Kustom Kart Shop

I got this Christmas card from Rich Ludwig this year....same card he sent out in 1970. He recently found the photo in his pile of stuff. I meant to scan it in at Christmas time and post it but I forgot....better late than never.







I see some Wiseco pistons on the tree...as well as some Azusa split sprockets.

Ha...nothing says Merry Christmas like a 5 gallon can of Nitro !

That's so friggin awesome!!!!
 
Yeah glad you folks enjoyed it...I love old pics like that every time I look at it I see something else.

Here are a few close-ups. I was zooming in to get a better look at that enduro kart. It looks like it has some kind of cool looking aluminum covers on the inside of the front wheels...unless I'm seeing things :detective:. It looks like the tie rod end goes through a hole. Imagine what those McCullochs in the box would be worth today.



AZUSA kart starter to the left of the Margay.







Richie said the jackets were Azusa..those are some funky colors :pimp:


That was probably about $2500 worth of stuff back in 1970....could be 10x that today if it was all nos.
 
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Wow.....this unreal! Small world.....Do you remember his German Shepard named Lobo? Richie was kinda a strange guy, I wanted to work there so I could be his apprentice and learn how to blueprint engines and do some racing....chassis set up and stuff......but it didn't work out that way. He did hire me but for the first 3 months I worked there all I did was paint the entire inside of the shop. Richie also had this sleeping disease where he would be right in the middle of something and would just disappear for a couple of hours coz he had to sleep, couldn't get much done that way.....pretty strange, a very talented and skilled artisan tho.
 
Richie still takes his afternoon nap...down at the track with the full field of go karts racing around right next to his box truck he will hop up into the cab and take a snooze. I think the drone of the engines lulls him to sleep. Then he'll pop back out fully energized again. I think it's all part of his genius, he has to rest his brain !

He's a character for sure...one of a kind and a fun guy to be around. I never get tired of talking to him.
 
Oh yeah….almost forgot the sign …….



On my first visit to his home Richie answered the front door and invited me in through the living room…there it was, leaning up against the couch.......the original Kustom Kart neon sign that hung in the front widow of the shop back in the 60’s and 70’s. Even without the electron particles flowing, the dim gray tubes covered in dust brought back a rush of memories for me. It was exactly as I had remembered it…..even though I had not seen it in over 40 years. (We still had not uncovered the old photos at this point). A masterful example of glass tube bending and 60’s styling….it looked frighteningly fragile with its long glass rod supports wired behind the ovals with small pieces of cork and friction tape acting as cushions. I thanked him for hauling it down from the loft to show me …then begged him to put it away “before something happens to it”.

He said “you know…this would make a hell of a Christmas present for your son….hanging in his room.”

Well needless to say I was floored. Imagine having the opportunity to own such a treasured part of your childhood….something you had only seen in your dreams since the 70’s. Before long we had come to an agreement ….one which included a solemn promise that my son and I would keep and protect it forever.

Here is the sign as it hangs proudly today in my son’s room. Above it, mounted to the original board, are the original transformers and a mechanical toggling device which alternates the current between the two scripts. It makes this neat clicking sound as it toggles back and forth….and the neon gives off a loud buzz ...you can even adjust the interval time by moving a little metal lever on the Sign-atrol. This entire board with the three 12,000 volt transformers (one for each color) must weigh close to 50 lbs…... I had to lag it into the wall studs.


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Kind of cool to watch the neon glow wash across my kid’s face and think that it's the same neon glow that washed down across my face as my father watched... all those years ago.


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The whole production of this article and the story it tells - Bravo!
 
What a great story. Something everyone can relate to, even if the memories aren't of carts and minis. By 1972 I had already seen everything South East Asia had to offer me and was making my decision about getting out, or staying in The AF. But, I have my own childhood memories of mini bikes and go carts. Mine are more attached to Montgomery Wards and JC Penneys. But, I still had the idea of, some day, I'll have a go cart or a mini bike. It was 1974 when and, "yard cart" appeared on my door step, as a birthday present. And yes, I rode the heck out of it.
 
And finally I have a special treat to add.

I have so much fun listening to Rich talk about the “good old days” I thought the other members on here might also enjoy hearing one of his stories.. On our last visit he graciously agreed to let me “interview” him while my son recorded him on his I-Phone.

If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be there back in the day…then pull up a chair. You’re going to hear from a guy who was right in the middle of it all….


Many thanks to Rich Ludwig for befriending me and allowing me to share his personal mementos and rememberances with my fellow OldMiniBikes members. Until now the video and the old store photos have never been seen by anyone else nor have they been posted on any other forum. An OldMiniBikes exclusive!!!

For me, it’s been the next best thing to having a real time machine and has allowed me to revisit those childhood days that I so often long for.

Hope you all enjoy this thread as much as I have putting it together.


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Thanks for sharing your story and memories , it was great to read
 
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