ATC650X from Dirt Wheels Oct. 2002

[1ATC650X]

Hey guys, my name is Mark and I built a 3 wheeler from a XR650L back in 2001. It is fully street legal and registered in Pa. Anyway I'm better at building 3 wheelers than working the computer so sorry it took so long to post. I will post more pics and details later if there is interest. It was in Dirt Wheels mag. in Oct. 2002 on page 12. Made a few changes since. 220267220268

[Hunting Chip]

Please tell me how you got that street legal in pa!!!

[nd4speed]

super cool ! welcome to the forums....

[oldskool83]

easy....he used a titled XR650L...it's not a 350x frame

[onformula101]

Welcome, very nice trike

I can't tell from the pictures what triple clamps did you use?


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[onformula101]

Strange my screen name changed using tapatalk?

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[1ATC650X]

Ok your right oldskool, it is a registered XR650L motorcycle. 1993 model. The first year for that bike. Anyway the definition of a motorcycle in the Pa. code book includes 3 or 2 wheels. They don't allow ATVs on the street but its a street titled motorcycle trike. I tell the police it's a street & trail trike. There are all sorts of trikes out there. Just that mine is built from a street & Trail bike instead. It's STILL a motorcycle!

[1ATC650X]

220274 Just to refresh some of you all's memory.220275

[nd4speed]

how many times would you say the police have pulled you over on it?

[1ATC650X]

I only had it tagged for a year in 2002 and just recently put it back on the road a couple of weeks ago. Back in 02 I was pulled over at least 9 or 10 times. Most cops are cool after they calm down. Some have a hard time believing it is or was a xr650l street legal bike. That is till they check the VIN# on the frame. Pulled over just once since it's been back on the street maybe a month. Funny how sometimes you never see a cop when you expect it.

[phantomtracer]

That's a great looking build!
Can you give some details on what modifications you made. Did you modify the frame for the fender?
What fenders did you use?
Did you modify the kxt triples or are the xr fork tubes the same diameter?
What rear did you use. The article has a misprint and says the swingarm is custom made to fit the swingarm.
How does it handle on the dirt?
Thanks, really nice job.

[knappyfeet]

Now I know what to do with my old DR650...........Trizilla.

I bet,the police pull you over. But how different is it to a Harley or Goldwing made into a trike? As long as its DOT.

[Mickey Dunlap]

It's funny back then Mark that while I had Dirt Wheels back here doing some other project they took the time to go to down town Hyndman PA. at our one and only stop light to take a pic of you riding because even back then they said they would never put 3 wheelers in the mag. again, now look at Dirt Wheels, every month they have pics of them.:w00t:

[1ATC650X]

Hey Mickey, again much thanks for letting me and my trike have a part in that " Dirt Wheels " day. It was fun to hang out at your shop and relive the old days of 3 wheelers. I will have to bring the trike by again sometime. Heading to the Fulton county atv drags later.Will post more pics and specs later guys. Just super busy right now.

[mdmike]

Its funny, no matter how many times you've seen Mark's 650X, you just have to stop what you're doing and go drool over it for a while! :lol:

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It truly is a beautiful machine in person. It looks like Honda built it for dual purpose use. Mark did a fantastic job putting this thing together!

[honda atc guy]

Very impressive! I'd love to have that.

[Mickey Dunlap]

Hey Mickey, again much thanks for letting me and my trike have a part in that " Dirt Wheels " day. It was fun to hang out at your shop and relive the old days of 3 wheelers. I will have to bring the trike by again sometime. Heading to the Fulton county atv drags later.Will post more pics and specs later guys. Just super busy right now.


What quad were we doing a shoot on, do you remember?

[strykerlover]

This is truly a work of art!!! Can I buy it? Lol!

[1ATC650X]

Mickey, I don't remember exactly but I think it was a orange V-Twin Kawasaki ? I know you were known for Kawasaki performance back then. Maybe still are.

[1ATC650X]

Mickey, The Sept. 2002 issue of Dirt Wheels had Chad Duvall's FST 500EX in it so I'm not sure now. I do remember a Kawie V-Twin being at your shop though. Not positive what color.

[Mickey Dunlap]

Mickey, The Sept. 2002 issue of Dirt Wheels had Chad Duvall's FST 500EX in it so I'm not sure now. I do remember a Kawie V-Twin being at your shop though. Not positive what color.


Must have been Chads bike, the V-Force wasn't out yet.

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[350for350]

True, but the Prairie 650 was.

[1ATC650X]

Mickey, I thought you had a V-Twin 4wd Kawasaki cause I thought you showed me some kind of custom plate you made on the side of the motor. I could be wrong though.

[Mickey Dunlap]

Yea it could have been, but the guy that would have been riding it is on the yellow Suzuki Vinson on the far left.

