Tip #1

When buying an atc 70 there are many things to take into consideration. Most iteams or issues all have merit. One often over looked thing is reg./paper work/ pink slip. Be aware that historically most folks do NOT register there 70's. Most often the only time they are registered is when they are first purchased from the dealership.

After that, the folks just let them lapse right out of the system..........."its a kids trike, who cares" Well this isn't a big deal in most parts of the country. But in the Gestasapo run police state of Glamis and the over zealous rangers and cops that patrol the dangerous families that plague our dunes registration is needed. And needed in a big way!

Plain and simple, if its current and has a current green sticker (with or with out the pink) your in the right place, no worries, no crazy back fees. Just transfer and ride. But if there not.............well a couple of things to know. If its fallen out of the system, DMV is three years and CHP is 3 to 7 sometimes all the way back to the original purchase. But don't get hung up on the CHP, they don't access back fees, only the DMV matters. Hope it has fallen out. If it hasn't and back fees are due it can run several hundred. (I love kalifornia) Anyways, it can get spendy.

One way to protect yourself is get the vin. before you buy and have the dmv run it. This can be done over the phone and its free and easy. If its so cheap and you dont care, then don't cry when they tell you its 327.00 to register this "kids trike" By the way having the vin prior also protects you from purchasing a stolen trike.

Remember there are a few things you need in Glamis, and one is current reg. with that green sticker that funds our dunes, well wait, they don't fund our dunes but they do fund something? Just make sure you have it. Trust uncle stoney on this one.

I think a guy could write a book on 70 tips and tricks

I love good advise from a informant.... I mean a informative uncle...


THANKS.

Stoney is corrrect once again. Is he ever incorrect
I recently bought a 70. It had the pink, a bill of sale to the guy I bought it from (never transferred or registered to the new owner) and a bill of sale to myself. I called in the VIN to DMV (after I bought it ) It was still in the system and hadn't "fallen" out yet. The fees to get it up to par were almost $200.00. There goes that deal I got on the 70. I had two choices, bend over and pay the fees or sit on it for a couple of years until it falls out of the system. Niether of which I liked. A third choice came to mind, I had an extra factory Honda frame with no VIN. How could this be? That's what I was wondering. There was no obvious tampereing of the VIN it just never was there. After some investigating from a friend (guess who) he found out that back in the day while the 70 was still under warranty and you had an issue with the frame Honda would not repair but replace the frame. The new frame came with no VIN stamped into the headset but a sticker which has long been gone. Back to my issue. I swaped out the frame went to CHP verification and "Special construction" VIN-charge 0-dollars, next stop DMV fill out the needed paperwork, Green sticker and reg-$25.00. Yes I was able to save some $ because I happened to have an extra clean frame. So take Stoney's advice when buying a 70.

maybe the frame had been PC'ed and covered the VIN up

In jons case no, it wasn't. You can most often see signs of removal and cover-up, and so cant he chp that checked his frame. Its more common than most people realize.

How long does it take for the registration to "fall out" of the system?

Most often for the DMV, three years, unless something fishy is in the mix. The CHP is 3 to 7 to longer.

cool. so if it falls out, then they start over again?

cuz the one i was looking at hasn't been registered for like 10 years.

Tip#2


When buying an atc 70 there are many thing that plague the lil guy.

Rust in the tank and dents on the tank.

First the rust, well consider the age and how these things are kept. They are 20ish years old and been through many hands, mostly kids and parents who could care less about them. Old gas and water inside made rust. And they almost all have it, some worse than others.

Once you accept this move on.

You can treat the tank, (highly recommended) and/or just run some external fuel filters, plus the stock one. Change often. Side note: I will do a whole section on tank treatments.

Second the dents in the tank. Honda bless there hearts did not design the atc 70 for fattys like me or crazy kids who crank on the handle bars. Under the neck at the stem of the frame they welded a small (real small) tab to stop the forks from smashing your tank. They get bent, broke, worn and moved around and stop doing there job. Hence the dented tank.

I used to just heat them up and re-bend them down, well this will work. but the better way is to re-bend them and ADD SOME MEAT, extra that is. It is insurance so to speak. Lets face it, if you treat a tank, remove the dents, prime it, prep it, paint it, clear coat it, color sand it, buff it out, add graffics or stickers, and wax it! Then the first drunk freind jumps on and cranks it hard and "wham" a nice new fat dent. Sorry no. Think about it as your dumping money into your pig.

