My Servi-Cycle

I traded my Doodlebug motorscooter and a few dollars that I gleaned from helping an older guy deliver newspapers in his Cushman

motorscooter with a side car for a Servi-cycle. I would help in folding the newspapers and later I would ride in the sidecar throwing out the newspapers and he would pay me about 25% of the gross that he earned. I don't think they fold newspapers in a triangle anymore.

Anyway, I acquired the Servi-cycle. It was the direct drive model and had no clutch. In other words the belt ran directly from the drive shaft

to the rear wheels. To start it, there was a compression release lever mounted on the handle bars. You had to run with it holding the

compression release and when it began to fire you had to jump on it. Yes, my friends. Each and every damn stop you made you had

to repeat that procedure. If you were out of shape, you were screwed.

I've often thought about the Simplex Company who made this dinosaur. Hey, we're talking about ancient technology in the fifties.

It was a simple vertical two cycle one cylinder engine with a flywheel. No battery was required as it ran off a magneto. The tank held two gallons

of gas and as a rule of thumb we mixed a six ounce coke bottle with oil and added it to the gas.

This company was stuck in 1920's engine technology. It never progressed and eventually bit the dust.

Mine was constantly breaking down and I would bring it to an elderly black man who always had a stub of a cigar

in his mouth. The gentleman was located in that part of Baton Rouge termed "Nigger Town." That's just the

way it was in the later forties and early fifties. He always managed to get me up and running and would charge me

a buck or two. The points and condenser were located behind the flywheel and that was a job in of itself to remove.

I can still see myself sitting on a large paint can next to him as he was working on the engine and smelling the cigar he

always had in his mouth. If I had to guess his age now, I would say he would be around 70 at that time.

My Servi-cycle would do only about 30 mph. There were some of my friends who could do 45 mph on their. I often thought

that it was my dad who talked to the old black man to fix it so I couldn't do more than 30 mph. Who knows? It would really

piss me off that a little Cushman Highlander could out run me on the straightaways. But, I could make it up on the curves as

I knew no fear and they would slow down and I kept going wide open.

I witness this all the time even today. Just last summer, Carmen and I were leaving a town in South Dakota on my Harley.

I was cruising along about 80 mph on cruise control on the straights. This guy buzzed by us and at each and every turn in the highway

he would slow down and I would catch him and pass him and so on. I never altered speed, but he was afraid of curves

and would slow down. In my years of riding this is not uncommon. Most riders are brave on the straights but scared

like hell on the curves. This is especially true in the mountains.

I vividly remember riding in a group of Servi-cycles and Cushmans when we were about 12 years old. It was a thrill

when about five of us were tearing through the streets of Baton Rouge late at night. We were the wild ones long before

Marlon Brando.

I had it a couple of years and later acquired a Harley 125cc two stroke.

That's another story.

bob

PS Just going through the history of my bikes. Below is the history of the damn Servicycle.

HISTORY

Information source: Simplex Servi-Cycle: America's Premier Lightweight Motorcycle, by Gary L. Wollard
Simplex was the brainchild of J. Paul Treen, a Harley Davidson dealer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in the early 1930's who recognized a need for a small, lightweight motorcycle. After developing several prototypes, Treen started production in 1935, producing twelve to fifteen units a week. Over the years Simplex added more space and air-conditioned the entire production facility in 1944, making it one of the most up-to-date manufacturing concerns of the time. Music was broadcast at short intervals during the work day. Several articles have been published regarding Treen's ability to prove the South a viable production location.

The basic Simplex design changed little over its twenty five year life span. The first models were "direct drive", with a belt running from the end of the crankshaft directly to the rear wheel. Starting was accomplished by straddling the machine and taking a few brisk steps. The motion of the rear wheel turned the motor over, and you were on your way. A rocker clutch pedal was added in 1941, and the Automatic model was introduced in 1953. Along the way, other upgrades were incorporated, including a kick starter, magneto-driven lighting, and more. There were also several three-wheel trucks, used mostly by delivery services. The company stopped building the Servi-Cycle style models in 1960, and later produced scooters, go karts, and lawn mowers, powered by proprietary engines rather than their own.

More detailed history on each model can be found on the Model History pages.