New member and new to trikes thinking of buying one need some opinions

[vinson581]

let me start off by introducing my self, i am from new york and have ridden for the better part of 20 years, i raced motocross and pretty much have ridden everything there is with wheels. ive owned quads, dirtbikes, utvs, prerunner trucks, exotic cars, you name it lol. but never a trike! i build everything myself, and will never pay anyone to ever do any work for me, much of the reason i have afforded what i have over the years. ok now on to the real subject trikes! i started wanting to try something new, and my first thought was to look for a 200x or 350x, i cant find one! and im not going to pay someone a ton of money for a restored one or a ton of money for one looking like its decaying in their yard lol. over the course of my few month search just last night i stumbled across a 250sx, not my first choice...but the price of 100$ it was sorta a why not thought. the guy said it runs and obivously is going to need some work. do you think this thing is going to be a letdown to a 200x or 350? im pretty excited to go look at it, i sometimes think i get more excited to go buy something thats broken and beat and fix it then buy something new, or so my gf always reminds me lol. its more rewarding i will say that. ok now onto some questions fellow 3 wheeler friends

what should i look out for on this perticular model?
are there any specific parts hard to come by, or expensive?
is it worth what im paying

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[RIDE-RED 250r]

Hey there and welcome! I live about 40 miles northeast of Syracuse.

As to the SX. The 200x is a sportier/quicker machine than the jack-of-all-trades 250sx, especially the 86-87 200x's. The SX was made to do many things fairly well, but IMHO not really excelling in any particular area other than having a nice all-round rider you can do a little work with too. So, when you ask if it will be a let-down compared to a 200x or 350x, it really depends on what you are looking for in your first trike. The SX does alot of things well and IMHO makes a good choice for the first time triker.

As to what you paid? For $100, if the engine isn't locked up it's a great price all other things considered.

Parts availability varies, as with many of our trikes. You will find yourself leaning on sites like this (once you gain full access after the probationary period) and as a last resort, ebay. There are other Honda ATC's/ATV's that share parts with the 250sx. Some searching should yield you some results on what parts interchange from what other models.. Primarily, the 250 Big Red (made from 85-87) and the Fourtrax 250 quad come to mind.

It sounds like you are no stranger to the shop, so I would bet you won't have much trouble making a good rider out of your first ATC! Good luck on your hunt for parts, and enjoy the build.

[fabiodriven]

If you've never ridden one I'd suggest taking a rip first. A lot of quad and bike riders don't even want to give it more than a minute after throwing a leg over a man's machine.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

I did forget to add: the SX is the low-speed-wheelie-KING!!

A friend of mine had a pair of SX's a couple years ago and we used to have little contests on who could maintain a wheelie the farthest distance, see who could come to a complete stop and balance in a stationary wheelie the longest, low speed wheelies up and over burms without bumping the grab bar or dropping the front wheel (trickier than you would think)...Buckets of fun!

[Liquid-Darkness]

Those sx bikes are really trail worthy and with the low gearing and auto transmission, you can't go wrong. As far as a sport machine, I would put a 250sx next to a 200x any day of the week!! I put my money on a 250sx, they perform and are pleasant to ride... A 200x has a smoother ride, but the 250sx has more power and would be a workhorse compaired to the 200x I think..

Also that seat and rear fender looks like crap.... But for the price, I would pick it up and take it home/ fix it up..

[fabiodriven]

For the record I'll ride circles around a stock-ish 200X on my SX in pretty much any situation.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

For the record I'll ride circles around a stock-ish 200X on my SX in pretty much any situation.

After riding with you awhile back, I don't doubt that one bit! :D :beer

[3isthewaytoB]

Nobody seemed to compare to the 350x. Which if you have ridden know that is a beautiful beast of a machine. In my book neither the x or sx compare to the 350x. I just feel like they are in a different class of three wheelers. Just my opinion. Vinson581 if you want the big boy just wait it out one will come along and it will be worth the wait at that point. My brother keeps sending me cl ads for the 350x and they are fixers but are complete running trikes. They just hold a little value compared to the rest around 700-1200 is what I have seen them for. He is in pa and looking under Pittsburgh. Think if you like the 350x wait for it. Not to be disrespectful to the 200x or the sx.

