Added two ATC’s to the fleet yesterday!

[1stGEN110]

Yesterday I bought two new to me ATC’s. One is a mostly complete 1985 ATC70 for my soon to be born daughter! The second is a 1983 ATC200X for me! Since my wife has basically staked a claim to my 1986 125M this will be great as each of us will have our own ATC now!

The 70 is making spark and needs a tuneup and a rear wheel to be a rider. I plan to do a light restoration on it so it’s ready to go when my daughter is old enough to ride it.

The 200X is another story, it isn’t a basket case but it’s close. The prior owner prepped it for storage outside by removing the gas cap, spark plug and clutch cover ��. Amazingly the tank appears to be salvageable, the engine is not stuck and aside from some very light surface rust on the primary gear on the crank I think the engine is serviceable. I am missing some critical parts though that I’d love some help on tracking down.

1. Right side foot peg is gone
2. Kickstart parts in the clutch cover are gone
3. Kickstart lever is gone
4. Hydraulics are shot, I can rebuild the masters I think but the plastic reservoirs are history.
5. The stator side rear engine mount spacer is gone (frame to engine spacer)

I am debating throwing the clutch cover back on it, pouring some oil in the case and over the cam and seeing if I can get it to pop off, then if it shifts and doesn’t make any scary noises I’d be happy to invest the funds to make it right. The other option is to go ahead and tear it completely down and see what I have. If the engine is not salvageable I’m thinking find a donor motor, XR200 or CRF230 and swap it. There’s a remote chance I’ll try stuffing a Yamaha Blaster motor in it, now that would be sporty!

What do you guys think? I’ve read that the 83’ 84’ and 85’ have many interchangeable parts but I see that the swing arm is different on the 83’, the kickstart gears have different P/N’s across each year and the pegs even appear to be different!

Thanks in advance for any insight you may have, or parts you may be willing to sell!

Main thing I’m after at the moment is what year right side peg can I use and can I use an 84’ set of kick start gears with the 83’ internal kickstart shaft?

For reference here are the ID numbers
Frame JH3TB0523DC313617
Engine TB05E-6017858

According to my research both indicate 1983 DOM

[1stGEN110]

After reading Mickeys post about rare ATC’s I’ve also considered digging out my old XR600 motor and seeing how that would fit. That would be my last choice though due to the light weight and balance that makes the 200X so nice and nimble in the first place. My aim for the 200X is a solid trail rider, no desire to race it. I’ll post some pictures when I am able to. I think I need a certain number of posts to do that.

[1stGEN110]

Also thought about the Pitster 233cc motor but they are out of stock virtually everywhere. When I called PP they estimated more in stock next year! Wow! Something about sticking a Chinese motor in this frame really bothers me, honestly even the Yamaha would hurt a little but that’s only because I can’t find a suitable compact air cooled two cycle Honda that would work well for trail riding.

https://pitsterpro.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=10&product_id=77

[Jim mac]

how about using a 185 or 200s motor?
use hydraulic hand brakes for the front and rear brakes like MR_C van halen auto X? jim

[1stGEN110]

That’s certainly an option but I plan to keep this a manual clutch sport trike. I have plenty of semi auto bikes and quads and look forward to having something sport oriented for riding with my buddies on their sport quads. Thanks!

[1stGEN110]

The more I think about it the more I want to stay with a stock Honda engine. Reliability is paramount to me and a stock or mildly modified motor would be ideal. My second option would be a Blaster engine. It’s even lighter than the 4T Honda and makes more power, already set up for the weight of a quad so the transmission would hold it fine and I’d gain another gear as an added bonus. The only downside is I really like four stroke torque and quiet for the trails.

[1stGEN110]

1983 ATC200X and 1985 ATC70

[1stGEN110]

200X pictures

Sadly the grab bar is gone. I’d like to replace the old steel one with a newer aluminum bar. I’ll investigate that when I sort the rest of the frame out.

