TWFWE at the Ranger Game!

The World Famous Wheelie-ing Elvi posted this video of them at the Ranger game on Friday.  I'll post the second part when it is edited.  Just a little taste of that they do.

The Search

Well I'd talked to the Elvi, and now there were only 2 things left, talk to the wife (Priscilla), and find a bike.    I knew that Priscilla would have lots of questions so I wanted to find out as much about these mini bikes as possible.  Most of the Wheelie-ing Elvi ride Honda Z50 Mini-Trails.  The problem with that is that Honda doesn't make these bikes anymore, and they really haven't for a while.  There are Chinese knock-offs, but they aren't cheep.

I looked around a little bit to price these new reproductions.  Bobby from the Elvi recommended both Craigslist and EBAY.   The prices on the knock-offs were ranging anywhere from $1200 up to $5000.  I knew I was going to have a hard time justifying those prices to Priscilla so I continued to look.  On Craigslist I found a lot of old bikes that weren't running, and that put an idea in my head.  How about I build a Z50?  Seemed reasonable, right?  Sure I know nothing about motorcycles.  Sure I've never worked on an engine in my life.  But still, how hard can it be?  I mean I have a garage.  In that garage I have a very nice workbench and some pretty great tools.  I looked around online and found that other than the frame every single part was still being made (not by Honda, but they looked and ran the same), plus I should be able to bring in the whole project in under $1000.

With a little convincing Priscilla agreed and the search was on full steam ahead.  I ruled EBAY out pretty quickly, because shipping the bike was way too expensive, so I started looking on Craigslist.  I'm sure that I don't need to describe the perils of Craigslist.  There are some people on there that are downright scary.  After days and days of unanswered e-mails and phone calls to guys that had a few Z50's I was interested in, I heard back from a guy that had a 1970 Honda Z50 Mini Trail in Rowlett.  We exchanged e-mails back and forth and agreed on a price.  His bike was complete, but since it was all original and in pretty bad shape I was only interested in the frame itself.  I told him I would be there Saturday morning by 10, cash in hand.  Rowlett is over an hour away from my house in Arlington so I left early enough to run by the bank and have time to spare.  I pull up at the to the location about 9:45 and I see a guy with a black truck pulled in front of the house loading MY bike into the back of it.  He pulls off as I get out and ask the seller (idiot) what happened.  He told me that the black truck dude offered him $25 more than I did so he sold it to him, but forgot to call me and tell me.  Welcome to buying on Craigslist.

I left rejected, dejected, and just downright pissed off.  I had promised Priscilla that I would take her phone to the Apple Store in Fort Worth when I was done, because that's just the kind of great husband I am (you understand this if you've ever been to the Apple store on a weekend) so I headed that way.  As I pull into the parking lot I get a phone call from a number I didn't recognize.  The person on the other end told me that I had called him last week about the ad he had on Craigslist for his Z50 frame and wanted to know if I was still interested.  Was I?  Of course I was!  I told him I was getting my wife's phone looked at then I would head over to look at it.  "Where are you located?", I asked.  "Far north Dallas."

After the Apple Store (Priscilla ended up getting a new phone) I dropped off the phone at the house, kissed the wife and kid and was off to very close to the same place I was that very morning.  I arrived at his shop where he buys old motorcycles and rebuilds them.  There must have been 30-40 bikes of all makes and models in various states of disrepair all over the place.  In the corner he had my frame sitting there.  It was a red 1968 Honda Z50 Mini Trail.  Just what I had been looking for, it needed some work, but it was perfect for my planned project.  We agreed on the price and I was out the door on my way home, finally.

When I got that bad boy home I quickly realized just how much work it was going to take to get this bike worthy of riding it with the Wheelie-ing Elvi.  Upon first inspection, the bike was going to need, a weld job on the frame, sandblasting, powder coating, new gas tank, new tires, new handlebars, new engine, new brakes, and countless other mechanical parts that I still have no idea about yet.  Needless to say I have my work cut out for me.

What I saw at the Pickle Parade

A few months ago my hometown of Mansfield, Texas held the first annual Best Maid St. Patty's Pickle Parade.  It was an exciting and fun-filled event.  The whole family went down to Main Street to see the floats, people dressed as leprechauns, eat corn dogs, and enjoy what would surly become an annual tradition in Mansfield.

We arrived downtown to find a prime spot about 30 minutes before the parade was scheduled to start to find Main Street roped off at either end to stop traffic.  It also provided the perfect space for the pre-parade entertainment, the World Famous Wheelie-ing Elvi.  Now at this point in the story you may be asking yourself, what is a Wheelie-ing Elvi?  Well the World Famous Wheelie-ing Elvi in their own words are:  for all intense purposes, a band of over-aged, adolescents, who dare to venture out in public dressed in white polyester jumpsuits and hideous pompadour wigs, while sporting clumsy gold sunglasses, and Converse All-Star sneakers.  All... while riding tremendously-tiny vintage 40-year-old Honda Minitrails in a daredevil manner to the sound of pretty cool music. 

After about 2 minutes of watching the Elvi streak up and down Main Street on one, two, and in one case 3 wheels I was sold.  I wanted in and I wanted in in a very bad way.  These guys were having a blast entertaining the crowd and the crowd was loving every second of it.

In the months following the parade The Wheelie-ing Elvi were always in the back of my mind.  I knew I wanted to join them, but I didn't pursue it until we attend the City of Arlington's downtown Fourth of July parade and I saw the Elvi again.  Once again having a blast and the crowd eating it up.

After the parade we walked down to one of our favorite downtown Arlington spots, Twisted Root for lunch (my wife LOVES their turkey burgers).  My wife (my soon to be Priscilla), son and my mom all grabbed a table while my dad and I headed for the line to place our order.  Well guess who was there in line right in front of us?  That's right it was the Wheelie-ing Elvi.  We talked to them in line about what they do, about their bikes, their jumpsuits, how they got involved, and the joys of being an Elvi.

I left lunch that day with the intention of joining their ranks.  I found their website and exchanged an e-mail with Bobby Ornelas to get some more details.  He had me give him a call and he filled me in a little more on becoming a member and told me that the first thing to do was to find a bike.  I told him I would begin my hunt and promised to be in touch.

Little did I realize just how hard that hunt would be, but that will have to be saved for next time.