[Chopsaw]

You cant compare a 350x with the other two . 200x or 250sx ,,, ? SX all the way .

[tri again]

You'll probably hear that the sx is the best all around trike.
e start, full suspension, reverse with a 700lb sticker in the trailer hitch.
Racks make them indispensable on the farm.
Certainly faster than I'll ever need to go.

[czac]

all i can say is...where was this $100.00 beauty when I was looking for a trike?? lol excellent find! good luck!

[UPNATM]

That's a good deal for $100, and I would have jumped on it also. I am completely biased, but I agree, with the others. The SX is an awesome all around trike. I love both of mine, and wouldn't pass up on another if I had the opportunity.
My project sx needed a ton of parts, an with the help of some great folks here on this site, and eBay I am almost done with it. There are actually a lot of parts still available through Honda that i was able to find as well.

[theboy12]

I have 2 200x's that I rarely ride anymore since purchasing my SXs. I started with two, and now it's an addiction. I currently have 4 and may be picking two more up today. (Three in running condition and two that are very close, I'd say one good weekend away). As someone said earlier, they are wheelie kings. You can't help it. I widened my back end with spacers and they are crazy stable on the trail, and still fun on the flats. I do have to admit that my 200x's are more fun to corner due to how light they are, but the sx is the jack of all trades and will beat a 200x on a straight away once she gets into top end speed.

-Jon

[UPNATM]

Not to high jack, but Jon, I would love to see some pics of all your SXs'.

[ATC819]

A 250sx is a great all round trike and my first recommendation for a first trike.

[Ghostv2]

Lets start with this. What are you looking to do with this trike? Mainly, what type of riding will you be doing.
Next, what features do you wish to have or cannot live without? Such as manual clutch on the 200/350x, or the electric start and reverse of the sx.
You must ask yourself these type of questions and not just which one is better. Each trike was built with a certain riding style in mind.
Finally, when you decide which machine you want you should narrow it down to which generation/year of trike you wish to buy. A common example would be the 200x. 83-85 with its 5 speed transmission, weak kick starter gear, more aftermarket options and parts availability. Or the 86-87 with its completely redesigned bike with a 6 speed transmission, new color scheme (85 was also red/white/blue), and so on.
Do not forget that there is aftermarket options as well. There is electric start kits for the 200x, front and rear racks for the sx, and many more to make it a more versatile bike.

I hope this helps a little bit more than just "which one is better" and i also hope my examples helped some because honestly i am not very experienced in any of these. I only had one 200x and that is the one in my signature. Good luck with which path you take, $100 for that bike is a great deal, you could easily double or tripple your money.

Also i must ask, why no 2-strokes? Im not a huge fan of them but the 250r is a performance machine, and you raced.

[vinson581]

I did not pick it up yet, I wrote this and I was on my way to and no response from the guy!,:mad: hopefully he still wants to sell it. as far as why I don't want a two stroke...I live in ny and ride really rocky technical sections of terrain. very steep hill climbs and stream crossing ect. my usual ride is a fully built long travel yfz450r 55hp, fox floats, precision, hiper, msd, all the goodies, rides like its on a cloud, I also ride a grizz 700efi/eps another rolling couch lol. however im big into dirtbikes I have a 2013 kx250fi and a 2000 rm250. there is something about that old rm250 that I just love...powerband!! its much more of a handful in the tight woods, its fun to ride, but honestly its just not as fun as a 4 stroke in the slow stuff. I used to love taking my rm250 out when I lived in az and just ripping down washes or through the desert. it was the best hands down where you can use all the power. this time around I don't need the power in the woods. I have a couple older warrior 350s that I love riding, mainly because they have reverse, are reliable, and are just comfy and fun! that's sorta what I was thinking for my first trike. just something fun. I wish I could get a 250sx with a clutch. this bike will be purely for play, no work. any other non Hondas you guys would recommend? 225dx? im open to anything, I just want a trike already!!!

[fabiodriven]

I have a DR and an SX and my opinion, get an SX.

[miloped]

I will agree with the group. The SX seems like a great all around machine & parts are easy to come by..