I want to start this post by saying that I registered here a few years back, and never got around to posting. I appreciate all the knowledge on this forum, and I have been a longtime "lurker". I hope that this post is well recieved and my intentions/thoughts are understood. I appreciate all comments and opinions.
To begin my story, as child of about 10 or 12 my father found for me an original savage vanguard mini. It was at the time, briggs powered, and street legaly registered. It belonged to an army officer in Petaluma California, who, in the early 1960s would ride it to work on his army base.
The original briggs motor never did run for me, and was swapped out for another of the same size and power(I know, I know....but we didnt know what we had back then). I rode it around in the glory days of my youth, and then parked it sometime in my short highschool career. Fast forward to me at around 17 or so, and I loaned it to a friend during a particularly stressful time in my life when my family needed to move and I had no place to keep it. I soon forgot about the little red minibike and moved on with my life.
Now at 24 I move in with some friends of mine in a great place, with some property. They happen to have an old mini out behind the shop/barn and it needs some love. So a predator swap and some fresh paint later, my love for vintage mini bikes is once again in full force. This spurns me into thinking about that old red bike that I had as a kid. I coudnt remember what it was, just that it was fast, comfortable and rode exceptionally well for a mini. So I call up my high school buddy and try and find out what happened to the old mini bike. Turns out he had taken it to his work(a winery) and after failing to get the carburetor fixed, they abandoned it in the redwoods. He had no idea if it was still there. Around this time, I realized it was in fact a savage vanguard, and I couldnt track it down fast enough. Luckily for me, my very own dad who first traded for it so long ago, happened to know the owner of the winery, and was allowed to walk the property in search of the lil old savage. He found it. Leaning up against a redwood tree, covered in tree droppings, there she was.
So after about 4 months of restoration and so much hard work, the savage was restored and ridden as much as possible. It now sports a very cool looking Jacobsen 984 two cycle motor that pushes it between 45-50 mph, depending on rider weight. Its a blast to ride and a treasure that I will have forever. I'm 28 now, and currently work as a precision tig weldor and fabricator, which brings me to my next question.......
Seeing that I have a perfect example of one of these, does anyone have any desire in purchasing a copy of one in frame form? I am contemplating producing a simple version of the venerable savage frame, without the hidden front suspension and rear rack, but with solid forks and no jackshaft mounts. Is there any interest in this idea? If so, what would the old mini bike community be willing to give(monetarily) for such a frame? Or should I just keep to making a couple for myself?
I will upload pictures of the restored bike if anyone wants to see them, just need to dust her off a bit and snap some pics.
To begin my story, as child of about 10 or 12 my father found for me an original savage vanguard mini. It was at the time, briggs powered, and street legaly registered. It belonged to an army officer in Petaluma California, who, in the early 1960s would ride it to work on his army base.
The original briggs motor never did run for me, and was swapped out for another of the same size and power(I know, I know....but we didnt know what we had back then). I rode it around in the glory days of my youth, and then parked it sometime in my short highschool career. Fast forward to me at around 17 or so, and I loaned it to a friend during a particularly stressful time in my life when my family needed to move and I had no place to keep it. I soon forgot about the little red minibike and moved on with my life.
Now at 24 I move in with some friends of mine in a great place, with some property. They happen to have an old mini out behind the shop/barn and it needs some love. So a predator swap and some fresh paint later, my love for vintage mini bikes is once again in full force. This spurns me into thinking about that old red bike that I had as a kid. I coudnt remember what it was, just that it was fast, comfortable and rode exceptionally well for a mini. So I call up my high school buddy and try and find out what happened to the old mini bike. Turns out he had taken it to his work(a winery) and after failing to get the carburetor fixed, they abandoned it in the redwoods. He had no idea if it was still there. Around this time, I realized it was in fact a savage vanguard, and I couldnt track it down fast enough. Luckily for me, my very own dad who first traded for it so long ago, happened to know the owner of the winery, and was allowed to walk the property in search of the lil old savage. He found it. Leaning up against a redwood tree, covered in tree droppings, there she was.
So after about 4 months of restoration and so much hard work, the savage was restored and ridden as much as possible. It now sports a very cool looking Jacobsen 984 two cycle motor that pushes it between 45-50 mph, depending on rider weight. Its a blast to ride and a treasure that I will have forever. I'm 28 now, and currently work as a precision tig weldor and fabricator, which brings me to my next question.......
Seeing that I have a perfect example of one of these, does anyone have any desire in purchasing a copy of one in frame form? I am contemplating producing a simple version of the venerable savage frame, without the hidden front suspension and rear rack, but with solid forks and no jackshaft mounts. Is there any interest in this idea? If so, what would the old mini bike community be willing to give(monetarily) for such a frame? Or should I just keep to making a couple for myself?
I will upload pictures of the restored bike if anyone wants to see them, just need to dust her off a bit and snap some pics.
