KTM Three Wheeler Conversion - Done!!!

[El Camexican]

Formerly “Wish me luck!” She’s on three now, so there’s no going back. Thanks to all who are following and helping :beer:

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[3 Wheel Drive]

Good Luck! :beer

[El Camexican]

As of last night

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The PO left it outside for most of its life. Every bolt squeals like a stuck pig coming out. I gave up on a few and doused them with PB Blaster before calling it a night.

[fabiodriven]

I should have posted about this stuff in the penetrating oil thread, I'd still like to. If you have the opportunity to get this stuff it's amazing. It pretty much washes away rust. It's an amazing penetrating oil but I use it just as much cleaning parts so it's a fantastic solvent as well. I think you have to get it from a Kimball Midwest dealer though.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/5b6e1bb95fbfa7656a2259d2965d86e6.jpg

[ezmoney1979]

I should have posted about this stuff in the penetrating oil thread, I'd still like to. If you have the opportunity to get this stuff it's amazing. It pretty much washes away rust. It's an amazing penetrating oil but I use it just as much cleaning parts so it's a fantastic solvent as well. I think you have to get it from a Kimball Midwest dealer though.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180520/5b6e1bb95fbfa7656a2259d2965d86e6.jpg

I have a can of this in my garage. Fabio is right, the stuff is amazing. And it kinda smells good unlike PB!

[coolpool]

What are your plans for it? To be honest I didn't know what you meant by "wishing you luck" but now that I see you're tearing it down I get it. It looks to be in very good shape.

[keister]

What are your plans for it? To be honest I didn't know what you meant by "wishing you luck" but now that I see you're tearing it down I get it. It looks to be in very good shape.

At first, I thought he meant good luck in not getting run off the road and wrecked on a mountain pass. Then I realized it was in the Trikesylvania forum, so it had better be the "before" picture of what will soon be a very awesome trike conversion.

[jb2wheels]

Your projects turn out so clean this should be awesome conversion or otherwise.

Good luck to ya!

[El Camexican]

The plan is to make it into a 300cc 2 stroke three wheeler.

I chose this particular model because if I chickened out, or simply couldn’t engineer it for some reason I have two other bikes that accept all the parts and vice versa. I’ve been playing mental ping pong between trike and bike every time I looked at it for months now. It’s fugly patina sticks out like a pimple on a prom queens face amongst my other toys and I finally made the decision to rebuild it as a bike last week, but then….

While making my usual pre-teardown check list I realized that it was going to cost me over $1,400 plus an unknown engine refresh and a lot of other parts I’ve already paid for that sitting around. Add in the usual OCD factor and I’d be sanding and polishing my brains out to end up with a $3,000 bike I’ll likely never need or sell. Add to this it would be done and over with in less than 2 months and I’ll be looking for another project.

So as of Saturday night after a lot of staring and rum sipping I decided to man up try the conversion. Typically if I make public my intent to do something I go through with it, so I posted the photo as motivation, but reserve the right to tuck tail and make it back into a bike at any moment before a cutting wheel hits the frame.

My biggest challenge will be my geographical location. It would be so much easier to do this if I could stand next to a KTM Quad and take measurements (hint, hint Fabs). Issue # 1 is clearance to kick start it. That alone may end the project, but it’s going to cost me a set of rear fenders in advance, same with the seat. Yes I could have bought an e-start bike, but then nothing would fit my other bikes.

Front end will require a custom tree and I’m not sure which wheel to use. This will be built with the dunes in mind, so something tall and wide that I can get a sand tire for is preferred. I like teh diameter of my 85 Tri-Z wheel, but tire selection is sparse. Any suggestions for a wheel or a custom triple tree maker would be appreciated. I have the option of a 20mm or 22mm axle, but I guess collars are an option.

Swing-arm will likely be a combination of Banshee parts that I will have to fab up myself. I want to use the aftermarket style that clamps a rotating hub. I have some interesting ideas for rear ride height adjustment that I want to incorporate with the non-link PDS shock.

Was hoping to find white or black plastic, but after talking to a KTM USA rep. orange is the only option. White and black plastic ran out a few years back. He said by law they have to offer parts for at least 10 years and the 2008 stuff is almost gone. He wouldn’t say it officially, but hinted that due to the limited run of quads they made that spare OEM parts will be gone “very soon”.

Last night I got it down to bits and pieces and started to appreciate that I chose to go with three wheels and not two. The fact that this guy stored the bike outside, even in our relatively arid climate ruined a lot of things I didn’t think I would have to replace the first time I scoped it out.

The lower shock bolt was so rusted that even after penetrating oil and heating I ended up spinning the greaseless bearing inside the swing-arm when I put an impart to it. It took two hours of hammering, heating and lubricating the bolt to get it out of the bearing. Motor mounts were the same, my electric impact gun wouldn’t bust them loose without heat and lube. I ended up having to weld a flat bar onto one sub-frame bolt to brake it loose. After all this I was dreading the swing-arm bolt, but it came loose after a little persuasion. Axels are pending.

The good news is that at a glance the thing wasn’t used much. If someone was in the engine they left no tracks.

All advise is welcome, especially if it’s free.

[Aulbaugh]

Looking forward to seeing what happens on this. I haven't seen a KTM trike conversion!

[El Camexican]

I haven't seen a KTM trike conversion!

There were photos of a very nice KTM 450 conversion going around a few years back. If anyone can post a photo or link it would be apreaciated.

[Dirtweed]

Good luck...this is going to be good.

[Bren_downe]

There were photos of a very nice KTM 450 conversion going around a few years back. If anyone can post a photo or link it would be apreaciated.

Dis' one?
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[El Camexican]

In for a penny, in for a pound.

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[fabiodriven]

This is great Nico. Just remember, it's going to be more work than you think, lol! I've been wrenching full time on three willers lately and I've noticed how much more work everything is than I'm anticipating! I'm excited to see this though and I know it's going to come out great. Chappy's quad is mere paces from me so...

[ironchop]

In for a penny, in for a pound.

252560That's not a dirt tire! [emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]

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[El Camexican]

This is great Nico. Just remember, it's going to be more work than you think. I've been wrenching full time on three willers lately and I've noticed how much more work everything is than I'm anticipating! I'm excited to see this though and I know it's going to come out great. Chappy's quad is mere paces from me so...

No doubt this is going to be a challenge.

Hopefully I won’t have to bug you too much for quad information, but I appreciate that it is available. The only big unknown right now is how the seat attaches to the rear fender. I’m not sure if there are some brackets I need to buy, or if it just clips into place with what looks like a rubber strap at the back.

The Tecates kicked to the rear right? At a glance it seems that I will probably have to either cut the fender on the kickstart side, or kick start the vehicle with my toe while facing towards the rear and standing on the ground. These engines aren’t that hard to start with the stock stock head, I guess they use a friendly ratio.

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[fabiodriven]

I will say that the plastics are unnecessarily complex to remove from that quad. I don't recall right this moment how the seat attaches, but every time we have to do anything to that quad, it's a lot of time. My opinion would be to forget how KTM does it and look to the masters of three wheeled production, you guessed it; Honda. Take a chapter from their book and make a seat that attaches to the plastics and have the whole kit and kabootle removable with one simple leever. (Say it, LEEVER) Then it doesn't matter if your kick start goes left, right, up, down, or gay (not that there's anything wrong with that). You'll have all the room in the world to kick. This is assuming, however, that you don't figure a way to do it with the plastics attached. Yes, Kawi had an indent on the Tech-8 fenders so you can kick improperly, that is backwards, so it is feasible.

[ironchop]

.... Take a chapter from their book and make a seat that attaches to the plastics and have the whole kit and kabootle removable with one simple leever. (Say it, LEEVER) Then it doesn't matter if your kick start goes left, right, up, down, or gay (not that there's anything wrong with that). You'll have all the room in the world to kick. This is assuming, however, that you don't figure a way to do it with the plastics attached. Yes, Kawi had an indent on the Tech-8 fenders so you can kick improperly, that is backwards, so it is feasible.


I agree. Do a custom mount that quickly detaches to kick it.

The Kaw indent was ok unless you wear a 13.5 boot. No beuno for big foot guys


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[El Camexican]

That's not a dirt tire! [emoji848][emoji848][emoji848]

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Nope LOL!!!

[86T3]

I'm not sure if you've looked into the process that the good conversions are going by, so I'll go through it. There's a lot of ill handling dirt bike conversions being made because people aren't following the steps correctly. Get your front end set up finished and bolted on. Once that is done use jack stands, shims and straps to get your rake and ride height set where you want it to be. Once that is locked in then work on your rear end setup. This order will ensure you have a trike that handles like a trike.

Knowing you I'm sure you'll knock it out of the park. Those fenders look like they may not interfere with a rear kick, I hope that's how it works out.

[fabiodriven]

I agree with Swatland but based on the street tire I would like to add that street trikes and dirt trikes are two very different things and would require two very different stances and rakes. I happen to have a metric ton of street trike experience so I can help you in that department, but actual rake numbers I'll leave to Chop and Bob Marlin. I think that's who the other guy was, as they taught me what I thought I knew about rake was completely wrong.

[El Camexican]

I'm not sure if you've looked into the process that the good conversions are going by, so I'll go through it. There's a lot of ill handling dirt bike conversions being made because people aren't following the steps correctly. Get your front end set up finished and bolted on. Once that is done use jack stands, shims and straps to get your rake and ride height set where you want it to be. Once that is locked in then work on your rear end setup. This order will ensure you have a trike that handles like a trike.

Knowing you I'm sure you'll knock it out of the park. Those fenders look like they may not interfere with a rear kick, I hope that's how it works out.

The handing is a major concern for me.

It would appear that the rake on the donor bike is almost identical to the rake on my Tri-Z which is slightly shortened up due to the extended swing arm. This was a motivating factor in the decision to advance on this project.

The new tire in the photo is 22” whereas the one on my Z is 24”. I don’t believe there are any limitations to the amount I can shorten the forks internally, other than the fact I don’t want to be left with 4” of suspension travel. I don’t have the number in my head at the moment, but I believe I can get the top of the steering head to within an inch of the Tri Z and still have 10” of travel and a relatively large front tire.

At the rear I plan to make an adjustable lower pivot point that should allow for right height (and rake) adjustment of at least 4”. Hopefully between starting out close to the geometry of the Tri Z and being able to adjust both ends it won’t be too difficult to get it to handle.

