New to the forum and 3 wheelers

[Rippen11]

Hey guys, I'm James. I just bought a 1985 Honda Big Red 250es, it's my first 3 wheeler. I traded it for my Dodge Caravan, and realize now that I got the raw end of the deal. But I'm making the best of it. It's completely bare, it literally has what it needs to run, and that's it. No lights, no rear plastic, no airbox, battery, ignition, etc. The brakes don't work and both the hand brake cables are froze. It's a big mess, but I just ordered a ton of new parts. Carburetor, brake lever, cable, fuel petcock, and rear brakes. I plan on getting it rideable, then worrying about the looks of it.

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[UPNATM]

Welcome to the forum! Don't let the feeling of getting burned detour you from fixing up your Big Red. It may take a little $$, but the end result will lead to a ton of fun

[jakep53]

welcome to 3ww

[350for350]

I think you did all right. Of course I'm not a fan of Dodges or mini vans so I guess my opinion is kind of biased. To each their own. Welcome.

[Rippen11]

Thanks guys. I'm really excited about finally getting a 3 wheeler, and I can't wait to get it running right.
I've always loved dodges, and it was a 1989 Dodge Caravan with the turbo 2.5. I've always liked oddball things, hence a turbo minivan.

[Rippen11]

I finally got back from my trip to Atlanta, and I was able to do some work to Big Red. I got the new carb installed, along with fuel petcock, brakes, cables, etc... I've ordered a new choke cable and brake lever perch, and that's most the missing parts. Next is to a shop to get some oil leaks and trans issues resolved. I went today and got ITP rims and some used tires, since the original balloon tires were shot and the rims were rusted out. Is the front rim the same as the rears? The shop told me it was different, and I was out of luck as far as having matching rims. It looks alot like the rears though.

[Keepah Rolln]

welcome to the site

[TrikeGarage]

Good luck man any 250es is a steal!!

[ps2fixer]

The 250es front and rear rims are the same part number. Here is a great site to reference for interchangeable parts.

http://www.partzilla.com/parts/detail/honda/HP-42701-HA0-000ZA.html

Once you get the big red in good enough shape to ride, you will love it.

[JesseA420]

welcome to 3ww

[perryc]

Welcome! Lots of good info on this site!

[Rippen11]

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So I've had this thing sitting out behind the garage for near 2 months. The shifter shaft broke, so I was unable to change gears. Kinda scary when you're way back in the woods far away from your car, stuck at a standstill in 3rd gear. Anyways, I couldn't justify the 500$ the shop quoted to fix it, so I finally decide to try fixing it myself. I've got the new shaft in, and the gasket maker is sealing on the case now. Tomorrow, I'll bolt the new shifter on, change the oil, and hopefully it'll be ready to go.
On a side note, how does the front tire come off? I'm trying to change the front brake, and I took the plate off the right side, but now I'm stuck. Do I take the lugs off and the whole everything just comes apart?

[Airmapper]

I'm trying to change the front brake, and I took the plate off the right side, but now I'm stuck. Do I take the lugs off and the whole everything just comes apart?

Let the air out of the tire, then the axle, tire and all should pivot away from the fork where you removed the plate. Then you can remove the wheel.

After that, I recommend removing the axle over trying to get those 2 Phillips screws on the drum out, if they are rusted up. The axle is like a 17mm socket (If I remember right) and just unscrews like a huge bolt. I stripped one of those little screw heads in the drum housing and found it was so much easier to just unscrew the axle out and set it aside, it gives you access to the brakes all the same, and I don't have to drill out screws.

[Jmoozy27]

Make sure and put plenty of grease in the hub so the axle doesn't get seized. You can never use enough grease on anything with threads. Make sure and inspect the rear differential and wheel bearings. Those 85's are notorious for taking on water. Welcome to the site, make sure and post pics.

[Rippen11]

Well, I finally got it finished. I've put an outrageous amount of money into this thing, but it's rideable now. When I first got it, it had the bare essentials. No brakes, lights, plastics (save for the front fender), etc. It barely ran, as well. Now, I've put close to 500$ into it, not including the van I traded for it. I've replaced every cable except for the throttle cable and reverse lockout. Somebody had recently changed the throttle cable, but put it on backwards. Anyways, here's a list of everything I've done to it so far.

-New brake cables, front and rear
-New shifter
-New shift shaft
-Rear brakes
-Front Brakes
-Front brake lever and perch
-Changed diff fluid
-Changed oil & filter
-New carb
-New fuel petcock
-New rear rims & tires

And soon to be done (Hopefully)
-Airbox (suggestions?)
-Rear plastics
-Lights

Also, the gas tank is plastic. I've heard the 85's had metal tanks. A friend of a friend told me it was a Clarke oversized tank. Thoughts on this?

[Jmoozy27]

For the airbox what do you have? Any of the rubber boots or just the bare carb intake?
Rear plastics are gonna cost you about $300 from maier. I don't think any others bolt up but you can always get creative.
As for the lights it just depends on how much more $ your willing to spend. You can go all original off of eBay and you run the risk of getting hustled on some old parts. I say just be creative and pay attention to the details. You will figure something out. My 85 is a mix of all types of atc's.203454

[Rippen11]

Sorry for the late reply, I know its been awhile, but I've been pretty busy. I finally got a chance to take Big Red out the past couple weekends, and it's been great. Plenty of power, and I still haven't flipped it.

Anyways, I don't have any rubber boots or anything for my intake. It's just a generic Moose Filter on the carb. I've been debating the idea of doing a snorkel on it, but most the snorkels I've seen put the tube next to the gas tank, right in the way.
I finally got a headlight on it today, just an aftermarket one from O'reilly. I also got an ignition wired up for it.
I do need help with the gas tank, though. I'm missing the rubber seal that goes inside the gas cap. Does anyone know where to find it? Also, I replaced the petcock, but the part that the petcock bolts into leaks. Does anyone know where to find that part, or the seal?

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