My 86' Iowa "HAWKEYES" Spree

[eclark5483]

Wow, what an adventure this has been getting it all done.

What started out as a cheap, run down, beat up, $75 pick up at a farm implement auction to give my kids a scooter to learn on, has turned into a very amazing bike for my son with Autism.

There has been soooo much work done on it. It was so fun to do, I just HAD TO buy another Iowa Spree so I can have an Iowa Cyclones version as well. I'll be starting on that one in the late spring, maybe early summer. This one still isn't perfect yet. Needs some cleaning and a couple better replacement parts like rear blinkers and what have you. Something I'll keep looking out for.

So for now, I present in all it's glory... the scooter that I owe ALOT of you guys a huge debt of gratitude and thanks for helping me bring together my for boy.

ONE OF THE WORLD'S FASTEST IOWA SPREES, No engine swap.

Final Dyno Pull
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1MUmUUJbbs

Restoration Process
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU49lL_Xx4s

Original Condition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsCg_MhfuGU

[benji]

Good lookin bike, I like the grip guards. What are the buttons on top of the mirror?

[MrJumps]

Speakers my bud, pretty neat but these little bikes are a little loud for such imo. Maybe a set of door speakers on the front panal with wires hidden by the glovebox would do the honest job.

[eclark5483]

I tried them out already. The music is actually quite loud when driving down the road. I have it loaded up with about a 1,000 mp3's of all 80's music (my son's favorite). All my scooters utilize FM/mp3 player mirrors.

[bonesv]

That's first class bubba! Beautiful job on the paint scheme and congrats to knocking off Michigan! and love the Taz power!!!

[eclark5483]

Thank you. What meant the most though, is asking my son how he liked it, and seeing this.

[coctailer]

Sweet build!!

[Meatball]

That's one happy kid if I ever saw one...mission accomplished, bud. Hats off to you and yours.

[bonesv]

Thank you. What meant the most though, is asking my son how he liked it, and seeing this.

Priceless

[R1Titan911]

Good Stuff!

[benji]

I tried them out already. The music is actually quite loud when driving down the road. I have it loaded up with about a 1,000 mp3's of all 80's music (my son's favorite). All my scooters utilize FM/mp3 player mirrors.

Where's you get em? I did the door speakers in the glove box mod and it takes alot of power cuz you gotta run an amp for em. The mirror thing would work well I bet cuz it's closer to your head.

[MrJumps]

He probably wired a motocycle radio head into the harness. Not too hard.

[eclark5483]

I tried them out already. The music is actually quite loud when driving down the road. I have it loaded up with about a 1,000 mp3's of all 80's music (my son's favorite). All my scooters utilize FM/mp3 player mirrors.

Where's you get em? I did the door speakers in the glove box mod and it takes alot of power cuz you gotta run an amp for em. The mirror thing would work well I bet cuz it's closer to your head.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... s&_sacat=0

[Ultraliner]

That is some top class work right there eclarke, major kudos to you on your freakin sweet build!!

Those reprinted factory decals really do top it off. Amazing detail

[eclark5483]

Yeah well, when I say "RESTORE" I really mean "RESTORE". What's nice, is when I do the ISU Cyclones version, that should go alot quicker because now I know what to do. I'll know what parts to buy, where to find them except of course the hard to find floor mat and glove box. Need to invest in some dust covers as well. I'm giving this Spree, and it's ISU brother a new lease on life. I want them to remain beautiful for many years to come. That's how vintage scooters should be treated. Not beat all to heII and driven like they're dirt bikes or something. I have full faith and confidence, it is something that I would never, ever have to worry about my son doing to it.

I have higher resolution scans for the guys at SS Collision and Cycleworks of all the graphics I uploaded on this site so they can replicate them for me for the next one. A few of them need cleaned up a bit better, so I'll let them handle it. I stink at photoshop, my daughter is the artist, not me, so when they get those cleaned up and redone, I'll repost them for everyone else.

And actually, I think I have a couple more "POWERED BY TAZ" decals left over if anybody is interested in them.

Future work I am having done, is I am having the seat reupholstered. It will have yellow sides with black "HONDA" lettering in back. The top will be black and the Iowa Hawkeyes eagle will be pressed into it towards the upper middle section.

I got a buddy who does this work on leather, he said it should be no prob at all pressing it in.