Best ATC For TAT

[ATCTRACKER7275]

Hey yall, looking to do the Trans-Atlantic trail in the future on a ATC, Ya ik im crazy. What model would u guys do it on, I was thinking a big red 250es but i don't own anything yet! Thx in advance.

[big specht]

Yea that would be it electric start big tank and they don’t ride to bad stock with oem style tires

[ATCTRACKER7275]

Ya that's what I was thinking.

[350for350]

I'll second the 250ES. Mine's my favorite because of the ride. They're pretty comfy with a set of Cheng Shin C829's on them too.

[ATC King]

I didn't find anything about a Trans-Atlantic Trail.

Do you mean the Trans-America Trail?

If so, there's a lot of paved roads in that, which require a street legal vehicle. There's probably a good bit of gravel roads which also are only legal with a road legal machine, certainly if it's through any National Parks, some of which do and some don't require an ATV to be street legal in the regular context. BLM land is open, that shouldn't be a problem, but some states require an ATV/OHV permit, which you can buy at gas stations in some states.

You may want to look at the guy who attempted to travel across Canada on a 200ES. He was stopped at some point by police from continuing because it wasn't a street legal vehicle. Matt Webb, he was raising money for a charity, was well prepared, and ready to tough it out, but was turned around after 3,000+ kilometers into his ride. He may get the paperwork straightened out and make another attempt, but that's the last I read of it.

The east coast will probably have the most paved miles to cover, for the longest distance. That side of the country is very crowded.

[ATC King]

I really don't know if the Trans-Atlantic thing was meant to be a joke or it was just a misunderstanding, but if you're serious, this is the trike you should use.

https://aquacycles.com/wp-content/up...aqua-cycle.jpg


It wouldn't be all that crazy, there's a guy crossing the Atlantic in a kayak right now, and he's not the first.

[ATCTRACKER7275]

I meant the trans American trail. It's about 4000 miles last i checked, but its still 2 yrs out. Here me out ATC King we race too North Carolina.

[ATCTRACKER7275]

Im in Az and last i checked i can still register them, just will be hard to find one with a title.

[ATC King]

Registered and tagged can mean two different things.

OHV/ATV registration is required in most states to ride public land, it does not make them legal for public roads and highways.

If an ATC doesn't already have a title, there's probably very little chance you'll be able to get one now, for street legality. If you do manage to get a title, it may only be good to show ownership for OHV/ATV registration purposes only, insurance, or to show transfer of ownership.

Even if you skirt the grey area and it works in your state, it could cause issues in another state if it's noticeably lacking some things that are obvious. An example would be to go ahead and add all the same bits a street legal motorcycle has, turn signals, mirror/s, brake and tail lamp, and parts that are obviously there or not from a visual distance. The more legal it looks, the fewer the problems upon closer inspection.



As for what trike, I think a 250SX would be a better choice. It has a bit taller gearing, so you can cover more ground. Which may also improve fuel economy for a ride like that. The longer travel suspension is going to feel a little more comfortable at the end of the day. You'll be needing to set an average day around the 170 mile mark if you want to finish in a month, so having something that'll cruise at even a little bit higher speed will help.

That would be a month of riding. That doesn't include getting to a starting point or riding home. If you want to do it in three weeks or less, you'll really have to put in some miles, especially for being on an ATC.


Then there's budget. For just the trip itself, $5,000 may work. You not only need money for fuel, food, and supplies along the way, but in case of repairs or towing. You make start out thinking you'll camp most of the way, but that's going to be tough if the weather is foul for several days straight and you're just worn out. I'd bet most people end up staying at hotels more than they thought they would. That'll hit the budget harder than anything else you didn't prepare for.

What about shipping the trike to the start and from the finish? Rent a U-Haul pickup and do it yourself? Phew, the time that'll take and it'll still cost a good chunk. Maybe $500 each way to have it shipped from/to home?


You'll also have to start out with a relatively nice trike, not some project that'll never be dependable enough for a trip like that. $5,000-$6,000 for a trike like that, if you can find one near enough to pick up and not have to pay shipping.


Starting from scratch, you'll be in $10,000 or more if you want the best chance of it being an enjoyable memory and not a survival story than ends in defeat.

Whatever trike you use will have more miles put on it in month than most people will ride in ten years.

