Well, I guess I'm having my "mid-life crisis."  I'll turn 50 in a few days and just couldn't do it knowing I've never owned a Harley Davidson . . . I bought one yesterday.  It's a "trike" . . . and it's battery powered . . . and it's a "project."  BUT, I own a Harley!!!   

I saw some of these at a antique engine show in N.C.    The guy who owned them said they came from a golf club in N.C. Some were on battery and some had a 2 cycle 165 cc aircooled  engine that looked a lot like the old Harley Hummer 165 motorcycle . Doesn't Kile have one of these or is it a E-Z Go ?

I’ve never been known to have a plan, but I’m about to turn 50.  I guess I’m old enough now to grow up and start planning stuff.  Soooooo . . . here’s my plan:

The first step in this project is to clean up the surface rust on the frame, replace the badly rusted angle iron battery trays and "un-fix" the rear suspension.  Someone in the past has "fixed" it . . . literally.  It has the rear springs removed and a piece of angle iron welded in each side to make it a solid suspension.  I've located a set of springs on eBay and new shock at a golf cart place online.  That all looks pretty easy.  The wheels roll good and the tires are a little dry-rotted, but hold air.  The steering seems to be in good shape so I’ll leave those alone for now.

Then, I've got to tackle the electrical.  I'd rather just scrap the original controller and go with a solid state unit off a modern cart . . . but I might keep this antique Frankenstein-Lab-looking controller just to keep the cost down.  The original controller is massive compared to a modern unit.  It has a bunch of big solenoids and switches and diodes . . . it even has a vacuum tube!   There’s a cover missing and a previous owner had attempted to rewire it to run on three batteries.  I’ve got wiring diagram and most of the original components “look” usable . . . maybe I’ll get lucky.  Maybe.

Then I've got to buy 3 new batteries.  It came with three brand new NAPA batteries and three used Interstates.  I can't get the interstates to take a charge.  The good news is the three NAPA batteries are brand spanking new and have never been installed.  They retail for more than twice what I paid for the cart . . . the bad news is I need 3 more of them . . . which is going to more than triple my investment . . . which is why I'm probably going to try save a few bucks by keeping the antique controller.

The rest is just cosmetic.  The front bumper is bent on one side, but looks easy enough to fix.  The rear bumper has a bend in it, but I might just straighten out the bent bracket and leave the dent in the bumper to give it character.  It needs a little fiberglass repair in a couple of spots . . . and a lot repairs to a previous owner's attempt at fiberglass repair.  I might farm the fiberglass work out to someone who knows how to do it right.  Is anyone here good with 'glass?

Wooo Hooooo!!!  I just scored a pair of used rear springs from eBay for 99 cents (plus $14 shipping) . . .   

And Rick . . . I might tow a lot of stuff with my S-10 and I might tow a lot of stuff with Homer . . . but my days of towing Homer towing a trailer are over!  That was one wild ride I don't want to take again.  Although, I did have a taste of it towing the golf cart home on Kyle's golf cart trailer.  Somewhere around Adairsville, my strap slipped and the cart rolled to the back of the trailer.  I had a "triangle" moment loading it.  Not only did I not strap it down securely, I sat the three new batteries on the very back of the trailer.  When the cart went to the back, it gave me A LOT of negitive tounge weight . . . I didn't realize what had happened until I started down the next long, steep hill doing 65 or so and tried to slow down.  I'm thankful that I was in the middle lane and there wasn't any other cars near me.  I used all three lanes and both shoulders getting to the bottom of the hill!  I pulled it back to the front of the trailer, strapped it down right and moved the batteries to the front of the trailer . . . the rest of the trip went pretty smooth.

That one isn't a bad looking cart!  Between that one and the one I have, I could probably make a pretty nice cart.  The gas carts kind'a scare me though.  I've watched videos of them, and they will FLY . . . but they aren't very stable in turns . . . which explains why most of them have bent front bumpers.