ATC 70 front fender question

[sojukrum]

Guys,

I got a question I'm sure you have been asked before. I'm in the process of restoring a 83' ATC 70 that I bought new plastic for. I had noticed that the old "factory" fender had rubbed on the head, so I thought I had a bent fork. I found another fork from a guy that swore it was straight. After I mounted it and the new Maier fender, I found that it rubs too. Do you guys have any recomendations for using the Maier fender, short of cutting it up? I'm not sure if this is just poor manufacture on Honda's part, or if the the Maier fenders are slightly different than factory. Any information, would be much appreciated.

[darrel632]

Drill the Top holes on the fender forward 6.5 mm fixes the issue

[Vealmonkey]

Your frame is probably bent, be careful. Maybe you want to try and get a different frame.

[200xman]

Your frame is probably bent, be careful. Maybe you want to try and get a different frame.

Like Vealmonkey said, the frame is probably bent. There should be a good inch or more between the fender and head. Pull the tank and sight down the frame tube. They always bend under the tank.

[sojukrum]

Thanks for the replies. Didn't think once that the frame could be bent, but definitely could be a possibility. I've seen many of these with no fender/fender with head burn marks/and trimmed fenders. I'm guessing this is a common problem. The only problem I have at this point, is that I already blasted and painted the frame...doh!! I'm thinking about drillingl the holes out a bit, and see if I can move the fender around to avoid hitting the head. Worst case scenerio, I trim the fender the clear the head. If anybody has any other suggestions, please post.

[KASEY]

think about this ,,, your fork angle is also off,,,, it will turn different, it is very noticeable too,,, i would straighten it out rather than chop a fender especially if kids will be riding it,,,

[SYKO]

I got a bare frame for ya! $50 shipped to your door!

[Vealmonkey]

Sometimes when you see the fenders burnt or the tank dented, it means that somebody really slammed the forks against the fork stops. The fork stops will bend too if you slam them enough. You can always make and weld up new fork stops that are a higher grade steel if you need to. Make sure you have someone you trust welding. I've heard of people re-bending back frames, front forks and fork stops, but, I would think it would really weaken the metal.

[sojukrum]

Right now it just rubs, you can still turn no problem. I had it running the other day, and didn't notice any difference in turning. I've got another frame, but fear that one may have the same problem, plus it needs bearings. Thanks again for all the info

[sojukrum]

Yep, I had a dented tank also. I noticed the fork stops were bent, and straightened and welded them to build them up. If anything, I've got two extra forks that are now expendable. I orginally started with two ATC 70s, and combined them to build one good one. Project is definitely getting expensive!

[greenhuman]

Take off the tank and take off the front wheel. Slide the the axle back through the forks. Place a block of wood on the engine cases under the cylinder. Get a bottle jack and place the bottom of the jack on the wood and the top against the axle and give it few pumps. This will straighten your frame tube really easily. You will be surprised how quickly this fixes your problem without heat or disturbing your paint.

[sojukrum]

Thanks for all the replies fellas, I'm goint to try the bottle jack method...hope it works! I'll have to get some pics posted here soon. Painted the whole bike pink for my daughter, it actually looks pretty good.

[nicholas]

I have the same problem. I bought a new maier plastic front fender and it rubs the head. Will using a bottle jack weaken the integrity of the metal? I know my frame isn't bent. I don't really want to drill out the fender because I want it to fit correctly. Any pics would be appreicated.

[TRX250R87]

Can someone post pictures of the bottle jack fix. My front fender also rubs the head and my tank has a nice dent from the fork hitting it a some point.
ERIC

[nicholas]

I checked last night. My frame is not bent. At least if it is I can't tell in the slightest. Also, my tank is perfect. Dosen't look like the trike has ever taken any hard hits. I tried the bottle jack idea, but I was to afraid of tearig something up. It seemed to put alot of stress on the axle. Also it was hard to get good leverage from the wood block without taking off the exhaust. Almost every atc 70 i've seen has this fender problem. Maybe this was just a defect from Honda? I guess I'll dremel out the fender holes next. I just hate to ruin a good fender. Especially since I've spent some much time and effort of restoring this one. I post some pics when the project is finished. I didn't think I'd ever wrap up so much money in a little 3 wheeler that was supposed to be for my daughter. Shes only 2 so that gives me time to find another one that she can bang up a liitle without making me sick. Ha Ha.