Motocruiser #1

Veloculture · 12-27-2005

i decided to stop being selfish with my Moto and share it. it's a real gem and a great little bit of history.

Sweetheart cycles was operated by Bicycle Bob Wilson. after Bob went to jail for Drug trafficing

in 1982 John Parker bought all the tooling. while at the time John Parker was working for Linwald Tool and Die company in North Hollywood California. John Parker says he welded this bike himself but another source says it was a master welder which also worked for Linwald. the desert camo paint was done by a guy named George Plazo. JP says George was a graffic artist at Warner Studios

in the first run of prototypes they made two bikes. mine which was hardly ridden at all and the other one was for Aaron Cox (AKA Drew Blood) who was a pro racer and won the 1982 Reseda to the Sea race on that bike as well as others i'm not sure of.

i was lucky that i got this bike from a guy that was and is great friends with John Parker and Aaron Cox to get this history. it was still tough to get though. it seems these guys dont like talking too much about the past for some reason.

you can really see the beginnings of a Yeti FRO with this frame and fork. the bottom bracket, seat post, headset, and stem are all BMX. the derailleurs are Campy. the cranks are Shimano 600. the shifters are Simplex. it also has a proprietary rear rack that was welded by John Parker.

Rumpfy · 12-27-2005

So what you're saying is....it's a Post Sweetheart, Pre Yeti Cycles bike....and that only two were made...and not only is this the only one known left to exist (unless the other is accounted for)...but it's in prime shape to boot?

'Rare' defined.

Veloculture · 12-27-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumpfy

So what you're saying is....it's a Post Sweetheart, Pre Yeti Cycles bike....and that only two were made...and not only is this the only one known left to exist (unless the other is accounted for)...but it's in prime shape to boot?

'Rare' defined.

i tried to trace down the other one and couldn't. it was used as a rental bike for about 10 years and then dissapeared. i suspect somewhere there is a migrant worker with a rare albeit very beat up bike

rideit · 12-27-2005

They were made by out of work bass players for Grand Funk Railroad...anyone??

Seriously, SWEET find. That one is a keeper, I reckon'.
How did you keep it out of the First Flight stable, i can only imagine.
Cherish thee.

Michael Staab · 12-27-2005

Hi,

thanks for sharing this pics. What a find! This bike is really unique and very interesting. If you compare it to pics of the bike that is said to be the first Yeti you can clearly see some similaritys and some differences:

And this is one of the later Motocruisers, very similar to Yeti #1:

Speaking of rear racks, Yeti #1 also had a John parker made rear rack, that I removed.

I think that we can bring light into the beginnings of Yeti...

Greetings,

Michael

Veloculture · 12-27-2005

we need to get you over here for the Keyesville race Michael. how cool would that be to have both the first Yeti and the first Yeti prototype racing in the same race!

what year was was your Yeti #1 again?

Michael Staab · 12-28-2005

Hi,

Yeti #1 is a 1984 and JP also said that he welded it himself and that it was the first bike he built. Well, it was also very hard to get informations about this bike for the same reason it was hard to get infos about yours

. It seems that my bike was ridden at least till 1986 since it features Shimano 6 speed click thumbies and rear der. Other parts like the Campy front der., wheels (Bullseye hubs, Weinmann rims) and BMX seatpost seem to be from 1984. I talked to Frank the Welder during Interbike about my 1984 and he said that it should've been built at Matt Sweeneys Special Effect Shop and that there were three bikes were built in this batch. One for Linda Parker, one for Russel Worley and one for John Parker. Mine is the JP bike and was the first out of this batch. I believe that these were the first bikes that were built after Yeti was formed as a company. Quickly afterwards FTW and Chris Herting joined and they changed the frame to 26.8 seatpost and other details. Here's a pic of Russel Worleys race bike that seems to be one of this early Yetis that were built after the first three:

Compare the cable routing. FTW said that only a few early bikes had the one cable on the left and two on the right side. They quickly changed to the famous Yeti cable routing with all three cables running on the right side of the TT.

