I'm 50 years old it's been a long minute since I saw one of those but I remember those. Man it's in really good shape for being 48 years old. I'd do a full rebuild on it and bring it back to minty condition. I love it!
I thought the same when I saw the thumbnail, but this is not the Make I rode as a kid. Very close though. I also seem to remember one version of these was made by a snowmobile company? AMF maybe? Not sure.
@@ronfox5519 I remember being at a girlfriend's house back in the late 70's and they had something like this that was called "The Dingbat". It wasn't street legal but man that thing was fun to play around with.
@@trreb1 Good times for sure. The one my cousin had could be ran in the snow with a ski on the front. That gave us alot .ore places to ride. Loads of fun.
Me doen t give a dam how old yyou are to die die als de usa gespleten rotkoppen mor zijn DOOD. Manny of f the yyou zijn klos. Inclusief that kanny roberts that dingo. Hebben grootste lol juju er bij te lappen .🇷🇺
@@mikeemmons1079 installing a big chrome knarly FMF pipe would be awesome on that👌 Then some of those hoosier Street tires on the rear, mini super moto on the front.
Hi Joe I grew up in NW Ohio and my grandparents had 4 of these from 1974. Two 16hp four strokes and two of the 2 stroke racing ones with the Kohler motors. There is a major safety issue you need to know about. The welds that hold the frame to the axle are known to break and if one does, that side of the axle will swing behind the three wheeler and cause it to flip. They solved this issue by welding a horseshoe to the frame that went around the axle. They also had rear fiberglass fenders to match the orange one in the front. I got one of the two strokes from my dad for a birthday in the 80s and only had one issue. The rear differential bolts came loose and the case exploded making it in drivable and at that time there was no internet to find parts as they had quit making them in the mid 70s do to being sued.
Hey man nice find...I had a 1975 Tri-Sport 27 HP Kohler...classified as a dirt track racer, not street legal (but I ran it on the street)... it was a screamer, front wheel was much smaller, Paid a grand for it brand new then....lotta good times on it, brings back good memories
A ride mower tank will work. Also, Stand-up Jet-ski fuel tanks will possibly fit. I have a few kicking around I use them for all sorts of projects. Vented and bottom feed.
That is very unique. I love it! I was thinking it would not run since it had a extra motor but it has plenty of compression. Sure does need electric start.
That thing is cool! I've worked on small engines for 40 yrs. I didn't know Kohler made a 2 stroke! In my defense, I'm in TN and have never seen a snowmobile in person.
I used to buy a lot of motorcycles and fourwheelers and fix them up back in the 80s and 90s when I was your age but it got really hard to find any for a decent price! I've got a brand new ct250r now I got back in 2002 in storage with less than 10 hours on it! I should sale it but it has a lot of centennial value so I've been saving it for my grandson when he gets too big for his ktm105sx! Good work and glad to see someone who still does it!
this is SO freaking cool! we had one as kids in Arizona, but it had no motor on it, we ended up putting an 8HP briggs on it. I really hope to see this shined up.
We had one of those around our house when I was a kid. It had a Tecumseh engine (maybe 8HP). The throttle cable eventually broke so I drove it by pulling a string that was tied to the throttle linkage on the carburetor and draped over my shoulder. Fun times!
Fantastic. I had never heard of these and when I googled it I saw that the original 1974 sales brochure is for sale on ebay. That would go nicely with this.
Joe: I ran across your video of this 340 Tri-Moto caught my eye! I had the chance to ride one of these in the California desert of California city, back before California city was built up! About 1976-77 a patch of desert directly east of that location nothing there then! What a blast! I’ve never had more fun on something! It was wicked fast and because of the design you could run it as fast as it would go , whip it floor board it and immediately go in the opposite direction!!! You could not flip the vehicle because it was so powerful , the one I drove had knobby off road tires on it front and rear! The suspension was very forgiving! Almost felt like a hover vehicle! Sitting the way you do gives you a fantastic low center of gravity! These tri-moto’s are very rare! Scoring it along with a spare motor is a great find! I think you got a bargain. I don’t know what the top speed was but it felt mighty fast! Since it was built with that variable speed Automatic V clutch drive it was a bulletproof design! Forgot what the drive was called but you get the idea since you have one now! I think it came from the snowmobile design , and where the engines came from too , but trying to cash in on the dirt bike click of the day which was enormous back in those years! Hope you have fun with it! Regards the original Mad Mike from California.
Brings back memories. I had the same bike and put over 100,000 miles on it. The carb slides are vacuum operated. To get it to run smooth you'll need to get a carb synchronizer. Mine looked like a long thermometer with 4 mercury filled glass tubes. Don't give it any throttle when the synchronizer is hooked up or you'll suck the mercury into the carbs. Good luck.
My family and I had something similar to this back when I was a kid in the 70's an early 80's it was called snowco tri scat and it had a 5 hp briggs and stratton on it and the back tires on it were the ones like you would see on the monster trucks at least the tread and it had a wheel on the front and a ski also for the front so that you can ride it in the winter.
Great find there bud. I can't believe that you got it going that easy that's awesome. If I were you I would definitely try to clean up and restore what needs to be done. I would definitely keep that one in your cool collection
When I saw the thumbnail I was like no way. If you got that from Gurnee Illinois.back around 82 a friend had one just like it .also no seat. his had atv knobby tires on it .plus Thay had a white 4 wheel version . We got both running and we were ditch riding them in a snow storm. The 3 wheeler was a chore to keep moving . Thanks for the memories.
My dad sold these back in the 70s we had one exactly like this one not sure if it was a 340 or a 440. Also had 3 of the smaller ones , basically a snowmobile on wheels . Good luck getting it going. (Ontario canada) they also had a little 3 wheel dump truck which he had to, the week point was the aluminum rear differential it broke so he cut a vw tranny apart and put it in . Top speed was 17 miles per hour .
