New here, new purchase, three. wheels.

[loganm]

Recently (today) purchased a 1982 Honda 250R. The other (read: last night) night I had a dream I was riding a 3 wheeler, and it was a bad trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro, so I decided I'd buy one.

Found said 3 wheeler on CL for 475, offered 300, and I have it. It is CLEAN. Plastics good shape, frame good shape, good balloon tires, etc. Only thing missing is the gas tank, exhaust, reed cage, and top end of the motor. I have a Clarke plastic 350x or 250R tank I got with it, I'd like an original tank though.

Budgeting in $700 for the build I have a nice 3 wheeler for just $1000. Trying to find a complete motor on Ebay for it. I bought it to ride, so like new parts aren't really required. Only thing I would buy new is exhaust and tires, if I decide to keep it.

I haven't ridden a 3 wheeler since my dad sold our atc 90 we had as a kid, so I cannot wait to get this thing running and die on it.

Edit: No air box either. I was wondering why air would funnel down the main tube into nothing lol

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[gearhead9056]

Nice, looks like a decent deal to me, but I don't know the 2 strokes that well. Good luck with the build.

[thehorse13]

I remember when that trike was brand new at the Honda dealers...

You have a solid starting point and that thing will haul ass when you're finished.

Welcome.

[loganm]

Alright, serious question. I was told it may have a stroker crank, the top end has been off for a while and there's a little bit of surface rust on the crank. It spins freely though and I can't feel any play in the con rod so I don't want to split the cases if I don't have to. I'm pulling the motor tonight, pulling the side covers off and inspecting it from there. I'm thinking crank seals and clean out the crank case as much as possible. The last person who messed with it put a piston in the wrong way, it doesn't look used at all there's just a chunk missing from the front.

Trying to score a running engine off Ebay but I'll probably be outbid so I may get a used cylinder and have it bored and put a piston in.

[83ATC185]

i might let some of the air out of those back tires...might be just me but they look like they have 20 lbs of air in them

[loganm]

Took the left case off the motor. inside is CLEAN. Flushed the crankcase out with brake cleaner twice and now diesel. Trying to get everything out of there. It's spinning a bit smoother and quieter than before but not up to my standards yet. Crank seal looks good I don't have a flywheel puller so I can't check the other side. All the gaskets came off without a problem so I don't even think I'll have to mess around with that even. No crossthreaded or broken bolts this is probably the cleanest thing I've ever owned lol

[barnett468]

Alright, serious question. I was told it may have a stroker crank, the top end has been off for a while and there's a little bit of surface rust on the crank. It spins freely though and I can't feel any play in the con rod so I don't want to split the cases if I don't have to. I'm pulling the motor tonight, pulling the side covers off and inspecting it from there. I'm thinking crank seals and clean out the crank case as much as possible. The last person who messed with it put a piston in the wrong way, it doesn't look used at all there's just a chunk missing from the front.

Trying to score a running engine off Ebay but I'll probably be outbid so I may get a used cylinder and have it bored and put a piston in.

what exactly is you question?

also, the story they gave you about the piston breaking because it was installed backwards sounds suspicious unless it broke at the ring lands because those pistons are 100% symmetrical and the only difference is that the locator for the piston rings is supposed to go to the rear so the open end of the ring doesn't catch the exhaust port and break.

with it that far apart i would just split the cases and check it all out, especially since it has rust on the crank . . i would probably throw a new rod kit in it to so i only had to do it once.

[loganm]

Engine was sniped out from under me on ebay. I did snatch up a complete tank w/ cap and petcock for just $32.00 I had the only bid lol. Some dents but OG paint and no rust so a good riding tank.

Ordered flywheel puller, case splitter, crank bearings and seals, and a complete top end. So I'll be splitting the cases and see what else I need from there. Gonna wait and see what kinda condition the top end is in before I get a new piston and gaskets for it. Hopefully I can stay under my budget of $700. Top end kit will probably set me back a little it would be really lucky if I could score a new crank off fleabay for cheap.

I'm doing all this in my basement which is AC instead of a 100 F garage like all my other engine builds so this one should turn out good.

Edit: Athena makes a complete gasket kit but does anyone know where I can get a bottom end seal kit for this thing? I'd like to replace them since I'm down there.

[loganm]

Split the cases. Putting the new main bearings in is easy however a needle bearing and both counterbalancer bearings fell out removing the old crank bearings. I ended up sticking the shaft in and popping the bearings in with a deadblow while the cases were still hot since they wouldn't just drop in like the main bearings even after I froze them. Hopefully I can get this thing rebuilt without ruining the motor first.

[loganm]

Got my complete top end in the mail. Cylinder looks good, will need a hone at least but I don't even know if it's been bored before it has plenty of room. Looks like it could have been ported before too. No fins are cracked or broken either.

