Picking up a 89 trx300 2wd....thoughts?

[MRSOUND]

Guy at work sold his place in the mountains and no longer has a use for it. Been looking for something as a starter to get the wife to ride with me. She has no desire to hop on 3 wheels (they're dangerous! :rolleyes:), but is willing to try 4. Anyway, he's 2nd owner, 1st owner works with me as well. Garaged or "shedded" all its life. In great shape and plastics are not all faded. Runs and shifts great. Just needs a battery. $700, also got 4 helmets and a chest protector. So how did I do price wise? Likes, dislikes, quirks of this model? Any input is welcome!:D
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[DohcBikes]

I think it looks great for that price! Can't beat knowing the previous owners too, good score!

[shortline10]

Great machine and even better price .

[trike savior]

worth it for price, especially with all the extra pieces. those bikes are real strong for being 2 wd.

[atc007]

Unreal. If it doesn't pan out Mike. Please give me 1st crack at it. You did REALLLLLYYY good. Wow. Drop all the oils,clean/oil the filter,adjust and lube everything and that is ready for the next 30 years. I guarantee that doesn't even need the valves adjusted. Very nice find.

[MRSOUND]

Here is the rest of the booty. 3 HJC 1 old school and a Thor chest protector.
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[shortline10]

The weak link on those is the metal gas tank , that one looks great .

[MojaveRider]

Great looking machine and a fantastic price! That one looks like it's been babied. Those models are bad about getting water in the rear diff, but other than that should run forever.

[atc007]

The weak link on those is the metal gas tank , that one looks great .

And the starter,and one way bearings,and the diffs,and the rear brakes. But no worries on this one :))

[MNhondaguy]

A lot of those around here. It is probably the only quad I would ever own. My brothers brother in law has one and he put new arctic cat rims and tires on it, I think 27" or bigger. Has a plow on it and it just doesn't stop working. Pulls the fishhouse out no problems. Amazing little thing for only being 2wd.

[hoosierlogger]

I have the 4X4 version of that. It is a great quad. I use mine for plowing snow and mowing. 184637 When the battery needs replaced I'll show you a cheap truck to get a bigger power reserve and more cranking amps for a third the price of a new battery.

[MRSOUND]

Thanks for all the replies guys!

I have the 4X4 version of that. It is a great quad. I use mine for plowing snow and mowing. 184637 When the battery needs replaced I'll show you a cheap truck to get a bigger power reserve and more cranking amps for a third the price of a new battery.
Does need a battery so hook a brother up:D

[hoosierlogger]

Put a lawn mower battery in the trunk. You will need a 6" extension for the negative cable to reach that far. But you can't beat a 325 CCA battery. I did it to mine a few months ago. Last week when it was -18 degrees out overnight it started. I doubt the stock size battery would have done it.

[6speedthumper]

Great quad!!!!! We have 3 of them in the family. All 4x4. Dad's 99 still has the original battery!!!! Fantastic machines. Only quirks or issues I can think of is the electrical junction box under the front fender. It has a 10mm head bolt that holds it shut, and there is a white connecter inside (among others) that can come loose and it won't start. Just have to reroute it inside that box. It is actually stated in the Clymer manual.

Other then that just change the engine oil, diff oil, service or replace the air filter, new spark plug, adjust the clutch and down the trail your go. If there is no valve train noise I wouldn't even bother to adjust the valves. Like said previously, it probably doesn't even need it! They hold an adjustment that well.

I would change the rear brake drum cover's seal, and large o-ring that goes on the backing plate. There is a method that I use to reinstall that rear brake drum cover so water does not get in. Have not had any water issues on our 3 since I started doing it.

[MRSOUND]

Ended up popping for this battery on ebay (same brand as the ones I got for the SX and BR)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/400635594484?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
At $35 figured can't go wrong. Would like to keep the trunk open to carry necessities if needed (like the heavy duty tow strap he's leaving in it:D). Has fresh oil and carb kit. Filter is good but needs a good cleansing and oiled. When I asked about the differential he said he hadn't touched it, so that will be the first task. Very familiar with this this myself with having the SX & BR. Oh and in the pics the right side cover is missing....has that too, just took it off so he could kick start it since battery is dead. I'll get better pics in the daylight once I get it home. Probably this wkd. First quad for me. I'll be careful, I hear that extra wheel makes it even more dangerous!:lol:

[hoosierlogger]

Yup they are more dangerous. I about killed myself on mine one day. I had been riding my 110 all day around the property. I hopped on the fourtrax to take it back to the barn. Standing up as the seat was wet, I went to shif to third and went to super low first instead. Bike instantly lost 10 mph. I about went over the bars to get run over. I wish there was a law that all bikes had the same shift pattern.