The red Motocruiser with the Yeti decals is a 1982 and is said to be the bike that Aaron Cox rode in the 1982 "Reseda to the sea" race. This bike is very similar to my 1984, only small differences in the frame design like cable routing. This was also auctioned by JP off at ebay in late 2002/early 2003, just like my "#1".

I find it very hard to get more infos about these bikes and the beginnings of Yeti since the people that like to talk about it don't remember that much or weren't involved that early. And the guys that must be in the know don't like to talk about it...

Greetings,

Michael
P.S.: About Keyesville: Would love to take part, but it may be difficult since I live in germany. So don't count on me.

Michael Staab · 12-28-2005

well, if we try to track down the story so far...

Here's how i undestand it:

before 1982: Bob Wilson builds Motocruiser bikes. I think he started in 1980? Someone said they were influenced by the Mongoose Koz Cruiser BMX

1982: JP works as a special effects welder for the movie industry in Hollywood. He also works part-time for an company that builds sleeping bags under the name of Yeti. He's racing Sprint Cars and Dirt Track Motorcycles. Wilson wents to jail, Parker buys the toolings and builds the first bikes under the name of Motocruiser (or lets them being built for him). Aaron Cox wins the "Reseda to the Sea" on a Motocruiser.

1984: JP has a big Sprint Car crash, forcing him into a long time hospital rest and he rethinks his future. He decides to make a living out of building bikes and sells his 1928 Indian Motorcycle to finance his new company. The name Yeti is avaiable and he used this one for his own bikes. The first three "Yetis" are built in Matt Sweeneys Special Effects Shop. Linda choosed desert turqoise for her bike (so maybe my 1984 is not John's but Linda's bike?)

1985: Frank Wadelton and Chris Herting join Parker and become the first employees of Yeti. They change several details of the frame. First Yeti race team is formed. 1985 is the official starting year for Yeti regarding to Yeti's 10th anniversery catalogue.

Anyone got more info?

Anyway, you have a great bike there. Really fascinating.

Greetings,

Michael

Veloculture · 12-28-2005

lots of great info!!!!

i too spent a lot of time gathering details. i talked to about 3 of JP's friends from the 70's though today and Aaron Cox. all of those guys basically started to conversation by saying John Parker lies alot. because of that the im left to piece the history together from several sources and try to figure out the most logical history. apparently that sprint car/motorcycle crowd that JP was with was heavy into drugs and in fact the shop was used selling them to the motorcycle biker crowd. it all adds the renegade outlaw Indian bike riding image of Yeti

airwreck · 12-28-2005

wow, great stuff...
VRC forum continues to amaze...
thanks once again for sharing.

Veloculture · 12-28-2005

here is the rack that JP said he custom made. it's aluminum and really wide. i just kinda wonder if maybe it's an "Old Man Mountain" rack that maybe JP modified or something.

Bigwheel · 12-28-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloculture

here is the rack that JP said he custom made. it's aluminum and really wide.

All the better to carry suitcases of drugs and/or money on I guess

Nice piece of history there, thanks for sharing.

Michael Staab · 12-28-2005

Hi,

here's a pic of the JP rear rack that came with my 1984. Seems to be the same, only in desert turqoise. So its the race version... Surely one of the most collectable rear racks around

Greetings,

Michael

TheRedMantra · 12-28-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigwheel

All the better to carry suitcases of drugs and/or money on I guess

Thats got such a negative connotation

.

Howeler · 12-29-2005

Hey - Thanks for posting that pic of the old Yeti. I live in San Diego, CA and Russ is agood friend of mine. Russ still hammers on a Yeti - doesn't really race anymore but can still hammer most people into oblivion.

Thanks again

Howeler

colker1 · 12-29-2005

vrc rules..

