The Sell A short time later I took the test again and was successful. However, the engine was having increasing trouble starting, and a slow bike was becoming even slower. A quick inspection of the top end revealed a broken ring on the front cylinder. Luckily there were more on the piston, so I just removed the culprit and reassembled the engine with one ring short. That bought me a few hundred miles more when the next ring on the same piston would break. Now there was only one ring left and horsepower was seriously lacking. The rings were catching on the exhaust port and disintegrating, and an overbore was most definitely required. What to do? Another trip to Sears, another purchase of a piston kit, and another top end rebuild. And oh yes, a for sale sign. The bike was fun to work on, and it did get me my license, but it was too much of an odd-ball to be worth the expense. It was time for a change, especially as the top end was good for only a short time before another failure. I placed an ad in Today, all I have left of the Allstate Twingle are some fond memories, a few fading pictures and a burnt piston that I have absolutely no use for, but for some unexplainable reason just cannot part with. But Wait - There's More! Recently, I was watching the Discovery channel and one of their biker specials when a picture of James Dean appeared on the screen. He was sitting on a motorcycle that immediately looked familiar. That distictive air cleaner mounted on the side, the fuel tank; why it looked just like my old Puch. I tried to search the net for that picture, but had no luck. Never-the-less it was kinda cool to see a bike I used to own straddled by a well known celebrity. November 6 2005 I received an email the other day from an individual from Texas. He had read about my experiences with the Puch 250 and my unsuccessful attempt of finding a picture of James Dean on it. He asked me if I would like him to send me his copy. Well, here it is! Thanks, Ronny, for taking the time.
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the Toronto Star and soon had an unsuspecting buyer in my grip. Money and registration was soon exchanged, and I remember warning the new owner to take 'er REAL easy due to the recent overhaul (cough-cough). I watched him ride off into the night and prayed that he would at least make it home. A week went by and I started to relax. Surely I would have heard from him by now if there was a problem. Or maybe he was too embarrassed. In any case, my hands were washed but my pocket was beginning to itch. Time for me to start pursuing the classifieds, and some new wheels.
