I never realized who Mickey Rupp was and his cool "toys"

[Docwheelhorse 2,787]

Dragged my 1971 Rupp Roadster out of my fathers rotted and falling down shed.

 

Last ridden summer of 1987, got caught riding it and it was permanently taken away... had it under a tarp but the moisture got to it. 

 

Plan to clean it up and combine it with a parts one I bought to make it as nice as I can. 

 

Im 54 and boy... had alot of good times on it driving all over the back roads of my country town.

 

Used to grow alot of tobacco in town and the fields / service dirt roads made for awesome riding

 

Never knew that RUPP Industries was this gentleman. Boy I bet Cecil and Mickey could've had a good conversation as each looked over the others product. 

 

Thanks Mickey Rupp for some very cool rides. Yes he was an Indy driver

 

[WHX?? 52,946]

Actually quite a few restoring those and other vintage minis.  Id take one you was to give it to me. 

[Handy Don 14,697]

Ah yes, Rupp minibikes. One of the premier makers, for sure. I was in my 30’s when I bought one at a tag sale. The owner, a recent college grad, had “outgrown it” he said. Ha!

Too urban to use in my area, so I kept it at the camp now owned by my daughter and son. Like @Docwheelhorse, we had a blast cruising the logging roads and fields. The torque converter giving great torque at low speeds but then “upshifting” to really boogie was a revelation! We even got my mom to take a spin and the grin on her face was priceless!

 

Chatting with a local fellow some years later we discovered our shared enjoyment of the Rupps. He’d moved up to motorcycles years before and sorely regretted selling his Rupp. Since mine wasn’t really getting much use, I “let” him pay an excessive amount for it! He went on to restore it, use it for a number of years, and pass it on to his grandchildren. 

 

Enjoy it Doc!

Edited 3 hours ago by Handy Don

[Achto 29,907]

My first mini bike was a Rupp Scrambler, red with the mag rims. I put a ton of miles on that thing. Wish I still had it.

[SylvanLakeWH 29,367]

Rupp was for the cool rich kids... we had a cobbled together Wards mini bike that was at the welder's every other week... cheap frame and cheaper techy... but man was it fun...

 

My brothers and I were on a first name basis with most of the Ann Arbor cops growing up... back then they'd just make sure you weren't on the main roads...

 

Now, they'd impound it and send you to reform school...

 

[Treepep 850]

@SylvanLakeWH

 

Same.  I recently thanked my father for to two and four Wheel contraptions he made for us older kids.Looking back,  super duper unsafe.  But hey I'm still here  Had a go cart with no brakes once.  Sister and I drove it together.  Meaning we were really young.  You just slowed down and an adult would grab the back bumper