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.