Veloculture · 12-29-2005

Howeler, Private message sent your way! -Sky

Yetifan · 12-31-2005

When I visited Chris Herting he told me some stuff about the old Yeti, but I forgot to write it down! So its just whats left in my head. I think it went like this

Chris Herting was building bikes before he joined with John Parker, initially they used Chris Hertings workshop to build some frames before they started in the back of Matt Sweeny's special effects workshop. after that they moved out to the CA factory. I seem to remember Chris Herting was there at the very very start, and FTW joined a short time later, months or years I have no idea.

They started to build the frames, but needed an investor of some sort, and Parkers father inlaw decided to help out and put money into Yeti.

John Parker did part chop his Indian for the tubing and parts from Bicycle Bob (I'm sure he told me he still knows him, Bob plays around 150 rounds a year in Durango with a handicap of between 4-6). There are various stories about Bob, I don't think he was a bad guy from what I heard. He did get than Indian back and kept it at Durango, FTW said Parker even let him ride it sometime.

JP confirmed to me he welded this bike in 82 he thinks, at the same time he welded Aaron cox's race bike he won the reseda to the sea on.

Andrew

verticult · 10-26-2006

chris herting had a business arrangement working full time and as part owner of "american iron" bicyles. Jim Emerson was the principal, perhaps sole owner of a bicycle shop. I (frank) worked at a local iron shop with Chris' dad Jim, I welded bikes for chris and jim before we ever met John P. A few Yeti frames had been built before John came to Chris for building. Chris was employed full time before me. I welded the first and many, many yeti's that Chris built. John did some welding from time to time, he was pretty good also. We both left A.I. shortly after and went to a building and shared space with "first take productions". At some point later we moved to the Agoura address. Hope this helps.. FTW

Veloculture · 10-26-2006

super cool to see you make your way to this forum Frank. any chance you remember this bike of Motocruiser?

Rumpfy · 10-26-2006

Wow, super cool to have FTW check in and share some history.

Pleasure to have you here Frank!

verticult · 10-27-2006

thanks for the warm welcome! I remember seeing some of the old stuff from time to time. Much of the things I don't rmember until someone says something that reminds me. My first Yeti was one with a round top tube, simplex drops and 26.8 seat tube. It was red and was rusted from the inside. I never built it. I was told by John that it had been stored in his shed at the beach (that would explain the rust) I remember Aaron Cox (who raced under the name Drew Blood) , Greg Dres and Russel ( I recently heard Greg had been killed in an Avalanche)

I know that John had purchased materials and fixtures from Redline (or another BMX brand) and thats where the oval top tube came from. We also found hundreds of sets of Dia-compe canti brakes, took the bosses from the box (it was difficult to get parts at the time) and then just tossed the brakes. We also tried to use Campi drops, both front and rear but often had to use Simplex.

When the trade show was in Anaheim, I left a fully built Ultimate at a friends house with the intention of picking it up later, I had completely forgotten about it until I visited him a couple of years ago. We chatted briefly and he said "hey, I have something to show you", he took me to his garage and showed me this bike hanging up in the rafters. I practically fell over. He rides it around the block a couple of times a year or rides to the store. He has been stopped a couple of times with offers to sell it and, of course it still hangs there today,,

Equipped with a pre-true-temper fork, Full XT shifting, Bullseye hubs and cranks, Bontrager MA40's IRC racer X1 tires and , XT post, sella saddle and XC pro pedals. She is just a beautiful as the day she was built. I will try to get a photo sometime. It is not for sale. Oh, more bikes to weld.. I will visit again soon.. F

'84motocrzr · 05-27-2009

I went to Lindwall Tool and Die in Feb/march of '84 and got a frame, bars and fork for a motocruiser....the guys sent me down to a shop in Orange County to get it powder coated (white). I raced that bad boy for 2 years...( I retired for....reasons). I took it off the hook in my garage 2 months ago and I need a front derailleuer for it. Seems no one uses braze ons anymore and I built it with a Campy Record Front triple braze on...the seat tube is too narrow to fit any clamps so the odyssey begins. My wife rides it as a six speed...I'm going to use it as a base to build my version of Salsa's Fargo Complete and do day tours with it. Any help with a front derailleuer would be appreciated...I'll post some pics...some minor details differ from the camo painted one...mine is a little earlier in the design process,,,.thanks!!