[Footy]

Sounds like you have 2 cool projects. I like the idea of using a CRF230 engine and have toyed with that idea previously myself.
Also glad to see someone else on here from NC. I was starting to think that I ma the only one. What town are you from?

[1stGEN110]

Sounds like you have 2 cool projects. I like the idea of using a CRF230 engine and have toyed with that idea previously myself.
Also glad to see someone else on here from NC. I was starting to think that I ma the only one. What town are you from?

Yes, I also like the 230 for one main reason, electric start and a DC generator. With that said I still want to complete my clutch side cover as I would swap it onto the CRF so I have a backup. I can fab up a battery mount no problem and also plan to run LED headlights which like DC voltage a lot better than AC voltage!

Depending on the shape of my current transmission I'd also likely swap my stock ATC 5 speed transmission in for durability. I have yet to see a side by side of the CRF trans beside the ATC trans to assess the difference in gear thickness. I am also just about sure I have to split the cases anyway to swap the ATC kickstart shaft into the CRF engine.

Im currently weighing my options there but ultimately Im going to try to see if this engine is salvageable.

Im in central NC between GSO and CLT, near Lexington. I have a neighbor with 3 ATC's (85' 110), (85' 125M) and a (200ES) another friend has a herd of 5 or so, 3 minis and 2 Big reds also know of another 79' 110 I'm working on buying and another Big Red 250 all within about 15 miles of me. We are around!!! We ride at AAA Farms in Yadkinville sometimes if you ever want to come out!

[1stGEN110]

Does anyone on here have any experience swapping clutch cover kickstart gears across different years in the first generation 200X’s?

[Footy]

Yes, I also like the 230 for one main reason, electric start and a DC generator. With that said I still want to complete my clutch side cover as I would swap it onto the CRF so I have a backup. I can fab up a battery mount no problem and also plan to run LED headlights which like DC voltage a lot better than AC voltage!

Depending on the shape of my current transmission I'd also likely swap my stock ATC 5 speed transmission in for durability. I have yet to see a side by side of the CRF trans beside the ATC trans to assess the difference in gear thickness. I am also just about sure I have to split the cases anyway to swap the ATC kickstart shaft into the CRF engine.

Im currently weighing my options there but ultimately Im going to try to see if this engine is salvageable.

Im in central NC between GSO and CLT, near Lexington. I have a neighbor with 3 ATC's (85' 110), (85' 125M) and a (200ES) another friend has a herd of 5 or so, 3 minis and 2 Big reds also know of another 79' 110 I'm working on buying and another Big Red 250 all within about 15 miles of me. We are around!!! We ride at AAA Farms in Yadkinville sometimes if you ever want to come out!

That sounds good. Let me know when you are going.

[Footy]

Yes, I also like the 230 for one main reason, electric start and a DC generator. With that said I still want to complete my clutch side cover as I would swap it onto the CRF so I have a backup. I can fab up a battery mount no problem and also plan to run LED headlights which like DC voltage a lot better than AC voltage!

Depending on the shape of my current transmission I'd also likely swap my stock ATC 5 speed transmission in for durability. I have yet to see a side by side of the CRF trans beside the ATC trans to assess the difference in gear thickness. I am also just about sure I have to split the cases anyway to swap the ATC kickstart shaft into the CRF engine.

Im currently weighing my options there but ultimately Im going to try to see if this engine is salvageable.

Im in central NC between GSO and CLT, near Lexington. I have a neighbor with 3 ATC's (85' 110), (85' 125M) and a (200ES) another friend has a herd of 5 or so, 3 minis and 2 Big reds also know of another 79' 110 I'm working on buying and another Big Red 250 all within about 15 miles of me. We are around!!! We ride at AAA Farms in Yadkinville sometimes if you ever want to come out!

That sounds good. Let me know when you are going.

[1stGEN110]

That sounds good. Let me know when you are going.

Will do! My buddy is actually working on his 200ES as we speak. It would be awesome to get this 200X ready for a shakedown ride by this fall.