One thing I do not like about the four stroke conversions that I have seen is how tall they are. I am really hoping I am able to give this thing a low stance and a seat height that is no more than 2 inches higher than The Tri Z.

[El Camexican]

show us the inside of you colon

I’d be happy to, but first you need to pull your head out of your own arse and get down to MTY.

[El Camexican]

Does anyone have a Tri-Z front axle, rim or brake disc for sale?

Decided to go with the Z wheel for the 12” diameter and the fact that I have a spare hub here that looks like it can be adapted to work with the WP forks fairly easily.

Looks like a custom tree is in order as I don’t want to be restricted to the narrow setup that the street cruiser bikes have and I want to make sure the offset is enough to keep the fork tubes from hitting the rads.

[86T3]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the amount of suspension sag you have when you sit on the trike. Instead of shortening your forks, you could get progressive springs or softer springs so you are at 2 or 3"s of sag when you sit on it. The best way to visualize this is to think of a stadium truck. The sit relatively low when driving around but when theyre in the air you really see how much travel they have.

For the ease of parts and to open your tire options up I would go with the 250r front hub.

[El Camexican]

Another thing I forgot to mention is the amount of suspension sag you have when you sit on the trike. Instead of shortening your forks, you could get progressive springs or softer springs so you are at 2 or 3"s of sag when you sit on it. The best way to visualize this is to think of a stadium truck. The sit relatively low when driving around but when theyre in the air you really see how much travel they have.

For the ease of parts and to open your tire options up I would go with the 250r front hub.

Re: Sag

That’s should be an easy adjustment with the full sized WP forks, unlimited spring options and a nice spring preload design from the factory.

If possible I plan to stick with the Yamaha wheel if for no other reason because I already have a Yamaha that will except wheels back-and-forth.

[El Camexican]

John, when you get a chance could you take a photo of the foot peg mount on the quad and let me know the width of the mounts?

Thanks!

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[86T3]

Why does Fabio have such easy access to a kwad? Did he buy a kwad? Do I need to make a shirt that proclaims his love for a kwad?

[fabiodriven]

This is what we've got Nico.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180527/529fd0e6389634cf8aaaacac6808f648.jpg

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180527/7f7b7144617277ec3575ebf76f652a54.jpg

That's Chappy's kwad Joe. Only one way to solve this, with a kwad kount.

Kwadz owned by me- zero. Your turn.

[El Camexican]

Humm... Not what I was hoping for, but thank you just the same. The trike Bren-Downe posted up has ATV pegs on it and I was hoping they were an easy swap from the quad to the bike as KTM uses soooooo many of the same parts and designs between bikes, but I guess I need to decide if I trust welding extensions onto the bikes factory forged pegs, of if I need to start from scratch.

Looking closely at the photo of that KTM F conversion is creating more questions than its answering. Looks like the seat has a splice in it and that he used some sort of combination of ATV and bike plastic between the rear fenders and the seat. It also looks like he used a rear bike fender to make the front fender.

Yesterday I realized I was going to have to use a 10" front disc in order to use the WP forks and stock Brembo caliper, so my need for a stock disc has ended.

I'm thinking that the best way to do this will be to get a piece of steel laser cut to fit the Tri-Z wheel hub and also act as a brake hub that I can bolt a Galfer KTM disc onto. The distance that the adapter hub will add to the offset of the disc location in relation to the rim should give me at least 10mm of clearance between the caliper and the rim, but bolting the disc on with the caliper in place is probably still going to be a thing, unless I get lucky and the waves in the disc allow it.

[ironchop]

... but I guess I need to decide if I trust welding extensions onto the bikes factory forged pegs, of if I need to start from scratch...

Preheat the forged part with a torch if you're worried about it. I've only preheated on larger forged pieces though. Something as small as the footpeg lug might not require it. IIRC, the issue was molecular density so the mild steel melts faster than the forged causing the puddle to make more penetration on one part than the other but if your good at mig and can concentrate heat more towards the forged part or you are tig and have even better melt control, it won't really be an issue

You could always send it to KY to get a mild steel lug repopped but I'll bet you can pull it off without that



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[El Camexican]

Preheat the forged part with a torch if you're worried about it. I've only preheated on larger forged pieces though. Something as small as the footpeg lug might not require it. IIRC, the issue was molecular density so the mild steel melts faster than the forged causing the puddle to make more penetration on one part than the other but if your good at mig and can concentrate heat more towards the forged part or you are tig and have even better melt control, it won't really be an issue

You could always send it to KY to get a mild steel lug repopped but I'll bet you can pull it off without that



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I may have an old one to weld and test. Trying to error on the side of caution, can’t think of a worse part to break on a trike.

[ironchop]

I may have an old one to weld and test. Trying to error on the side of caution, can’t think of a worse part to break on a trike.Hey worst thing that could happen is to slip a peg, break your ankle and have the tire eat all the hair and skin off the back of your calf. That's child's play [emoji23]

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[86T3]

2.5. But they're all super kool, so its ok.

Can you post a pic of the dirt bike peg Nico?

[El Camexican]

2.5. But they're all super kool, so its ok.

Can you post a pic of the dirt bike peg Nico?

Post 29, or did you want a closer shot? What does 2.5 mean?

[El Camexican]

Hey worst thing that could happen is to slip a peg, break your ankle and have the tire eat all the hair and skin off the back of your calf. That's child's play [emoji23]

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No interest in taking extra risks, at my age stuff takes forever to heal and like my buddy says "Now it takes me all night to do what I used to do all night"

[fabiodriven]

2.5 is how many kwadz Joe has Nico.

[86T3]

Thanks, I skipped over it somehow. The pegs on my klx are bolted on so it was easy for Jason to make an adapter plate to bolt on the kwad pegs. You're definitely going to have to do some welding. Id recommend waiting till the bike is on 3 before mounting the pegs because it is likely that you won't want them in the position they were on the dirt bike. It's harder to do but sometimes needs to be done if you want the geometry to be correct. Because he moved the pegs on mine, Jason also had to make a new brake pedal and shifter.

[El Camexican]

Thanks, I skipped over it somehow. The pegs on my klx are bolted on so it was easy for Jason to make an adapter plate to bolt on the kwad pegs. You're definitely going to have to do some welding. Id recommend waiting till the bike is on 3 before mounting the pegs because it is likely that you won't want them in the position they were on the dirt bike. It's harder to do but sometimes needs to be done if you want the geometry to be correct. Because he moved the pegs on mine, Jason also had to make a new brake pedal and shifter.

I sure hope you’re wrong :eek:

Prior to committing to this I took a bunch of measurements from the steering head to varios “fixed” points on the frame including the foot pegs of my Tri Z and then took the same measurements on the donor bike.

I recal that the numbers were surprisingly similar with respect to how the riders hand to foot position would be between the two vehicals if nothing else changed. The biggest concern I have at the moment is what the seat height will end up like in relation to the foot pegs, but until I get my hands on the ATV seat it’s hard to even guess what might be required to make it low enough to avoid moving the pegs and then (ugg) modifying the brake and shifter. Even the kicker would be affected.

Moving on to happier thoughts the dxf file for the front disc adaptor is at the laser shop and the front axle drawings should be ready in the morning. Found a place in MO for the triples as well. The guy was totally into the job and the photos of his work look awesome.

[86T3]

If your measurements are correct then I bet you'll be fine. Different dirt bikes have different geometry, your frame may be closer to a trike geometry than mine was. It's just something some people don't put any thought into. Mine is actually based off of a (sigh) '86 250r

[El Camexican]

If your measurements are correct then I bet you'll be fine. Different dirt bikes have different geometry, your frame may be closer to a trike geometry than mine was. It's just something some people don't put any thought into. Mine is actually based off of a (sigh) '86 250r

Haha! The dreaded 250R geometry LOL! Seriously, I wish I had one here to copy.

KTM’s are known for being built to suit the needs of those strapping young men in lederhosen. Not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing for a conversion, but different they are.

[86T3]

Well, it would be faster if it was 87 Tecate geometry, but not everyone is into winning and being cool

[El Camexican]

The plate that will allow me to run a 10 inch KTM desk on a Yamaha hub will be ready next week. I’m getting them made in three different thickness so situating the disc in the caliper won’t require as much messing with the axle spacers. They’re pretty cheap, so I ordered 3 of each thickness if someone happens to want to put a 10” KTM disc on their Tri Z let me know.

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[El Camexican]

Fits like a glove

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[86T3]

Hey buddy, I saw this photo on the Book face and thought it might help you with your peg problem. This was Derrick Adams' solution to the foot peg mount on the 426 Yamaha he built. Bryan Ditch now owns the trike and Louis Mielke posted these pictures after he did some work on it recently.
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[El Camexican]

So I ran into some photos of conversions by a guy named Michael Noska DBA 220 Trikes LLC. He seems to have done a lot of conversions including a few KTM's. I can't seem to find a contact # or email for him. Anyone know this guy?


I would love to get an orange 250R fender like he seems to have a line on, or better yet an orange Tri-Z fender if anyone reading this has a spare.

[El Camexican]

Hey buddy, I saw this photo on the Book face and thought it might help you with your peg problem. This was Derrick Adams' solution to the foot peg mount on the 426 Yamaha he built. Bryan Ditch now owns the trike and Louis Mielke posted these pictures after he did some work on it recently.
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Maybe its a depth perception issue, but I don't see how that pivot can still work :wondering

[86T3]

I believe I know someone with an orange fender, I'll ask and get back to you about it.

That peg isn't meant to pivot, it's mounted solid. All aftermarket pegs are solid

[El Camexican]

I believe I know someone with an orange fender, I'll ask and get back to you about it.

That would be very appreciated.

[El Camexican]

Thank you Joe!

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[Dirtcrasher]

I'm liking this color scheme...:beer

[El Camexican]

I'm liking this color scheme...:beer

LOL! I'm not. I was dead set on white plastics, but after hours of searching o days and weeks it seems there is only one guy in Europe that has white plastic and I'd be looking at about $800 bucks for a rear fender, so orange is it. Thanks to Joe I don't have to paint a front fender now, but I guess there will have to be a lot more black used on things like the rims and frame now.

[El Camexican]

Just a mock-up, should have the rest of the bits tomorrow.

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[ironchop]

Me like! [emoji869]

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[El Camexican]

Plater finished today, so I was able to install the bearings and bolt it together for real. Tossed in a stock Tri-Z axle to get plated as well and plan to store it for a rainy day now that I know a custom axle is required for this project.