[coolpool]

There's been a few post's about what is the best quad ever and the 300 Honda seems to have the most followers. I have 2 4x4 models and wouldn't trade them in for anything. That's a nice looking rig; brakes can be a pain for water infiltration; once you open them up once, you seem to have to do it annually. Although mine do spend a lot of time under water ;-).

[MRSOUND]

Feeling good about the choice with the feedback I've gotten so far! How about plowing snow with the 2wd? Would chains and weight on the rear rack give it enough traction to push the white stuff around? Or is gonna be a waste of time and money?

[6speedthumper]

If you do what I do to reseal the brakes, you won't get any water in them. My bikes don't spend their lives in mud and water (meaning 24/7), but they do work on the farm, and have to go through mud and water, as well as whatever you have to go through on the trails. I've not had one issue with water infiltration since I started doing mine this certain way.

plowing on a 2wd goes pretty well actually. I had one, and plowed some crush n run gravel for my grandmother about 5 years ago, and it did just fine. Haven't used on to plow snow. Chains will obviously work wonders for a 2wd, but, I don't know if you will need them.

[coolpool]

If you do what I do to reseal the brakes, you won't get any water in them. My bikes don't spend their lives in mud and water (meaning 24/7), but they do work on the farm, and have to go through mud and water, as well as whatever you have to go through on the trails. I've not had one issue with water infiltration since I started doing mine this certain way.

plowing on a 2wd goes pretty well actually. I had one, and plowed some crush n run gravel for my grandmother about 5 years ago, and it did just fine. Haven't used on to plow snow. Chains will obviously work wonders for a 2wd, but, I don't know if you will need them.

Don't mean to hijack this thread but I'm curious to know your secret. I would love to save $75 per machine per year on worn brake components and such. Here's a couple of pics of my son doing what he loves to do, lol. Poor quad :-(

[6speedthumper]

Okay, this is what I do...

The rears are the biggest problem. Everyone takes them apart and slaps them back together. You need to replace the outer seal that is pressed into the dust cover, and the big o-ring that goes in the groove on the backing plate. Make sure that the o-ring's mating surface inside the cover is CLEAN!!! This is often over looked. You need to apply a coat of wheel bearing grease to the seal and the o-ring. Now, here is where the most important part comes in. Everyone uses the 6 (or 8 can't recall) bolts that hold the cover to the backing plate, to draw the cover onto the backing plate. When this is done, the bolt holes get stretched to the backing plate, but, the entire flange does not. When that happens water easily leaks in.

Instead of using the bolts to install the cover, you need to align the cover onto the backing plate, and use a brass punch and ball peen to tap the cover on by hitting around the over in a circle until the flange is flush against the backing plate. Also, a rubber mallet, or dead blow hammer will work by hitting the face of the cover. When the flange and cover at together fully, then install the bolts.


This has not failed me, and the last time I did rear brakes to any of my 300's was about 5 years ago!!!! Have not had water issues at all in that time, on 3 bikes! Hope this works for you. Also, make sure the breather hose is healthy, and up as high as possible.

[yamaha225dr]

You definitely got a good deal! I had a 91 4x4 but sold it to a friend. Mine was a fixer upper when I bought it, the top end, rear end and all of the bearings were toast but I really loved it after getting everything fixed.

[dougspcs]

Feeling good about the choice with the feedback I've gotten so far! How about plowing snow with the 2wd? Would chains and weight on the rear rack give it enough traction to push the white stuff around? Or is gonna be a waste of time and money?

If you mean 6" of the soft stuff then yeah, but I have a 90 Fourtrax 300 4X4 and this winter is beating IT'S azz!! Sometimes a foot at a time..really struggling!

I wouldn't want to attempt on my 2WD quad, even with chains!

[MRSOUND]

If you mean 6" of the soft stuff then yeah, but I have a 90 Fourtrax 300 4X4 and this winter is beating IT'S azz!! Sometimes a foot at a time..really struggling!

I wouldn't want to attempt on my 2WD quad, even with chains!
I haven't got that much here all at once but it is accumulating. Right now it's mostly ice and a thick crust. Had to shovel a path just to get the 250sx out. Don't think it would have done much good on this last round.