[1ATC650X]

Ok I started with a used XR650L I bought in 2001. I cut the rear top of the sub frame off to graft a top rear 350X one on with gussets. Rear swingarm is built by Izzy Burgard. I had him build it to fit the stock XR shock and linkage up front and TRX250R rear axle housing in the rear. Built from chromoly. Rear axle is +4 Lonestar with anti-fade brake hub. Wheel hubs are stock chromed. Rear brake caliper is TRX250R. 86 Tecate front clamps bored 2mm to fit the 43mm XR forks. Machined to fit XR stem. Front axle and hub 86 Tecate with spacers machined to fit. Front Tecate rotor machined to be a adaptor for the stock XR 650L rotor which is 10". Stock X and Tecate's are 8". Front XR caliper braket machined to center over rotor. Front and rear fenders and seat are factory 86 350X. Tank is 3 gallon IMS. Front skid and rear grab rail are DG. Swingarm skid is armadillo. Front and rear stock XR brake lines bolted right up. Speed bleeders in both calipers. Brakes are awesome with that big front rotor. Head light, turn signals, and tail light are stock XR. Front XR turn signal brackets fit the Tecate clamps perfectly. Foam filter on jetted carb. Super Trapp IDS2 exhaust with S pipe modified to fit. 11" 350X front wheel with 23x8x11 STI Black Diamond tire. Rear 22x11x10 STI Black Diamonds on ITP wheels. Tires are DOT RATED!!! Swingarm made the same length as stock XR. Wheelbase is 58" which is 8" longer than a 350X. Sprockets are 14x39 geared a little tall for the street but can cruise easily at 55-60. Front sprocket is XR650R which has double the spline width. Rear is TI-Moly Side Winder. Trike is very stable on or off road. Hill climbing great with the long wheelbase. Electric starting is soooo nice!! Handles great but I don't beat it off road. Some changes planned for near future.

[1ATC650X]

Stock XR suspension has 11.6" travel in front and 11" in the rear. FMF stainless power bomb front header on the way. also I can't stand the way the white plastic tanks turn yellow so was thinking of going to a new red tank and head light to give it a 87 250R look. What do you guys think? I also kept the frame the stock XR white but now think I should have made it red. I originally thought if I made it red it would look obvious that it was a conversion but I now have second thoughts. Will eventually go with 10.5 to 1 piston.

[honda atc guy]

Being that it's a 4 stroke "X", I'd keep the front and rear fenders white, red headlight and red tank shrouds. Red frame also, if it was mine. :beer

[Mickey Dunlap]

History repeats it self. This is what I woke up to today in another Oct. Dirt Wheels. I'm not sure but I think it's just my Face Book stories of the old days they are running for the next 3 months.

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[1ATC650X]

Nice mug shot Mickey. Not hiding a belly behind the X are you? :) Looking forward to that issue!

[atctim]

Hey 1ATC650X - great bike you've got there. Just a quick question for you: Are the rear flaps necessary for inspection / PA DOT purposes? I would assume they are, but I have been thru the PA motorcycle code a million times, and it never mentions rear tire coverage - like say PA laws for cars and trucks. Can you shed some light on the rear mud flaps please? I might need to know for a build that might happen.

§ 175.154. Body. (a) Condition of body. All items on the body shall be in safe operating condition as described in § 175.160 (relating to inspection procedure).
(b) Fenders. The wheels of a motorcycle shall be equipped with fenders of a type used as original equipment. At no time shall a tire come in contact with the body, fenders or chassis of the vehicle.
(c) Protruding objects. A motorcycle shall have no torn metal, glass or other loose or dislocated parts protruding from body.

[Mickey Dunlap]

Nice mug shot Mickey. Not hiding a belly behind the X are you? :) Looking forward to that issue!

Well I was trying! lol

[1ATC650X]

Regarding the rear fenders having mud flaps or flares. This is what we call a GRAY area. I also went over the PA. inspection book many times and I would much rather not have flares. Remember Pa says no to ATVS on the street but yes to trikes being a motorcycle. I have asked several inspection mechanics and they say they would not pass it without the flares. Found one that said he would. Also asked several cops and they said must have flares. I hate the flares but understand I'm trying to convince the law it's legal. The perception is the tires need covered so to try not to fight them on it I just put the flares on. Feel like I'm pushing the limits as it is. Make sense?

[1ATC650X]

I made the flares from some plastic that I formed with a heat gun. Tried my best to make them look factory but they are kinda big. They are starting to grow on me though.

[TwiZ]

Did you take it to an enhanced inspection mechanic? I know there are gray areas in Pa inspection laws...or did it get licked n sticked?...and i presume it has d.o.t.tires....sweet trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro ride man!!!!! Sick as hell

[TwiZ]

Ok...just seen your other post...i know i run into trouble with my cj5 with full width axles and the mudflap n flare thing and havin to remove the 38.5" swampers n throw stockers on it to get it stickered...my insp.guy always says it wasnt like that when i brought it here...and i say to the cops...do you think i could get it inspected like this?...its a cat n mouse game with the inspection laws n cops cause the laws are open for interpretation. I won a court hearing once over mud flaps...i said since you can buy a brand new truck without them but its inspected ya need to bust a lot of dealerships...judge said ya got a point and dismissed it...if your in the Elk county area we should ride...or let me check that bad boy out

[TwiZ]

Hey atc tim...we should ride...your close

[1ATC650X]

Hey guys sorry I haven't been on here in awhile. I have no idea what the machine weighs? I know it's not light. The trike handles very well. The 10" rear wheels made a huge difference in the stability around turns. You can just fly on pavement or dirt. Remember it has a plus 4" rear 250r axle and is 8" longer than a 350x. I just went through normal inspection in Pa. Didn't want to ask TOO many questions.

[1ATC650X]

Also the Black Diamond STI tires are D.O.T. approved. Really make the trike look great.

[1ATC650X]

While the trike does handle well, the tires are not the smoothest nor balanced. Would not want to ride it super long distance. Just put a JE 10.5 to 1 piston in it and a FMF powerbomb header on it. Runs great!!

[Tmh490]

That's a beautiful trike I want to do a similar build with an older 2stroke enduro and a tri-z. Your work is great and I love to see the rules manipulated

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[vonsmacken]

great trike. thanks for sharing… and paint that frame red, brother!

[MCATVME]

Great build!!!! Congratulations on getting around PA law and rocken a road ATC.