Queer ag bikes I have ridden.

**Chris8** · 1st November 2002, 21:15

I learnt to ride on a Tas Taka. What happened to this marque? Not that I particuarly want to own one. For those that don't know it was a 2 stroke 125 cc (or there abouts) farm bike. Made in Japan??

**Nukles** · 1st November 2002, 23:02

there about a hundred brands like that in Japan let alone Asia...

in Taiwan it's the same thing, it was so funny to see all these old looking 80s and 125s everywhere with ugly unknown names

you just might never see one agian

**moko** · 12th November 2002, 07:59

We`re just seeing Korean and Chinese bikes coming into Britain.One of the Korean one`s is a big seller,just as when Jap bikes came in first the press take the piss while people looking for good value actually buy the things and find there`s nothing wrong with them.

**wari** · 12th November 2002, 20:00

Is that the Korean bike that is getting popular over there? Coz thy're popping up here too .

**moko** · 13th November 2002, 19:08

That`s the one Wari,there are a couple of others coming through too but I cant remember the names.

**SIR-RUP** · 10th March 2005, 19:55

used to own one , hard case things had a never ending gearbox , once you had hit top the next gear was 1st - so you had to keep count of what gear you were in , not bad suspension on them for their day , two stroke 100cc four speed , metal everything - from what I have been told they were sold by Dalgety farm supplies as a farm bike - cant be many around now ??..

**MSTRS:Me** · 10th March 2005, 19:57

Would seriously doubt it. I did see one in rather pathetic condition on TradeMe a while back.

**pete376403** · 10th March 2005, 20:51

Originally Posted by SIR-RUP

used to own one , hard case things had a never ending gearbox , once you had hit top the next gear was 1st - so you had to keep count of what gear you were in , not bad suspension on them for their day , two stroke 100cc four speed , metal everything - from what I have been told they were sold by Dalgety farm supplies as a farm bike - cant be many around now ??..

Sounds like the engine *may* have been by Kawasaki, as their small dirt bikes also had the rotary" gearchange. I wonder if warranty covered going from 4th gear to 1st at full noise (thinking you were still in 3rd and had another to go). Wonder why that idea wasn't carried through to, say, the Mach III...

**Motu** · 10th March 2005, 21:35

They were marketed by Dalgetys at one stage,a mate was working there and they had these things lying around that they couldn't get rid of - he got one and turned it into a 125 road racer,made a really good job of it.He had those triangular racing tyres on it...he took me on the inside of what I will continue to call Denny Hulme corner and disapeared - it went bloody well.

Another one from that era was the Gemini mini bike.When I was on Waiheke one of the locals got one for his kids and I got the beat up shitter running for him.I was away for Xmas and it broke a clutch cable,and they gave it to a local screw loose mechanic - they brought it around to me in 3 boxes...he had pulled the bike down to the last nut and bolt,split the cases and everything! Just for a clutch cable??

With no manuals or any data at all I set about putting it back together,there were all sorts of other bike parts in the boxes too,a totaly confusing mess....but I love this sort of challenge.The gearbox had me totaly stuffed,I couldn't figure it out - all I had left in the box were a few gears,not enough by my reckoning,no sliding dogs,no shifting forks,no shift drum - just a couple of shafts 8 gears and a handfull of ball bearings.

Here's what I figured out and built - it was a constant mesh gearbox,the four gears all in mesh at the same time,the cluster shaft was fixed,the output shaft had all gears free to spin.Each free spinning gear had 4 indentations on the inside,the shaft had 4 holes where each gear ran,the balls fitting into the holes - a rod ran down the inside of the shaft...and as you pulled it through a belled out end pushed the 4 balls into the indentations of the gear,locking it onto the shaft,as you pulled the shaft through each gear locked and released.Are you with me? can you see it working? What a brilliant idea!.The external shift linkage was a total cock up,turning your up and down shift lever into pulling the rod in and out of the hollow shaft.I've worked on a shit load of stuff in my years as a mechanic,as well as bikes a lot of machinary and agucultural equipment as well...and I've never seen anything like it,so simple and effective.

I spent weeks putting this thing back together in the firms time,and finaly got it going for the kids,their father making them pay me the $20 out of their own pockets,shit,I felt bad about that.

**Storm** · 10th March 2005, 22:10

Originally Posted by wari

Is that the Korean bike that is getting popular over there? Coz thy're popping up here too .

Good gosh, wari, I understood very word of that post. !! Are you ok?
Been drinking heavily? Smoking something? Or straight and sober for the first time I have seen?

**Velox** · 10th March 2005, 22:14

Originally Posted by Storm

Good gosh, wari, I understood very word of that post. !! Are you ok?
Been drinking heavily? Smoking something? Or straight and sober for the first time I have seen?

I know - I had to re-read that post! What's going on mate? :spudwhat:

**What?** · 17th March 2005, 20:24

[QUOTE=pete376403]Sounds like the engine *may* have been by Kawasaki, ...QUOTE]
Nope - it was their own. Tas Tanaka did, and still do, make scrub cutters and similar heinous domestic devices. Their brief foray into motorcycle production was a dismal failure and did not last long.

**gav** · 17th March 2005, 21:14

Remember the old Mountain Goat? Similiar thing had a Kawi 90cc two stroke engine with big tyres on little wheels, what I learned on as well as a Honda ST70!! Great little farm bikes

**MacD** · 17th March 2005, 21:15

Originally Posted by Storm

Good gosh, wari, I understood very word of that post. !! Are you ok?
Been drinking heavily? Smoking something? Or straight and sober for the first time I have seen?

Note the date on Wari's post! 2002...wonder what happened? I hope it was fun!