Well, it sounds like a Whizzer can be had for a reasonable price. Even $1100.00 is easy enough to spend on a build, especially if you are buying most everything. I've never spent near that much on one, but added together the builds... well, I don't know what the total would come to and don't want to think about it. I justify the expenditures by reminding myself that I don't drink, smoke, gamble, run with wild women or even tame ones anymore. So building bikes is my indulgence.
Didn't know about the Whizzer outboards. When I was a boy (said in a wheezy geezer voice) all the outboards had no reverse. You want to go backwards turn the motor around. And the gas tanks were built into the upper rear of the motor with gravity feed to the carb. Ten hsp was a big motor. My oldest brother had a ten horse Evinrude with a rope start and it was the biggest motor on the lake and the size of about a ninety horse now.
I've a question for you Whizzermen. When it comes time for my "kindalikeawhizzer" build is it OK if I post the thread here? The frame is a 1951 Schwinn cantilever Hornet and the engine is a 147cc 2 stroke Jacobsen which will power a belt to a sheave on the rear wheel. No attempt will be made to make it look like a Whizzer, but it is very much in the back of my mind... the original Whizzer I coveted in the old magazine advertisements.
Where I am at this point is that I have run the motor and a carb repair kit has arrived for rebuilding it. I'm in the middle of building the wheels, awaiting 10 5/8" Whizzer spokes which I will lace into vintage Schwinn rims and Atom drum brakes which came from an AMF Roadmaster moped. The rear hub has a sprocket on the right side for pedal chain and no sprocket on the left as the weird moped was friction drive... perfect for my needs. Tires are 26 X 2.4" Cyclops fatties for "the look" and what is reportedly a great ride. Front fork is from a Sachs Hercules light motorcycle/moped of the 1960's. I've made a honker headlight for it from a Harbor Freight dune buggy light so that it will fit between the ears. Gas tank will be in frame and was made a couple of years ago with lots of help from Tinsmith. It is copper and beautiful. I'll make a copper jewel light for the rear and may make a copper belt cover when the time comes. We'll see. The bike will be painted a mahogany brown with Van Sickles tractor paint which should go nicely with the copper. I want it to look like what it is; a 1950's motor bike.
At this point the only thing Whizzer on the bike will be the spokes, unless chainmaker's sheave finds a home here. I had thought to make do with a 20" bike rim and home made brackets, but maybe if I have both spokes and sheave that are the real deal you guys will let me post my "almostlikeawhizzer" thread here with the big boys. Let me know what you think. This is your turf. I'm counting on you guys to answer some questions and offer advise. This will be a winter build, but a few things will be done long before... have the engine running, weld in the engine mounts, figure out what I need to do with the chain stay to give clearance for belt and fatty tire if need be. Then put it together over the winter and paint it in the spring. And then... woohoo!
SB