I can get new bearings for the transmission but I'm not sure on that they're obviously not new bearings in it now but they'll be in oil when the thing runs so I may be alright. I'm going to call a machine shop on monday and see if they can bore this thing out and machine the gasket surfaces for me. I need to get the crank checked out and maybe rebuilt but I'm not sure if your standard auto machine shop can do that.

Edit: Definitely has a port job and has been sleeved. It doesn't look the best but it should work just fine.

[loganm]

Crank is at CT racing getting rebuilt. I have mocked up the bottom end twice. Can someone tell me how to put the kickstarter shaft in? I'm not sure where to line the splines up. I have the transmission figured out and it shifts through all the gears fine.

[loganm]

225857

Copy pasted from another forum because I've reached a new level of laziness. Took me 6 months to get this thing rideable.

I was missing a washer when I built it, so I split the cases back apart and some gears fell off, and me being lazy I put 5th on backwards(the washer did not go inside the engine). Ran it some, not satisfied. Tore the whole motor back down, bought another transmission off Ebay since the shaft was kinda galled and a thrust washer was busted up. And the one bearing that you can't buy anymore also had problems. There's no way to get behind it so I had to get creative pulling it out.

Anyways, one company makes an aftermarket bearing, but it's slightly too big. Just slightly enough that I had to convince it to go into the case with a deadblow. Reassembled the engine and the main shaft turns tight, bearing is not in all the way. Put it in the bike, changed my mind, pulled it out. Had to get creative with a welder and slide hammer to get the bearing back out. 30 mins with an emery cloth and some shipping time later it's back together...

And I just heat siezed it today doing 5th gear runs. I was really running it hard constant throttle wide open. Kinda scored but bearings are still tight and it's usable. Runs like a top. I'll go try and shrapnel the engine tomorrow

[arlaunch]

Jeeze.....

What a thread.

Sorry to hear the bad news.

That trying to stay on a budget stuff is tough stuff.

I thought the same thing when i bought my first project.

Then i realized i needed engine work, new wheel bearings, paint, brake caliper overhauls, tap and die sets, brakes, tools and then suspension drama.

[loganm]

Pulled it apart again because it was jumping out of second. I was missing two thrust washers but still I don't think that's what caused it. The shift drum is not worn either. Waiting on new gaskets since the center one is tore up from tearing the motor apart in a haste so many times... I took the two transmissions I have and put the best gears on the one going in the motor. Cleaned everything. another shift fork is a bit chewed up now too. But it isn't bent. So I have no idea why it kept jumping out. I'm stumped on this one. IG I'll rebuild it again and if it keeps jumping out I'll have to replace the shift forks.

Since I'm waiting on parts I'm gonna pull the hubs off and make spacers. Maybe extend the swingarm but I don't want to spend money on a chain right now.

And the balancer shaft bearing fell out when I had the case in the oven to dry it off after washing it in the sink. Just trying to get it as clean as I can rn. Anyways cleaned it and popped it back in for the tenth time. Which I hate doing because I feel like I'm going to damage the case/bearing popping it in with a socket and hammer even though I know I'm not hitting it nearly hard enough to do much damage.

[loganm]

Jeeze.....

What a thread.

Sorry to hear the bad news.

That trying to stay on a budget stuff is tough stuff.

I thought the same thing when i bought my first project.

Then i realized i needed engine work, new wheel bearings, paint, brake caliper overhauls, tap and die sets, brakes, tools and then suspension drama.

This is not my first time doing something like this. So I knew to look out of the small stuff like bearings and brakes and suspension when I bought it. But I didn't count on me assembling the transmission wrong.

And I could've got this thing running for less than $800 probably. And flipped it for a profit. But me being a perfectionist I wanted longetivity so I split the cases and started burning $$$ on this thing.

[yaegerb]

You are a perfectionist so you beat parts in with a dead blow, wtf.......lol

[loganm]

The case was hot out of the oven and the bearing was in the freezer. Usually they'll just pop in with a decent hit but it was already halfway in there's no coming back out. I had no way of knowing this bearing was slightly larger.

[yaegerb]

Word to the wise. Take your time, get a manual. Most parts (the correct parts; i.e. Bearings, gears etc) can be found. Take your time, don't force things and don't think that you will rebuild an 82 correctly on a budget. Space your purchases out of needs be. Good luck.

[loganm]

Uhh no, wrong. The bearing, the one that goes on the right side of the clutch shaft, you can't buy it from honda. ONE company makes an aftermarket one, and you can still get it from yamaha. I think. But it is slightly different. I have a manual, but that still only tells you so much. I have the bearing figured out. I still have no idea why it was jumping out of gear. I'm just waiting on gaskets now.

I'm not a 10 year seasoned engine builder and I don't have a full machine shop or a sterilized lab to build engines in.