hrc200x
11-12-2006, 11:11 PM
For the past year I've been incontact off and on with the guy who started Tiger ATV back in the day. Has some interesting info on the PVC vs fiberglass fenders, and different radiators among other things. Kinda jumps around alot because its just copy/pasted from email, but definatly worth reading, no, he's got no parts left, he thought he sold the last quad with some extra engines to a guy in Missouri, not sure what year this happened. Enjoy:
I designed everything to do with Tiger ATV. I was the
founder and President.
The only unit we ever build with the 175cc was the
start of the second racing season that we raced.
Nationally people where just starting to use sleeved
down 250cc machines to race in the 200cc class.
I found some used 175cc CanAm engines and build a
racer around them that was modified from a 250 frame.
It was not even a contest racing against the modified
Honda four stroke 200's.
We only used the 175cc for a short time 2-3 months and
we may have used in the first season of Ice Racing.
Our Team did win the 200 class Grand National on year
when it was in New York on the Ice. We did a second in
the 250 class.
The 175 was replaced with a water cooled 200 using the
250 bottom end and new piston,cylinder,pipe and
gearing. The 200's where all blue, frame, tank,body
with a red seat.
I had a hot racer from Ohio who just walked away with
the races first the 200 class then the 250 the next
race and usually the Open class against big engine
machines using our legal 250. We did not win every
race. Racing has luck and has heart break you just
don't know which will meet you on any given day.
The little racing that went on here was dominated by
Honda dealers. We won most of the races for 3yrs
running but Honda had a overwhelming PR organization.
we made a few with a low side mounted down low
with the copper radiator but I don't know if they
where every shipped to anyone except as a free
sponsored unit because we as soon as we side mounted
it we where already waiting for the delivery of our
order from Japan.
The one in the last picture is a production 250cc that
represents 99% of what was built. (This picture he's talking about is of Dr. Deaths machine)
500cc and 80cc units where spacial order only. We
raced a 500 sometimes but there where really no big
ATVs other than a opened up 250cc to be seen in this
area so what would be the point. I cost about
$50,000.00 a year per unit to race.
500 & 80 where just special order.
We had in Minnesota 2 sponsored riders, one in Albert
Lee and one in Forest Lake.
One in Wisconsin , Baldwin. California, Canada,
Louisiana, then a few more with minor sponsorships.
The one who helped us from day one was a racer from
Forest Lake, Mick ---- sorry would have think about
that. He road the very first one and we took it apart
and shipped with our luggage to Texas. Ran an arena
cross in Lubbock Texas and just wiped out everyone and
had lots of trouble doing it. Broke the frame and had
to borrow a welder and weld it on sidewalk downtown
out side the arena.
We finished the race at about 10 pm loaded the rented
station wagon with no air conditioning and drove all
night to Dallas.
We hit a full blown sand storm when we got a hour out
of Dentin Texas where we were to race at Mike Kids
oval track, the site of a Grand National back then but
we where there for every weekend race. Hot track big
and fast.
It was a track for flat track bikes, most of tracks
for ATVs then where used for other racing first.
It was spring and the trees had half of their green
showing, by mid afternoon they where bare, sandblasted
clean. Red unrelenting dust. we had to where racing
goggles from noon to about seven that night until the
wind slowed down. Hot about 50 F when we arrived and
not a sole in site, when it gets 50 F in Texas people
think its still winter. By 1pm it was in the 90's and
like being in red snow storm.
Great racing , at night under the lights. Mike was a
young 28 or so ex Honda flat track racer, in that he
worked for Honda from what I heard don't know for
sure.
If know about flat track bike racing people, they are
usually so broke up by the time the reach about 22yrs
old they have to retire or be very careful and careful
doesn't win races most of the time.
We raced in between the bike races. The first heat
race was big and fast, 25 bikes on a quarter mile
oval. Mick raced his heart out and came in about
third. Everyone was happy for our first time out but
that soon ended when Mick hit the pits.
The engine was seizing up.
We worked frantically before the next race in the wind
and red dirt to switch out the top end. To do that we
had to pull the swing arm, chain, brakes, gas tank,
and the entire engine. Not good when you have no time
to test run even for a couple of minutes.
On this first time out there where three of us Mick
the racer who unlike most racer was actually a
motorcycle mechanic to, a young photographer who
doubled as research assistant back at the shop, and
myself.
A real mad scene getting it all back together and Mick
back out just in time to line up for the next race.
I hastily tightened the last bolts with him sitting
in the dark pit area revving he engine. Pressure!
He made it and was racing wide open around the big
turn not doing great but holding his own about lap 4,
pushing hard against seasoned machines that raced
every week. Back in Minnesota just was not this kind
of racing competition.
Then the engine went , locked up solid. That was close
to end of our second race debut, we had no more
pistons could do what the guy in the movie Last
American Eagle did cast a new one on the spot.
It was a great learning experience , jumping directly
into the fry pan literally, now in Minnesota it was
still freezing cold with snow.