These were made in my state in the mid 70's. I own the Phase 111 Rager and the RTS 340. I believe the street legal has the same Kohler snowmobile engine as the RTS 340. Looks like it does. I have manuals and schematics. If you need help with something, let me know. The tanks are easy to find. If you need help finding a tank, let me know. There are many new old stock parts still around.
they were also made to swap out your snowmobile engine out in the summer to use it hence the name we had a couple and did exactly that we used Kohler and Sachs engines
The street legal ones have a vin that starts with SL. Also, the street legal ones came with a tecumseh engine four stroke... I replaced mine with a 250cc Honda quad motor, liquid colled, that has 4 forward and a reverse. It tops out at around 60mph. I used calipers from a sports bike so it has killer brakes.. I had no problem registering it in the state of CA after it went through a state police inspection... I use mine all the time... Fun machine!!! They went into production in 1974. Mine was produces in 1973 so maybe it was the prototype? not sure! :)
I have one that had a rotex 377 engine on it motor was no good I haven't messed with it in year but I've been thinking of working on it any info on where to get any parts?
Dude in the 80s i had something called a triscat it was a 3 wheeler kjinda like that it had a ski or a tire for the front end n a 15 HP TECOMSAA engine it was fun af !
The one I had had knobby rear tires similar to the old Honda 3 wheeler tires, the padded seat cover was one piece and had snap buttons, also had a optional wheelie bar with a wheel barrow looking tire, was so much fun
@@2vintage bro would you be in to selling the xt 500 ,I have a guy importing a pile off bikes in states he’s going round a few places ,in June this year .wld you be up for it , Thnks
I had one of these as a kid, they were awesome! the independent suspensions were great, mine was a JLO Rockwell 292 1 cyl but I replaced it with a 340 2 cyl snowmobile engine! Its was stupid fast for the time around 1986/87 My Tri sport also had no rear cover, and a tall overhead height roll bar. Mine was not street legal, no lights. Mine did not have front spokes or front brakes! Just the rear hydraulics!
Saw one of these several years ago when I was buying some parts for my Barracuda. It was in the back of a barn under some tarps and appeared in good shape. The guy said he bought it in the 80s and drove it around for a few years and lost interest in it. I tried several times to buy it, but he said that someday he would restore it and get it back on the road. I wonder if he still has it.
Hey Joe!! What a great find!! You always find amazing stuff and you always get them going!! Great work sir!! I've been wanting to find a great place to move to and as much great deals and buys that you come across, makes me want to move to Wisconsin. Keep up the amazing work sir!!
I had one in my younger days, great memories!! I drove it straight up a hill of sand, front wheel hit a grassy lip that overhung at the top, rolled it all the way back down, flipped it over and kept on going!! Have fun!!
Joe, I successfully repaired a very similar fuel tank like the one you have with a plastic "welding" kit. Mine had a split about 3 inches long. My tank is made of polypropylene as yours most likely is. I bought a "model 6" kit from a company called Urethane supply. Very complete and comes with everything you need including a great instructional DVD besides printed instructions. If you've got connections, you might consider replicating one from aluminum. You look like you're getting a shop going, so having an AC/DC TIG or AC/DC MIG welder that can do aluminum might be on your wish list if you don't have one already. If you decide to get one, there are some great multi-process units out there that actually have it all. (AC/DC) MIG, (AC/DC) TIG , (AC/DC)stick and a plasma cutter all built into one machine for less than $2K.
I used to have one of these years ago but it didn't have an engine. I wish i kept it because they are rare and would be fun to ride. I always wanted to put a snow ski in the front with diggers in the back for the snow. They sell snow track kits for go karts on ebay so you can have snow tank tracks on the back.
Man I really like that thing that's very cool I had two other smaller ones I green and yellow one but never seen one street legal with the 340 in it that's pretty cool right there
Cool piece to work on for sure seen one here in Canada once. A couple of pointers that port you thought was for oil injection on the carburetor is actually meant for a primer hose and was not used obviously as I am thinking due to it being a warmer weather machine. Many had primers in those days. A little hint why the clutch side cylinder may have a bit lower in compression is they ran a bit hotter on that side as you see it is farthest from the fan. Can have a 10% difference in compression so it was not that bad actually. You should be able to unplug the ignition switch and kill switch and it would have spark as long as the points are not dirty like yours was. Keep up the good content.
That machine is pretty cool, my step dad and my brother had a couple of those motors from snowmobiles and we had put them on a gocart, those 340snowmobile motors were fast as long as we made the drivetrain direct with chain and sprocket,after we did that direct drive, it made it positrack, then we had a helluva time keeping tires on the back, it would do donuts on pavement, those 340were fast hooked up like that.
Absolutely right, that nozzle was a carb primer because as we all know, 2 strokes are terrible at the mileage level, due to crank area used as a holding area for the incoming fuel charge. Used in PORT intake and exhaust systems. You need a good sized shot going into the system for the first time firing up. I drove 2 strokes for the first years of driving, back in the’70’s. Started with a Yamaha 250 and then straight to a ‘72 Kawasaki 350 triple. Next year after I got myself one of them there new, Yamaha RD 400’s. Greatest bike of the time. 14 years later, picked up an ‘83 Honda CB 900 F Super Sport, smoothest 4 inline I ever had. Throw in a few off road bikes ( Jawa 250, Honda CL 250, Honda XL 500 ), and finished 10 years ago with a Honda Magna V/65. Every one was a learning experience, but always worth the work. Drive on but be safe. 👍🇨🇦
Beautiful find Joey my boy! Clean that ol girl up and enjoy it in the summer! I’d clean up where the pull start is round it out put some kind of rubber grommet so the fiberglass isn’t eating away on that cord. Find a cushion for that seat base and your golden. Can’t wait to see more content with this rig
AWWWsome find, dude! I had the AllSport 340, that never saw the road, got it for under $100 with no title. As kids, we beat the snot out of it on the dirt! that engine was bulletproof, took everything we put it through. I sold it to a gent who put a RZ 350 in it, and sand dragged it. NOTHING on the track could touch it. Have fun restoring it, and have a SAFE blast with it once it's ready to rock!
We had two of them in the late seventies both were 340z,s and we couldn't drive on the roads because it was illegal. But they were fun. The brakes didn't last long and every time i fixed them it would fail again, we wasn't worried about stopping we just wanted to go faster lol. It hurts like hell when you roll it so try not to, you gotta put knobby tires on it or it's gonna just spin , they will flyyyy
One think I've noticed is that a lot of DIY TH-camrs use water pump plyers and adjustable crescent wrenches Bass Acwards. You put the load on the upper jaw not the adjustable or lower jaw. the teeth of water pump plyers are designed to "bite" one way only and the strength is in the fixed jaw of adjustable wrenches.