Thank you to all the members who are helping with this. Seeing as how none of them have mentioned providing any of the parts on the thread I’ll let them decide if they ever want to take a well deserved public bow.

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After a bunch of dead end phone calls over the past few weeks in search of a "carrier barrel" for an aftermarket Banshee hub I was directed to a place called JJ and A Racing. Anyone looking to make a swing-arm for a quad or trike should check them out, but before you buy anything go to the "Garage" tab and check for blems and reconditioned parts for cheap. Fast shipping too.

[El Camexican]

Started adding a little bling to the forks. They still need to torn down, revalved, sprung and shortened, but that’s a ways off.

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[OZQUAD44]

I'm really enjoying your work, I can't wait to see the final product.

What are those foot pegs off, they're awesome.




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[El Camexican]

I'm really enjoying your work, I can't wait to see the final product.

What are those foot pegs off, they're awesome.




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Thank you. I have no idea what they’re off and neither did the guy I bought them from. He had them listed as a Stainless ATV foot pegs of unknown origin and I was the only one who bid. 20 bucks delivered.

[OZQUAD44]

Thank you. I have no idea what they’re off and neither did the guy I bought them from. He had them listed as a Stainless ATV foot pegs of unknown origin and I was the only one who bid. 20 bucks delivered.

Ha ha, those are the best buys. Looks like they're off an aftermarket nerf bar system, I just can't place the brand. Nice looking pegs.

I've been planning a wr450f conversion for ages now. I've got most the parts. Just picked up my front hub and radiators this last week. Seeing your build in progress is giving me motivation to finish it.

Keep up the good work, and keep the pictures coming. So far so good.


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[El Camexican]

Ha ha, those are the best buys. Looks like they're off an aftermarket nerf bar system, I just can't place the brand. Nice looking pegs.

I've been planning a wr450f conversion for ages now. I've got most the parts. Just picked up my front hub and radiators this last week. Seeing your build in progress is giving me motivation to finish it.

Keep up the good work, and keep the pictures coming. So far so good.


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Cool! I’ve seen some of Kasey’s builds up close and it seems that the Yamaha’s come together pretty nicely. What colors are are going with?

[OZQUAD44]

Blue and white.

I've been collecting parts for ages. But nearly there now.


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[El Camexican]

Haven’t been able to do much on this and enjoying one of those rare periods in my life when everything I own that’s powered by gas is running, so I continue to polish things that don’t need polishing while I wait on parts.

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The swing arm bushings were ready today. Still haven’t got a clear design in my head. I’m going to have to decide if the shock is going to remain offset, of be moved to the centerline of the frame.

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[Red Rider]

Geez Mr. Suave, you are bored! Looking nice. It's a compulsion now, isn't it? Everything must be polished. You can't stop now.

[El Camexican]

Geez Mr. Suave, you are bored! Looking nice. It's a compulsion now, isn't it? Everything must be polished. You can't stop now.

I can’t disagree with you. I’m wondering if anodizing would cure me of this, but I’m told that polished parts look better when anodized than non-polished parts.

[Red Rider]

I’m wondering if anodizing would cure me of this, but I’m told that polished parts look better when anodized than non-polished parts.True statement. When polished, then anodized, the finished product will look like colored chrome. Do your homework though. When put through an identical anodizing process, different types or grades of aluminum, will result in different coloring results. Parts milled from billet aluminum will turn out the best, and cast aluminum will come out the worst.

[El Camexican]

True statement. When polished, then anodized, the finished product will look like colored chrome. Do your homework though. When put through an identical anodizing process, different types or grades of aluminum, will result in different coloring results. Parts milled from billet aluminum will turn out the best, and cast aluminum will come out the worst.

If I do proceed it will be with black as clear and silver are my only other options here. Probably should hold off for now, but black fork tubes and calipers would look sweet.

[El Camexican]

Picked up enough parts this week to start making sparks. Unfortunately some dummy ordered 10” diameter rims and 8” diameter tires, that’s not going to work.

This Banshee axle looks pretty wide. Any opinions on how wide is too wide in the dunes?

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It looks like I might get real lucky on the sprocket alignment. As best as I can guess at the moment it’s going to be almost exactly in line with the KTM drive sprocket without offsetting the hub, or shimming the rear sprocket.

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[HondaRidr]

Not sure what a tri-z would feel like but I personally like around 48" or less on my Rs and tecate. Too wide makes it feel weird imo.

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[El Camexican]

Not sure what a tri-z would feel like but I personally like around 48" or less on my Rs and tecate. Too wide makes it feel weird imo.

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If I use what I have now I'll end up close to 52". I may end up having to flip the rims around, that would get me down to 46", but would look odd. I could also use stock hubs, that would get me down to 49" with the rims on the proper way.

Anyone here running over 50" wide?

[ironchop]

..... Unfortunately some dummy ordered 10” diameter rims and 8” diameter tires, that’s not going to work....


Well.

Fancy that.

THIS dummy did the opposite. I ordered 10" tires accidentally for my 9" inch wheels recently



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[oldskool83]

You gonna cut up the ktm swinger or just built a new one?

[El Camexican]

You gonna cut up the ktm swinger or just built a new one?

Build from scratch.

The KTM bike swinger is aluminum and the KTM quads are steel, so no mixing and matching options there. Splicing cast aluminum of unknown grades is something I had no desire to experiment with and the only guy I know that I would trust to weld it up lives in Canada. Besides that the KTM bike uses an offset rear PDS shock with no link, so welding on a Yamaha or Honda ATV rear onto the aluminum KTM swinger would have required running a link in the center. The center location might still happen if I can figure out the air box, but the engineering needed to position a link shock set-up does not appeal to me.

The steel front pivots are shown in post #64. JJ and A supplied the rear pinch sleeve parts and carrier. I picked up some 3" X 1" .075" wall rec. tube the other day thinking I would split it and transition it from 3" to 2" from the rear to the front, but as I want to use the KTM chain slider that doesn't work for a number of reasons (For the record it would have looked really cool).

Today's mind wanderings are about a 1"sq tube trestle styled swinger that can act as a skid plate as well. Whatever I end up doing I want it to be one-off, strong and light in that order.

[El Camexican]

Well.

Fancy that.

THIS dummy did the opposite. I ordered 10" tires accidentally for my 9" inch wheels recently



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It gets better. After paying the Mexican taxes to import my goodies I realized that RMATV shipped me two RH tires instead of a left and right.

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[oldskool83]

Can't you rotate one 360 and it will look like the other side.

[Red Rider]

Can't you rotate one 360 and it will look like the other side.If he does that, he will be right back where he started.

[El Camexican]

If he does that, he will be right back where he started.

Yep, that about sums it up :lol:

These are directional and have scoops. No option to flip them around.

[oldskool83]

I ment rotate the tire the direction it does not rotate like the way most stack them flat.

[El Camexican]

I ment rotate the tire the direction it does not rotate like the way most stack them flat.

I get you, but that’s 180 degrees. Unfortunately it’s not an option with these like it is on 4 Snows.

[El Camexican]

Front axle arrived and it’s exactly what I wanted. Probably need to shorten one spacer (adjustments were always expected), but that’s it. Very impressed with Mr. Anonymous Machinist’s work.

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Left side tire came in as well. Had our washing machine not crapped out yesterday I’d be living the dream.

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[ironchop]

Front axle arrived and it’s exactly what I wanted. Probably need to shorten one spacer (adjustments were always expected), but that’s it. Very impressed with Mr. Anonymous Machinist’s work.....

His name is Brent... Coworker and good personal friend.

He does all our shop's "one-off" lathe work... as in, where you get enough material to make one piece, so it has to be right the first time.

All I did was mill the hex head on one end so he got the majority of the coin and credit

I'll pass on your compliments, though.

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[El Camexican]

Using the latest in quantum red neck technology I’ve concluded that 11.875” fork centers and 2.5” of offset as at least one helpful member here is using will pretty much clear everything including rad guards. 2” might do it, but I’d likely need to loose the rad guards and reduce the turning radius as well as space the rad shrouds out a bit.

I’m about to do some serious reading on this subject, but given the cost of a set of custom triple clamps I think I’m better off going with the 2.5 offsets rather than find out I pulled a Maxwell Smart and “missed it by that much” later on.

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[ironchop]

Your construction paper 2D modeling skills are phenomenal.

[emoji39]

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[El Camexican]

Your construction paper 2D modeling skills are phenomenal.

[emoji39]

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You should see what I can do with a napkin and a crayon :lol:

[El Camexican]

Thanks to the moral support of a fellow member who we'll just call "Bob" I worked up the nerve to order the triple clamps from EMIG Racing. Gary knows the KTM clamps intimately, so all he needed was the distance between the fork tubes and the off-set in order to get started. I have a feeling they will be the focal point of the trike.

Powder coater came through today and I got busy on the swing-arm a few nights back. What I wasn't able to do was get the tires to seat on the rims. Will try again tomorrow with a bigger compressor.

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Messing with the spacers it looks like I can get the overall width down to 48.5" if I want, or out to 51". What I can't do is use the super trick Tusk hubs I picked up unless I want to be about 53" wide, so I opted for a set of Vito's forged hubs which are the fugliest looking forgings I've ever seen. Spent about 30 minutes on each removing slag and tooling marks prior to blasting and painting. The look ok, but stockers are much cleaner.

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What I wasn't able to do was get the tires to seat on the rims. Will try again tomorrow with a bigger compressor.

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[ironchop]

Nice work.

That axle makes your @$$ look fat.

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[El Camexican]

That axle makes your @$$ look fat.

So do my jeans and every mirror in the house, it’s a conspiracy!

[Red Rider]

Everything is looking real nice so far.


...I opted for a set of Vito's forged hubs which are the fugliest looking forgings I've ever seen. Spent about 30 minutes on each removing slag and tooling marks prior to blasting and painting. The look ok, but stockers are much cleaner.Why not the oem hubs then?

[oldskool83]

53: is wide. I thought 50" was wide in my toys. good progress so far.

[BOB MARLIN]

Your welds make mine look like 3 year old built my swingarm. Nice job !

[El Camexican]

Why not the oem hubs then?

I don't have any. I'm putting this axle together from scratch and didn't want to buy used ones, so I went with what I assumed would be superior to OEM.



Your welds make mine look like 3 year old built my swingarm.

You see only what I want you to see :lol: I blew through a few times, but that one bead came out ok. I never was very good at welding the light stuff, 3/16” and up is so much easier.

