1966 Taco 44

#1
Hey OldMiniBikes,

Last Sunday i picked up a 1966 Taco 44 mini bike in somewhat okay - bad shape. It had a 5hp Tec on it that did not run. There was a substantial hole in the rear of the frame, the swinging arm suspension was welded in place, and also bolted. Every bearing on the bike was original and had seen better days. The drive clutch, jack shaft, and sprocket that leads to the rear wheel were toast. The brakes didn't work, there was no kill switch, and the throttle mechanism stuck.

Here is what she looked like:

Old.jpg

Dirty front.jpg

Dirty JS.jpg

Hole.jpg

I met the guy I purchased it from at a local gas station at 7:30 on a Sunday night and it was raining, I didn't notice these issues right then and there. I was excited to see if it would run! I took it home where my buddy and I cleaned the tank and carb, changed the oil and plug, and rigged a shut off "switch". The first pull after realizing the switch was actually in the "off" position it started up and ran like a champ. Lubed up the chain and topped off the fuel tank. Finished the beer And hit road. What a RIOT. I was covered in gravel spray and rain water and soon after my roommate was as well. The way she was, it would do about 35-40 mph. Or at least as fast as i was taking it in that condition.

Tuesday I was riding around and the throttle stuck on me for the last time. I took it to the shop and set it on the bench to have a look. That is when i really noticed the majority of the issues. Also, I started a post in the "what is it" section and then I know what i was working with. That helped tremendously. It needed everything. And that is what she got for the most part.
 
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#2
I started off in the front end. Cleaned the wheel and tire assembly, axle, and fork bottoms. I then painted the forks. I installed a new kill switch (more on that later), throttle assembly and grip, and new brake lever. I also added a front fender. Front end is done.

Front.jpg

I bolted the engine in loose, and installed a new max torque clutch with a twelve tooth sprocket for #35 chain. I ran a new chain to the new 9 tooth sprocket on the jack shaft. The old one was a 13 tooth and my goal was to carry my 6'3 190lb frame through the woods, or at least give it a fighting chance. With a the new jack shaft riding on new bearings and also the pivot for the swing arms installed, I added a large washer with a lock collar to keep the swing arms on the bearings (just in case). Ran a new chain from the 10 tooth jack shaft sprocket to the 60 tooth rear sprocket that is pretty wore, it is also original.

Taco Rear.jpg

I cleaned up the rear shocks while I was waiting for the paint to dry. I went to re-assemble the shocks with out the springs and noticed they stopped at different lengths when compressed..... There was about 1-1.5" of build up and debris packed in the bottom of the shock. What a difference cleaning the tubes and rods made! I greased them up and they are as good as new! I installed a rear fender. I also mounted a cheapo Tacometer....

Got her all put back together! What a ride it is now! It really blew my mind. It will still do 35MPH according to a fourwheeler speedometer. Only issue so far is I lost a set screw on a sprocket and I have 2.1 hours on her.

Taco in field 2.jpg

Taco in field 3.jpg

Taco in field.jpg

Thanks for reading!
Josh
 
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#4
Nice save. Looks like you could flip that clutch around and run the chain in board. Then you can get the gear on the jackshaft inside the frame. Not sure it will work by the photo's but I would try.:thumbsup:
 
#5
Thanks. I am having a blast so far. The engine in there is not original and there is a secondary output shaft that is prohibiting the clutch reversal. Thanks for the advice though.

Question. I ordered a kill switch from OldMiniBikes warehouse the other day. It is a one wire unit. Can you advise how to hook that up?
 

Hounddog

Well-Known Member
#6
Nice old taco Josh. Its great that you saved her and brought her back. I was wondering does it have a serial number stamped into the left swingarm? There is usually a serial number stamped into the round tube portion of the swingarm between the flat axle portion and the flat jackshaft portion of the swingarm. That will tell us the year and the model. :thumbsup: HD
 
#11
Can anyone advise of how to hook up the one wire kill switch I purchased from OldMiniBikes (Your Company Name

The original set up had a black wire and a red wire. When they were connected, the engine killed. So, i ran the wire from the switch to where the red wire connected. Then I took the black wire and secured it to the clamp for the kill switch. It wouldn't work on either position. Any help?
 
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