I had one of these back in the early 90s. Mine was blue. Loved it. Fun to cruse around the back roads of Indiana. Mine had balloon tires on the back. It was fun to ride but wondered how is was ever considered street legal lol. I didn't dare take it near town
Thank you for finding this. My uncle had one for running around his land. He only had it for maybe 2 years and sold it on after he bought one of the suicide 3 wheelers everyone thought were a good idea. Thing is; I thought maybe I had dreamed it and convinced myself it was real, as kids do. Cuz this is only the second one I have ever seen.
I had one back in the day. It was a very early model and they didn't use jigs when they welded the frame together yet, so the frames warped as they cooled and things just didn't quite line up. It ate the bearings that supported the differential every thousand miles. The Koehler 340 2 stroke had a number of things wrong with it from the get-go, so they replaced it under warranty with a very reliable single cylinder 4 stroke with 18(?) HP. Not nearly as fast and vibrated like a paint mixer at highway speeds, but it started and ran. I drove it for about 2 years. Fun on the road and fun off after I replaced those awful and very heavy semi-slicks rear tires with lightweight tires with a knobby tread pattern.
John deer made a trike looked a little like this. Vaguely remember it. Was in the late 60s early 70s. It was kinda big. Had ag tires on it. New cost was like $500. Used to see it on display at the JD place.
I used to have one back in the late 80's and 90's and I wish I still had it today. It was clocked at 110mph by a sheriff, so the owners sold it to me for a $150. They cut off the front end and turned it into a 4 wheeler with independent suspension. With the low center of gravity you could literally whip that around on a dime. My family and I had so much fun on that it would make you grin ear to ear. Memories is all I have. Enjoy
Forgot to add, it had a spring loaded gas pedal out of a Toyota van and a hydraulic clutch assembly turned into a brake out of a Datsun car. it was, 4 wheel independent suspension with tie rods in the front and a steering wheel. It was a cool little vehicle.
Joe you should do what my dad did to ours. It pretty much sucked in the winter. It didn't turn well on the snow and ice of Northern Minnesota and the wheels didn't do much of anything but spin like crazy. Dad replaced the front wheel with a snowmobile ski then it turned on a dime but tires still just spun of course. So next was another set of wheels and tires with snow studs big improvement but still sucked when you were riding in deeper snow. Then dad happened to come across some bigger wheels and I mean quite a bit taller with some paddle tires with about 3 inch tall paddles and of course 5 snow studs on each paddle then it got around great but was a little slower than neighbors Kawasaki 440 snowmobile so Dad didn't care for that much so in went a 500cc snowmobile engine and that trike instantly became a beast. Neighbors sleds didn't stand a chance after that on the back roads in the winter but get off the road in the woods and of course the snowmobiles were king lol. Thanks for giving me something that brought back some great memories with my dad
That thing is sweet man. The belt looks low on the secondary. You need to adjust belt deflection or you’ll be taking off in second or third gear basically.
What a tease... how do you get it running and not include a test ride? A mountain dew bottle and some zip ties wired to a piece of wood stuck into the frame somehow would have sufficed... and now we have to wait til the next video. :-)
This video brought back a memory! A friend took me on a ride on something like this when I was about 15. It scared the crap outta me! if it may be the thing please confirm - it would do like 60 - 70 MPH! Note the passenger pad at the back.
I had one it was a blast to play with I had it when I was a kid I wish I kept it and it would be cool to put a pair of tracks on the back and the ski upfront for the winter time
I know all the history behind them... mine is converted with a 250cc liquid cooled motor with a reverse.. i commute with it all the time! :) Cool find!!
I looked up some info on it. This is an RTS SL model. It should have hubcaps on the back wheels. It looked really cool in the brochure that I found online. The fiberglass has faded significantly. It was originally red. This thing is a deathtrap, but a fun one, lol.
Our father had a dealership back then, we rented a vacant gas station. They were shipped to us boxed we assembled them, from Alsoort & Steen, who built Hodakas, I used to race the RTS 8 dirt version....Rutherford Trisports Montrose California (So Cal)🤗🙏
my grandmother had one of those back in the 70s, she used to take me all over the dry lakebeds on it. her's was the smaller one, in yellow. thanks for the memory! 👍
That Gyro was the best handling cycle I ever had, and I was a cafe nut. I put Tomaslli clip ons myself on my first bike. A1974 Kawasaki 90 street bike.
My friend had the off road version of this when I was a kid, it was pretty quick. We would put sheet metal screws (studs) in the tires and run it on frozen ponds in the winter. Lot of fun.
I used to have one of them they are so much fun only used it the off-road it had a 125 4-stroke motorcycle engine twin cylinder modified on it no centrifical clutch just chain drive
Very cool find! And, with a street-legal Wisconsin title. Ah, gotta love the simple days of "street legal" vehicles from back in the day. This will be a fun project - good luck!
Use heat on the gas tank area where it’s cracked to get the tank back into its original shape with the cracks meeting up together and then plastic weld it together and then fibreglass over top of the tank after you rough up the whole tank with 80 grit. Make sure you are able to fit a delivery bung on the tank so it will seal well and not leak and it has good threads. Put a shut off valve there and then connect to tank. That would be a good fix and cost very little. Just make sure at the bung area you use enough fiberglass mat to make it really thick and sturdy. Hope it helps you. Most body shops do plastic welding on bumpers and that could be a good source. Hope this may help you. Good luck. Cheers.
Sounds crazy but got one of em back in late 90s. It was only 250 but once it was running good it was fast, had ever but the seat. Body was fiberglass. It would scream. Restored to back to clean like new condition and sold to an old man in Albuquerque that had a couple more. I remember finding a place that had aftermarket parts for them and got some stiff for it, seat etc. Have fun! Think you over paid a bit but you'll get it back out of it. Good luck!