[1stGEN110]

I spoke with Mark Brenny yesterday at Brenny rebuilders in Iowa. He quoted around $1000-$1300 for a ready to go “rebuilt” motor if I send him my engine as a core. Has anyone got any experience with his set up? He is quite knowledgeable but I always appreciate an unbiased opinion, mileage can vary widely obviously.

At this point I’m leaning more towards buying a clean CRF230f dirt bike and swapping everything over that I can use and parting the rest.

I absolutely plan to add the kickstart off the 200X to the 230 engine and depending on how the transmissions compare I may go ahead and swap in the beefier 5 speed as well.

[1stGEN110]

Update!
I have ordered a complete kickstart parts set off a 1984 ATC200X (gears, shafts, shims and kickstart lever), also ordered a Honda service manual. I think the current plan of attack is to pull the motor and split the cases and assess what I have. The cylinder will almost certainly need honing if not a bore job. I’ll address what’s inside as I go and possibly refresh the top end with a higher CR piston and a cam if the bottom end checks out OK.

[Footy]

Make sure to take the time to clear the oil passage between the oil pump and the right rear cylinder stud. This is the oil supply for your camshaft. If it is clogged with clutch fibers or other remnant's from dirty engine oil you can cook your new cam in about 5 minutes.

[haroldpo6]

Where did you find the kick start set?

[1stGEN110]

Very good to know, thanks for the heads up. That’s a major part of the reason I want to tear it down instead of trying to get it running as is with zero knowledge of the motor.

Is there a known fix for the kickstart gears? Remachining, shims or adding a spring?

Also, I’m seeing less than great reports on the new but available DG exhausts. My bike has a rotted out supertrapp on it now, what’s the consensus for the best available exhaust?

[350for350]

People seem to like the ones for a CRF230F. They are stainless and will require a little bit of modification, but they're cheap enough.

[1stGEN110]

Where did you find the kick start set?

I pieced it together on Ebay, since I plan to split the cases I bought all the parts for a 1984 since very little was available for a 1983.

[1stGEN110]

People seem to like the ones for a CRF230F. They are stainless and will require a little bit of modification, but they're cheap enough.

I want to make sure I understand correctly, you’re saying the CRF230 exhausts are the peoples choice? That’s knowing it will require a little finessing to fit? Thanks!

[1stGEN110]

Service manual has arrived! Current game plan is to begin disassembly of all major components and organize them for restoration.

I have done fork seals on these basic damper rod forks before, with that said I’d like to adjust the suspension for my weight. 200lbs ready to ride, are there any good resources for set up info? Replacement springs, alternate weight oil or ect? Also, my shock spring is beyond rusty! Are aftermarket springs available or should I scour eBay for a nice take off shock/spring?

[1stGEN110]

In anticipation of restoring the 200X and the 70 I guess the proper thing to do is to start a build thread for each one. I’ll post up a link to the thread when I start it.

[350for350]

I want to make sure I understand correctly, you’re saying the CRF230 exhausts are the peoples choice? That’s knowing it will require a little finessing to fit? Thanks!

Maybe not "the people's choice", but it is popular. Mr Condid has a video on his You Tube channel of putting one on his 200X. IOt's been a while, but I'm sure you could find it or maybe he could put up a link to it if he happens to come across this thread.

[1stGEN110]

Maybe not "the people's choice", but it is popular. Mr Condid has a video on his You Tube channel of putting one on his 200X. IOt's been a while, but I'm sure you could find it or maybe he could put up a link to it if he happens to come across this thread.

Awesome! Thanks for the clarification! I was rummaging around my parts bin and I have a beautiful WileyCo RS something another muffler that is an extremely well made and looks very sharp. I may pursue trying to find a CRF 230 header OEM or aftermarket and build my own mid pipe to couple the two. The WileyCo is not a straight through glasspack like most, it has an internal baffle and is USFS approved.

On another note called DG today and they are no longer making their aluminum RCM exhaust. They have the steel exhaust in black and chrome. I suspect both will be very loud and I hear the black paint they use is pitiful. They do offer an aluminum grab bar that I’ll likely get since mine is gone! Frame is even broken off back there so I’ll have a little repair work to do there too.

