Kawasaki ATC to bike conversion.

jeep2003

jeep2003

#1
#1
Starting with a trashed Kawasaki ATC200 trike. Many things were missing or bad. I always wanted to build a fat bike out of a trike this was the almost perfect opportunity. The plastics were gone the cdi was gone. The back axle had a differential that was grenaded. No seat or anything. First thing I did was cut off the back end and extended the frame on top for the seat to sit. I figured out a raptor 80 seat fits great but I didnt have one to spare and didnt want to spend the coin on one.
So I focused on the front end. It was all spray painted black so i chipped all the paint off the chrome and forks to reveal the factory green. I wanted dual headlights like a warrior so i modified the frame from a dirtbike I widened it out to fit a few lights. Then started making the swingarm. I cut up a cinese dirtbike one and the disc brake from it aswell. I built a hub for all 3 mountings. The only complication was getting the wheel over the hub for disc. So I made a small flange for that out of a thick washer and an adapter to the disc.
 

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jeep2003

jeep2003

#3
#3
The headlights I ended up hanging from the top rather than coming up with lower mounts off the forks. I wanted the screened look so I used some metal screen that i stuck in there. I drilled 4 holes in the rubber buckets and left the screen with 4 sides poking out to stick in the holes so the screen holds itself in. a front fender from an atc110 fit really good but again I hadnt one to spare and too cheap to buy a good one. I tried the fender from my yamaha yt125 and it fit ok too. They were cheaper than an 110 one so i picked one up and drilled the forks to mount it better its the yellow one. The swingarm with integral jackshaft is shaping up. The main problem with using this bike is the gas tank was under the seat so I had to come up with something. I widened out a rusted out suzuki tank and made the underside fit the frame. I even made an english wheel to make the filler piece.
 

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jeep2003

jeep2003

#5
#5
So the swingarm went together well and I had some shocks that had a suitable spring rate. I used the original trike rear sprocket and made the little jackshaft with some old front sprockets which gears it down a little by a few teeth. Then made muffler on the side and a shield for it. I used suzuki dirtbike kickstand i shortened. For the cdi I used a universal chinese cdi and it worked out great started right up. My brother did the wiring he is good with that stuff. I made a battery mount under the seat in the space above the swingarm. No kick start on this bike unfortunately. I took it for a test ride with no seat and a temporary fuel tank and it worked flawlessly. Since I had this yellow fender I decided to go with yellow instead of green. I then got going on the seat. Plywood base supported by aluminum strips bolted on. I had to cut out the center to clear the air filter then filled it with window screen to stop the mice digging in. Some foam and the pleated cover from an old pickup truck seat. Stretchy material for the sides. I used a factory style stitching instead of welting and I must say its probably the nicest seat I ever did.
 

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RobertC

RobertC

#6
#6
Hey @jeep2003 ...I'm glad to see you at it again on here !

You always make some cool stuff !

This is looking great, and seems to be coming together nice.

Keep up the good work, and keep us posted.
 
jeep2003

jeep2003

#9
#9
I made the rear fender out of steel I used my english wheel to give it some curve then pie cutted the edges and made little covers for the frame ends. The lip is also folded over so its not sharp. I just screwed it onto the bottom of the seat. The front part i made a piece of rubbery plastic so it protects the battery and everything there. The paint gave me problems but I wet sanded and buffed it. It ended up quite good Its not perfect so its almost like an 80s paint job with some patina. Now I just need to put on decals and emblems and hook up the fuel line and it will be done. The emblems are coming from china so they might take a while. But I have already hand cut the fender decals so they can go on now.
 

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jeep2003

jeep2003

#11
#11
Thats what I was going for. Alot of the conversions look off. Either ride height or the swingarm is too long or janky fenders all make them look a bit not factory built. So I did the best I could to make it look right. It handles like you would expect. Like a trike lol alot like a super bronc I suppose with the fat tires. I will know better with a seat on it and a proper gas tank. I was taking it easy on the test ride. I was expecting the steering geometry to be a bit off since it was designed for a trike but I think thats ok which is great.
 
Mark G

Mark G

#14
#14
Kick ass! Great to see you building again. I have a '85 Big red I always wanted to do that to, but I know will never happen. Can't wait to see your progress!
 
tomc

tomc

Active Member
#18
#18
Very interesting. I still have the chance to trade for a Manco 310 three wheeler with a 10HP electric start Briggs engine. The plastic bodywork, not fiberglass, is pretty well trashed, so it would be a good candidate for a similar conversion. Any more conversions on here?
 
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