I just bought a used Torker for $40 off of FB marketplace. Upon closer inspection after getting it home I noticed that the wheel had been mounted backwards with the right pedal on the left and the left pedal on the right. The seller stated that he could “kind of ride” but was giving it up and the tire doesn’t look like it has any wear other than being a little dirty so I’m guessing that it hasn’t been ridden much this way. The pedals and crank arms seem tight and sturdy and correcting the wheel orientation is easy enough but now I’m paranoid wondering if the pedals were assembled correctly with the corresponding crank arm. The pedal stamped “R” is mounted in the crank arm stamped, “TOP 152 J-5” with an “R” stamped in a bigger font. The pedal stamped “L” is mounted in the crank arm stamped, “TOP 152 J- and what looks like it could be a 5”. Would I be correct assuming that the “R” stamped in a bigger letter means it’s the right crank arm and is not part of the serial number and that the pedals and crank arms look to be assembled correctly according to the pictures below?
You can check by undoing the pedals as the right hand pedal is a standard right hand thread and the left pedal is a left hand thread.
Looks good. Just turn the wheel (or twist the seat 180°) and you are ready to go.
It’s pretty hard to install the pedal into the wrong crank. I’ve seen it done, but it requires some brutal cross threading and the pedals would probably still end up being lose or at a wonky angle.
I’d be very surprised if the pedals were cross threaded, by undoing them you’ll be able to check the right pedal arm is on the right hand side, left on the left.
The frame should have some sort of badge on it that faces forwards and obviously saddle orientation should be pretty clear.
Then you’ll know that’s all is as should be
The pedals are really on there! I was using considerable force to try and loosen them and they aren’t budging a bit so I don’t want to force anything and mess with that any further. It’s probably best to leave well enough alone and assume that they are assembled correctly and that the original owner didn’t cross thread and use gorilla force to make that work. I haven’t tried to ride it yet but the pedals seem to be on straight and working properly. The badge/sticker on the frame is what tipped me off that the wheel was on backwards so I’ll flip the wheel and then everything should be as it should be.
glad to see you found one, the Torker should hold up well while you get yourself going. Good luck with your new adventures and keep posting back here as you go. I remember when I started back after a 40 year pause, I was posting here every time I made a new milestone
I’d build it up so the badge is on the front and putting pedals so that R is on the right , L on the left, remove wheel and spin 180degress if needed and just ride it. check from time to time that pedals haven’t come loose.
glad to see you found one, the Torker should hold up well while you get yourself going. Good luck with your new adventures and keep posting back here as you go. I remember when I started back after a 40 year pause, I was posting here every time I made a new milestone
After missing out on the Torker that had only been listed a couple days I’ve been scouring the internet. The Torker I found on FB marketplace had been listed for 2 months! It was listed as a “uni cycle” (two words) and buried under pages and pages of bicycles so maybe that was why it had been out there so long. It has some obvious “learning scars” but judging from the tire and what the seller said in his ad, I don’t think it was ridden very much and aside from the scars, it looks to be in pretty good shape! I’ll post about my learning experiences. I hope this endeavor is more fun than folly, it’s been about 50 years since I last rode a unicycle!
Welcome back to unicycles. I look forward to seeing you post a photo of your Torker. I myself learned on one and it holds a special place in my uni experiences.
I second periodically checking that cranks and pedals are secure. Especially if doing any backwards riding. If not a UPD is possible.
Again. A warm uni welcome.
As requested! (It’s a 24" CX) Given that I’m too heavy for it, (I’m guessing that it’s probably rated for
200 lbs [?] so I’d be about 34 lbs over.) I’ll be keeping a close eye on the pedals and cranks and other mechanics in hopes of waylaying or delaying any damage the “overload” might cause.
That looks great and a bargain for the price you paid 
The outer edges of the pedals are pretty chewed up, there’s some scratches/chips in the paint and the seat bumpers are scratched up as would be expected but the tire doesn’t show any wear so I’m guessing the owner spent a lot more time trying to learn to ride than he did actually riding it. I was very pleased with the condition and with the price. (He asked $50 but accepted $40. I would have been fine paying $50 if he didn’t bite.) What did these (CX) sell for new when they were still available?
Torker made CX/LX/DX models with CX being the lower end, then LX being nicer, and DX the high end. The CX and LX continued on as Diamondback and Raleigh models, at least for a while. I think they’re gone now, though.
It should be good enough to re-learn to ride. But the saddle looks super uncomfortable, and it probably will twist around because of the wimpy seat clamp, and the whole machine will probably go kablooiee if you get good enough to dare riding off a curb… So if you think you’ll stick with the sport, I’d keep scanning the ads for something a little nicer like UDC’s Club model. I wouldn’t upgrade the Torker.
It might have sold for $100 back in the day?
At first when I decided I’d like to try unicycle again I was mentally preparing myself to buy the uni I think I wanted to end up with - a one and done approach. (If I were to pick now it would probably be a Nimbus II 24" or 26") After reading a lot of the advice given here it started to make much more sense to get something cheap (at least price-wise) to learn/re-learn on. That way I can decide if I want to stick with it and get a better idea of what I would want with a better uni.
I’m going to baby the Torker and don’t see challenging it beyond riding on streets, sidewalks and paved paths. (No curbs!) I haven’t tried it yet but I think you may be right about the seat. It’s very firm and will probably be a real taint buster! 
When looking for a cheap used unicycle to re-learn on I was seeing a lot of Suns, Funs, Avenirs and a few Schwinns. How does a Torker rank or compare to any of those?
You have done right thing and what most do is start with a cheap unicycle to see how they get on with it.
If you get the bug and start looking for something more be aware that theres not many 24" tyre options, 26" are currently ok ish , 27.5" & 29" are the main focus due to them being popular in the mountain bike world currently.
Personally i like 27.5" as i find it a good size but best we not turn this into a which size is best as there is a such thread on here already.
For now get out riding your new ride and enjoy whilst rembering that you will get lots of help and advice here if needed.
Don’t sweat it new cotterless cranks are inexpensive as are pedals. You may want to experiment at some point. Get your self a crank pulling tool for square tapered hubs.
Pedals with a larger platform may help you land your feet a little easier.