What do you do with old bumper cars?

Lone Trumpet

Lone Trumpet

Street Tracker
There are seven of these little monsters floating around California, and they're all the creation of one man, Tom Wright, a builder in the outskirts of San Diego who figured the leftovers of the Long Beach Pike amusement park needed a more dignified end than the trash heap. These little beasties are street legal. They run on either Kawasaki or Honda motorcycle engines and co-opt vintage bumper car bodies into awesome mini-cars.

They were originally powered by two cylinder Harley Davidson Motorcycle engines but they rattled like heck because of the two cylinder vibration. So the builder replaced them with four-cylinder Honda or Kawasaki 750's. A couple have been measured as capable of 160 MPH, which must be terrifyingly fast in a machine with such a short wheelbase.

Only slightly motorbike related, but I thought they were way cool. BTW, they're almost indestructible in accidents! :D

MiniCar1.jpg


MiniCar2.jpg


MiniCar3.jpg


MiniCar4.jpg


MiniCar6.jpg


MiniCar7.jpg


MiniCar5.jpg


MiniCar8.jpg
 
Last edited:
badda_bing

badda_bing

Two Stroke
I want the white one! How much trouble could you get into in one of these I wonder? wait, let me rephrase that. I would be in so much trouble if I had one!
 
Hamr Mark

Hamr Mark

TT Racer
Those are wild!

And you would never have to worry about running into something.

I wonder if they would be legal on Canadian roads...hmmm?
 
Lone Trumpet

Lone Trumpet

Street Tracker
Nick Morey said:
Wow. Now those are different!

My wife wants one to bomb around town in. :drive:
Click to expand...

Heck, I'd love to have one. As badda_bing says "I would be in so much trouble if I had one!"... but it would be totally worth it. As a kid, bumper cars were always my favorite ride at any amusement park.

I had to chuckle about the part that said they were originally powered by Harley Davidson engines, but they rattled like heck. You'd think he should have realized that before he used motors that are known to "rattle like heck". :p
 
D9

D9

Vendor
Man, thats cool... fun stuff... gotta be a blast to drive around in... looks kinda tippy though... eeeasy in the corners.
 
BlueJ

BlueJ

Blue Haired Freak
Lone Trumpet said:
..bumper cars were always my favorite ride at any amusement park...
Click to expand...

Readers from last summer might recall that the 'Lass and I went to the Isle of Man TT last year (JUST FUCKING GO!!!!!!!!!), and spent a week in Scotland and capped it all off with a few days in Dublin. Trip of a lifetime... so far. Anyway, our last night in Dublin we caught a comedy show with and the headliner had us dying laughing. One of his best extended riffs went on and on about the difference between Brits and Yanks, and the central theme was on what we repsectively called that canrival ride where there are little one person cars that go around and around on a metal floor. You know the ones (see the OP on this thread). Turns out that that activity we love so much called "bumper cars" is actually called "Dodge 'em" over the pond. And while the idea here is to t-bone as many of your friends as you can and get them stuck in the corners, over there the idea is to avoid everyone and just keep traffic flowing as best as possible. *yawn*

Just sayin'... :)
 
Last edited:
Lone Trumpet

Lone Trumpet

Street Tracker
BlueJ said:
Turns out that that activity we love so much called "bumper cars" is actually called "Dodge 'em" over the pond. And while the idea here is to t-bone as many of your friends as you can and get the stuck in the corners, over there the idea is to avoid everyone and just keep traffic flowing as best as possible.
*yawn*
Click to expand...

I did not know that, BlueJ. It's very interesting that the two cultures would be so completely opposite. Can't say I see what the amusement would be in "Dodge 'em" either. :d
 
kinky stunt

kinky stunt

Street Tracker
BlueJ said:
Readers from last summer might recall that the 'Lass and I went to the Isle of Man TT last year (JUST FUCKING GO!!!!!!!!!), and spent a week in Scotland and capped it all off with a few days in Dublin. Trip of a lifetime... so far. Anyway, our last night in Dublin we caught a comedy show with and the headliner had us dying laughing. One of his best extended riffs went on and on about the difference between Brits and Yanks, and the central theme was on what we repsectively called that canrival ride where there are little one person cars that go around and around on a metal floor. You know the ones (see the OP on this thread). Turns out that that activity we love so much called "bumper cars" is actually called "Dodge 'em" over the pond. And while the idea here is to t-bone as many of your friends as you can and get them stuck in the corners, over there the idea is to avoid everyone and just keep traffic flowing as best as possible. *yawn*

Just sayin'... :)
Click to expand...

That's cool and all, Blue, but your stories are always better combined with nekkid pitchers of the 'Lass. I think you have us spoiled.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top