Shame its not over here in the UK, I would be rather interested in it, being disabled it would be Ideal to get around on only having a full motorbike licence . Looking forward to the build as always
I owned a TriSport 3 wheeler in 1972 in central Indiana. It was electric start, everything worked properly and it was really fun. I think they are very dangerous on the road because they are so low, no one sees you! They would pull right out in front of me or turn left right in my path! I sold it after one summer. It was fast and fun
you could glue up that original tank, and make it into a "Plug" to pull a mold off of, and then make a new tank from fiberglass! then it would be the EXACT correct shape to fit in and hold the right amount of fuel -
A couple of my dad's friends had the bigger versions of this with the VW engines in them. Motorcycle trikes. One was green metallic paint and the other was a custom made trike with a carriage-like roof over it (think the Munsters car). Last I knew the custom was still stored in a garage, but the green one has been gone a long time. One of dad's friends specialized in VW customs, which was no doubt involved in their construction. These things were popular in the 70's, along with custom vans of the time, both of which I have memories of being around. In the early 90's, my brother picked up one of the trikes like this one in the video. We had a lot of fun on it before he got rid of it.
I had a similar trike. It originally had a Briggs & Stratton. I single cylinder skidoo engine on it. It had a ski to change over to for winter. Some advice….when you switch back to the front wheel in the spring don’t forget you can’t cruse over snowy ditches. You will become Superman instantly.
You might be able to hot sand then plastic weld the old tank. Hot sand is just that, a large 1/4 barrel full of heated sand, we used a propane burner and that very fine sand like you find on some beaches or in old hotel ashtrays in the lobby. Heat up your sand get it over 150 but don't exceed 165, then put the tank in the sand, fill it with sand as well. Let it sit for 5-6 minutes, then pull it out, dump what sand is in it quickly and shape it to where you want it. Let it cool, then clean it completely, giving it a final rub down with some naptha or methanol, let it dry then plastic weld it. Don't try to use epoxy on plastic that old and frail, I've seen a few times where the epoxy actually weakened the plastic. My boss at the time said it had something to do with the type of hardener used attacked the older plastics as they broke down and degraded.
Really nice find Joe, mine was blue metal flake did about 75-80 mile an hour top speed but very quick steering they're fun to slide around but have to be careful of rear tire doesn't catch when sliding sideways and flip you over. I would get a gas tank from a riding lawn mower.
Trisport and Allsport bikes and buggies were manufactured in Norwalk, Ohio. The factory where they were made was turned into the Maple Leaf lounge and bowling alley I believe. The bowling alley was demolished around 2010. Trisports are still pretty common in Ohio. They pop up for sale every now and then. When Allsport went out of business I believe Glenn's surplus in Shelby, Ohio had purchased all of the remaining stock of parts. I am not sure if they would have any parts left after all of these years. The old Trisports are pretty rare to find in decent condition like you found. They made all kinds of interesting machines in the 70s. Nice find.
Never seen one in running condition, my uncle had a few bare bones chassis and or shell... Excellent score, looks dangerous AF! LOL I can't believe that was ever considered Street Legal? My how time's have changed! Craftsman lawnmower tank should work!!
Awesome video. reminds me of my childhood. Nice to see younger generation tinkering and fixing older things from a by-gone era. I'd like to offer a little constructive criticism if i may. Always start anything that has a centrifugal clutch, with no way to neutralize it, drive wheels off the ground. You may have done it 100 times and never had an issue. But it takes just one time for it to hang up and take off. Causing damage to it as well as other property and or you. Not worth the risk.
Fifty years ago I had one very similar to that. Mine had knobby tires a bigger shaped seat that flared over the tires and a wheelie bar that had a little wheel on it so I could ride them without dragging and never flip backwards It was one of my funnest toys ever
Those Kohler engines were pretty good back in the day! Much better than Briggs and Stratton! I think they are cast iron and last a lot longer! I have a old Cushman scooter that ran really good and was pretty fast!
We use too ride them 3 wheelers summer and winter . my father inlaw rode his 440 that looked just like that one to work ...You get that one running and it will wheelie and do burn offs lol....lots of fun!
Used to ride a small trail bike from around that same time period as a kid. Simple engineering on those back then. Working on them wasnt much different than getting a chainsaw or a lawnmore running. I wonder if you can find tires for it. Deffinately a rare find. And even if you dont get that engine going for some reason. You can always through a different engine on that frame. The pride of Canada in 1974. I think the world fair or expo was in montreal 1974. Then the Olympics were there in 1976 i bet they made a bunch of these around that time. But ive never seen one anytime recently.
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I'm 50 years old it's been a long minute since I saw one of those but I remember those. Man it's in really good shape for being 48 years old. I'd do a full rebuild on it and bring it back to minty condition. I love it!
I thought the same when I saw the thumbnail, but this is not the Make I rode as a kid. Very close though.
I also seem to remember one version of these was made by a snowmobile company? AMF maybe? Not sure.
Agreed
@@ronfox5519 I remember being at a girlfriend's house back in the late 70's and they had something like this that was called "The Dingbat". It wasn't street legal but man that thing was fun to play around with.
@@trreb1
Good times for sure. The one my cousin had could be ran in the snow with a ski on the front. That gave us alot .ore places to ride. Loads of fun.
Me doen t give a dam how old yyou are to die die als de usa gespleten rotkoppen mor zijn DOOD. Manny of f the yyou zijn klos. Inclusief that kanny roberts that dingo. Hebben grootste lol juju er bij te lappen .🇷🇺
That's pretty badass. I think it's definitely worth $1000 considering the rarity, title, and it's street legal.
Definitely worth it, it's in good shape for sitting that long.
And just think of the aftermarket stuff that will bolt right on in this modern day.
@@mikeemmons1079 installing a big chrome knarly FMF pipe would be awesome on that👌 Then some of those hoosier Street tires on the rear, mini super moto on the front.
You had me at "street legal two stroke".
Hi Joe
I grew up in NW Ohio and my grandparents had 4 of these from 1974. Two 16hp four strokes and two of the 2 stroke racing ones with the Kohler motors.
There is a major safety issue you need to know about. The welds that hold the frame to the axle are known to break and if one does, that side of the axle will swing behind the three wheeler and cause it to flip.
They solved this issue by welding a horseshoe to the frame that went around the axle.
They also had rear fiberglass fenders to match the orange one in the front.
I got one of the two strokes from my dad for a birthday in the 80s and only had one issue. The rear differential bolts came loose and the case exploded making it in drivable and at that time there was no internet to find parts as they had quit making them in the mid 70s do to being sued.