[Red Rider]

I don't have any. I'm putting this axle together from scratch and didn't want to buy used ones, so I went with what I assumed would be superior to OEM.Gotcha. I thought these might be some special, trick, aluminum numbers.

[El Camexican]

Gotcha. I thought these might be some special, trick, aluminum numbers.

That’s what I wanted to go with, but they make the trike too wide. I may try them on my Tri Z.

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[El Camexican]

It sure would be nice to have unfettered access to a machine shop, but such is life.

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[Dirtcrasher]

Soap up that tire, she'll seat!! I usually put a ratchet strap around the O.D. of the tire to keep it from expanding too much.

You probably know that trick...

[El Camexican]

Soap up that tire, she'll seat!! I usually put a ratchet strap around the O.D. of the tire to keep it from expanding too much.

You probably know that trick...

Soaped them up again and hit them with a larger compressor. Sealed up nicely this time, but it took over 40 psi to do one of them, I can't remember a tire that banged that hard when it beaded. Maybe something to do with the powder coating? :wondering Getting them off should be fun.

[El Camexican]

Starting to get interesting now. Unfortunately I can’t finish the swing arm until I decide if the shock is going to be offset or in the center.

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[ironchop]

It sure would be nice to have unfettered access to a machine shop, but such is life.


It most certainly is....[emoji39]



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[El Camexican]

It most certainly is....[emoji39]



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When you have time to use it ;)

[ironchop]

When you have time to use it ;)Ain't that the truth. We have another fab shop around the corner full of welders, plasma table, 4x8 sheets, tubing, solid bar and rectangle billet stock in various metals. Like a fabrication buffet

It's the perfect setting for a Mad Max build-off TV show or something like a Howe and Howe Tech

You have to be slick and sneak your stuff in between the legit stuff as soon as the opportunity arises

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[El Camexican]

Haven’t had electricity in the house for three days. The socket that holds the electric meter on the house dropped a phase and then melted in a shower of smokes and flame when they tried to remove it. Second time in less than 6 years. Wife blames my welder :rolleyes: opted for a 250 amp unit, so I hope this is the last interception to my late night hobby.

Got the lower shock mount from the machine shop today. It’s probably unique to the KTM’s in that it houses a Teflon bearing that doesn’t use any lubricant. In fact WP says that putting grease or oil on them will ruin them. The lower shock mount is a forged aluminum U that fits over the mount.

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The plan is to weld the steel housing to a plate that will bolt to the swing-arm. The swing-arm will have 4 mounting positions spaced 3/4” apart so the swing-arm can be raised and lowered by moving the plate. The shock mount with be off-set on the mounting plate by 3/8”, so if a 3/4” move is too much,or too little, the mount plate can be flipped around for a 3/8” adjustment.

[BOB MARLIN]

Starting to get interesting now. Unfortunately I can’t finish the swing arm until I decide if the shock is going to be offset or in the center.

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A word of advice.

When your welding the front pivot bearing holders to the swingarm make sure you cover up the shaft that your using for alignment. The weld splatter tends to get on the shaft and you cant remove it without screwing up the bearing surface.

[El Camexican]

A word of advice.

When your welding the front pivot bearing holders to the swingarm make sure you cover up the shaft that your using for alignment. The weld splatter tends to get on the shaft and you cant remove it without screwing up the bearing surface.

Very true! I'm using a tubular spacer to keep the two bushings separated during welding, so the inter section of the shaft is covered. I usually put an old welding glove over exposed shafts to protect them.

[El Camexican]

Much of today was spent designing the upper section of the sub-frame. Decided to go with laser cut sheet metal and then probably stiffen it with a perimeter of thin flat-bar. Still haven’t made up my mind on running the shock in the stock off-set location, or centering it, but it’s starting to look like the underside of the quad fenders are going to have to be cut out, so the option to use the stock shock mount and air box boot is looking better.

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Then there’s this to deal with...

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I’ve been telling myself the seat would take care of itself when the time was right, but I tend to lie to me at times and this was one of those occasions. I’m hoping I don’t need to make a whole new seat pan.

[El Camexican]

Pulled the triggers tonight. Dremel, grinder and drill triggers that is.

I’ve been blowing up photos of conversion trikes and looking closely at the transitions of the seats and fenders of the ATV’s to the slender tanks of the bikes. It looks like this area of most if not all conversions is a dead giveaway as to what the trikes started life as.

Unfortunately mine isn’t going to be any different as there’s no way I can transition the ATV seat to the bike tank without the lower section of the seat being wider than the tank.

I used the front of the bike seat and cut up the ATV seat pan to accept it. This was necessary because the ATV tank is flat and the bike tank has a protrusion which extends into the seat of the motorcycle and also ask as part of the latching mechanism. I could have just cut an opening into the ATV seat and cut the front to match the shape of the tank, but the angle would’ve been slightly different and the catch pin at the top of the gas tank wouldn’t have worked.

Anyway, this is as good as it’s going to get.

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[knappyfeet]

Nice work sir!

When I get ready to attempt one myself I'll do the smartest thing and call you and pay you to do it.

(Then take the credit myself)

[El Camexican]

Nice work sir!

When I get ready to attempt one myself I'll do the smartest thing and call you and pay you to do it.

(Then take the credit myself)

Ha ha! You’re one of many on here (past and present) that I wouldn’t want to have a build off with.

[3Z with Fangs!]

Looks good man, once it's all foamed and covered nobody will know but you.

[El Camexican]

I dropped the seat off at lunchtime yesterday and picked it up after work today. I’m pretty pleased with how it came out. Also picked up some laser cut parts including the upper section of what will be the sub-frame.

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I’ve decided to leave the upper shock mount in the stock location. This will allow me to use the factory boot that goes from the carburetor around the shock and out toward the left side of the bike, but I’m not sure what the air box is going to end up looking like. I’d like to keep the massive ATV air box if possible. It would hold a lot of beer and ice.

[ironchop]

..... I’d like to keep the massive ATV air box if possible. It would hold a lot of beer and ice.

Yes it's important to keep the fuel vapor and the air cool and dense in order to facilitate optimum air/fuel ratio. [emoji23][emoji23]

Looking good otherwise



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[El Camexican]

Started on the lower supports of the sub-frame tonight.

The KTM uses 16mm X 20mm aluminum extrusions to make the sub-frame. I went with 5/8” 18ga carbon steel and plug welded solid steel bar into the ends and countersunk and tapped them like the stockers. Hopefully it’s going to be strong enough.

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[HondaRidr]

I've been following this with lots of interest. I'm excited to see the final product :beer

[El Camexican]

I'm excited to see the final product

That makes two of us!

[El Camexican]

Busy weekend. Drove up to Laredo on Friday to mail the steering stem to the guy building the triple tree and then started working on the upper section of the sub frame again this morning.

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I’m really happy with how this is coming together, it even looks like I might be able to use the section beneath the seat for an air box as well as tool storage, as it seems that the shock and reservoir will clear everything. It also looks like the seat height is going to end up being about 5 inches lower than the motorcycle seat was. As long as the geometry will still allow the suspension to bottom out without the cases bottoming out everything should be fine.

[86T3]

Looking great man, keep up the good work

[El Camexican]

I’ve been debating whether or not I need to get another gas tank for this project and if so what color it should be. As you can see in some of the previous photos I’ve posted the 16 year old used tank is not anywhere near the condition of the brand new ATV fenders.

The other day I started messing around with sanding and polishing, something I’ve dabbled with a bit in the past, but never really gotten near the quality of some of the work I’ve seen on here and other places.

I started with 320 grit, then 400, 600, ( my Home Depot is out of 800)1000, 1200, 1500 and then finally 2000. I even tried some 3000 and some heavy cut rubbing compound, but the 3000 sandpaper does almost nothing and the heavy cut rubbing compound actually scuffs up the plastic as though it was 600 grit sand paper, so I stopped using it and went straight to a light polishing compound and then finished with a final cut, or pre-wax polish.

The results were good, but after finding a few deep scratches that hadn’t sanded out I learned something about this particular plastic. Seems that if you go through all the procedures I just mentioned including the final buff and then start over again from 320 and work your way all the way up the sand paper cuts much better and a lot of fine scratches that didn’t come out the first time disappear. I’m not sure exactly why this is happening, but I’ve tried it with, and without the mechanical buffing procedure and I’m thinking that the heat caused by the mechanical buffing is hardening the plastic somewhat and makes it much easier to sand.

I am very happy with the results I’m getting. You can see a few scratches if you blow the photo up, or physically stare at the thing from a few inches away, but from a couple feet back it absolutely glowes.

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[Red Rider]

I’m thinking that the heat caused by the mechanical barfing hard is the plastic somewhat and makes it much easier to sand.My guess is your potent stomach acid from all of the camexican food you've been eating. Whatever it is, keep at it. It's looking awesome!

[El Camexican]

My guess is your potent stomach acid from all of the camexican food you've been eating. Whatever it is, keep at it. It's looking awesome!

This is what I get for talking instead of typing :lol:

[ironchop]

Looks great.

That's alot of labor

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[Louis Mielke]

Maybe its a depth perception issue, but I don't see how that pivot can still work :wondering

I know I'm late to this party but just FYI, they do not pivot any more. Derrick had made plates to make the pegs "bolt on" without welding new mounting plates to the frame. I welded the pegs themseleves onto the plates that clip to the original peg mounts. Basically Bryan wanted the pegs pulled back 2" and the only way to make it happen was by welding the pegs to the plates. They're still removable in case of a bent peg, just have to cut them apart and weld on a new one.

[El Camexican]

I know I'm late to this party but just FYI, they do not pivot any more. Derrick had made plates to make the pegs "bolt on" without welding new mounting plates to the frame. I welded the pegs themseleves onto the plates that clip to the original peg mounts. Basically Bryan wanted the pegs pulled back 2" and the only way to make it happen was by welding the pegs to the plates. They're still removable in case of a bent peg, just have to cut them apart and weld on a new one.

Better late than never :beer

You mention pulling the peg ‘back’ 2”, but they look to have been moved forward from the original location, or am I wrong?

Having looked at a few of Kasey’s conversions it seems that he retains the stock peg location. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with mine yet, it will all depend what happens the first time I sit on the mocked up trike.

At the moment it seems that the clearance from the peg to the forward most edge of the rear fender might be a little tight. However, if I am otherwise comfortable on the trike I guess I will just cut the plastic fender back and that may end up being a blessing in disguise as I am also lacking some room to use the kick starter on the other side.

