My Red Tecate Project

[jb2wheels]

Some "in progress" pics...

The engine leaks at the output shaft and shift shaft. And I wanted to change the shock. I decided it would be easier to change the seals with the engine out. Six bolts and the axle's out, another 10 or so and the engine's out. Tecate's are sooo easy to work on:





Got Banshee the spring off the Tecate shock and back on the Banshee shock and put the Shee shock on:









I used the Banshee bolt in the upper mount (formerly the Banshee lower) and drilled the rocker to fit. I slipped the swingarm in without the dogbone and cycled it to be sure - no issues.

I'll use the longest, custom dogbone since the Shee shock is shorter. We'll see how it works out.

I pulled the shift shaft out to change the seal. Makes it easy. Although I butchered the output shaft seal so I have to get another.

I still need to find a shifter. I bought an XL650?? shifter after I read somewhere they work on the Tecate. They don't. They have the right splines but hit the chain. I'm contemplating cutting the splined section off it and welding it on the Tecate shifter. I really don't want to ruin a shaft with the crappy shifter.

[jb2wheels]

While waiting for some parts to arrive, I fixed the shifter.

The splines on my Tecate shifter were stripped. My original plan was to remove some material from the gap in the clamping area to let it clamp harder. However, I was worried about stripping the splines on a good shift shaft so...

I read somewhere an XL650R (?) shifter would work so I bought a $20 Emgo shifter. Splines fit perfectly but there's no way the shifter will work on a Tecate.

Since Tecate shifters are hard to find and expensive if you do (currently 2 on Ebay - 1 for $90 and 1 for $150) and non in stock in the 3WW shop, I decided to combine the 2 shifters I have.

I cut the splined sections off each shifter and weld the Emgo spline section on the Kawasaki shifter. Interestingly enough, looks like that's how the original Tecate shifter is made.

Came out great I think. I welded it with my $100 Harbor Freight flux MIG welder. Came out pretty good but I won't know for sure until I stomp it a few times with my boots while in the heat of mad riding action!

These are before shots of the shifters side by side:



This is the before shot of my Tecate shifter - you can easily sse the butchered splines:



And the after shots (but before paint). In some of the pics, it looks like the weld fouls the splines but it does not. Fits on the shaft perfectly!





So, for $20, problem solved!

If I did not have a Tecate shifter already, the one in the 3WW shop seems like a good deal.

[nd4speed]

Dave at IRL performs this OEM T3 shifter repair and it is as easy as finding a spline block to cut off new shifter and removing OEM stripped one and welding on new one. That is how the OEM one is made..lol

Surprised the Honda XL650R shifter didnt work, I have seen a picture of one on a T4. But I dont know if the year of shifter or brand matters? Not much to go on there except now your input.

[jb2wheels]

FYI - this is the donor shifter I bought:

Emgo part # 83-88068 for '93-'04 XR650L

I saw a picture of one on a T4 - so I bought it hoping it would bolt on.

The problem putting it on the T3 is the shifter needs to be rotated up further due to peg placement (at least for me) to let me get a boot under it. Once the shifter was rotated up enough, it hit the sprocket/chain solidly.

[jb2wheels]

At Little Sahara OK last weekend with the Sand Sports and DG pipe.




I really like the Banshee shock. I had to back way off the compression damping to deal with the never ending whoops.