Gemini update & SSScat

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#1
Hey fellas. Been a while. Thought I'd share an update on the Gemini. I found the perfect size vintage checkered handlebar pad for it on ebay(I think it was the only one left in the world, and it was like 8 bucks!) and I put on an old number 5 decal I had from my bmx days. I think it completed the look quite nicely. My girlfriend even got me a stand for it for xmas. Over the summer I clocked it at 36 mph with my 200+lb self on board.

Here is sits in winter storage....in my basement. :smile:






New addition: Last night I picked a new to me bike. 1970 Arctic SSScat II. I had been looking for one of these for a while. Specifically a II with the Tecumseh and jack shaft drivetrain. I stumbled upon one within 10 miles of my house, from non other than the Rupp King. Does not have the original 4hp Tecumseh, but it does have a 5hp Tecumseh of the same vintage. Needs some tinkering and some fixing up, but otherwise it's pretty clean. I plan on trying to find some new/reproduction decals for it too....If anyone can point me in the right direction it would be greatly appreciated.



Cheers,

Mike
 
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#3
Nice Bikes !

Nice clean work area also :thumbsup: ....I need some inspiration there....my garage looks like a junk bomb blew up, cool junk though...mini bikes, motor cycles, motors, parts, tools, my cool tiger oak antiques that my wife doesn't like etc...but the whole space needs a 'spring organizing'.

Let us know how the arctic cat runs out when you get'er going !
 

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#5
I've already started making improvements on the SSScat. Harley stickers have been removed from the tank. Engine is out. Carb is disassembled, going to need some gaskets. Gave it a fresh oil change, and new spark plug. Has good spark and compression. Did some cleaning and polishing on a couple things as well. Getting a NOS fuel shut off valve (the one it came with is not correct) so I can route the fuel line in a much cleaner fashion. Also getting a new belt. Primary clutch doesn't seem to be spring loaded, it opens and closes if the engine is tipped on it's side! So that will come off and get inspected.

Also, as much as I like the Arctic Cat bikes they are not that big. I'm 6'3" and 225 lbs so I can barely sit on the bike without the handlebars touching my knees.......Something needed to be done if I was planning to actually ride this thing once it's all fixed up......

Tada!


I pulled this 2" handlebar riser off my 97 ZR580. Wasn't sure if the riser would work on the bike because of the headlight and brake cables. Well, it took some adjusting but it fits on there pretty good. Now I will be able to actually ride it.

Anyone know where I can get some SSScat decals made?

Mike
 

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#7
5 HP Tecumseh has been tested and runs very good. Installed new throttle control, linkage and spring, all of which were missing when I got the bike. Engine will be going back in the bike tonight!:drinkup:



With any luck my new-old engine decal will arrive in the mail today too.

 
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Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#8
I know you are all chomping at the bit to see progress updates...:sleep1: :laugh:

This thing has come a long way in the 17 days I've owned it. My Tecumseh flag decal finally arrived Friday so that was cool. Friday night I put the engine back in and ran it, however, I ran in to a couple of issues. My NOS fuel valve was faulty (apparently 45+ year old rubber can go bad!), I broke a tensioner bolt on the rear axle, and the throttle cable was shot. Saturday morning I went to the "Rupp King's" house to get a replacement fuel valve and sure enough he also had a used tensioner bolt and the throttle cable I needed. While I was there I ended up buying some NOS chrome fenders too. It was a 1 stop shop for everything I needed! Put it all back together yesterday.

Anyway, it's alive! I even got to road test it yesterday. Who would have ever of thought I would/could ride a mini bike in February in Minnesota??? I guess it is an ARCTIC so it should suffice.








And with the chrome fenders....

 
#9
Looks great! You might need to make some adjustments to the rear fender. It's the wrong radius. Many people sell rear fenders claiming them to be for Arctic but they were for larger diameter wheels. Sometimes you can tweak them a bit but it's tough.
 

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#10
Looks great! You might need to make some adjustments to the rear fender. It's the wrong radius. Many people sell rear fenders claiming them to be for Arctic but they were for larger diameter wheels. Sometimes you can tweak them a bit but it's tough.
Thanks, and good eye! That rear fender wasn't fully mounted when I took that pic, and I adjusted the rear fender after I took that pic for the very reason you stated and it looks much more concentric with the wheel. Aside from that they are truly NOS as far as I know.

Do you know where I can get some Arctic SSScat decals by chance? I want to get the tank decals, the "II" decals, and the purple stripes for the fenders. Somebody must have remade them or be able to.
 
#11
The fender is NOS, but not for Arctic. These were used by many manufacturers. This larger radius is mostly all you can find these days. When installed, it should be very concentric. I'll try to send you a drawing that shows the correct dimensions. Your rear bracket also should be 7" from center of the mounting holes to the top crimp where it starts to curve. Those are long gone too. Most people sell 8" ones and call them Arctic NOS. Not so. Yours looks pretty good but you'll want to measure it.