Pretty cool piece of history. It would be nice to bring it back to it’s glory. With some minor TLC it shouldn’t be too difficult. Thanks for sharing.
Hey man nice find...I had a 1975 Tri-Sport 27 HP Kohler...classified as a dirt track racer, not street legal (but I ran it on the street)... it was a screamer, front wheel was much smaller, Paid a grand for it brand new then....lotta good times on it, brings back good memories
A ride mower tank will work. Also, Stand-up Jet-ski fuel tanks will possibly fit. I have a few kicking around I use them for all sorts of projects. Vented and bottom feed.
That is very unique. I love it! I was thinking it would not run since it had a extra motor but it has plenty of compression. Sure does need electric start.
Joe this is an amazing find what a great peace of history. Can't wait to see it being fixes up and getting back to its glory and ridding it again.
*Piece, not peace.
Man that is super cool , awesome find Joe !!!! You don't see them very often, I believe you got a deal !!! You find the coolest 😎 stuff
That thing is cool! I've worked on small engines for 40 yrs. I didn't know Kohler made a 2 stroke! In my defense, I'm in TN and have never seen a snowmobile in person.
You find the craziest stuff! I've been into bikes and trikes my whole life and I'm 51 and I've never seen a few of the things you've found.
I used to buy a lot of motorcycles and fourwheelers and fix them up back in the 80s and 90s when I was your age but it got really hard to find any for a decent price! I've got a brand new ct250r now I got back in 2002 in storage with less than 10 hours on it! I should sale it but it has a lot of centennial value so I've been saving it for my grandson when he gets too big for his ktm105sx! Good work and glad to see someone who still does it!
Love the video I think you should fully restore it I think that would be pretty cool
Anyway keep up the great work
I used to race motocross a while back, and at one of our tracks they raced those things. This was in ‘74 -‘75 in North Texas.
this is SO freaking cool! we had one as kids in Arizona, but it had no motor on it, we ended up putting an 8HP briggs on it. I really hope to see this shined up.
We had one of those around our house when I was a kid. It had a Tecumseh engine (maybe 8HP). The throttle cable eventually broke so I drove it by pulling a string that was tied to the throttle linkage on the carburetor and draped over my shoulder. Fun times!
Fantastic.
I had never heard of these and when I googled it I saw that the original 1974 sales brochure is for sale on ebay. That would go nicely with this.
Joe: I ran across your video of this 340 Tri-Moto caught my eye! I had the chance to ride one of these in the California desert of California city, back before California city was built up! About 1976-77 a patch of desert directly east of that location nothing there then! What a blast! I’ve never had more fun on something! It was wicked fast and because of the design you could run it as fast as it would go , whip it floor board it and immediately go in the opposite direction!!! You could not flip the vehicle because it was so powerful , the one I drove had knobby off road tires on it front and rear! The suspension was very forgiving! Almost felt like a hover vehicle! Sitting the way you do gives you a fantastic low center of gravity! These tri-moto’s are very rare! Scoring it along with a spare motor is a great find! I think you got a bargain. I don’t know what the top speed was but it felt mighty fast! Since it was built with that variable speed Automatic V clutch drive it was a bulletproof design! Forgot what the drive was called but you get the idea since you have one now! I think it came from the snowmobile design , and where the engines came from too , but trying to cash in on the dirt bike click of the day which was enormous back in those years! Hope you have fun with it! Regards the original Mad Mike from California.
I remember the Rupp trikes very rare and worthy of a complete restoration. Well done on the find
Brings back memories. I had the same bike and put over 100,000 miles on it. The carb slides are vacuum operated. To get it to run smooth you'll need to get a carb synchronizer. Mine looked like a long thermometer with 4 mercury filled glass tubes. Don't give it any throttle when the synchronizer is hooked up or you'll suck the mercury into the carbs. Good luck.
My family and I had something similar to this back when I was a kid in the 70's an early 80's it was called snowco tri scat and it had a 5 hp briggs and stratton on it and the back tires on it were the ones like you would see on the monster trucks at least the tread and it had a wheel on the front and a ski also for the front so that you can ride it in the winter.
I had one of the snowco too in the early 80's I used to ride it every day after school me and my buddies rode the crap out of that thing.
Worked on a 75, screamers. It's in really nice shape considering, Have fun.😊
Great find there bud. I can't believe that you got it going that easy that's awesome. If I were you I would definitely try to clean up and restore what needs to be done. I would definitely keep that one in your cool collection
When I saw the thumbnail I was like no way. If you got that from Gurnee Illinois.back around 82 a friend had one just like it .also no seat. his had atv knobby tires on it .plus Thay had a white 4 wheel version . We got both running and we were ditch riding them in a snow storm. The 3 wheeler was a chore to keep moving .
Thanks for the memories.
My dad sold these back in the 70s we had one exactly like this one not sure if it was a 340 or a 440. Also had 3 of the smaller ones , basically a snowmobile on wheels . Good luck getting it going. (Ontario canada) they also had a little 3 wheel dump truck which he had to, the week point was the aluminum rear differential it broke so he cut a vw tranny apart and put it in . Top speed was 17 miles per hour .
These were made in my state in the mid 70's. I own the Phase 111 Rager and the RTS 340. I believe the street legal has the same Kohler snowmobile engine as the RTS 340. Looks like it does. I have manuals and schematics. If you need help with something, let me know. The tanks are easy to find. If you need help finding a tank, let me know. There are many new old stock parts still around.
The street legal models do around 40 mph in very good running conditions. My Phase 111 Rager is insanely fast. They are fun.
!!2
they were also made to swap out your snowmobile engine out in the summer to use it hence the name we had a couple and did exactly that we used Kohler and Sachs engines
The street legal ones have a vin that starts with SL. Also, the street legal ones came with a tecumseh engine four stroke... I replaced mine with a 250cc Honda quad motor, liquid colled, that has 4 forward and a reverse. It tops out at around 60mph. I used calipers from a sports bike so it has killer brakes.. I had no problem registering it in the state of CA after it went through a state police inspection... I use mine all the time... Fun machine!!! They went into production in 1974. Mine was produces in 1973 so maybe it was the prototype? not sure! :)
I have one that had a rotex 377 engine on it motor was no good I haven't messed with it in year but I've been thinking of working on it any info on where to get any parts?
