My Springer turns 10 years old this month!
I started talking to Whipper and the Model Citizen during the fall of 2007. Whip had unveiled the Yellow Spider and I was hooked. I reached out to him about upgrading my Attex. At the time, he had pretty much scratch-built the frame that went into the Spider to accommodate the larger bearings. I wasn't sure I could have a frame fabricated for my own machine. He eventually figured out a way to use larger bearings in a stock frame. That's when I made the leap!
My parts arrived in March of 2008. I began secretly assembling the Apache ("Quasimodo", "The Creature" and "Sticky" were each considered as names since I was informed that I could not have a kit unless I promised to give the springer a name). It made its 1st appearance at the Ledges ride in Ohio in July, 2008.
Since finishing the build, the only part that ever needed replacing was one wheel bearing (probably a result of nasty Busco water finding its way into the boot) I'm still running on the same axles, sprockets and axle bearings I installed in 2008. Since 2008, my machine has been driven in the swamps of Busco, the Catskill mountains, on the track at Pine Lake and in the canyons of the Arizona desert....it has not been babied. IT ROCKS!
I know I was Whip's 1st customer. I think my machine was the 2nd springer he built (the SS might have beaten me). Whip and the Model Citizen have been like family ever since its inception!
Happy Birthday to the Apache!!!
