Say Hello to GREEN BEAN!!!!my stretchcruiser buddy!!!

This is good ol' GREEN BEAN.I built him about 5 or 6 years ago and he has been a very reliable,comfortable,friend and companion ever since. I named him green bean because his particular shade of olive drab ( I got the paint from Andy + Bax ) reminded me of those awful tasting canned green beans,kinda dark and scary!! They look like they might have been in that can since THE BIG ONE ( WW-2 )!!!!!!!!!!!! I really like the rugged look of military vehicles, in fact if I ever have a motor vehicle again it would hafta be one of those 6 wheel drive soft top troop transport jobbies ( there is one at a car lot on n.e. 16th + Sandy!! ). I probably would only take it camping,or maybe just use it like a fort for my grand kids!! I bet they would love it!!!!! My Dad ( Robert John Stapleton ) actually learned how to drive in one of these things IN WW-2!!!!!! And you thought you had it tough in drivers ed class!!! At least nobody was shootin' atcha'!!! Well,I guess that depends on where you live!!!!!! Anyhoo, back to Green Bean,as I mentioned in an earlier post,his front triangle is from an old 50's Marshall-Wells hardware store balloon tire bike. The rest of the frame I pieced together from cheapo mountain bike frames and forks. He has a double fork,double brake setup in the front.I thought I'd try something different,oh dopey me!!!!! It works really well in some ways,and in some ways it doesn't !! Stops GREAT in dry conditions,you can even skid the front wheel! When it's wet or there is loose gravel or wet leaves,WATCH OUT DADDIO, you might end up on the ground and leavin' a skid mark with your flesh!!!!!!!! I forgot something important!! THERE IS NO WEIGHT OVER THE FRONT WHEEL!!!!!!!! It's all in the back where my fat butt is!!!! Oh well, live and learn ( as my MOMMY, Donna C. Stapleton is fond of saying ).I won't make that mistake again.This is a great example of putting ones ideas to work , DO NOT BE AFRAID TO JUST TRY SOMETHING!!!!! If it doesn't work out,try to think of things that might improve on your original attempt,just keep at it until you get the results you're after!! You WILL LEARN a great deal along the way and end up with something to be proud of!!! After all there is NOTHING better than makin' your own stuff and ridin' it on down the road!!!!!!! Green Beans got a decent set of fat fenders that I had laying around at the time I built him.He also has a nice wide springer seat and a cut down banana seat sissy bar with a little pad I made with plywood,T-nuts,and some upholstery material I snagged out of a dumpster. Gotta have one of these if you actually RIDE your stretchcruiser,otherwise yer butt just keeps slidin' towards the back of the seat and all that ferocious leg power is dissipated!!!!!! NOT GOOD!! He also has 18 gears although I rarely use any more than the middle six,I,m a slow joe!! G-B has a nice big HONKER!!!!!! I went to the Foster Auto Parts wreckin' yard and scored a Ford van horn,mounted it on a crossbar I made for his handlebars. I then got a small 12 volt battery ( I think it's the type used in emergency lighting systems )and put that under the seat. The wires and cables are all run through the frame,and there's a nice big horn button right next to the shifter!!! When those dang cars pull out in front of me I BLAST 'EM REAL GOOD!!!!!! Any questions,comments,or criticism (positive or negative ) please e-mail me at omahgarsh@gmail.com -I,d love to hear what you have to say!!