This project is going to get very quiet for the next few weeks as I’m going to be traveling and I still don’t have the triple clamps which at this point are necessary for me to progress any further. I was trying to figure out the airbox, but that is going to require that the shock is permanently located and not just halfarsed mocked up and falling on my hand every time I start wiggling things around to measure them. I would be curious to know what the guys doing the WR conversions ended up with for air filter/boxes. I guess I could just run a pod filer if it came down to it, but would rather house someone in the ATV fenders.

Hope to see you around a little more frequently. All suggestions, insight, and comments are welcome.

[BOB MARLIN]

On my 450 ,I'm using the stock YFZ 450 air box and air cleaner. Its a clean set up on the WR conversions -if you plan it right. It retains the air cleaner, battery and the fuse block. Just had to fab up a small section if intake tubing from the carb to the air horn of the factory air box. I know you don't need the battery box or the fuse block, so maybe just doing some bracket fabbing on the stock KTM air box or finding a box off a quad that you can work with. The quad boxes are a lot bigger than the bike boxes so you can run a nice big air cleaner but they take up a lot more space. You can move the air box more to the rear to make room for the shock by making a extension and / or diameter adapter for the intake between the carb and the air box.

Your build is looking so nice. It would be a shame to see a pod filter just hanging there.

I am also using a set of stock YFZ foot pegs ( They are big) adapted to fit in the stock motorcycle location and retained the hinged mount and the ability to just remove the cotter pin to change them out if I need too. The position feels just like the rest of my trikes.

[El Camexican]

Thanks Bob, glad to hear you Yamaha guys have it so easy :lol:

I will have to get some pictures posted up to demonstrate exactly what’s involved with this KTM rear fender that incorporates the airbox, but for now I can tell you that from the rear it looks really nice, but from the front it is a hodgepodge of angles, bends and other shapes related to the stock ATV filter. The stock ATV filter plumbing enters the airbox under the fuel tank in the center of the frame which is something that’s not an option with the dirt bike frame which routes the filter housing around the left-hand side of the offset rear shock.

My understanding is that silicone tube does not work well long term with gasoline and oil, so I was planning to use a radiator hose with a 2.5 inch inside diameter. John Deere uses one with elbows that opens to 2.8” at the other end, perfect for what I need, but where I need to mount a spigot on the air box/fender is as bad a place as can be.

I may end up cutting the entire front face of the airbox/fender off and bolting in a flat metal sheet in order to have a spigot where I need it, but I don’t want to do any of this until I know exactly where the rear shock is going as it may also interfere with the forward most section of the airbox and if that is the case even further modify modifications would be needed.

[Red Rider]

Your build is looking so nice. It would be a shame to see a pod filter just hanging there.Amen! A pod filter would definitely be easier, but from what I've seen so far, your fab skills are better than that, and don't require the easy way out. I say, take the time to do it right. When you're done, it should look like it belongs on a KTM showroom floor.

[3Z with Fangs!]

Thanks Bob, glad to hear you Yamaha guys have it so easy :lol:

I will have to get some pictures posted up to demonstrate exactly what’s involved with this KTM rear fender that incorporates the airbox, but for now I can tell you that from the rear it looks really nice, but from the front it is a hodgepodge of angles, bends and other shapes related to the stock ATV filter. The stock ATV filter plumbing enters the airbox under the fuel tank in the center of the frame which is something that’s not an option with the dirt bike frame which routes the filter housing around the left-hand side of the offset rear shock.

My understanding is that silicone tube does not work well long term with gasoline and oil, so I was planning to use a radiator hose with a 2.5 inch inside diameter. John Deere uses one with elbows that opens to 2.8” at the other end, perfect for what I need, but where I need to mount a spigot on the air box/fender is as bad a place as can be.

I may end up cutting the entire front face of the airbox/fender off and bolting in a flat metal sheet in order to have a spigot where I need it, but I don’t want to do any of this until I know exactly where the rear shock is going as it may also interfere with the forward most section of the airbox and if that is the case even further modify modifications would be needed.
Honestly Brother, I've used silicone hose on my Warrior for a handful of years now. I had to do a custom intake of all sorts to put the 39mm FCR on it. I personally would trust silicone more than a rubber radiator hose. At work I've seen far too many times what oil will do to radiator hose but this is my opinion my friend. How much do you need to make and could you have a piece of pipe bent and just use silicone couplers? Just an idea, I'm not 100% certain what you need to do.

[3Z with Fangs!]

Also, is a complete airbox an absolute must have? With my Rap 700 the FCI intake was pretty awesome (one of the best actually) and you could get it with this skid plate looking thing really. All it really did was protect the filter from being hit with mud/Water from underneath. It worked great on my 700. Maybe this is also an option??

[El Camexican]

3Z, I’m not sure what will happen to a rubber rad hose after long term exposure to oil and gas, but if some of the rad hoses I’ve seen on 30 year old Tri-Z’s run without exhaust gaskets that spewed oil all over them is any indication it should hold up for a good while.

Everything I’ve read about silicon hose and fuel is a no no, so I’d like to avoid it if possible as there is a fair amount of blowback in my stock KTM intakes, so I’m expecting the same with this engine, although it will probably be at an angle that won’t allow it to collect like the stock plumbing does.

As per Red Rider’s pep talk, I want people to think that all the parts came off a stock bike/trike when they look at it and not have them immediately realize I put it together in my garage as easily as possible.

[3Z with Fangs!]

I certainly can't dispute how good the stock hoses on the Z are but I'm not sure they're me of exactly the same did as typical parts shop radiator hose. Oil alone will swell and soften today's off the shelf hoses.

[El Camexican]

I certainly can't dispute how good the stock hoses on the Z are but I'm not sure they're me of exactly the same did as typical parts shop radiator hose. Oil alone will swell and soften today's off the shelf hoses.

Guess I should do some testing while I wait on parts.

[Red Rider]

As per Red Rider’s pep talk, I want people to think that all the parts came off a stock bike/trike when they look at it and not have them immediately realize I put it together in my garage as easily as possible.Whoopsie! Sorry everyone. I think I just added a few more weeks onto El's conversion project.

[El Camexican]

Took a little longer than expected, but the triple clamps arrived this week.

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They fit the forks perfectly, but I wasn’t thrilled with the milling marks, so I decided to polish them. Started with the upper clamp this evening.

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[86T3]

Those triples are gorgeous, great job. As for the air box, look into a YFZ450 intake boot (carb to air box) or an aftermarket version like the FCI.

[El Camexican]

Those triples are gorgeous, great job. As for the air box, look into a YFZ450 intake boot (carb to air box) or an aftermarket version like the FCI.

Thanks Joe. I’ve looked at the FCI stuff, but never saw anything that looked like it would work.

As far as the YZF set up, I have to assume that the shocks on the Yamahas are further to the rear than the KTM PDS shocks are. I have a design in mind to use the stockbox, so hopefully it works.

Got the lower clamp done today.

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[BOB MARLIN]

I'm a little surprised how rough the mill marks are on the triple clamps as it not hard to get a good finish in aluminum. Although some people like the rough "billet" look. I think they look MUCH better now that you have them polished up. I like the way they did the bar clamp mounts, allowing for adjustment.

[El Camexican]

I'm a little surprised how rough the mill marks are on the triple clamps as it not hard to get a good finish in aluminum. Although some people like the rough "billet" look. I think they look MUCH better now that you have them polished up. I like the way they did the bar clamp mounts, allowing for adjustment.

It was even worse than the milling tracks which I usually like if it they’re symmetrical and proportionate to the part.

Here’s some of what had to be cleaned up.

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We spoke, Gary politely gave his side of the story and I’m in a happy place. If I wanted to complain it would be about the shops I called yhat weren’t interested in making trike clamps at any price.

The mount holes are much like the stock KTM clamps as are the steering stop locations. I picked up a used Scott’s damper mount that will bolt right up as well.

[3Z with Fangs!]

Beautiful polishing, Nico! The frontend looks great!

[Red Rider]

Yeah I’m surprised how bad they looked in your last pics, but at least it was all cosmetic flaws, and they look awesome now after you massaged them a bit. Good work.

[BOB MARLIN]

I recognize some of those "cosmetic" flaws.
That one on the chamfer is from having cutter comp on the wrong side.
Those bite marks on the end are from the part coming out of the fixture/vice.
Some of the other ones are from using dull end mills.

How were the bores and the threads ?.

I was considering machining up a few sets of triples but I was afraid that after charging so much for them people would be un happy if they were not absolutely perfect. I may have to re-visit that thought.

[El Camexican]

I recognize some of those "cosmetic" flaws.
That one on the chamfer is from having cutter comp on the wrong side.
Those bite marks on the end are from the part coming out of the fixture/vice.
Some of the other ones are from using dull end mills.

How were the bores and the threads ?.

I was considering machining up a few sets of triples but I was afraid that after charging so much for them people would be un happy if they were not absolutely perfect. I may have to re-visit that thought.

Bores and threads are good, fits like a glove. Maybe we talk about a Tri-Z triple after this?

[El Camexican]

Any thoughts on frame and/or swing-arm colors?

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[knappyfeet]

Maybe some white and black with appropriate graphics.

You know your doing such a fine job that some may think that KTM is getting into the 3 wheeler market!!

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[El Camexican]

Maybe some white and black with appropriate graphics.

I'll be calling Decal Works at some point, so sky's the limit on what the decals can look like.

If I could have gotten white plastic I'd have gone with an orange frame and swinger withange hubs, polished rims and orange hubs, but that's not going to be possible, so I'm stuck with orange plastic.

I think the factory gold used in 2003 sucks, so that leaves me with silver, black, white or maybe dark gray. I think orange might be a little much. I had a bike with a white frame and orange plastic which I thought looked good, but a few people that saw it in person thought it looked better in the stock silver of that year. I need to get some white on it even if it's just the decal outlines. Maybe orange frame and white swinger?

[Red Rider]

Any thoughts on frame and/or swing-arm colors?As much orange as possible, minus any General Lee graphics. I vote orange frame & silver swingarm. Looking good so far.

[BOB MARLIN]

I like the orange frame idea also. Maybe gold on the swing arm to match the forks to have a balanced look.

[HondaRidr]

My vote is for a dark grey frame and maybe a white swing arm depending on how much white will be in the decals.

[oldskool83]

looks great, don't forget the most important part...PRM 6 pack rack!