I had 2 sources for the reman graphics but one guy ran out of the material he used (Jeff Mihalko) and I've lost contact with the other. Originals are extinct. Jeff could at least supply the stripes. He's working on a new option for the tank. It won't look original but better than nothing.
 

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#12
The fender is NOS, but not for Arctic. These were used by many manufacturers. This larger radius is mostly all you can find these days. When installed, it should be very concentric. I'll try to send you a drawing that shows the correct dimensions. Your rear bracket also should be 7" from center of the mounting holes to the top crimp where it starts to curve. Those are long gone too. Most people sell 8" ones and call them Arctic NOS. Not so. Yours looks pretty good but you'll want to measure it.

I had 2 sources for the reman graphics but one guy ran out of the material he used (Jeff Mihalko) and I've lost contact with the other. Originals are extinct. Jeff could at least supply the stripes. He's working on a new option for the tank. It won't look original but better than nothing.
Thanks for the information. And yes, please send anything you have that shows the dimensions. Rear fender bracket is stock to the bike.

I know that chrome "crinkle" material that was used for the ssscat decals is no longer made, but I would be okay with some non-crinkled, chrome ones. Please forward contact info for this Mr. Jeff Mihalko.
 

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#14
PM replied.

Spoke with Jeff about the decals. He is going to supply everything SSScat II related that I want! I just have to call him back in a couple weeks when he's not in the middle of restoring 10 other bikes. lol
 
#15
One other thing you'll want to replace if going for authenticity... Those waffle grips were never used on Arctic bikes from the factory, but everyone seems to use them. 1970-71 should be smooth and shiny Cherry grips. Almost no cushion to them, just shallow raised horizontal ribs. Search eBay for a Cherry throttle and you'll see them. There was another inverted waffle style used on Fox bikes and some SSSCat's but hard to find. The Cherry grips were standard on most Arctics and would suffice.
 

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#16
Interesting. You must be referring to these: Minibike Cherry 7 8" Twist Grip Set w Throttle Cable Japan Mini Bike | eBay
They look like exactly what is on my Gemini.

I am going for semi-authentic, but certainly not a 10 point resto. Not sure if I'll swap the grips out though as they work fine and are in decent condition. I just had the throttle apart, greased everything and installed a new throttle cable. Works great. I even cleaned out the 15 years worth of crud that was stuck in the "waffles".

Speaking of authentic, talking with Jeff, he said my front brake was on the wrong side....He also said they never came with painted springs or handlebars, of which mine are silver. They look original, but I guess you never know.
 
#17
Yeah, I noticed your bars were painted. They were chrome from the factory. Someone just took the cheap way out. Springs too. You can pick up NOS front springs for $15 on eBay. Last bars I had chromed were about $85. As for the brake, it looks right to me. I'll check an original manual and get back to you.
 

Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#18
Yeah, I noticed your bars were painted. They were chrome from the factory. Someone just took the cheap way out. Springs too. You can pick up NOS front springs for $15 on eBay. Last bars I had chromed were about $85. As for the brake, it looks right to me. I'll check an original manual and get back to you.
There is a couple of scuffs on the handlebars and I can see the chrome. Not sure why someone would paint over perfectly good chrome handlebars and springs though??? If nothing else, it preserved the chrome for all these years. Perhaps I will try to remove the paint and salvage the chrome underneath.
 
#19
For your benefit, and anyone else reading this thread, NOBODY on ebay right now is selling real Arctic Cat fenders. Some are NOS, but they are made for 10" wheels, not the 6" wheels used by Arctic Cat in 1970-71. The dimensions on the rear fenders are wrong. What you will end up with is shown on the right in the pic below. Real fenders are 16-1/4" to 16-1/2" tip to tip (on the left). The ones everyone sells now are 17-1/2" tip to tip (on the right). Real Arctic fenders had more of a curved end cut as well, whereas the ones everyone sells now are a shallower end cut radius. Don't waste your money and get ripped off. You can manually "adjust" them to add a bit tighter radius to better match the wheel, but it will never be quite right and causes the fender sides to flare. Buyer beware. The real originals are long gone. Funniest excuse I ever heard was from RT-21 Trading (selling them now on eBay actually) who claimed they were "flattened a bit by being stacked for 40 years". BS. They were "flattened" because they were made for 10" wheels. I sold my last real set months ago.
 

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Ding Ding

Well-Known Member
#20
Great information ^

I corrected my rear fender last night. Took some finesse, and a little muscle, but it formed in to a nice 16 1/2" diameter. Looks much more appropriate. I might relocate the single mounting hole on the engine side of the fender as well so that it can be mounted in a bit tighter to the bike.

I will post some pics when I get it all back together.
 
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