Anyone recall a KEIHIN 27PD carb swap for the 200X? DG lists it on their site as an out of stock item but the guy I spoke to today said they haven’t updated their catalog in the 7+ years he’s been there and they don’t distribute Keihin products anyway. Kind of disappointing that he had zero reference material, manuals or setup data for their old products.

[ATC King]

For a muffler, Musket Mufflers in NZ makes an OEM style replacement. They're not cheap, but not an obnoxiously loud aftermarket sport muffler.

https://www.musketmufflers.com/collections/honda/products/honda-atc200-x-muffler-silencer

If you haven't seen the ATV On Demand stuff, that's be a good start with your 200X.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilFRlI9i-9I


Suspension work gets expensive and time consuming really quickly. With damper rod forks, it's all about compromise for what your riding style is. The rear shock can get on up there in cost if you want something aftermarket. Quality, on-the-shelf rear shocks can easily be $700-$1,000, custom is much higher. I don't know what's available for the 200X suspension, but a good fork cleaning, new seals, and greasing/replacing the rear bushings/bearings is a good start if you just want functional and reliable.

For fork oil, you can always mix weights to fine tune.


If you're really wanting the most bang for the buck, suspension is number one. No matter the engine mods, if the trike rides all over the place and is difficult to control, it's money wasted. Next would be brakes, which would typically be fresh caliper/master cylinder builds and stainless braided lines. Beyond that, I don't know. It'd be custom brake bits.

[ironchop]

You can probably rebuild the rear shock yourself. There's not much to them.

Check Schmidty Racing to see if they have 200X shock seals. Nitro recharge runs about $5-15.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222667126379?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=EGfKUeIUTfO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=TCCN0vCuTHO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I rebuilt the 86 250R shock for about $60 in parts and I replaced everything.

Schmidty sometimes has powdercoat OEM springs available for those. Check their website or eBay store. I thought Race Tech had aftermarket springs for it but don't quote me on that. They did for 250R in different rates. I'm 210 and I bottomed out a 200X on any jump higher than 3 ft. on stock setting

Do you still need that motor mount spacer? I'm pretty sure I have an aftermarket one somewhere in my parts pile. Let me know what all misc stuff you might need and I'll see if I have it

There was someone on eBay at one time with some Chinese front master cylinder repops. I just used the front master off of the CRF230 or a CR85 I think it was. They will work just fine plus it's Honda stuff. I think I used Honda CR85 front caliper on the rear of my 200X(s) and a kx80 rear caliper on the front. There's an interchange thread in here somewhere about that and I got a post in there about using the CR85 rear master cylinder on a 200X using some spacers and a very light modification to get it to work (you just drill out the mounting bolt threads and it's a direct bolt up with some homemade spacers)

The motors are very simple to rebuild. Figure on paying over $100 EACH WAY to ship it off to someone to rebuild if you go that route

Megacycles still makes aftermarket camshafts for these and they really respond well to a compression bump. 10.25:1 being optimal....12:1 is also available but hard on the kicker gears.
Sent from my motorola one 5G ace using Tapatalk

[1stGEN110]

You can probably rebuild the rear shock yourself. There's not much to them.

Check Schmidty Racing to see if they have 200X shock seals. Nitro recharge runs about $5-15.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/222667126379?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=EGfKUeIUTfO&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=TCCN0vCuTHO&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I rebuilt the 86 250R shock for about $60 in parts and I replaced everything.

