Help Identifying two old mini bikes.

#1
I am in the process of restoring two other mini bikes and a friend had these two in his garage. I bought them and am going to restore them as well for my grandkids. The really small black one looks to be a Ruttman but I am unsure, If anyone knows what make and model it is please let me know so I can find the correct parts. The red one looks to be from the 60's but I am not sure of the make either, I am rebuilding the carb and cleaning the tank now. The front fender brackets are not factory. Any help will be appreciated
 

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#8
What is bonderized high gloss enamel? I can find definitions of "bonderized steel," but not on bonderized enamel.

Acrylic resins were used in the 1960's, and the 1970's brought two coat applications in Europe and Japan, and later in the US. However catalyst was used in the 1970's with enamels, and in the US, clear coats weren't successful in the US until the 1980's.

I derive some interest in the old names of paints and processes in these mini bike brochures you guys provide. Some have said that the use of catalyst is not "period correct" in restorations, but it was in use. I have to think "bonderized enamel" was a name attached to the use of catalyst on this particular coating, as it could mean little else.

Thanks for letting me interrupt on this tangent. :p
 

Addicted 2 Minis

Well-Known Member
#9
What is bonderized high gloss enamel? I can find definitions of "bonderized steel," but not on bonderized enamel.
Bonderized is just a term for the phosphorous bath given to the metal prior to painting to aid in the enamel "bonding" to the metal better, that's all I could find on the good'ole interwebs. You gotta love those 70's names for things to make them seem more futuristic than they really are, like "Quadraphonic", Ooooooo, that's "Groovy".

Stranger yet is this 1972 brochure for the "Horny Toad", I guess they went back to the 4" wheels and 3 H.P. Tecumseh in '72

1972 Horny Toad.jpg
 
#10
Yeah, I found bonderized metal too. I thought it could have referred to the tubing as well, but welding galvanized tubing does not happen a lot in this type of production, and galvanized metal and enamel are a no-go. There is phosphate conversion coating, but that starts with very clean metal, not galvanized metal. So bonderized tubing would be fine until you welded it, and you'd have a hard time getting the paint to adhere where it didn't burn off.

I always got a kick out of the HPE ads, where they used the term "flam" to describe several of their colors like "flam pineapple" and in reality, those were light solid enamel pigments over a white base. A far cry from the flake that was available at the time, or the modern pearls.
 
#12
Markus, I could have sworn it said "Printed in 1971" at the bottom left of the cover page but I went back and not seeing it now. However, in the 1972 catalog, the "Wild Goose" is advertised as having 12.5-6 tires (Cheng Shin) and the bike in what I believe is a 1971 Brochure has 4.10x3.50-6 double Indian head tires thus making both period correct. Either way, it does say "Horny Toad" and it does state 4.10x3.50-6 tires and 6" mags.
 

markus

Well-Known Member
#13
Markus, I could have sworn it said "Printed in 1971" at the bottom left of the cover page but I went back and not seeing it now. However, in the 1972 catalog, the "Wild Goose" is advertised as having 12.5-6 tires (Cheng Shin) and the bike in what I believe is a 1971 Brochure has 4.10x3.50-6 double Indian head tires thus making both period correct. Either way, it does say "Horny Toad" and it does state 4.10x3.50-6 tires and 6" mags.

Its a mid 70's brochure, giveaway is the optional 5hp engine ;)
 
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