Dude in the 80s i had something called a triscat it was a 3 wheeler kjinda like that it had a ski or a tire for the front end n a 15 HP TECOMSAA engine it was fun af !
The one I had had knobby rear tires similar to the old Honda 3 wheeler tires, the padded seat cover was one piece and had snap buttons, also had a optional wheelie bar with a wheel barrow looking tire, was so much fun
That's pretty cool!
@@2vintage bro would you be in to selling the xt 500 ,I have a guy importing a pile off bikes in states he’s going round a few places ,in June this year .wld you be up for it , Thnks
I had one of these as a kid, they were awesome! the independent suspensions were great, mine was a JLO Rockwell 292 1 cyl but I replaced it with a 340 2 cyl snowmobile engine! Its was stupid fast for the time around 1986/87 My Tri sport also had no rear cover, and a tall overhead height roll bar. Mine was not street legal, no lights. Mine did not have front spokes or front brakes! Just the rear hydraulics!
Saw one of these several years ago when I was buying some parts for my Barracuda. It was in the back of a barn under some tarps and appeared in good shape. The guy said he bought it in the 80s and drove it around for a few years and lost interest in it. I tried several times to buy it, but he said that someday he would restore it and get it back on the road. I wonder if he still has it.
Hey Joe!! What a great find!! You always find amazing stuff and you always get them going!! Great work sir!! I've been wanting to find a great place to move to and as much great deals and buys that you come across, makes me want to move to Wisconsin. Keep up the amazing work sir!!
I had a tri sport, it had a Wisconsin Robin engine, can’t remember the engine size, when I was 12 I’d ride wheelies up and down the road all day
That is awesome. A 340 in it should make her fly !! Nice job Joe !!
I had one in my younger days, great memories!! I drove it straight up a hill of sand, front wheel hit a grassy lip that overhung at the top, rolled it all the way back down, flipped it over and kept on going!! Have fun!!
Joe, I successfully repaired a very similar fuel tank like the one you have with a plastic "welding" kit. Mine had a split about 3 inches long. My tank is made of polypropylene as yours most likely is. I bought a "model 6" kit from a company called Urethane supply. Very complete and comes with everything you need including a great instructional DVD besides printed instructions.
If you've got connections, you might consider replicating one from aluminum. You look like you're getting a shop going, so having an AC/DC TIG or AC/DC MIG welder that can do aluminum might be on your wish list if you don't have one already.
If you decide to get one, there are some great multi-process units out there that actually have it all. (AC/DC) MIG, (AC/DC) TIG , (AC/DC)stick and a plasma cutter all built into one machine for less than $2K.
I used to have one of these years ago but it didn't have an engine. I wish i kept it because they are rare and would be fun to ride. I always wanted to put a snow ski in the front with diggers in the back for the snow. They sell snow track kits for go karts on ebay so you can have snow tank tracks on the back.
The z340 decal is for an old Arctic Cat snowmobile .
Wish we had toys like that in the UK
To be fair they're quite rare in the US and very hard to get anything like that to be street legal today.
We do we just have to build them an then run from cops if we get spotted lol they don't like toys uk cops are mardy af ✌❤🇬🇧😘
We have bro.. just got to look.. there's 1 very similar on eBay right know...✌🤘🙏🤙👍
This thing is 2 vintage!
Ill see myself out..
@@rs5001988 move somewhere else and enjoy real freedom
I bought two of these 20 years ago they were smaller had 3 n half horse moters had fiberglass fenders on em pretty cool ✌️
There is a BIG following for ATC’s and it’s growing.
Man I really like that thing that's very cool I had two other smaller ones I green and yellow one but never seen one street legal with the 340 in it that's pretty cool right there
Cool piece to work on for sure seen one here in Canada once. A couple of pointers that port you thought was for oil injection on the carburetor is actually meant for a primer hose and was not used obviously as I am thinking due to it being a warmer weather machine. Many had primers in those days. A little hint why the clutch side cylinder may have a bit lower in compression is they ran a bit hotter on that side as you see it is farthest from the fan. Can have a 10% difference in compression so it was not that bad actually. You should be able to unplug the ignition switch and kill switch and it would have spark as long as the points are not dirty like yours was. Keep up the good content.
That machine is pretty cool, my step dad and my brother had a couple of those motors from snowmobiles and we had put them on a gocart, those 340snowmobile motors were fast as long as we made the drivetrain direct with chain and sprocket,after we did that direct drive, it made it positrack, then we had a helluva time keeping tires on the back, it would do donuts on pavement, those 340were fast hooked up like that.
Absolutely right, that nozzle was a carb primer because as we all know, 2 strokes are terrible at the mileage level, due to crank area used as a holding area for the incoming fuel charge. Used in PORT intake and exhaust systems. You need a good sized shot going into the system for the first time firing up. I drove 2 strokes for the first years of driving, back in the’70’s. Started with a Yamaha 250 and then straight to a ‘72 Kawasaki 350 triple. Next year after I got myself one of them there new, Yamaha RD 400’s. Greatest bike of the time. 14 years later, picked up an ‘83 Honda CB 900 F Super Sport, smoothest 4 inline I ever had. Throw in a few off road bikes ( Jawa 250, Honda CL 250, Honda XL 500 ), and finished 10 years ago with a Honda Magna V/65. Every one was a learning experience, but always worth the work. Drive on but be safe. 👍🇨🇦
Beautiful find Joey my boy! Clean that ol girl up and enjoy it in the summer! I’d clean up where the pull start is round it out put some kind of rubber grommet so the fiberglass isn’t eating away on that cord. Find a cushion for that seat base and your golden. Can’t wait to see more content with this rig
AWWWsome find, dude! I had the AllSport 340, that never saw the road, got it for under $100 with no title. As kids, we beat the snot out of it on the dirt! that engine was bulletproof, took everything we put it through. I sold it to a gent who put a RZ 350 in it, and sand dragged it. NOTHING on the track could touch it. Have fun restoring it, and have a SAFE blast with it once it's ready to rock!