Driving back to Dallas about midnight and having been
up for two and half days without sleep I was having
real trouble hearing everyone else was dead and I
could just barely drive the thirty miles back. When I
got to the room and looked in mirror I saw why I could
not hear? Red dirt , my ears where completely full
like some one had plastered them shut. No wonder the
engine noise didn't bother me.
With a couple hours sleep and in a half we want to
make back alive mood we had take the bike apart and
hide it in the suit cases and duffel bags, then off to
the airport drag our sorry asses back to snow and ice.
After we checked everything out we realized what
happened. Lubbock is close to 7,000 elev. and Dallas
is more like 700 elev. that was the first problem, and
second the gas in Texas is really bad compared to MN
and we really should have found racing gas. Those are
kind of mistakes you make with only 8 or 10 hours
sleep in a week.
I still have that tool box we carried on the plane and
to every race across the country during "The days of
the Tiger"
Note: there where 3 riders who where employed by Tiger
ATV with name of Micky, Micky from Forest Lake MN,
Micky from Portland, Micky from West Monroe
Louisiana
I had my own CNC machine shop and welding shop so we made the axles, brakes, triple clamps, wheel hubs, frames , handle bars, and the wheels where made in Kansas by the people who made Kawasaki wheels.
Well let's see, we usually made the 200cc blue but
only on ones we raced because they where fiberglass
and we wanted everyone to know it was not a chopped
250cc. Same for the 80cc, it seems to me the 125 where
white with a reddish orange seat.
The production after start up and prototypes where ABS
plastic. You see no glass on back side.
Then I used glass towards the end because I did all
the gas tanks, radiator covers, and fenders in house
to save money because I had order too many for our
supplier in California at one time.
We never had a air cooled production unit except the
500cc and the 125cc, and no radiator or water cooled
head.
We use a copper square radiator the first year.
about 11" X 10" X 2"thick with a large cap top center.
Then I had aluminum radiators made in Japan for us by
Nippondesel, that is not spelled correct.
That radiator was about 11"long and only about 6" wide
and thin 1.25 or 1.5". with a smaller cap at top to
one side.
The red seat should be a nice custom molded with a
plastic back board. If it a very old one it will be
stapled to a wood flat back.
That was a standard 250cc with the ABS plastic parts. You can tell by looking at the underside of the rear fenders.
It only has one radiator.
The one with radiators on the handle bars where only made the first year. The radiators like a said where copper and needed long hoses, that was the weak point, the hoses would sometimes come lose, end of race. Other wise they everything else just fine but they where ugly.
At the time no company in the US made a nice aluminum radiator you could buy.
I could build one from scratch I suppose but I think I only have drawings for some of the 4wheeler parts but the frame is very similar from the tank back I guess.
I designed everything to do with Tiger ATV. I was the
founder and President.
The only unit we ever build with the 175cc was the
start of the second racing season that we raced.
Nationally people where just starting to use sleeved
down 250cc machines to race in the 200cc class.
I found some used 175cc CanAm engines and build a
racer around them that was modified from a 250 frame.
It was not even a contest racing against the modified
Honda four stroke 200's.
We only used the 175cc for a short time 2-3 months and
we may have used in the first season of Ice Racing.
Our Team did win the 200 class Grand National on year
when it was in New York on the Ice. We did a second in
the 250 class.
The 175 was replaced with a water cooled 200 using the
250 bottom end and new piston,cylinder,pipe and
gearing. The 200's where all blue, frame, tank,body
with a red seat.
I had a hot racer from Ohio who just walked away with
the races first the 200 class then the 250 the next
race and usually the Open class against big engine
machines using our legal 250. We did not win every
race. Racing has luck and has heart break you just
don't know which will meet you on any given day.
The little racing that went on here was dominated by
Honda dealers. We won most of the races for 3yrs
running but Honda had a overwhelming PR organization.
we made a few with a low side mounted down low
with the copper radiator but I don't know if they
where every shipped to anyone except as a free
sponsored unit because we as soon as we side mounted
it we where already waiting for the delivery of our
order from Japan.
The one in the last picture is a production 250cc that
represents 99% of what was built. (This picture he's talking about is of Dr. Deaths machine)
500cc and 80cc units where spacial order only. We
raced a 500 sometimes but there where really no big
ATVs other than a opened up 250cc to be seen in this
area so what would be the point. I cost about
$50,000.00 a year per unit to race.
500 & 80 where just special order.
We had in Minnesota 2 sponsored riders, one in Albert
Lee and one in Forest Lake.
One in Wisconsin , Baldwin. California, Canada,
Louisiana, then a few more with minor sponsorships.
The one who helped us from day one was a racer from
Forest Lake, Mick ---- sorry would have think about
that. He road the very first one and we took it apart
and shipped with our luggage to Texas. Ran an arena
cross in Lubbock Texas and just wiped out everyone and
had lots of trouble doing it. Broke the frame and had
to borrow a welder and weld it on sidewalk downtown
out side the arena.
