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February 7, 2007
Old Reliable
Monday morning, I had every intention of taking the Trail 90 to work. Unfortunately, I think the battery was frozen solid. So yesterday, I pulled the battery and put it on the Battery Tender while I got ready for work. By the time I was ready, the battery was too. Or at least 80% done. In any case, it fired right up after a dozen kicks. The exhaust smelled a little like lacquer, so I think the fuel may have turned.
But the bike ran fine. In fact, it has always run fine. It should be pointed out that I bought the Trail 90 a decade ago for the princely sum of $100. A true farm-find, it was discovered in rural Siskiyou County by one of our customers at Nutglade. I cleaned the carb, replaced the battery and it started. Later I replaced the tires and the seat cover. Last year I replaced the exhaust. No trouble finding parts for this 1967 machine, though I rode around on knobbies for a few months.
Trail 90's have a devoted online following. Some people restore them from the bottom up. Others take them to Mexico on their RV's. I ride mine to work. To UMCP, to UMN, and now downtown. Other bikes in the fleet may receive more glory, but none are as useful to me.