We had two of them in the late seventies both were 340z,s and we couldn't drive on the roads because it was illegal. But they were fun. The brakes didn't last long and every time i fixed them it would fail again, we wasn't worried about stopping we just wanted to go faster lol. It hurts like hell when you roll it so try not to, you gotta put knobby tires on it or it's gonna just spin , they will flyyyy
One think I've noticed is that a lot of DIY TH-camrs use water pump plyers and adjustable crescent wrenches Bass Acwards. You put the load on the upper jaw not the adjustable or lower jaw. the teeth of water pump plyers are designed to "bite" one way only and the strength is in the fixed jaw of adjustable wrenches.
I had one of these back in the early 90s. Mine was blue. Loved it. Fun to cruse around the back roads of Indiana. Mine had balloon tires on the back. It was fun to ride but wondered how is was ever considered street legal lol. I didn't dare take it near town
Thank you for finding this. My uncle had one for running around his land. He only had it for maybe 2 years and sold it on after he bought one of the suicide 3 wheelers everyone thought were a good idea. Thing is; I thought maybe I had dreamed it and convinced myself it was real, as kids do. Cuz this is only the second one I have ever seen.
I had one back in the day. It was a very early model and they didn't use jigs when they welded the frame together yet, so the frames warped as they cooled and things just didn't quite line up. It ate the bearings that supported the differential every thousand miles. The Koehler 340 2 stroke had a number of things wrong with it from the get-go, so they replaced it under warranty with a very reliable single cylinder 4 stroke with 18(?) HP. Not nearly as fast and vibrated like a paint mixer at highway speeds, but it started and ran. I drove it for about 2 years. Fun on the road and fun off after I replaced those awful and very heavy semi-slicks rear tires with lightweight tires with a knobby tread pattern.
John deer made a trike looked a little like this. Vaguely remember it. Was in the late 60s early 70s. It was kinda big. Had ag tires on it. New cost was like $500. Used to see it on display at the JD place.
I used to have one back in the late 80's and 90's and I wish I still had it today. It was clocked at 110mph by a sheriff, so the owners sold it to me for a $150. They cut off the front end and turned it into a 4 wheeler with independent suspension. With the low center of gravity you could literally whip that around on a dime. My family and I had so much fun on that it would make you grin ear to ear. Memories is all I have. Enjoy
Forgot to add, it had a spring loaded gas pedal out of a Toyota van and a hydraulic clutch assembly turned into a brake out of a Datsun car. it was, 4 wheel independent suspension with tie rods in the front and a steering wheel. It was a cool little vehicle.
Joe you should do what my dad did to ours. It pretty much sucked in the winter. It didn't turn well on the snow and ice of Northern Minnesota and the wheels didn't do much of anything but spin like crazy. Dad replaced the front wheel with a snowmobile ski then it turned on a dime but tires still just spun of course. So next was another set of wheels and tires with snow studs big improvement but still sucked when you were riding in deeper snow. Then dad happened to come across some bigger wheels and I mean quite a bit taller with some paddle tires with about 3 inch tall paddles and of course 5 snow studs on each paddle then it got around great but was a little slower than neighbors Kawasaki 440 snowmobile so Dad didn't care for that much so in went a 500cc snowmobile engine and that trike instantly became a beast. Neighbors sleds didn't stand a chance after that on the back roads in the winter but get off the road in the woods and of course the snowmobiles were king lol. Thanks for giving me something that brought back some great memories with my dad
That thing is sweet man. The belt looks low on the secondary. You need to adjust belt deflection or you’ll be taking off in second or third gear basically.
Love the consistent uploads
What a tease... how do you get it running and not include a test ride? A mountain dew bottle and some zip ties wired to a piece of wood stuck into the frame somehow would have sufficed... and now we have to wait til the next video. :-)
This video brought back a memory! A friend took me on a ride on something like this when I was about 15. It scared the crap outta me! if it may be the thing please confirm - it would do like 60 - 70 MPH! Note the passenger pad at the back.
I had two of them when I was a kid,two different sizes. Had years of fun.
I’m late to this party but I had one when I was a kid. THE most fun I’ve ever had on anything with a motor on it! These things were beasts!
I had one it was a blast to play with I had it when I was a kid I wish I kept it and it would be cool to put a pair of tracks on the back and the ski upfront for the winter time
Love your vids my guy! so jelly of that Honda 450S you have!!
I know all the history behind them... mine is converted with a 250cc liquid cooled motor with a reverse.. i commute with it all the time! :) Cool find!!
I looked up some info on it. This is an RTS SL model. It should have hubcaps on the back wheels. It looked really cool in the brochure that I found online. The fiberglass has faded significantly. It was originally red. This thing is a deathtrap, but a fun one, lol.
That things from the days of being responsible for own safety before everything got safety'd to death
I like it when people are honest enough to tell the price, thank you.
Zoinks, this is a badass find. Absolute pure '70s plus an eager sounding inline 2-stroke twin.
Never ever seen one before and i really need one in my life
Our father had a dealership back then, we rented a vacant gas station. They were shipped to us boxed we assembled them, from Alsoort & Steen, who built Hodakas, I used to race the RTS 8 dirt version....Rutherford Trisports Montrose California (So Cal)🤗🙏
Holly cow, I had a tri-sport in my younger years, it was such a fun vehicle, awesome find, you should hang on to this.
Unbelievable! You’re a genius. I was lost once the ignition came off.
my grandmother had one of those back in the 70s, she used to take me all over the dry lakebeds on it. her's was the smaller one, in yellow. thanks for the memory! 👍
I think that's one that should be restored and kept
That Gyro was the best handling cycle I ever had, and I was a cafe nut. I put Tomaslli clip ons myself on my first bike. A1974 Kawasaki 90 street bike.
My friend had the off road version of this when I was a kid, it was pretty quick. We would put sheet metal screws (studs) in the tires and run it on frozen ponds in the winter. Lot of fun.
Perfect video i watch every singel video from You im a big fan keep it up mate💪
I used to have one of them they are so much fun only used it the off-road it had a 125 4-stroke motorcycle engine twin cylinder modified on it no centrifical clutch just chain drive
Very cool find! And, with a street-legal Wisconsin title. Ah, gotta love the simple days of "street legal" vehicles from back in the day. This will be a fun project - good luck!