[ATC King]

There's more than I can cover in a couple posts, but some other things to consider...

...fuel economy. An ATV isn't going to get close to the same as a motorcycle.

I can go about 220 miles on my dual sport motorcycle tank. No ATC is getting anywhere close to that. You'll have to carry extra fuel, especially when riding out west.

As for actual highway legality, that can mean a lot as far as insurance. If you're in a legal grey area and you're hit by another drivers, your insurance may not pay, if you weren't supposed to be on the road anyway. High medical bills can wreck a person's life, so you'll want to make sure you're properly covered.

Speed. You're going to severely speed limited compared to a motorcycle. What daily distance would be a breeze on a motorcycle, will be a long day for an ATC rider.

The trip will have to be done during the summer, or late summer. Mountain passes at the higher elevations for the TAT aren't passable during the winter. That means while you still may encounter sporadic winter weather conditions at 8,000ft+ (especially at 10,000ft+), most of the trip will be hot to uncomfortable in the lower elevations. You'll want some rechargeable fans in the tent to be able to even sleep in the hotter temps. Water capacity will be very important for the whole trip, because it's not just for drinking.

If you're really committed, I'd like to continue to help. If it's a pipe dream and you're not going to put in the work, I'd like for you to say so.

I've been a part of a Trans-America trip. That's from the Atlantic to the Pacific, the whole continental width. It was on bicycles and took two months. Average daily distance was probably 70 miles, which is a very casual/relaxed distance for road cycling. I was the mechanic for that year's trip, but got to ride about 1/4 of the way, so pretty much in each state we passed through. That was a fully supported trip, meaning vehicles with personal gear were waiting at each stop and at the end of the day; you won't have that.

[ATC King]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1sLgYNkiqk

[ATC King]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1sLgYNkiqk


Edit 8/15/24:

I hope I didn't scare you away from the TAT.

The video link is an interview with the TAT creator, who's goal wasn't making money, but just to ride rural and scenic America. In many ways, a better understanding of the places and people who's hard work made and continues to make this country possible. A person has to leave their preconceptions at home to fully benefit from a trip like that.

Trips like that can be very rewarding and positively impactful, but if someone is going to attempt it they have to fully commit. I've seen too many people half-plan trips only to fail at reaching their goal, and that follows, gnaws at some people until the complete it.

The best part of the TAT is it's already been routed out and rode by thousands of people. It isn't an expedition nor some gnarly off-road hell fest for a solid month. It's a way to see America that many people don't get anymore because so much of the population has migrated to cities and they are completely out of touch with a lot of how this country really works and even where the food they eat comes from, or any raw materials that make their comfortable lives possible.


For most people, a month long trip isn't possible. If they have the money, they don't have the time off of work. There's plenty of reasons to avoid committing to a trip like that, but you only live once, and a greater knowledge of America, the country you live in, is something that more people desperately need. A greater connection to what their country is and not just what they see on television or the internet that's been manipulated and filtered through the media, the propaganda machine that keeps people upset, confused, and controllable, stuck in their bubble of hate and wilful ignorance.


I quit a job I had for a couple years to take a trip across this country. I asked for the time off but was denied, even though I could of made up at least half of it with vacation time. The job I was at wasn't worth missing a trip like that. Several other employees were late or calling in, all the time and they were never reprimanded. I had an outburst one day because all of it was really starting to get to me and I was rewarded with a couple days off without pay. I continually had to pick up their slack, finish jobs they started, but wasn't even allowed to take vacation time. The company's excuse was they were short handed, which was all of their fault and I wasn't going to suffer from their ignorance and laziness anymore.

It wasn't a hard decision to quite that job to take a trip most people will never get to do. I did have another job before I quit and I had it set up for a few months between, because I WAS going on that trip. There's too much in life to slave away at some job where there's no future and no reprieve from ignorance and corruption.

I wasn't stacked with cash before that trip and it took me a minute to pay everything off, but the experience was mine to keep and continue to enjoy, not like debt to buy something that'll depreciate or be trash in five years or less. The money I spent was already planned for, I knew what I could spend and what it'd take to pay off without struggling. It wasn't some emotional escape with caution thrown to the wind. A person doesn't have to be wealthy to take those kind of trips, they just have to plan well. Do they want that widget they can live without or do don't want to live?