1980 ATC 70 Build........ The Mikey trike

[trizilla]

thought i would share some pics of a 70 i scored a few months back. not sure if i have any before pics of it but i'll try to explain some of what i have done. sort of a bittersweet story behind this trike and i'll share that too. but first, here are some pics.:Bounce
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[trizilla]

ok, i'll try to keep this short but its tough to tell the story.. as i said, i scored the trike a few months back. it was rough, rear axle bearings were shot, gas cap junk, seat and rear fenders were waste, tires were cracked and barely holding air. it started up but would only run for a couple minutes before stalling. someone at some point had welded a piece of steel to the top tripple and the front end and mounted a round headlight to it, the light worked but looked like crap. so i brought this in the garage it it was time to rip it apart ( insert mike).

[trizilla]

about a yr ago me and my family of 6 ( including our 100 lb douge de bordeaux) had to move back into town from the family farm so my wife could go back to work on the internet. once we were here and things started to settle i decided to indulge in the much needed home repairs. first was the replacement on the basement drain, this is when i met Mike. Mike was the neighbor next door, has his own family of 5 and the dog.

Mike and i hit it off very well as i've been a mechanic for 10+ yrs and Mike spent 12 yrs working in nascar as an engine and carb specialist for rousch (sp) racing. needless to say, a friendship was born. after hundreds and hundreds of adult beverages this 70 was scored and it was agreed that we would do it up. now after mike willingly left nascar to be closer to his family he found work as a machinest. can you imagine having your nieghbor be a former nascar engine builder turned machinest? it was great, we had alot of big plans for this little bike and really intended to "do it up".

[trizilla]

as i type this the story gets harder and harder to tell, i'll wrap it up quick. fast forward, we have the 70 apart to the frame, agree that mike will take parts to work for blasting and paint. the color, BLACK.. mike took the rear hubs, axle spacers, brake drum, wheels, and front seat mount and 2 wks later brought them back finished. at this point i have finally got the crap headlight cut off the front end and the forks and frame seperate. these were next to blast and paint along with the front hub. at this point were are at the end of may.

i went to air mx on the 28th and raced with Raffa and Sanchez ( thanks Raffa) . on the 29th Mike was here about 10:00 am with his youngest son Johnny to show me Johnny's new pw 80 and have a cold one. Mike was so proud that he finally talked his wife into letting Johnny have a dirt bike( mike's first bike was an 83 yz 80). we chatted for a while and both had things to do.

mike and i hooked back up about 2:00 pm for a couple more drinks on his picnic table witch was great as he had the opportunity to help my daughter learn to ride his daughters xr 100. after some conversation about the 70 we agreed he would take the rest of the parts that week and get them refinished. we split about 3:30 pm and agreed to meet up later for a bonfire.

at about 10:00 pm im wondering where my buddy is and my oldest friend shows up to give me the news, Mike died in a dirt bike accident at about 7:05 pm that night. no one knows what happened as he was alone just gone for a little spin and unfortunatly his 15 yr old son had found him. this sort of put a damper on the 70 build....

[trizilla]

after a few weeks of not being able to look at the 70 i decided i owed it to him to ride this beast as i was building it for him to ride with me on my other 70. thats where im at now, still in the build stage but the trike runs.

so far i have replaced the rear axle bearings and seals, installed 3 new tires, replaced the fuel cap,and replaced the spark plug. i scored some rear fenders and the seat from another good friend that i got into trikes. i have serviced the engine, valve adjust, cam chain adjust, clutch adjust and an oil change.

this bike runs ok now but definetly needs a new carb. i put the old carb from my 84 on it but that one had needle jet and needle issues when i took it off the 84. im undecided on wether i will buy a replacment carb or drop in the loncin 110 the i have in the garage in a storage tote.

im currently working on a headlight set up for it, i'll put some pics up so the triking community can give me some input.

[trizilla]

so here's what im thinking for a headlight. it may not work, and if you think it wont dont hesitate to tell me. at this point i dont think the lighting coil will provide enough wattage to light this up but i think i will try anyway.

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[dcreel]

I think it's awesome to do a build as a tribute to your friend. It's a way to keep their memory alive.. Not to mention you are still doing it together, and I'm sure he would like to see it finished. Looking good..

[trizilla]

I think it's awesome to do a build as a tribute to your friend. It's a way to keep their memory alive.. Not to mention you are still doing it together, and I'm sure he would like to see it finished. Looking good..

thanks..... im gonna keep this around and slowly work at it.

[Vealmonkey]

Wow Eric, that's a different story than I was expecting to read. Sorry about your friend Mikey. I hope you're ok? He sounds like a decent guy and pretty interesting as well. At least you had a chance to become friends before he passed. I know you and your family are good people, so he was just as lucky to have you as a friend as you were to have had Mikey as a friend. I'm sure his family will enjoy your familys' continued friendship and support. I wish both of your families all the best during this trying time. RIP Mikey

[DRKCYDE]

Godspeed
Sorry for the loss of your friend.