Rumpfy · 05-27-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by '84motocrzr

I went to Lindwall Tool and Die in Feb/march of '84 and got a frame, bars and fork for a motocruiser....the guys sent me down to a shop in Orange County to get it powder coated (white). I raced that bad boy for 2 years...( I retired for....reasons). I took it off the hook in my garage 2 months ago and I need a front derailleuer for it. Seems no one uses braze ons anymore and I built it with a Campy Record Front triple braze on...the seat tube is too narrow to fit any clamps so the odyssey begins. My wife rides it as a six speed...I'm going to use it as a base to build my version of Salsa's Fargo Complete and do day tours with it. Any help with a front derailleuer would be appreciated...I'll post some pics...some minor details differ from the camo painted one...mine is a little earlier in the design process,,,.thanks!!

Now those are some pics we'll all be looking forward to!

muddybuddy · 05-27-2009

Thanks for resurrecting this thread. It reminds me why I started coming here in the first place. I look forward to seeing the pics.

Veloculture · 05-27-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rumpfy

Now those are some pics we'll all be looking forward to!

I second that

'84motocrzr · 05-28-2009

Okay, back when I was in the biz of racing with my beloved '84 mc, we called the threaded mounts that were brazed on "braze ons"...now apparently I am using the wrong term in todays world of bike wrenches.( i have been out of the whole arena for wayyy long)..what should I be asking for when I try to explain that I need a front road triple that will screw into the frame?? I had one shop tell me that they could grind off the "bump" to make a clamp fit "maybe"...talk about clueless...yeah okay let's deface my historical piece of work so you can "maybe" cram something on it....excuse me but no one has ever touched my mc but me...i was just in there with it cuz' they couldn't understand without a show and tell....HELP!!! pix are forth coming...I promise!

Fillet-brazed · 05-28-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by '84motocrzr

Okay, back when I was in the biz of racing with my beloved '84 mc, we called the threaded mounts that were brazed on "braze ons"...now apparently I am using the wrong term in todays world of bike wrenches.( i have been out of the whole arena for wayyy long)..what should I be asking for when I try to explain that I need a front road triple that will screw into the frame?? I had one shop tell me that they could grind off the "bump" to make a clamp fit "maybe"...talk about clueless...yeah okay let's deface my historical piece of work so you can "maybe" cram something on it....excuse me but no one has ever touched my mc but me...i was just in there with it cuz' they couldn't understand without a show and tell....HELP!!! pix are forth coming...I promise!

yeah, you're right. a braze on front derailleur like this:

http://tinyurl.com/q6vjcm

Veloculture · 05-28-2009

like Fillet Brazed pointed out they are still called Braze-on derailleurs. they don't exist in the mountain bike world so you need to get a road bike braze on derailleur for a road bike with triple chainrings. the one on my MC is the original Campagnolo Neovo Record derailleur that came with the bike. the old Neovo Record's can be found fairly cheap on eBay. your's being two years newer than mine could use either the Nuovo Record of the Super Record front derailleur.

check out ebay auction number 150347397050

'84motocrzr · 05-28-2009

[quote=Veloculture]like Fillet Brazed pointed out they are still called Braze-on derailleurs. they don't exist in the mountain bike world so you need to get a road bike braze on derailleur for a road bike with triple chainrings. the one on my MC is the original Campagnolo Neovo Record derailleur that came with the bike. the old Neovo Record's can be found fairly cheap on eBay. your's being two years newer than mine could use either the Nuovo Record of the Super Record front derailleur.

Cool,thanks. I put the NR on when I did the build out. So, mine came after yours out of Lindwall? Nice, they took off the cable channel on the bottom bracket and changed the rear drops on mine...those were the only differences i noticed on the pics you posted. I broke the weld on my right front drop down in La Costa during the first day of a weekend race....dude actually had a fork in his parts box and I used it on Sunday!! I Still have that on it...all the high end road bikes I looked at in the shops had the clamp thing on them...I'll order this as it expires!!

