My Tourist 103 A2
I found my second A2 in Dennis Carpenter's museum in North Carolina.
I would have to say this scooter is the most original machine I have ever owned. I will document most of my discoveries so that other Heinkel owners can learn from it.
I really like many things about this scooter, but I would have to say the color is the neatest aspect of this scooter. This Tourist is Glacier Blue (Gletscherblau auf Deutsch). Basically it is a cross between robin's egg blue and mint green. The seat was red (although it has faded to a Heinz 57 reddish brown), and the plastic trim is red. The rubber bits are gray.
I found that the rear body panel did hide a few problems. None were monumental. The fuel tap had been replaced with an aftermarket equivalent. The muffler has been patched. The funniest thing here is that they painted the muffler tip to make it look original!
The oil drain plug is totally chewed up. I don't dare remove it until I have a spare in hand.
In early January 2006, I received many spares for this beauty. I replaced the fork boots and fork oil, replaced all cables except the speedo and rear brake, replaced the points, replaced the grips and blinker rubber, checked valve openings, and changed fluids.
This scooter runs like a dream.
I need to replace the muffler - the scooter has a really unusual sound due to the muffler hole. I also need to replace the mushroom seal. It has a little bit of leaking around the clutch arm.
At some point, I will replace the tires. It came with the original Metzlers which are beautiful. I expect they will begin to crack once I put on a few hundred miles.
I have ridden this scooter about 20 miles. In that short time, the original seat has started to fall apart. The seat color looks like a Heinz 57 sort of brownish red -due to fading. The original color is near a cherry red. I will make a cherry red cover and matching spare tire cover. The legshield plastic trim was also red, but it has faded to black. Headlight trim is also red.
The Heinkel Club Deutschland. sells the legshield trim in red, but the headlight trim is only available in black or gray. I also need to replace the rear tail light assembly - it is cracked. The rear brake light and the horn don't work, but I suspect this might be a wiring issue.
My immediate goal for this scooter is to make it a reliable rider for the 2006 rally season. I doubt I will ever restore this scooter. It is beautiful the way it is.