And now, the 76-year-old Tauranga missionary is riding his "reflection of youth" the length of New Zealand to raise funds to buy an aeroplane.
Mr Carter bought the bike in 1959 and shipped it to Papua New Guinea where he and his family were doing missionary work.
He said the DOT was ideal for the remote and rugged conditions he encountered in the Western Highlands District of Papua New Guinea, and was his only mode of transport for the seven and a-half years he lived there.
When it was time to return to New Zealand, the bike was "a wreck", so he sold it to the mission and left it in Papua New Guinea.
Thirty-eight years later, Mr Carter had retired and was keen to relive a small piece of his youth by buying another 1955 DOT Scrambler.
After a long search, he found one and, to his surprise, it turned out to be his old 1955 model.
"I was convinced that God was part of this reunion and I made the decision to ride the DOT from Cape Reinga to Bluff, as a fundraising venture towards the purchase of a new Mission Aviation Fellowship plane for Papua New Guinea," he said.
Mr Carter was in Dunedin yesterday, near the end of his 2220km, 14-day trip.
He was bound for Gore, and planned to reach Bluff by the end of the week.
His ride will end at the Burt Munro Challenge at Oreti Beach, near Invercargill, this weekend.
So far, he had been able to raise more than $20,000 on his road trip - well short of the $1 million needed to buy the new Australian-built GA8 Airvan which would be used to transport supplies, passengers and patients to and from remote areas in Papua New Guinea.
He is not perturbed: "I'm praying hard more funds will turn up."