[schlepp29]

I to think an orange frame would look good. Looks good

[El Camexican]

Thanks guys.

The plan is to anodize the fork tubes black, so the total elimination of gold is the plan.

I have an orange frame in the attic, so a mock-up wouldn’t be hard, but I don’t think it will look good with an orange frame as I’ve tried it with a bike before and I didn’t like it. Besides that it’s already 2003 KTM orange, 2009 KTM orange, Trail Tech orange, Maiers orange, UFO orange and Acerbis orange. Powder coating would add Mirror orange and I could justify calling the trike “50 shades of orange” as they all have a slightly different tone.

Leaning towards orange swinger and sub frame with a black frame and cast iron grey engine.

[El Camexican]

Some fun FACTS

FACT: This Tusk axle in the Banshee hub has almost 1” of offset to the left :wondering. Fortunately the axle came with a bunch of hub spacers. Not that I had other options on the position of the hub sleeve, but I had no idea to now that it was offset.

FACT: The rod to adjust the chain tension needs to be exactly where the sprocket goes. :cry: I guess I’ll heat it and try to bend an offset into it.

FACT: It took way too long to build this thing. :lol:

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[x-rider]

Any thoughts on frame and/or swing-arm colors?

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That is gonna be sick when finished. Good job.

[El Camexican]

Today was chain guide day. Started with a nice simple design, but then it occurred to me that the gearing might have to be changed. The guide is from a Tri-Z.

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So this was revision two. Has three positions.

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Tacked it on, but I need to route the chain through it before I weld.

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[3Z with Fangs!]

Looks phenomenal, Nico! I'm a fan sir!

[oldskool83]

Hope that guide lasts. I busted a new own banshee one I. Half 15 miles into a ride. Sproket guards after that on everything.

[El Camexican]

Sand only, not expecting to bounce it off any rocks.

The beginnings of an air intake.

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The stepped rad hose is off a John Deere. May need a JD decal for the fenders.

[keister]

The stepped rad hose is off a John Deere.

Which means it will eventually leak. Just kidding, well.... sorta.

Great work so far. I always look forward to the build updates.

[NeverLift]

Sand only, not expecting to bounce it off any rocks.

The beginnings of an air intake.

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The stepped rad hose is off a John Deere. May need a JD decal for the fenders.

http://siliconeintakes.com/ If you want something a bit more classy. Fantastic build buddy!!!!!

[El Camexican]

Check this guys 450 out https://www.yooying.com/220trikes

I like to be able to see how he dealt with a couple issues I have pending. I see his rear fenders are set back about 2" more than mine and that he added some plastic between the fenders and the tank. I think it looks great.

[atc300r]

Theres pics of this on facebook. BVC built it.They also built an Alta electric conversion.

[Tri-Z 250]

There is a Company from the Great White North BRC Racing making a bolt in 5hundy 2stroke.
Electric, Conterbalanced, Power-valved drops in certain year frames of current used 2stroke KTM's.
When I saw the conversion and test ride...Made me think a Orange Hybrid would be an awesome trike.
Like the progress, got the eyes on this one, thanks for sharing.

[Dirtcrasher]

Seems like Massachusetts is pumping out some sweet trikes!!

[El Camexican]

Got the swinger back Saturday and installed all the bearings. Pivotbolt went through both side with one finger push. Pretty thrilled about that considering how much torch and rag work was needed after final welding.

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[Red Rider]

Looking good!

[3Z with Fangs!]

Always amazing work, Nico!

[El Camexican]

Thanks guys, I bolted the swinger on for real today, pics when my phone charges,


There is a Company from the Great White North BRC Racing

Did any of you visit this site Tri-Z posted? This company is converting 300cc KTM two strokes into 500cc torque monsters among other things. Very high end stuff.

[El Camexican]

Bolted the swing-arm on and then the shock with no spring to check clearances through the stroke. Look like everything clears by a whisker, but I think if I lower the rear anymore the shock reservoir will rub the air box. No matter, it needs to be raised from where it is now by about 1 to 1.5 inches, but I’ll wait till the forks are lowered before making any adjustments.

Rough measurements show 10” of ground clearance and a 32” seat height. About 1” higher than my Tri-Z seat and 1/2” less ground clearance. Wheel base is 58” and the width is 48.5” at the moment.

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[Louis Mielke]

Very very nice.

[El Camexican]

This one is up for sale.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Ktm-3-wheeler-trike-atc/183596151924?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I'd love to peek under the hood so to speak. It looks pretty enough on the outside, but I'm trying to figure out how he dealt with the upper shock mount and air filter, but he didn't put up any photos aside from what he had on Instagram.

A little bling. These will go on the non-sand wheels that will be polished aluminum. Should interchange with the Tri-Z.

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[El Camexican]

After many hours of contemplation i started cutting metal for one of the intake sections on Friday. It’s a major pita as there is almost no acsess to the area to measure and the transitions are from rectangles to circles at compounded angles. As an added bonus I suck at math, so everything was planned out with chalk and a Sharpie.

Try not to laugh when I admit that what you see so far represents over 10 hours of cutting, welding and hair pulling and I still have to make another one for the air filter.

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The left hand side of the airbox is where the second section will mate with this one. I was a little concerned about restricted flow, but the rectangular section will have over 20% more area than a 38mm carb, so it should be fine.

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[Dirtcrasher]

Cool! So in the end you can use the stock airbox??

The shock being not centered is an odd configuration, but I've seen it many times on other models.

I guess as long as the swingarm doesn't flex, it works perfectly.

For the limiting amount of tools you've been using, you've done an AMAZING job!! I can't wait until it's done, you must be psyched she's on 3 wheels now!!

[El Camexican]

Cool! So in the end you can use the stock airbox??

The shock being not centered is an odd configuration, but I've seen it many times on other models.

I guess as long as the swingarm doesn't flex, it works perfectly.

For the limiting amount of tools you've been using, you've done an AMAZING job!! I can't wait until it's done, you must be psyched she's on 3 wheels now!!

Yes I will be able to use the area that the ATV uses for an air box, but not the ATV filter. I’m stuck using a foam pod filter inside the box and if I get lucky there will still be room for a tool bag. If you look at the top of the last photo you’ll see a U or trench in the plastic. This is where an oval shaped duct runs from the carb, under the gas tank and into the air box on the ATV. I assume the ATV filter box sits on the rail that runs around the perimeter of the opening.

Because of the difference between the bike tank and frame VS the ATV parts I can’t use that channel to get from the carb to the air box, so I’m coming in from the side as that’s the only place there is enough room to get around the shock.

Hopfully the swing-arm is strong enough to handle the offset. I added a plate inside the boxed section to help reinforce it. If you’ve ever looked at an 80’s ATK swing-arm, mine is nowhere near that far off center, not even 2”.

And yes I’m pumped to see it on three. Had to toss the motor in to work on the carb ducting and that gave me a chance to try kicking it over. It does clear the fender, but I’ll have to be conscious of every kick in order not to scuff the plastic. In hindsight I should have tried to set the fenders back another 2”. This would have lowered the seat height and added clearance, but I’m not convinced I’d have still been able to adapt the narrower section of the bike seat to match the tank, so I’m not going to beat myself up over it.

I’m really happy with the position of things as they sit. The foot pegs are only 1/2” further from the center of the steering stem than they are on my Tri Z and the trail looks like it will end up at less than 2-1/2”. Rake will be around 27 degrees.

The only things I’m not thrilled with are the seat height and ground clearance, but I can accept that without seriously modifying the frame i’ll Have to live with them. I plan to publish all the specs when it’s done.

[BOB MARLIN]

I was concerned about my seat height on my 450 build also, but after putting it through its paces it turned out to be a non issue. The suspension is so plush that the ride height squats quite a bit.

[fabiodriven]

The ATK didn't have two feet of axle on either side of it for leverage either, lol. Honestly I don't think the offset shock will be of any concern.

[El Camexican]

Decided it was time to stop forking around and finish the front end. Had some seeping on another bike and a spare set of unknown condition, so I decided to get it all over with at once. Such a dirty job I’d rather get it over with, cleanup and hope I never have to do it again.

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The outer tubes are out for anodizing, so there’s a little time to work on the bling.

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[Red Rider]

I don’t blame you on delaying this chore. It’s easy to do, but messy, and I despise it as well. Even after the job is done, you’ll be smelling that nasty fork oil for weeks to come. Looking awesome though. Sorry about the extra work on the airbox setup.

[3Z with Fangs!]

Nico, I'm so envious of how clean your shop is. My shop even on it's best day probably isn't as nice as yours on it's worst.

[El Camexican]

Worked on the fork internals this weekend, drilling holes, changing shims, freeing up corroded valves and shortening springs. The fork length will be 1.40” less than stock.

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Before anyone confuses me with someone who knows anything about altering suspensions, let me confess to copying a set that Slavens Racing did for me years ago that I really like the feel of.

Also got the fork legs, rim and axle back from the platers this evening.

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[ironchop]

Is that nickel plating or just a really good looking zinc job on that axle?



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[El Camexican]

Is that nickel plating or just a really good looking zinc job on that axle?



Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

Just electroplated zinc on polished high quality (I hope? ;)) steel.

I think I have the zinc thing down pat now. For new stuff I wet sand with at least 600 grit and degrease. For used hardware I soak them in thinner, wash them with dish soap and brush or sand them until I get all the grease off and then soak them in a mix of diluted muriatic acid for about 15 minutes. Then neutralize the mix with backing soda and rinse the parts with water.

The key after that is to keep the flash rust from forming which isn’t hard on a sunny weekend day when I can dry them with a rag and leave them in the sunlight, but when I do it at night I can’t seem to dry them fast enough and you can tell the finish isn't as smooth and bright on those.

In theory the plater should strip all the nasty off as part of the process, but after a dozen separate batches I’ve realized that grease, thread locker, paint and rust don’t come off 100% of the time and that the results are always better if you bring them a clean product.

In other news I'm a little disappointed with the anodizing. It's dull and I was expecting it to shine. The guy tells me that they didn't buff them after they stripped the old coating and that's why their dull. I wish they would have asked my preference, but on the upside I may have the only matt black WP forks in the world.

[El Camexican]

Got the spare wheel back today. They coated the polished rim with the same coating that the factories put on their alloy rims, so according to then it won’t chip or yellow and I never have to polish it. If it holds up I plan to coat a lot more items with this. It’s almost as shiny as freshly buffed aluminum, but no less shiny that week old buffed aluminum.

