Restoring Lloyd and Harry's Mini Bike

[tomtom96]

Hello there,:smile:

Restoring/preserving one of the bikes that was used in Dumb & Dumber and thought I'd share some of the progress as I go along.
This site has been a very helpful so far, and was hoping to get this hog back in shape with your continued assistance.

The bike was purchased from a nice gentlemen whose job it was to buy/rent all vehicles for the original movie.
It was gifted to him from the Farrelly Brothers 20+ years ago and it's been sitting in storage ever since.
Needless to say, it needs a little work to get it back to it's previous glory.

Here is what it looked like when I got it a few weeks back..


There were two bikes made for the movie.
This bike was originally used as a pull-behind rig to film the closeup scenes(like when Harry peed on Lloyd).
A good way to tell between this bike and the other is the yellow tape on the sissy bar is ran the same direction on both sides on this bike:



The tape on the bike they use to film most of the riding scenes is running in opposite directions on each side.
Other bike:


Other than that, they are identical...
The other bike was apparently gifted to the Hard Rock Cafe in Vegas several years back. Unsure if it's still there.

Basically what I'm looking to do is freshen the bike up and preserve what I can.
Not like it was ever a show bike to begin with, but I'd like for it to at least be mechanically sound, but still have the same character as it did in the movie.
Aside from that, I'll be trying to replace the parts that are missing(basket, headlight, wheelie bars, etc).

Stay tuned for progress!

 

[Ajf]

Really cool. You've got a piece of history. Thanks for sharing the story.

 

[mrpat]

Cool project for sure! Keep us all posted please. And for the sake of this site, post lots of pics! This bike has come up in several discussions here, and the more info the better.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[buckeye]

This is a really cool piece of cinematic history.
Clean her up and get her running and good to go.
Nice project not many will ever have the chance to do.

 

[tomtom96]

Don't know what's going on with my posts.
Keep getting error messages.
Will try to post up more pics / info when I get home tonight. Thanks!

 

[minikenny]

Don't know what's going on with my posts.
Keep getting error messages.
Will try to post up more pics / info when I get home tonight. Thanks!

It's the anti-spam coding on the forum. No links or external references are allowed in a new member's first 5 posts or so.

Pain in the ass for legitimate new members such as yourself but it does cut down on the spam. :shrug:

 

[Icarry2]

Awesome.. Subscribed..

 

[nds1968]

Haha that's awesome. Welcome to OldMiniBikes

 

[VintageMoneyPit]

if you were the guy trying to sell this bike on ebay, im the one that asked you if i can pay in I O U's there as good as real money.

 

[tomtom96]

Thanks guys!
Let's try this again..

So far I've got the bike completely disassembled and have started working on the frame and engine.
The frame seems to be a stretched/modified Azusa-type from the best I can tell.
The upper and lower beams were lengthened and gussets added to the lower bends.

 

[tomtom96]

if you were the guy trying to sell this bike on ebay, im the one that asked you if i can pay in I O U's there as good as real money.

No, lol, that was likely the original seller - Gordie.
He didn't have much luck finding a buyer for his asking price on ebay, but he graciously accepted my offer after a few days of pestering him.
Really nice guy; he actually took the time to call me and give me the full story on the bike, as well as some cool behind-the-scenes stories. Very cool dude.

 

[tomtom96]

The engine is Tecumseh, but I'm not entirely sure on the year or model.
All I know is it's a late model flathead with the non-adjustable carb, slanted intake, etc..
The ID sticker is painted over, so not sure of much else.
Maybe someone else knows more?
Poor thing had about a thimble full of oil in it when I got it, and the gas was completely empty.
Hoping they just drained everything before putting it away.





The carb had a little trash in it, but not too bad. Ran it thru the ultrasonic cleaner and replaced worn parts.

 

[ole4]

What a great find! Did it have the front basket with it?

 

[tomtom96]

What a great find! Did it have the front basket with it?

Unfortunately, no.
Fortunately, they still make the same basket and I was able to find it on Amazon(big surprise, right?:smile.

The other stuff is proving to be a little bit harder to find.
Can't figure out the headlight!
All I know is it's from a bicycle dynamo system.
There's a bicycle light generator mounted to the front fork(Union Brand), but cannot figure out what light it is..
I mounted this driving light temporarily until I can figure it out.
The bag is still a mystery, but I found this WW2 surplus bag that is a pretty close match.
Just need to add the little side loop thingys..

 

[gumpit]

What paperwork did he give you to prove it was actually used in the movie? Without proof it just becomes a tribute bike. Which is ok. But worthless.

 

[tomtom96]

What paperwork did he give you to prove it was actually used in the movie? Without proof it just becomes a tribute bike. Which is ok. But worthless.

Notarized COA from him.
He's listed on IDMB.com as the transportation coordinator on this film.

 

[JohnnyTillotson]

Awesome! That movie is a tour de force of comedic brilliance. Ive lived half my life based on its teachings. I'm sure it'll come out great but if not you can always sell it to a blind kid.

 

[1stlegendtx]

Here are a couple of headlights that look kind of like the one one the bike........Antique Vintage Headlight Bicycle or Motorcycle Model A Harley Indian | eBay Vintage Oil Powered Flash Light Flashlight Head Light Bike Cycle Motorcycle | eBay

 

[markus]

Thats a great project!!! Harry and Lloyd have been watching over me in out in the garage for years :thumbsup:

that engine is an HS, most likely a 4.0 hp probably very late 80-early 90's judging by the outline of the decal on the shroud underneath the lightning bolt. If you look on the top of the shroud up by head bolts there may be numbers stamped in, they were just starting to do away with stamping though when that design shroud was coming in and went to a identification decal located just below the the throttle hookup.

Good luck with it :thumbsup:

 

[tomtom96]

Awesome! That movie is a tour de force of comedic brilliance. Ive lived half my life based on its teachings. I'm sure it'll come out great but if not you can always sell it to a blind kid.

Agree 100%!
I was 16 when it came out and have yet to see it's equal. A timeless classic for sure.

Here are a couple of headlights that look kind of like the one one the bike........Antique Vintage Headlight Bicycle or Motorcycle Model A Harley Indian | eBay Vintage Oil Powered Flash Light Flashlight Head Light Bike Cycle Motorcycle | eBay

Thanks for the leads! That first one looks pretty close. All the ones I've seen either have a different lens or housing.
I'm kind of wondering if the one used in the movie even has a lens.
On almost all the dynamo lights Ive come across, either the lens or the reflector has vertical lines in it.

Thats a great project!!! Harry and Lloyd have been watching over me in out in the garage for years :thumbsup:

that engine is an HS, most likely a 4.0 hp probably very late 80-early 90's judging by the outline of the decal on the shroud underneath the lightning bolt. If you look on the top of the shroud up by head bolts there may be numbers stamped in, they were just starting to do away with stamping though when that design shroud was coming in and went to a identification decal located just below the the throttle hookup.

Good luck with it :thumbsup:

Thanks for the info! Very nice collection you have there!
There is no stamp on the cover, but there is a small, thin decal right above the throttle cable control. Assuming it has the ID # on it, but it's painted over.

I did find this decal on the gas tank from where it was originally purchased, but seems they are out of business now..
Was hoping they would be able to tell me more about it..