ATC

So Russ did a small siding job for a friend, who's a bit of a hoarder.  Of course the friend paid Russ for his work, but Russ ended up trading some materials to the friend for an ATC....that didn't run....for the last five years since the friend picked it up....from the dump.

of course Russ put a condition on that the trade would only stand if he could get the ATC running.

the 20-year-old All Terrain Cycle.

that Russ-the-non-mechanic would try to fix.

Don't get me wrong - Russ knows a thing or two about engines and how they work, but he admits himself to not being a mechanic.

Enter in the practical, realistic, wise and only-sometimes-nagging wife, who reminded Russ that:
1. he's not a mechanic
2. ATC's have been banned from being sold in Canada a long time ago for a reason
3. we don't have any spare money to maybe fix an ATC
4. the ATC is 20 years old
5. it's going to be the never-ending project.  ie, once you get it running, there will always be something else that will need to be fixed on it.  refer back to reason #3.

However, being the loving wife that I am, I, ahem, supported him in fixing up this ATC that, by the way, he was SO EXCITED to procure.  Finally!  our own bike that we can use to take hunting and rip around with!!

as for me, I was thinking more along the lines of an ATV that works.

Anyway, as he was excitedly telling another friend of his new found luck, his friend told him that he actually had an ATC of the same vintage laying around on his property just for parts.  And he didn't want it anymore.  (wonder why)  Perfect!  now we procured a second ATC with no wheels to use for parts.

So with a new (old) parts bike sitting in the yard and his "supportive" wife standing by, Russ went along with his plans on fixing up the bike.  He removed the carberator, meticulously cleaned it and put it back.  Did something else that I forget and got some tips from a neighbour mechanic.  Took the headlight from the parts bike and put it on this one.  and a few other tweaks. Much to my surprise (and also his), he got it running!

But one of the tires was shot - couldn't hold any air.  So he bought a new tube for it, got the tire balanced and put it back on.

Then something was wrong with the idle (or something like that) and it continued to not run very well.  So he looked around locally for another carberator.  but they were too expensive.  So he looked online and found that he could purchase a NEW one for only 30 or 40 bucks.  Shipping it to our house from the states cost a bit more than the part, but that doesn't count. Anyway, a few weeks later, the carberator came to our house and he replaced the old one with it.  problem with the idle (or whatever it was) fixed.

Bravo!  now it runs!

except that another tire ended up being shot, so he had to get a second tube for the second tire, get it balanced and put it back on.

now it runs for SURE!!!!!

for a couple of weeks.  until he pulled the cord out that starts the engine.  You see, you cannot start this ATC at the push of a button.  You have to pull start it.  Like a lawn mower.  And the rope that you pull on, pulled all the way out.  no rope, no start, no riding.

So.....after several hours and greasy black hands, and a little hands-on assistance from the ever-supportive wife, he got the rope back on, the part back on the bike and guess what?  it worked!!

and now it was running again!

until the next time he started it and ripped out the cord. again.

He repeated this cord ripping scenario a couple more times, before buying a new rope.  I mean, two more ropes, cause the first one was too short.

As he was putting the new rope in, this giant springy spring jumped out.  which added another hour and more frustration onto his fixing the part.  Finally, he got it together again, and on the bike again.

and it ran.

but the cord didn't retract.  so he couldn't start it again.

Then he went online to look for instructions on how to fix this part with the giant springy spring.

He fixed it and now it runs.

"Better than EVER", he says.

So he took it for a ride across the street up the hillside on crown land.  Went up to Huckleberry Butte and had a beautiful view of Horse Lake.  It actually does sound quite wonderful.

He came back to the house full of pride and smiles.

I guess this ATC thing isn't so bad.  It kinda makes for a little hobby and I admit that it's pretty fun to rip around in.  after all, when I was a pre-teen and teen, my parents had one and we had so much fun on it.  Don't tell Russ, but I AM proud of him for being able to fix it up, and he has been very careful about not spending a lot of money on it.  Who knows, maybe he'll be able to bring a deer home on it this fall from across the street.  Now THAT would make it all worthwhile.

Now he tells me that the thing doesn't have much for brakes left.  "Some, but only a little."

Refer back to reason #5.