1966 Fox Campus Minibike

G

gordonr1959

New Member
#1
#1
Hi,
I am looking for help confirming the year and model of this minibike I bought at a garage sale yesterday. I couldnt help myself as it brought me back to my youth when we drove Rupps and Keystones. It still has what looks like the original battery in a tray under the seat. It has a 4 hp briggs and stratton. It looks all original. I have the original headlight in a box but the lens is cracked. Are these available? I am trying to decide whether to clean it up and keep it original or restore. Any feedback would be really appreciated. Can someone help me with the value as is and restored so I can establish a budget.

Regards,

Gordon
 
ogygopsis

ogygopsis

#3
#3
Hello Gordon, Very, very nice Campus bike you found there. Let me give you a rundown on what you've got. The tri-lobe aluminum nut that holds the steering assembly to the frame and the rubber inserts in the foot pegs mean that your bike was built sometime before mid 1965. The ball on the end of the brake lever and the fact that the front axle is not threaded on both ends narrows it down further and places it at mid 1965. The original color would have been Hi Fi blue. The headlight, generator, and one tail light are not original. The right grip is original. The left one is not. The battery box under the seat was used on the models that were equipped with the Briggs & Stratton motors because they had no lighting coil. The ones that came with Tecumseh motors did not have the battery box. The seat appears to be original but I can't see enough of the rear tail light to tell if it is original or not. Because of the lack of parts; a full restoration on these bikes is usually very difficult. However, you've got all of the hard to find pieces ie. fenders, chain guard, etc. and that will make restoring it a whole lot easier. I myself am a true believer in 100% ground up restorations. As a matter of fact I've got ten Fox Campus bikes in my shop as we speak. Each one is being fully restored to factory original condition. If you decide to go the full restoration route I'll be glad to give you whatever help you need. Keep in touch. Ogy
 
G

gordonr1959

New Member
#4
#4
Wow!
Thanks for the education and quick feedback Ogy! Sincerely appreciated.
Is it possible that the red is original as it doesnt look painted over.

I will certainly have some questions moving forward and will appreciate any help.

I just restored a Norton Commando but know very little about minibikes.

Thanks again Ogy!

Gordon
 
KustomKartKid

KustomKartKid

Administrator
#5
#5
ogygopsis said:
Hello Gordon, Very, very nice Campus bike you found there. Let me give you a rundown on what you've got. The tri-lobe aluminum nut that holds the steering assembly to the frame and the rubber inserts in the foot pegs mean that your bike was built sometime before mid 1965. The ball on the end of the brake lever and the fact that the front axle is not threaded on both ends narrows it down further and places it at mid 1965. The original color would have been Hi Fi blue. The headlight, generator, and one tail light are not original. The right grip is original. The left one is not. The battery box under the seat was used on the models that were equipped with the Briggs & Stratton motors because they had no lighting coil. The ones that came with Tecumseh motors did not have the battery box. The seat appears to be original but I can't see enough of the rear tail light to tell if it is original or not. Because of the lack of parts; a full restoration on these bikes is usually very difficult. However, you've got all of the hard to find pieces ie. fenders, chain guard, etc. and that will make restoring it a whole lot easier. I myself am a true believer in 100% ground up restorations. As a matter of fact I've got ten Fox Campus bikes in my shop as we speak. Each one is being fully restored to factory original condition. If you decide to go the full restoration route I'll be glad to give you whatever help you need. Keep in touch. Ogy
Click to expand...
:bowdown:
 
ogygopsis

ogygopsis

#9
#9
You're correct about the red paint KKK. Back in 1962 Fox used a Hi Fi red paint on some of their minibikes. In 63 they switched to Hi Fi blue. However, over the years I have seen three post 62 bikes that are red and the paint does appear to be original. Unfortunately, except for a few catalogs and some advertising flyers there is virtually no information available regarding Fox bikes and their colors. While it is quite possible that Fox did produce some post 62 models in Hi Fi red I have never been able to confirm that through research. So, until I can find some definite proof or get a hands-on look at the paint on one of these later red Foxes I'm keeping an open mind on the subject. Ogy
 
ogygopsis

ogygopsis

#10
#10
gordonr1959 said:
Wow!
Thanks for the education and quick feedback Ogy! Sincerely appreciated.
Is it possible that the red is original as it doesnt look painted over.

I will certainly have some questions moving forward and will appreciate any help.

I just restored a Norton Commando but know very little about minibikes.

Thanks again Ogy!

Gordon
Click to expand...
Gordon, It "is" possible that your red color paint is original which would make it extremely rare. The paint job...not the bike. Here's a way that you can tell and be about 99.9% sure. Find a PPG automotive paint supplier and ask to see their Vibrance Collection color chips. Look for Sunset Red over Fine Gold. Compare the color chip with some of the paint that hasn't been exposed since it left the factory. Usually under the hand grips is the best place to look. Do this in bright sunshine. If they match then you have original paint. Sunset Red over Fine Gold is a dead on match for the Hi Fi red. If you do decide to do this let me know what you find out. Ogy
 
ogygopsis

ogygopsis

#11
#11
Gordon, The question as to whether your paint is original or not has me unsettled. Therefore, I spent some more time closely examining your photos and here's what I'm seeing. The one cable clip on the downtube appears to have painted red. The head of the bolt just behind the right jackshaft bearing that attaches the swingarm looks to have residual red paint on it. The Hi Fi Red paint had fine metal flake in the paint that gave it a sparkle in the sunshine. This appears to be sort of a dull fire engine red. Of course this could just be due to lighting conditions. And lastly; I'm noticing a lot of red pvc tape. Not only on the fenders for the racing stripes but also holding the various cables in place. If that cable clip and swingarm bolt do have red paint on them then you can be absolutely sure that the bike has been repainted. Fox did not paint bolt heads and cable clips. Thanks, Ogy
 
Charles S

Charles S

#14
#14
The Rockstar said:
Is ogy still active on this site? Sent a couple pms trying to follow in his footsteps owner of four 1965 and a deluxe. Would like to discuss with him.
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His last post was Aug 24, 2018 (see his profile page). His "Last seen" date is June 29, 2020 but I suspect that may have been someone else due to the fact that it's been so long since his last post (I stay logged in so one click gets me on here, if someone else were on my PC, one click would get them on here, logged in as me). He mentioned not being able to complete his Fox Campus fleet due to serious health issues.
https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/...us-progress-update.150199/page-2#post-1177456
 
The Rockstar

The Rockstar

New Member
#15
#15
Thanks, that’s too bad. His restorations were perfection. I wanted to always ask him who made his fenders and other secrets about the campus and maybe just bs a little. Sad I missed him. Ed
 
Charles S

Charles S

#16
#16
The Rockstar said:
Thanks, that’s too bad. His restorations were perfection. I wanted to always ask him who made his fenders and other secrets about the campus and maybe just bs a little. Sad I missed him. Ed
Click to expand...
See post #9 (link below), it says he made molds and had parts vacuformed from Kydex (a popular material for gun holsters and knife sheaths) but doesn't say who did the vacuum forming.

https://www.oldminibikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/rarest-fox-campus-bike.150713/#post-1147779

It's a shame he wasn't able to complete those bikes, he was so close... Perfection, yes, from his pictures I imagine he over-restored those bikes by a considerable margin (much higher level of fit and finish than when they were brand new). I hope Ogy is okay but it has been nearly two years since his last post. Search his posts, you can still learn from the master.

Gonna give @ogygopsis a mention, just in case...
 
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