Found a 1970's Holder Minicycle Road & Trail (125 AH-817 Tecumseh)

A

Antigen

Member
#21
#21
Just an update on this old Holder MiniCycle that's been sitting at my Grandparent's house in TN. I am visiting right now and this time I brought a trailer to bring this baby home! I pulled it out and gave it a quick bath. It's in great condition and cleaning up nice. I'd love to get it back to running condition. If anyone has a lead on the engine case and carb please let me know :)

I'm uploading pictures as it comes along so check out my gallery over the next days!
 
scootercat

scootercat

Active Member
#23
#23
From Your pics,it looks like it has the carb,just needs the airfilter and housing....The side cover it needs is the same as on small snow throwers with the two smoker....Nice find:thumbsup:....Scootercat....
 
markus

markus

Well-Known Member
#24
#24
Wow, cleaned up nice! watch those dings in the tank closely when you fill with fuel. If it looks dry and custy inside you may want to reseal it for good meausure beforehand.

Is there a battery box or something, what powers the lighting :shrug:
 
A

Antigen

Member
#25
#25
scootercat said:
From Your pics,it looks like it has the carb,just needs the airfilter and housing....The side cover it needs is the same as on small snow throwers with the two smoker....Nice find:thumbsup:....Scootercat....
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Yeah your right, comparing it to photos of complete ah817mb's it looks like it's all there except filter/cover. I think all the linkage hardware is there too. Does the linkage hardware require the side cover? Should I be looking for a cover for ANY Tecumseh 2 stroke models?

I'd like to get what I need together and then take it to a shop for repair. I'm not that handy in this department.
 
A

Antigen

Member
#26
#26
markus said:
Wow, cleaned up nice! watch those dings in the tank closely when you fill with fuel. If it looks dry and custy inside you may want to reseal it for good meausure beforehand.

Is there a battery box or something, what powers the lighting :shrug:
Click to expand...
Thanks! Still gotta get a lot of surface rust off chrome. The tank is fiberglass. I don't think any of the dings go all the way through but I shined a light inside after wrestling off the gas cap. It was bone dry. It looked like it might be dirty inside but it's hard to tell. How do you reseal it? Is there a product for that?

I didn't see any place for a battery. Someone mentioned in one of the few Holder threads "The alternator coil is located inside the torque converter clutch that mounts on the cranksaft." Maybe the lights only work when running?
 
A

Antigen

Member
#29
#29
I inflated the original 1970's Taiwanese knobby tires and unbelievably they held pressure over night. I don't see any PSI recomendations, so I erred on the conservative side. Anyone have a suggestion?

I removed as much surface rust on the chrome as I could using a wad of aluminum foil and water. Worked wonders although it's hard to tell in the pictures. The handlebars and brake leavers were the worst. The rust got through the chrome in some spots. The wheels and spokes need some more work but I can tell they will come out great. I even found the original sale sticker from the hardware store! I'll see if I can get a photo of that up.

Now it's loaded up with the rest of my Tennessee picks. Bound for home in Tampa.
 
markus

markus

Well-Known Member
#32
#32
Antigen said:
Thanks! Still gotta get a lot of surface rust off chrome. The tank is fiberglass. I don't think any of the dings go all the way through but I shined a light inside after wrestling off the gas cap. It was bone dry. It looked like it might be dirty inside but it's hard to tell. How do you reseal it? Is there a product for that?

I didn't see any place for a battery. Someone mentioned in one of the few Holder threads "The alternator coil is located inside the torque converter clutch that mounts on the cranksaft." Maybe the lights only work when running?
Click to expand...

Caswell seems to be the easiest and best product on the fiberglass tanks. Its not expensive or hard to do, it would be a good investment. I have a had a couple of old fiberglass tanks for the same vintage that would seep through thin spots and air pockets in the gel.

that would be interesting to see the charging system, if you end up opening any of that up please take some pics :thumbsup:
 
A

Antigen

Member
#33
#33
markus said:
Caswell seems to be the easiest and best product on the fiberglass tanks. Its not expensive or hard to do, it would be a good investment. I have a had a couple of old fiberglass tanks for the same vintage that would seep through thin spots and air pockets in the gel.

that would be interesting to see the charging system, if you end up opening any of that up please take some pics :thumbsup:
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I'll take pictures of it if It gets taken apart. Since Holder's are so uncommon and what little info is available has helped me, I want to take pictures of all the parts and components. Hopefully documenting the information will help others...and I understand members here love photos!

I watched some YouTube videos about using Caswell to seal the tank. Looks pretty staitforward. Caswell is like $45. Is POR-15 a good product? It's $20/half pint on Amazon for the sealer.

I'm glad you mentioned all this to because while doing some research on it I found out that modern gasoline will destroy old fiberglass resins. Does anyone know if I will be ok with ethanol free gas/oil mix? I'm not sure if it's the ethanol or some other modern additive that can destroy the tank.
 
markus

markus

Well-Known Member
#34
#34
I have used the POR15 stuff on metal tanks. Also used a lot of their products when i was building VW's and I like it, but I think the caswell is a better fit on the fiberglass tanks. I tried some on a recommendation from a member on here that made me a reproduction Bonanza tank and that is the product he uses to seal the finished tank. I did an old custom made under seat tank on a bike I am rebuilding and I really liked using it and liked the finished product. I will admit I haven't put any fuel in it yet, but I am pretty confident in it.


it was nothing but air pockets and cracks and was oozing from alot of them!
 
markus

markus

Well-Known Member
#36
#36
wow, that is an interesting setup! I hope you will be able to source the correct engine tins, that bike is very clean!!!!!
 
A

Antigen

Member
#37
#37
I have to wonder if this bike is new old stock or close to it. Maybe a return. It came from a small town hardware store that moved when a highway bypassed it. I picked through the old building and a lot of the stuff was NOS from the 70's. I know they also bought inventory from going out of business stores back in the day.

Here is the original price sticker & engine tag:
 
A

Antigen

Member
#39
#39
I figure it's going to be a long time before I come across a real ah817 shroud and I'd like to just get it going on a budget for now. Some if you have suggested getting a 2 stroke snow thrower shroud. I've been looking on eBay but I really don't know what to get. Here are the shrouds I've found:

Tecumseh Toro S200 2 Cycle Snowblower Snow Blower Recoil Starter Shroud VG50 | eBay
Tecumseh 2 Stroke Snow Blower Recoil and Shroud 3 H P Tecumseh Starter | eBay
Tecumseh Snowblower Snow Blower Toro 421 Recoil Starter Shroud 360CG | eBay
Tecumseh 2 Cycle Snowblower Snow Blower Recoil Starter Shroud VG358 | eBay
Tecumseh 2 Cycle Snowblower Snow Blower Recoil Starter Shroud VG717 | eBay
Tecumseh Recoil Starter Shroud Assy Snowblower Snow Blower Snowthrower 169C | eBay
Tecumseh Recoil Starter Shroud Assy Snowblower Snow Blower Ariens ST350 251CG | eBay
Tecumseh 3HP 2 Cycle Engine Recoil Starter Pull Cord Snow Blower | eBay

Does anyone have any experience fitting one to this engine? They all seem a little different.
 
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