Greetings!!
OK, so I am a total trike NOOB but I picked one up several years ago for $40 that didn't run. Saw it in a neighbor's garage and asked about it. He made me take it off his hands by asking $50 for it and taking my $40.
It is a 1985 ATC 70 with a 4 speed(down shifted) trans.
So, after letting it sit for 5 or 6 years due to too many other projects my buddy and I finally got around to seeing if the trike would run. That is when I started noticing things were not complete. No case on the left side for the pull start, and, obviously, no pull starter. I had moved away from that neighbor in the intervening years so no option to go ask for any spare parts.
We started looking online for what we THOUGHT we needed. Found a used case on ebay. Not terrible. Thought I found a compatible pull start rig in the form of a TRX90 part. As I am sure some of you know, THAT AINT GONNA GET IT. I now know this too.
So my buddy thought a Spanglers conversion kit cage spacer would solve that. As I am sure some of you know, THAT ALSO AINT GONNA GET IT. I now know THIS too.
But, in the meantime, while waiting for these various parts to arrive from ebay and elsewhere, we DID get the trike running by virtue of near exhaustion push starting it. We did take some steps to decide it was even worth trying. Compression check by holding a finger over the spark plug hole and turning the rear tires with the trike in 4th gear. We put a new plug in it, changed the oil, shot a little WD-40 in the cylinder and then started pushing it. Low and behold, it fired up. Smoked quite a bit, even aside from the WD-40 we had "lubed" it with. But that went away after several minutes.
We have no idea what the compression should be but given its age, I suspect we are not going to care too much at this point. And given the relative low cost of a rebuild kit, we aren't going to worry about it until we get the big issue of the pull starter sorted. Push starting the pig cold is a huge pain in the watoosi and even when it is warm it sucks to have to work so hard for a quick ride.
We have about $100 in various parts, some usable some not, into the project. But we CAN NOT find a compatible pull starter that isn't $200 or more. Obviously the TRX90 isn't going to work as the bolt holes don't line up in the first place and then the Spanglers adapter doesn't fit inside the pull starter cage so even with some creative fitment, we are stymied.
The $60,000 question is...
Anybody got, or know where we can get, a working pull starter that isn't $200 or more? Used, new, or otherwise?
Also, we have that TRX90 pull starter that needs a new home, so if anybody wants to trade or needs that, let me know. I am not greedy, nor am I made of money, so fair and reasonable offers/options are always welcome.
Thank you for reading and for any info or suggestions that might come to mind.
Martin