Hey everyone! I'm the new guy around here, my name is Brad. Just thought I'd pose a question to those of you with way more knowledge than myself on the subject; is my Taco a "33" or a "taquito"? The serial number gives no indication of the model year. Serial number is "E382". It's plain as day and in clear view. From what I understand it should be "5E382" or "6E382" to determine which year, correct? Is there a way to tell them apart?
Here's what I do know about it: My dad was gifted this mini bike by the original owners who found out he was having a baby boy (me) and told he could use it more than they could. Those neighbors have since moved away and this happened in 1982 anyhow. The frame has brackets welded to the swing arm for the sliding/adjustable bearing holders for the jackshaft. The rear shocks and angled slightly forward about 10 degrees, with the top mount locations being farther forward than those on the swing arm. The rear axle mounting is simply a hole and is NOT slotted.
As far as I know, these were the only differences between the 33 and taquito. Like I said at the beginning, however, I am rather new to the history of these old bikes and would love to see and hear as much about them as possible. It was a rather pleasant surprise to realize I had something so special and built so many amazing childhood memories with it. Once I discovered what it was and how old it was, I decided to go ahead and take it back to original. I'm currently in the process of building an exact copy of it, bend for bend, radius for radius, angle for angle, so that my two year old daughter will have one to ride when shes old enough. I will keep an eye on this thread and hopefully get back to any questions you guys have for me asap. Thank you in advance for your input.
-Brad-
Here's what I do know about it: My dad was gifted this mini bike by the original owners who found out he was having a baby boy (me) and told he could use it more than they could. Those neighbors have since moved away and this happened in 1982 anyhow. The frame has brackets welded to the swing arm for the sliding/adjustable bearing holders for the jackshaft. The rear shocks and angled slightly forward about 10 degrees, with the top mount locations being farther forward than those on the swing arm. The rear axle mounting is simply a hole and is NOT slotted.
As far as I know, these were the only differences between the 33 and taquito. Like I said at the beginning, however, I am rather new to the history of these old bikes and would love to see and hear as much about them as possible. It was a rather pleasant surprise to realize I had something so special and built so many amazing childhood memories with it. Once I discovered what it was and how old it was, I decided to go ahead and take it back to original. I'm currently in the process of building an exact copy of it, bend for bend, radius for radius, angle for angle, so that my two year old daughter will have one to ride when shes old enough. I will keep an eye on this thread and hopefully get back to any questions you guys have for me asap. Thank you in advance for your input.
-Brad-