Sooooooooo, when buying a trike, be aware both these iteams are common and very fixable.

Great stuff! I'd like to hear more on the method of heating the tank ( safely )
in order to remove dents. I have always been leary of torches and gas tanks, Even after a thorough rinsing of the tank with water I would imagine that fumes could remain, I've been tempted to try it , but the though of the tank blowing my arse up has so far kept me from doing so.

Looking forward to the article .... I have two tanks with small dents I'd like to get right.

Got a question. A friend of mine Always tells me this. He goes around, and buys old stand up junk jet skis from people for cheap. Fixes them up, and when he regesters it in his name, he regesters it as a home built craft. When you buy one of these bikes, Can you do the same thing?

Yes and no.

The frame has a vin and the motor has a vin. If you build a frame you need a vin tag from the chp and the motor vin checked and then you go through the dmv on a custom build.

Or if you have a frame with no vin (like replacement frames) and a motor with no vin you can reg it as custom, still going through the chp and dmv.

Keep in mind that some chp and some dmv dont know $hit, others are very knowlegable. Make sure it gets reg as an atv/atc and the correct displacment.

Its way easier and cheaper to do it the regular way, as an Honda atc 70. I have it done it both ways. Most of these atc's are not current and easy to reg. (kinda) but worth it. The rangers are crazy desperate for cites and PC and stats!


Run your pig 100% legal. Dont give them anything to get you on. Nothing.

Great info.
What is the difference between the different year models?
What year models are preferable?
What year model is best to stay away from?

Is their a shop that sells them already done up???

MrDunes Racing

He builds them??????????????

he built 3, sold 2 quick

NICE gonna have to PM him...

doubt he will sell his lil blue but if you get one and tell him what you want done to it, he is the man

Very nice to know. Maybe I will buy one and have him restore it. Looking for a lil summer project.

Rick,

I've got an 85 in great condition with pink slip and green sticker till 2007. New tires, new pull starter and a light kit still in the box and another new tire. I paid $650 before buying all the new stuff. Make me an offer, no room in trailer and it just sits in the garage.

Rick,

I've got an 85 in great condition with pink slip and green sticker till 2007. New tires, new pull starter and a light kit still in the box and another new tire. I paid $650 before buying all the new stuff. Make me an offer, no room in trailer and it just sits in the garage.
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if rick doesn't want it, i am in the market. let me know. i am in vegas, so i will have to work on picking it up.

thanks,
chrisvuc

Consider it sold...

Rick, if you want it customed I'd be glad to help you with it, or do it for you. Just let me know, anything from mild to wild...

My neighbor has one of these sitting outside on the side of the drive. It's been there for years. I plan on asking him if he wants to sell it, but since he is a little shady I thought I would run the vin before asking if he wants to sell. Where would I find the vin on these 70's?

On the frame, where the forks bolt to the frame. Just above the front tire.

Just to add to the "Buying an ATC70" knowledge base. I bought a 1978 that had fallen out of CA registration and was no longer in the system (both DMV and CHP). In order to get it registered in CA, I had to go to the DMV twice and the CHP once. First trip was to the DMV where they did a Vehicle Verification, had me fill out a Request for Title, Statement of Facts Form, and provide a CHP Vin verification form. The second trip was to the CHP where they filled out the VIN Verification form. The third an final trip was backed to the DMV where they collected the CHP VIN verification and provided registration and sticker. The whole process takes ~1day of waiting in line and cost $75. As someone mentioned in this thread, you either want to by an ATC70 that has not been in the system for ~7 years of one that has a current title and reg. If you buy one that is in the system but not up to date with fees, they will stick you with more charges.

All in all, the process was not difficult just time consuming. If I buy another one, I will definitely make sure it is no longer in the system of up to date with title and reg. I would hate to see what the DMV would do to you if it was on record but not up to date.

PS.
For the CHP and DMV vehicle verification, I bolted the original Honda motor back into the frame so the both numbers would follow Honda's style of nomenclature. Not sure if this is necessary, but I followed Tres advise on this one. Everyting went smooth. The Lifan 125 will go back in tonight!