Anybody recognize this mini bike?

markus

Well-Known Member
#7
Like rynobucket said, It was called a Williams. There was an article on them on the now defunct US Scooter museum site that I had posted on here for someone else that had one long time back (see link below). Unfortunately that site went down a few years back. Not sure if that scanned article still exists with someone or not. It was probably out of cycle world originally as a lot of info on that site was scanned from the old cycle world mags. @Dick DeBuse may possibly remember that one I know he donated a lot of literature to the site when it was up.

From what I can remember, there was only like a run of 50 them made or something to that effect. the name came from the builders last name I think. Here was one that member superflea had longtime back:

https://oldminibikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-simple-tom-stumper.96127/#post-986544
 
#10
I'm currently helping the owner work on one installing a Honda clone engine. Last month I helped him with an original West Bend. He has one for his wife that's still original also. He's related to the manufacturers. I think he said the run was 25 bikes.
 
#11
Like rynobucket said, It was called a Williams. There was an article on them on the now defunct US Scooter museum site that I had posted on here for someone else that had one long time back (see link below). Unfortunately that site went down a few years back. Not sure if that scanned article still exists with someone or not. It was probably out of cycle world originally as a lot of info on that site was scanned from the old cycle world mags. @Dick DeBuse may possibly remember that one I know he donated a lot of literature to the site when it was up.

From what I can remember, there was only like a run of 50 them made or something to that effect. the name came from the builders last name I think. Here was one that member superflea had longtime back:

https://oldminibikes.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-simple-tom-stumper.96127/#post-986544
A guy named Kenny Jones owned one in Spokane.
 
#13
Here's the history I've received from a close relative of Baker Williams, the man who produced these mini bikes. His son's first bike was a Go Kart Co. Green Enduro powered by a 2 1/2hp Clinton. He bought it with paper route money. They went to the factory in Azusa to buy a go kart but fell in love with the mini bikes instead. He learned welding, engine rebuilding and porting on that bike. Later it got a jack shaft and a 700 West Bend. Then they built their own prototype with a hard tail and the Earls fork. 2 More prototypes and racing were to come to get the desired geometry of the frame, fork, steering, rake and trail, and swing arm position. A main concern and design feature was the concentric swing arm and jack shaft, keeping chain tension consistent. Simplicity was also a major goal. A dozen or so experimental bikes were made with a lot of different features. One even folded to fit behind the seat of a 64 Porsche Cabriolet. It was too week for racing and turned into a parts donor as did some of the other attempts. Only 12 of the bikes in my photos were built and raced. About half of them can be accounted for so far. Little or no literature exists but it was confirmed there was a good article in Cycle World. We're trying to find the magazine. If I have any of this incorrect, I'm sure it will get straightened out. This is a great story and hopefully more info to come.
 
#17
After markus ID'd my bike with the article I was able to find a copy of the magazine. It went with the bike as part of the deal and that bike is in SoCal somewhere. My memory stinks but I remember there was like 75 made and also some partially made. The net profit on the bike was .75 cents so the biz didn't last long. I had the bike about three years before it finally got identified. I don't know a Kenny Jones but it is possible his and my bike were one in the same as I am only about 50 minutes from Spokane.
 
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