocket, which is almost certainly not stock but is interesting. The mechanical, spring-return caliper is longer than what appears in the pic, and there's an additional set of pads at the back. The bike also has the original riveted-on ID tag under the seat, bent into the corner as are all that I've seen, and showing number 125, which I would think makes this bike one of the earliest of the late Sherpas. Finally, I did some chipping and sanding on the paint (since I'm going to refinish it anyway) to find the original color. Under the crappy red paint job is a layer of gray primer, and under that is what I presume to be the original color, since under it is bare metal. And rather than the dark red I was expecting, the original color appears to be a bright orange-red. So that's what I've got for now.
Attachments
Thanks, Richard, that is really good info about the brake. I had assumed it might be an add-on because for one thing the main transverse bolt of the caliper interferes with the trans case and has worn a depression into the casting. But that may be just some bad fettling over the years, or it might be just the rather crude level of fit and finish that was characteristic of these. Easily cleaned up, in any case, and I'll definitely preserve the brake as being likely original, and clean up the caliper frame where it was cut out for the high footpeg mount.
Old shed finds, I don't have any info on wheel sizes but my bike has the same 8 inch wheel size front and rear. The tires on it now are 4.80/4.00-8 on the front and 5x8 on the rear, but obviously I don't know if they're original to the bike or not. I suspect that the one on the rear labeled "garden tractor" is not, while the "Carlisle" brand tire on the front may well be.
Old shed finds, I don't have any info on wheel sizes but my bike has the same 8 inch wheel size front and rear. The tires on it now are 4.80/4.00-8 on the front and 5x8 on the rear, but obviously I don't know if they're original to the bike or not. I suspect that the one on the rear labeled "garden tractor" is not, while the "Carlisle" brand tire on the front may well be.