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[El Camexican]

Got the forks put together and installed the complete front end to see where I’m at with the some of the geometry.

The top of the steering nut is 3/4” lower than my Tri-Z and the back of the seat is the same height. However, the Tri-Z seat has a 2” dip in the center and the KTM has the modern almost flat profile putting my butt 2” higher than the Yamaha when seated. The distance from the pegs to the top of the seat is even more pronounced ant almost 4” more on the KTM.

As it sits in the photos it has 9.5” of ground clearance and that can be moved up as much as 2.5” fairly easily if needed. That 1.5” less than the Yamaha at the moment. I ordered another ATV seat to see if it might be possible to lower the seat another 2” using a different method of mounting the seat and fenders. That would totally screw up the work that I’ve done on the air induction up to this point, so I’m putting that on hold until I get my hands on the seat and see what might, could be done.

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[3Z with Fangs!]

How does it feel, Nico?

[El Camexican]

How does it feel, Nico?

When I stand on it and make high rpm 2 stoke sounds with my mouth (been practicing since I was 10)it feels good, but when I sit and lower the decibels it feels like is a little tall in the saddle. I don’t think a high level rider would want to be throwing in into the turns on a flat-track the way it sits, but for the dunes it’s probably fine.

Suspension feels tight, no doubt due to the cut fork springs and slightly more angled shock, but that’s a good thing given that the ground clearance is almost the same as the suspension travel. If the tires were to flatten more than an inch when the suspension was bottomed out the frame would probably hit the ground.

Anyway, it will have to be ridden to know anything for certain and that’s a ways off.

[fabiodriven]

First of all it looks amazing Nico! Nice job!

Secondly it is a bit high in the saddle as you already know. I can tell by looking at it. If you start with a bike frame, this is very hard to avoid. I was just looking at my options for lowering the saddle on my 650L last night, and sadly there are none. It is what it is.

The good news however, is I am completely used to it so it really doesn't matter. It took me a long time, but I pitch that bike sideways in third gear no problem, and you will be able to do the same with yours if you'd like.

Cruising might feel a little odd at first but again, you will get used to it. You can put high bars on it to help the feel a little bit, but it's likely just going to have to be a bike that you have to have a feel for, which is fine.

If the different feel were that bad I would have gotten rid of my 650L a long time ago, but that is a street trike so... Anyhow, you'll be fine!

[El Camexican]

It is a bit high in the saddle as you already know. I can tell by looking at it. If you start with a bike frame, this is very hard to avoid. I was just looking at my options for lowering the saddle on my 650L last night, and sadly there are none. It is what it is.

If you happen to have a tape in your hand one day, I'd be interested to know what your seat height is and how high the top of your foot pegs are from the ground. It would give me an idea how far off I am from what you're describing.

I really don't want to make the mods I suspect this 220trikes fellow made to position his seat as low as he did as I'm guessing there's a hole cut out of his seat pan that acts as one of two points that secure his seat to the trike, whereas mine has 3 points and no gap at the tongue. NOT knocking his work, heck, I'm not even sure how his did what he did, but I do wish I could lower my seat 2" without making a mess, or having an unsecured seat tongue.

[BOB MARLIN]

After putting 2 seasons of seat time on my 450, it's the regular ATC's that feel strange to me. After a few rides the height concern will be less and less. I find that it is more comfortable on long rides also.

[fabiodriven]

If you happen to have a tape in your hand one day, I'd be interested to know what your seat height is and how high the top of your foot pegs are from the ground. It would give me an idea how far off I am from what you're describing.

I will be glad to do that as soon as she's back standing on her own.

[El Camexican]

Did a little port work this evening, nothing crazy, just raised the transfers 1mm, widened them .5mm, widened the primary exhaust port 3mm and opened up the secondary exhaust ports 1mm each way.

Also drilled a compression relief hole in the cylinder. The first used KTM I bought had one and I assumed they came that way from the factory, but they are a mod. Starting one of these 300s with the hole and Slavens head isn’t bad, starting one of these without the hole and a stock head isn’t bad, but trying to start one of these without the hole and a Slavens head bolted on is a mother bear as I recently found out.

I plan to raise the cylinder .004” with a thicker base gasket and then cut the head to get the desired squish band.

It’ll ship to Kustom Kraft tomorrow.

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[El Camexican]

Time to get back on this thing.

Figured I’d go with a mild steel grab bar and weld it to the subframe rather than bolt one on. It’s lazy, but it strengthens the subframe a bit.

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Next up is mounting the silencer. I could have sworn it was going to clear the air-box/rear fender, but it won’t, so some bending is in order.

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Getting hard to walk around the shop, I hate that.

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[Red Rider]

I love your workspace!

[El Camexican]

I haven’t mentally psyched myself up to modify a perfectly good brand new silencer, so I decided to deal with the tail light mount first.

KTM was kind enough to include the wiring for one, so all I had to do was buy a wire from the street legal version and a tail light from someone in China that claims it will work.

The stock ATV mount is extremely close to the seat latch and the grab bar would have blocked most of it, so I decided to make a mount that lowered the location.

Once again 18ga. sheet metal is used instead of aluminum. Sometimes you just have to work with what you have.

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[ctk]

That’s a lot of tool box’s

[ironchop]

Nice fab work.

Hope I don't ever run into the back of you!

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[86T3]

Would you please quite messing with the fine details take it for a rip? You have the patience of a friggin monk. WE WANT A RIDE REPORT!

[El Camexican]

That’s a lot of tool box’s
Been collecting tools for over 39 years. It’s an illness.


Nice fab work. Hope I don't ever run into the back of you!
Let’s hope our trikes get close enough to each other for that to happen one day.:beer


Would you please quite messing with the fine details take it for a rip? You have the patience of a friggin monk. WE WANT A RIDE REPORT!
That’s still a good ways off. You’ll have to suffer the details along with me for a few more months.

[El Camexican]

Thrilled to report that I did NOT have to cut my new silencer.

As luck would have it I burst an FMF silencer a couple years back and destroyed it while trying to take it apart, so I still had the stinger and with a little grinding and trial and error cutting I was able to turn it into an extension that ( I hope I’m not jinxing myself here) appears to fit perfectly.

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Note the offset silencer mounts, the there’s a slight angle, but I think it looks ok.

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I see I’m almost out of CO2 and Monday is a holiday here, so this may be where my progress ends for a bit.

[Red Rider]

I was able to turn it into an extension that ( I hope I’m not jinxing myself here) appears to fit perfectly.
259987Hopefully it's just an optical illusion, but in this pic, it appears your swingarm will contact the stinger portion of your silencer, as it goes through it's travel. Otherwise, looking good.

[El Camexican]

Hopefully it's just an optical illusion, but in this pic, it appears your swingarm will contact the stinger portion of your silencer, as it goes through it's travel. Otherwise, looking good.

I think it’s an optical illusion, I plan to remove the spring and run the shock through the entire travel again before I paint the subframe, but I’m pretty sure everything clears.

Here’s a view straight from the back.

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[El Camexican]

Tonight was about finishing the fender mounts and bending the wide ATV plastic to better blend with the slender bike tank.

The whole seat, tank fender area is a big hot mess, but I want to make it as tidy as possible and lessen the chance of catching my pants on a corner.

Before

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During

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After

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So with that done and a lack of welding supplies I decided I may as well put the decals on so that I can make my final decision on frame and subframe colors. Still not sure where I’m going with that but I am seriously thinking about a black engine in an orange frame with a black or silver subframe.

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The original EXC moniker stood for Enduro X Country. I’m not sure what EXT stands for yet, but it seemed like a good idea when I ordered the decals.

Is it just me, or should I add some KTM decals? I only count 9 KTM badges on the trike at the moment.

[Red Rider]

I think it’s an optical illusion, ...Here’s a view straight from the back.I agree, the clearance issue was an optical illusion.


Is it just me, or should I add some KTM decals? I only count 9 KTM badges on the trike at the moment.I think it's just you. ;) Although, my OCD issues would be happier with an even number, so maybe you should bump it up one, and go with 10 KTM badges. :cool:

[El Camexican]

I agree, the clearance issue was an optical illusion.

I think it's just you. ;) Although, my OCD issues would be happier with an even number, so maybe you should bump it up one, and go with 10 KTM badges. :cool:

If I count the 2 KTM’s on the clutch and stator covers and the 2 on the cylinder I’m at 13 which happens to be my lucky number. Coincidence? I think maybe!

[El Camexican]

This evening was all about swatting mosquitoes and making foot pegs.

Started with a set of IMS stainless steel pegs and whatever ATV pegs I got on eBay.

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Then the bike pegs were ground flat to fit the underside of the ATV pegs.

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Then some creative, but not necessarily pretty cutting was done to inset the bike pegs through the ATV pegs and they were aligned and TIG welded with 316 filler rod.

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I’m not sure about the Nerf bar mounts. They don’t necessarily look very good, but if I cut them off and me or anyone else decides to ever want to put Nerf bars on this thing it will just be that much more difficult.

[El Camexican]

Welded up the subframe this afternoon and decided that it needed some good old fashion racing holes. I would’ve much rather perforated this thing at the laser cutting stage, but I had no idea where I would be welding things on, so Swiss cheese it is this time around.

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[El Camexican]

Started bolting hardware to the 250 SX frame. This is the one I discovered ( the hard way) that has no side stand provision.

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[El Camexican]

Got some, but not all the parts back from the painter today, so I thought why not take my first ever rear shock apart. Hopefully it goes back together as easily. Planning to put a bladder in it.

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[keister]

The original EXC moniker stood for Enduro X Country. I’m not sure what EXT stands for yet,.

EXC is the "Executive" model. EXT stands for "Extra Tire."

[Dirtcrasher]

That's the thing. Anything you're unhappy with you can change once you're on all 3 and put some decent hours on it.

Then you can do fancy crap and change to aluminum etc etc.

But hey, it does look awesome!!

[El Camexican]

EXC is the "Executive" model. EXT stands for "Extra Tire."


My first choice was Enduro X-country Trike and on occasion I've thought Expensive Xplicit delete Trike was more appropriate, but I think I like your definition a lot better. EXtra Tire it is.

[stoshu]

Got some, but not all the parts back from the painter today, so I thought why not take my first ever rear shock apart. Hopefully it goes back together as easily. Planning to put a bladder in it.

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You have Velcro on the work boots?

[El Camexican]

You have Velcro on the work boots?