'84motocrzr · 05-30-2009

All righty then...here are some pics of the current version of my '84mc...I had stripped it down to a fixed gear single brake ride and hammered around a track I built for my sons back in '95; after that fun (about a year) I hung it in my garage...I took it down in April this year and fitted it for my wife to start training for her cyclocross bike that will join the family in August (hence the bar ends are placed to replicate the drop spread she will be using). She logged 65 miles on this baby this past week, as soon as I can get the front dr she will be hammering a lot more miles.

As you will see there are several minor differences from the camo bike: cable stays on each side of top tube; one on down tube; no cable channel on bottom bracket; no derailleur hanger on front only the braze on threaded mount; the rear drop outs are different...I think that's it. Anyway, the time frame is kinda shakey...but definately I was riding it in June '84, so as to pick up from No. Hollywood....maybe May '84?? The eighties...kinda blurry, ya know? So, there is at least another one out doing it's job as a machine....later!!

Schmitty · 05-31-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veloculture

like Fillet Brazed pointed out they are still called Braze-on derailleurs. they don't exist in the mountain bike world so you need to get a road bike braze on derailleur for a road bike with triple chainrings. the one on my MC is the original Campagnolo Neovo Record derailleur that came with the bike. the old Neovo Record's can be found fairly cheap on eBay. your's being two years newer than mine could use either the Nuovo Record of the Super Record front derailleur.

check out ebay auction number 150347397050

XT triple available online.
-Schmitty-

Fillet-brazed · 05-31-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by '84motocrzr

All righty then...here are some pics of the current version of my '84mc...I had stripped it down to a fixed gear single brake ride and hammered around a track I built for my sons back in '95; after that fun (about a year) I hung it in my garage...I took it down in April this year and fitted it for my wife to start training for her cyclocross bike that will join the family in August (hence the bar ends are placed to replicate the drop spread she will be using). She logged 65 miles on this baby this past week, as soon as I can get the front dr she will be hammering a lot more miles.

As you will see there are several minor differences from the camo bike: cable stays on each side of top tube; one on down tube; no cable channel on bottom bracket; no derailleur hanger on front only the braze on threaded mount; the rear drop outs are different...I think that's it. Anyway, the time frame is kinda shakey...but definately I was riding it in June '84, so as to pick up from No. Hollywood....maybe May '84?? The eighties...kinda blurry, ya know? So, there is at least another one out doing it's job as a machine....later!!

yeah, that's actually a different front derailleur mount than we thought. Never seen one like that. Maybe a Shimano "endless band" type front derailleur will thread into that? Or just try and put a standard FD on there. Or maybe there is a FD made to fit this, I don't know.

Looks like you could use some help from a good mechanic, most notably on the rear brake cable set up.

05-31-2009

yeah, probably meant for an endless clamp FD without the clamp. like on this one (pic on the lower right)

'84motocrzr · 05-31-2009

What, you don't like my 26 year old rear brake cable???

I am the senior mech...I am looking at hydraulics when I put both new wheelsets on it...It still skids when it needs too...I found a clamp set up that will work...but still looking for an old bolt on triple for the front. I am just putting my budget together to make it into the tourer I want.

Schmitty · 05-31-2009

It'd be easy to make an adapter to run more traditional braze on front der if you can't find the band type. That would also give you some vert adjustment.

-Schmitty-

Veloculture · 05-31-2009

yeah, band type. i have a bunch of those kicking around.

'84motocrzr · 06-02-2009

So a band placed below the braze on and then just make the appropriate height adjustments?? Won't I need a shim of some sort it's a 1" seat tube and the clamps I've found are just a little larger....of course you guys are more in the know about current "stuff"....

thx

Fillet-brazed · 06-02-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by '84motocrzr

So a band placed below the braze on and then just make the appropriate height adjustments?? Won't I need a shim of some sort it's a 1" seat tube and the clamps I've found are just a little larger....of course you guys are more in the know about current "stuff"....

thx

veloculture meant to say "endless band".