2 Wheels Maybe

Last weekend, Grizz, D, and I trekked all the way out to Slaton to check out the Caprock Classic Car Club's 24th annual car show on the square. I spent a fair part of my youth preparing for and hanging out at car shows. Old habits die hard. (And there's the Slaton Bakery's vanilla wafers over there for added incentive.) I have a weakness for greyhounds and hood ornaments. Lots of cool cars were parked around the square. My favorite oddballs were a gorgeous Morris Minor, a 1907 Buick, a hot-rod Studebaker Lark wagon, and a Triumph GT with right hand drive. Overall, it was an amazing collection of things that burn a lot of gasoline. Morris Minor Dodge Rat Rod Dodge Delivery There was a solid tie for the car-I'd-most-like-to-electrify award: a 1961 Beetle (with every possible accessory you could imagine) and a sweet little 1965 Ranchero (in basic white). I was thankful to see no hippie vans or Allstate Jetsweeps with for sale signs. I ...

Normally, I like to write about odd and unexpected vehicles, but today I'm writing about a rare and unexpected occurrence - a reader not only used the comment feature but also asked a couple of questions. This is exciting stuff! The Pigeon Projects (Where I Talk too Much) My e-Vespa Years ago, I converted a vintage Vespa scooter to run on batteries. I replaced the original running gear with a rear hub motor and replaced the fuel system with a 48 volt battery pack. And it was mostly a success. But I made one minor miscalculation - I ended up with a scooter that would run only 28 miles per hour. And Lubbock is pretty much a 40 mph town. Even on residential streets, West Texans have little use for dorks inconsiderate enough to run less than 35. The Vespa has been ridden very little, but no one has run it over! I learned then that the biggest drawback to using a hub motor is that the only practical way to add speed is to add more voltage.  But I had already spent a l...

[I'm resurrecting Fossil-Free-Friday over here on 2Wheels Maybe. I hope you enjoy the posts!] As a guy who loves old vehicles but hates the environmental damage they do, I love seeing cool EV conversions, and some of my favorites are the air-cooled VWs. They convert pretty easily, they're light and simple, they're a blast to drive, and they're fun to look at. One company that has excelled in converting old VWs (and Porsches) is Zelectric in California. I've followed their feed for a while now - they build some gorgeous machines and they use high-end AC motors and components. These cars perform as well as they look and accelerate a whole lot faster than a stock VW. Yep, I'm a big fan. But I'm none too wealthy. And their conversions start at $56,000. So, while they're incredibly cool, they're unobtainium for regular Joes, Joseys, and Mesquite Huggers like me... Find out how to win on Electrek.co ...unless someone decided to raffl...