Use heat on the gas tank area where it’s cracked to get the tank back into its original shape with the cracks meeting up together and then plastic weld it together and then fibreglass over top of the tank after you rough up the whole tank with 80 grit. Make sure you are able to fit a delivery bung on the tank so it will seal well and not leak and it has good threads. Put a shut off valve there and then connect to tank. That would be a good fix and cost very little. Just make sure at the bung area you use enough fiberglass mat to make it really thick and sturdy. Hope it helps you. Most body shops do plastic welding on bumpers and that could be a good source. Hope this may help you. Good luck. Cheers.
Sounds crazy but got one of em back in late 90s. It was only 250 but once it was running good it was fast, had ever but the seat. Body was fiberglass. It would scream. Restored to back to clean like new condition and sold to an old man in Albuquerque that had a couple more. I remember finding a place that had aftermarket parts for them and got some stiff for it, seat etc. Have fun! Think you over paid a bit but you'll get it back out of it. Good luck!
As rare as that is he didn’t overpay.
Shame its not over here in the UK, I would be rather interested in it, being disabled it would be Ideal to get around on only having a full motorbike licence .
Looking forward to the build as always
Always a good start to the week when your catching up on 2 vintage absolutely awesome 👏
I owned a TriSport 3 wheeler in 1972 in central Indiana. It was electric start, everything worked properly and it was really fun. I think they are very dangerous on the road because they are so low, no one sees you! They would pull right out in front of me or turn left right in my path! I sold it after one summer. It was fast and fun
My neighbor has one he rides around town I believe it had a smaller engine than what's on yours
you could glue up that original tank, and make it into a "Plug" to pull a mold off of, and then make a new tank from fiberglass! then it would be the EXACT correct shape to fit in and hold the right amount of fuel -
That thing is awesome can't wait to see it moving gonna be sweet.
Love it Joe,this is quite the beast!Epic gl brother!👍💪👊💪💪💪
A couple of my dad's friends had the bigger versions of this with the VW engines in them. Motorcycle trikes. One was green metallic paint and the other was a custom made trike with a carriage-like roof over it (think the Munsters car). Last I knew the custom was still stored in a garage, but the green one has been gone a long time. One of dad's friends specialized in VW customs, which was no doubt involved in their construction. These things were popular in the 70's, along with custom vans of the time, both of which I have memories of being around. In the early 90's, my brother picked up one of the trikes like this one in the video. We had a lot of fun on it before he got rid of it.
I had a similar trike. It originally had a Briggs & Stratton. I single cylinder skidoo engine on it. It had a ski to change over to for winter. Some advice….when you switch back to the front wheel in the spring don’t forget you can’t cruse over snowy ditches. You will become Superman instantly.
Pretty awesome find. You didn't pay too much. Great video.
You might be able to hot sand then plastic weld the old tank. Hot sand is just that, a large 1/4 barrel full of heated sand, we used a propane burner and that very fine sand like you find on some beaches or in old hotel ashtrays in the lobby. Heat up your sand get it over 150 but don't exceed 165, then put the tank in the sand, fill it with sand as well. Let it sit for 5-6 minutes, then pull it out, dump what sand is in it quickly and shape it to where you want it. Let it cool, then clean it completely, giving it a final rub down with some naptha or methanol, let it dry then plastic weld it. Don't try to use epoxy on plastic that old and frail, I've seen a few times where the epoxy actually weakened the plastic. My boss at the time said it had something to do with the type of hardener used attacked the older plastics as they broke down and degraded.
Really nice find Joe, mine was blue metal flake did about 75-80 mile an hour top speed but very quick steering they're fun to slide around but have to be careful of rear tire doesn't catch when sliding sideways and flip you over. I would get a gas tank from a riding lawn mower.
Trisport and Allsport bikes and buggies were manufactured in Norwalk, Ohio. The factory where they were made was turned into the Maple Leaf lounge and bowling alley I believe. The bowling alley was demolished around 2010. Trisports are still pretty common in Ohio. They pop up for sale every now and then. When Allsport went out of business I believe Glenn's surplus in Shelby, Ohio had purchased all of the remaining stock of parts. I am not sure if they would have any parts left after all of these years. The old Trisports are pretty rare to find in decent condition like you found. They made all kinds of interesting machines in the 70s. Nice find.
Never seen one in running condition, my uncle had a few bare bones chassis and or shell... Excellent score, looks dangerous AF! LOL I can't believe that was ever considered Street Legal? My how time's have changed! Craftsman lawnmower tank should work!!
I have a similar trike..1974 owasso explorer. Same story..gonna get it running someday
Awesome find Joe, its always cool seeing stuff this old on the channel. Definitely a nice score!
Awesome video. reminds me of my childhood. Nice to see younger generation tinkering and fixing older things from a by-gone era. I'd like to offer a little constructive criticism if i may. Always start anything that has a centrifugal clutch, with no way to neutralize it, drive wheels off the ground. You may have done it 100 times and never had an issue. But it takes just one time for it to hang up and take off. Causing damage to it as well as other property and or you. Not worth the risk.
Fifty years ago I had one very similar to that. Mine had knobby tires a bigger shaped seat that flared over the tires and a wheelie bar that had a little wheel on it so I could ride them without dragging and never flip backwards It was one of my funnest toys ever
Those Kohler engines were pretty good back in the day! Much better than Briggs and Stratton! I think they are cast iron and last a lot longer! I have a old Cushman scooter that ran really good and was pretty fast!
It's an aluminum piston port induction twin cylinder two stroke with a single Tillotson carb, found in many snowmobiles of the era.
@@jamesgeorge4874 well excuse me but I never seen a Kohler 2 stroke engine! Sorry
@@stevebarr9604 It's all good. The late 60's/70's snowmobile era was wild. You had to be there.
We use too ride them 3 wheelers summer and winter . my father inlaw rode his 440 that looked just like that one to work ...You get that one running and it will wheelie and do burn offs lol....lots of fun!
I like to use release oil on old treads makes for easier removal!
Used to ride a small trail bike from around that same time period as a kid. Simple engineering on those back then. Working on them wasnt much different than getting a chainsaw or a lawnmore running. I wonder if you can find tires for it. Deffinately a rare find. And even if you dont get that engine going for some reason. You can always through a different engine on that frame. The pride of Canada in 1974. I think the world fair or expo was in montreal 1974. Then the Olympics were there in 1976 i bet they made a bunch of these around that time. But ive never seen one anytime recently.