I’m impressed that you noticed. Those are my $9.99 BCO Adjustable Width Memory Foam Shop Shoes, or BCOSWMFSS for short. Perfect for getting oil splashed on, deflecting welding spatter and keeping dog droppings off the bottoms of my Sunday go picnic Nike’s which I swore I’d never buy again after they signed Kaepernick, but forgot about a week later.

Fortunately the Mexican version of OSHA is slightly less militant that the Manitoba Department of Labour, so my steel toes and hardhat remain in n pristine unused condition.

[El Camexican]

The bullet is ready.

I used the engine from the donor bike. Fortunately I decided to open it up as both crank seals were poorly installed. The one on the wet side was cocked almost 6mm. Hard to believe the crank and rod were still like new. Cylinder was good too, but the piston was at least 25 hours last retirement age.

I call this photo “Mechanical Malpractice”

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I don’t think I’ve ever seen a black KTM engine before, but I’m hoping this color looks good in the orange frame.

[ironchop]

.

I call this photo “Mechanical Malpractice”

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.

WOW! [emoji848]



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[schlepp29]

Sure is a nice build

[El Camexican]

WOW!

Yeah, when I first saw all that sealant I thought the case was broken, but when I scraped it off I realized it was just a crooked seal. I can't get my head around how anyone with a conscience could do that.

Reason 178 to never trust an engine if you don't know the last person that worked on it.

[El Camexican]

Well I did it.... and I may never do it again unless I buy a lot more equipment.

WP insists on a vacuum bleed and as you might expect, the Internet is loaded with arguments on the topic.

I used a combination of half a dozen different methods along with my own scattered thoughts and after 72 hours of various bleeding styles I THINK I have all the air out of it.

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I also installed a Race Tech bladder (another controversial item) after consulting Pedro Gonzalez who will do my nitrogen charge next week.

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I have three more WP shocks to do and I think I’ll just do the mechanical work and hand them off to Pedro for the bleed and gas part.

BTW, anyone wanting to remove the reservoir cap can do so with a wrench from a small Milwaukee grinder.

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[El Camexican]

Called in a favor and got some help dropping in the trike engine. I dare say the black on orange looks good, but that may just be due to Halloween’s proximity.

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[Red Rider]

Looking really nice. I never realized it was a case-reed motor until now.

[El Camexican]

Tonight was “rad” or at least radiator related.

Un-bent, scrubbed and painted the radiators before giving them a light coat of high temp aluminum paint and adorning them with new and refurbished OEM hardware including riv-nuts and rubber.

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No rad braces for this puppy as I don’t think it’s possible to bend them with the wide triple clamps and triangular format.

[El Camexican]

A few updates to share.

The pegs and shock are done. Decided to cut off the nerf mounts and use a piston in the shock rather than a bladder.

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The Trail Tech headlight mounts don’t work with a Honda fender, so a lower mount was needed. Aluminum was the plan, but plastic was available in the form of an old radiator shroud, so it was repurposed and according to the Internet I may even have saved a whale by recycling.

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[Red Rider]

It's all looking pretty slick. Nice job on saving whales & making headlight brackets. One might say you are a "Nico-friendly" 3-wheeler enthusiast. Bahahaha.

[El Camexican]

Waiting on parts again, so I decided to do some buffing.

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[El Camexican]

Attention all flat track fans!

Just kidding. Wanted to see what ground clearance would look like if it bottomed out.

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Looks like 7/8” at the rest and 1” at the front, that is till I sit on it and the frame hits the floor.

Looking for some advice here from those of you who have built trikes or ridden in the dunes a lot. I can run high pressure in the tires and even raise the suspension if needed, but I really don’t want to raise the seat any higher if I don’t have to.

[Aulbaugh]

All my friends drive a lowrider!

[El Camexican]

Whoever coined the phrase ‘The Devil’s in the details’ should probably have won a Noble prize of some sort.

The weekend started with the rear braking system which is a mix of Brembo and Nissin parts courtesy of KTM and Yamaha. Seems both need rebuilding and a custom line to connect them.

I was going to just leave the caliper black, but after taking it apart I decided to remove the forging lines and as soon as I saw bare aluminum my OCD kicked in and the polishing process began.

Brembo calipers are round and smooth, polishing them is like rubbing boobies. The Nissin caliper is squared with lots of sharp edges and polishing it was probably a lot like fondling a Transformers junk.

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Then I noticed that the rear suspension was clunking when it rebounded. Traced the noise back to the All Balls shock pivots which are a lot looser fitting that the OEM parts which are almost a press fit. The fix was to insert some brass shim stock into the holes and now all the slop is gone.

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There are also issues with the steering damper. Seems the post I had kicking around isn’t a Scott’s product, so a different arm and some cutting is going to be required.

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I’m starting to wonder if this thing will be ready for the 2020 Invasion.

[El Camexican]

Had to rebuild the clutch master as it failed on another bike some time ago and I ended up filling it with 2 stroke oil to get home. For whatever reason the Magura metal finish flakes and discolors over time, so I painted it wrinkle finish black and decided to rebuild the front brake and give it the same treatment.

It sucks to buy fancy colored grips and get them dirty putting them on, so it occurred to me that I could just wrap them in sandwich bags till the build is done so that my greasy mitts don’t smear them up.

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Had to pull one of the forks to replace a leaking compression adjuster and noticed that the rebound adjuster pin had spun out of the cap, so that got fixed too and the front is back together and ready for a new brake line.

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[Red Rider]

Looking real good, and anxiously awaiting a ride report, which hopefully doesn’t disappoint you!

[El Camexican]

Looking real good, and anxiously awaiting a ride report, which hopefully doesn’t disappoint you!

I’ll be picking up my mail next Friday and barring any unforeseen need for more parts I should be able to fire it up long before Christmas.

Took some chassis measurements the other day and I’m pleasantly surprised with the numbers which I’ll publish when it’s done.

The foot-pegs could have been moved forward 2” as was suggested earlier, but I’m not going to change anything until I drive it like it is.

[El Camexican]

This past weekend and tonight we’re spent rebuilding brakes and installing the line and guides. Orange chain is a Regina O-ring.

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[Red Rider]

All those colors work well together. I like it.

[El Camexican]

Started it up last night and smoked myself out of the shop. Had Gordon’s Well jets in the carb and it ran horribly.

Still have to make a video, take some better photos of it as well as some with the dirt shoes on it, but as it stands it can move on it’s own power and I’m thrilled to be able to move on to something else.

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Doug, Joe, Bob and anybody I forgot, thanks for your help :beer without it this would have been harder than it was.

[ironchop]

Dang!

That looks fkn gorgeous!

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

[Red Rider]

Yes, yes, put some dirt shoes on it, then more pics please! Very sweet indeed El!

[86T3]

That looks great, congrats! Cant wait for a ride report

[Jaywood1207]

Thanks for taking us along on the journey. I love the final product. Great job.

[El Camexican]

I gave it a little sun today and got a chance to see it side by side with it's step-sister. Now I have to swap rubber and get a couple friends over to heave it up the steps to be ridden as it's way too wide for the ramp that was built long before I ever decide to get back into trikes.

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[coolpool]

That is a work of art sir, well done!

[yaegerb]

Awesome job once again Nico!

[bkm]

That turned out awesome. Great job man.

[NeverLift]

What an ugly pile of monkey dung!! Just kidding buddy. True work of art and one nasty machine you created.

[keister]

At first, I thought he meant good luck in not getting run off the road and wrecked on a mountain pass. Then I realized it was in the Trikesylvania forum, so it had better be the "before" picture of what will soon be a very awesome trike conversion.

.... 18 short months later and Viola! Awesome job. Considering the scope and level of detail, that is not bad from a time standpoint.
Now, if you are looking for a test rider..... I happen to be free the last week of February.

[El Camexican]

.... 18 short months later and Viola! Awesome job. Considering the scope and level of detail, that is not bad from a time standpoint.
Now, if you are looking for a test rider..... I happen to be free the last week of February.

Geez, tough crowd, keep in mind that I also did three frame up bike rebuilds and rebuilt this engine in those 18 months of weekends and evenings. That and I have to wait up to 30 days for parts, which sucks almost as bad as having your team captain out for 6 plus weeks.

As far as you getting a February test ride, the answer is YES (maybe)…. contingent on me getting a kitchen pass and getting this pumpkin trailered past the narcos in Nuevo Laredo. Unfortunately our new kisses and hugs socialist President has allowed these guys to regroup and it’s starting to get scary down here again. Thinking of maybe putting it in a massive cardboard box to truck it up and back.

[Aulbaugh]

Nice work Nico! Your skills are top notch buddy!

[keister]

I wasn't being a wise acre. I was serious when I said 18 months is pretty good. We invade on Monday next year and hopefully the scud will be tucked in near HairyJR and Sanchez.

[El Camexican]

I wasn't being a wise acre. I was serious when I said 18 months is pretty good. We invade on Monday next year and hopefully the scud will be tucked in near HairyJR and Sanchez.

Sorry, thought you were teasing, 18 months is a long time, but by no means was I offended. You should hear what the Mrs. thinks of my project timelines!

Got my kitchen pass yesterday, but need to shake this thing down before I rent a camper. We’ll be in touch, sure want to get back there :beer

[86T3]

Looks like the major publications across America are picking up on Nico's release. I'm guessing wont be long till the television crews and paparazzi show up. I'm curious though, why does it say you're a Texan?

https://dirtwheelsmag.com/ktm-2-stroke-3-wheeler/amp/

[ironchop]

Hell yeah!!! Congrats!

Joe he has a place in Texas that he picks up his mail from. I think it's one of the plants his company owns. I know he has parts shipped to the Laredo address.... At least that's where he had send parts I made for him and he explained it at the time... Something about unreliable package delivery in Mexico or something to that effect

Sent from my Z958 using Tapatalk

[El Camexican]

Holy crap! That was fast.

A couple days ago I sent Dennis at DW a photo and asked if they might publish it so as to stoke my ego and maybe even get my build moved to the coveted Top Tier Forum (hint, hint).

The response was "You didn't include your full name and address" to which I replied that I have a very rare last name and live in Northern Mexico, so I don't want it published for security reasons. They said "No problem, you can be Nico Smith from El Paso", to which I replied THANK YOU!!! but can it please be of Laredo for reasons Doug has eluded to. True story.

Guess I should renew my DW subscription post haste.

[Louis Mielke]

excellent build!

[x-rider]

Love your build. Need a video of it in action.