We finished the race at about 10 pm loaded the rented
station wagon with no air conditioning and drove all
night to Dallas.
We hit a full blown sand storm when we got a hour out
of Dentin Texas where we were to race at Mike Kids
oval track, the site of a Grand National back then but
we where there for every weekend race. Hot track big
and fast.
It was a track for flat track bikes, most of tracks
for ATVs then where used for other racing first.
It was spring and the trees had half of their green
showing, by mid afternoon they where bare, sandblasted
clean. Red unrelenting dust. we had to where racing
goggles from noon to about seven that night until the
wind slowed down. Hot about 50 F when we arrived and
not a sole in site, when it gets 50 F in Texas people
think its still winter. By 1pm it was in the 90's and
like being in red snow storm.
Great racing , at night under the lights. Mike was a
young 28 or so ex Honda flat track racer, in that he
worked for Honda from what I heard don't know for
sure.
If know about flat track bike racing people, they are
usually so broke up by the time the reach about 22yrs
old they have to retire or be very careful and careful
doesn't win races most of the time.
We raced in between the bike races. The first heat
race was big and fast, 25 bikes on a quarter mile
oval. Mick raced his heart out and came in about
third. Everyone was happy for our first time out but
that soon ended when Mick hit the pits.
The engine was seizing up.
We worked frantically before the next race in the wind
and red dirt to switch out the top end. To do that we
had to pull the swing arm, chain, brakes, gas tank,
and the entire engine. Not good when you have no time
to test run even for a couple of minutes.
On this first time out there where three of us Mick
the racer who unlike most racer was actually a
motorcycle mechanic to, a young photographer who
doubled as research assistant back at the shop, and
myself.
A real mad scene getting it all back together and Mick
back out just in time to line up for the next race.
I hastily tightened the last bolts with him sitting
in the dark pit area revving he engine. Pressure!
He made it and was racing wide open around the big
turn not doing great but holding his own about lap 4,
pushing hard against seasoned machines that raced
every week. Back in Minnesota just was not this kind
of racing competition.
Then the engine went , locked up solid. That was close
to end of our second race debut, we had no more
pistons could do what the guy in the movie Last
American Eagle did cast a new one on the spot.
It was a great learning experience , jumping directly
into the fry pan literally, now in Minnesota it was
still freezing cold with snow.
Driving back to Dallas about midnight and having been
up for two and half days without sleep I was having
real trouble hearing everyone else was dead and I
could just barely drive the thirty miles back. When I
got to the room and looked in mirror I saw why I could
not hear? Red dirt , my ears where completely full
like some one had plastered them shut. No wonder the
engine noise didn't bother me.
With a couple hours sleep and in a half we want to
make back alive mood we had take the bike apart and
hide it in the suit cases and duffel bags, then off to
the airport drag our sorry asses back to snow and ice.
After we checked everything out we realized what
happened. Lubbock is close to 7,000 elev. and Dallas
is more like 700 elev. that was the first problem, and
second the gas in Texas is really bad compared to MN
and we really should have found racing gas. Those are
kind of mistakes you make with only 8 or 10 hours
sleep in a week.
I still have that tool box we carried on the plane and
to every race across the country during "The days of
the Tiger"
Note: there where 3 riders who where employed by Tiger
ATV with name of Micky, Micky from Forest Lake MN,
Micky from Portland, Micky from West Monroe
Louisiana
I had my own CNC machine shop and welding shop so we made the axles, brakes, triple clamps, wheel hubs, frames , handle bars, and the wheels where made in Kansas by the people who made Kawasaki wheels.
Well let's see, we usually made the 200cc blue but
only on ones we raced because they where fiberglass
and we wanted everyone to know it was not a chopped
250cc. Same for the 80cc, it seems to me the 125 where
white with a reddish orange seat.
The production after start up and prototypes where ABS
plastic. You see no glass on back side.
Then I used glass towards the end because I did all
the gas tanks, radiator covers, and fenders in house
to save money because I had order too many for our
supplier in California at one time.
We never had a air cooled production unit except the
500cc and the 125cc, and no radiator or water cooled
head.
We use a copper square radiator the first year.
about 11" X 10" X 2"thick with a large cap top center.
Then I had aluminum radiators made in Japan for us by
Nippondesel, that is not spelled correct.
That radiator was about 11"long and only about 6" wide
and thin 1.25 or 1.5". with a smaller cap at top to
one side.
The red seat should be a nice custom molded with a
plastic back board. If it a very old one it will be
stapled to a wood flat back.
That was a standard 250cc with the ABS plastic parts. You can tell by looking at the underside of the rear fenders.
It only has one radiator.
The one with radiators on the handle bars where only made the first year. The radiators like a said where copper and needed long hoses, that was the weak point, the hoses would sometimes come lose, end of race. Other wise they everything else just fine but they where ugly.
At the time no company in the US made a nice aluminum radiator you could buy.
I could build one from scratch I suppose but I think I only have drawings for some of the 4wheeler parts but the frame is very similar from the tank back I guess.