Schmidty sometimes has powdercoat OEM springs available for those. Check their website or eBay store. I thought Race Tech had aftermarket springs for it but don't quote me on that. They did for 250R in different rates. I'm 210 and I bottomed out a 200X on any jump higher than 3 ft. on stock setting

Do you still need that motor mount spacer? I'm pretty sure I have an aftermarket one somewhere in my parts pile. Let me know what all misc stuff you might need and I'll see if I have it

There was someone on eBay at one time with some Chinese front master cylinder repops. I just used the front master off of the CRF230 or a CR85 I think it was. They will work just fine plus it's Honda stuff. I think I used Honda CR85 front caliper on the rear of my 200X(s) and a kx80 rear caliper on the front. There's an interchange thread in here somewhere about that and I got a post in there about using the CR85 rear master cylinder on a 200X using some spacers and a very light modification to get it to work (you just drill out the mounting bolt threads and it's a direct bolt up with some homemade spacers)

The motors are very simple to rebuild. Figure on paying over $100 EACH WAY to ship it off to someone to rebuild if you go that route

Megacycles still makes aftermarket camshafts for these and they really respond well to a compression bump. 10.25:1 being optimal....12:1 is also available but hard on the kicker gears.
Sent from my motorola one 5G ace using Tapatalk

Wow! That is outstanding information! Thank you so much, I’ve purchased a set of used motor mount plates, bolts and the spacers. Thanks though!

I planned on using some OEM substitute parts for the build as it’s going to be a rider, not a showpiece.

I am still looking for some parts,
-Rear grab bar
-Light/ignition switch
-Front (countershaft) sprocket cover
-Rear brake linkage in better shape than my rusty ones

I’m really hoping to salvage the engine and rebuild it myself. I have to split the cases to replace the rusty kickstart shaft in it now so I’d like to go all through it and check the bearings and ect.

Thank you so much for you time to reply and all the great info. I bet a 10.25:1 piston and a mild camshaft would completely satisfy my wants out of this trike! Looking for a sporty trail bike, not a ticking time bomb or a missile.

[Footy]

A friend of mine has a rear shock for a 200X but i do not know which year model. If you are interested I can ask him and see how much he wants for it.

[1stGEN110]

A friend of mine has a rear shock for a 200X but i do not know which year model. If you are interested I can ask him and see how much he wants for it.

Sure! I’ll have to verify it will work with my original 83’ swingarm. Thanks

[ATC King]

If your shock is in rebuildable condition and you to have a go at it yourself, here's a seal kit. https://www.schmidtyracing.com/Showa-Shock-Rebuild-Seal-Kit-ATC-200X-p/atc-sk-sh-200x.htm

Buying straight from their site will save you some cash instead of buying from their Ebay store.

There are several 200X shock rebuild threads on this site. A quick search will find several.

[1stGEN110]

I think my shock is rebuildable, I would like to get a new spring or refinish mine as it’s rusty! I’ve checked their site and am willing give it a try. I have a local suspension shop that can recharge it.

[1stGEN110]

Ordered a few parts yesterday. All three cables, clutch, throttle and parking brake plus the rear shock rebuild kit. I also ordered a 3D printed thumb throttle assembly cover as mine is gone but everything else is there. Oh, and a kickstart cover gasket, those are not as easy to come by as some of the other gaskets! I’m out of town for work today but hope to start the tear down tomorrow. First order of business is to pull the motor and pressure wash the frame. Then I’ll tear down the motor and proceed from there.

Im eager to see what surprises the engine has to offer.. maybe a high comp piston or cam?!? I think the jetting I find in the carb will tell me as much as anything, the Supertrapp muffler is an easy mod but missing the air filter and still having the airbox lid on and not cut up tells me it’s probably a stock motor.

[1stGEN110]

I started a dedicated build thread for the 200X

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/192200-1983-ATC200X-basket-case-resto-mod?p=1529336&posted=1#post1529336

[thingamajig]

Hey guys! I’m new here and ran across this forum/thread when I began looking to sell my 2 Honda ATC70s. Also noticed that a couple of you are from NC - I’m from Charlotte. Anyways, I have a 1984 Honda ATC70 and 1985 Honda ATC70. 1984 is OEM and in great condition. 1985 has lots of MODs! Just to name a few it has Lifan 107 electric start, K&N filter, Fly Racing Aero Tapered handlebars, Shimano Deore disc brakes. If anyone is interested in buying either of both of the ATCs then please let know and I will send additional info and pictures. Thanks!!