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Thread: New member and proud new 86 Tecate B1 owner.

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    North East Arkansas
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    16

    New member and proud new 86 Tecate B1 owner.

    I am 42 and have been a big fan of 3 wheelers ever since the early 80's. I started out with go karts and mini bikes. When I was 9, I got a Honda CT70 for $50 and got it running by cleaning the carb and then I sold it and bought a 73 Honda ST90 for $150 and got it running the same way and proceeded on to a CR80 Elsinore and then I traded that for my first 3 wheeler which was an 83 ATC110. The 110 had a broken gear that allowed the switch from hi to lo range so I pulled the case apart and my dad went to Honda and ordered the gear and 2 weeks later, I had it back together and running.


    By the time 1984 rolled around, I was buying every issue of Dirtwheels, 3Wheeling and 3 & 4 Wheel Action and when I first spotted Jimmy White on the cover flying through the air on that gorgeous green Tecate, I was hooked for life on Team Green. I got my first 84 Tecate in 1986 for $300. It was in beautiful condition but would not start due to low compression. I figured It would be an easy fix by having it bored and put a new piston in it but my hopes were dashed when the Kawasaki parts counter guy said the cylinder was Nikasil plated and would require a new cylinder which, at the time, I think he said about $300-$400. I opted to just put a new piston and ring it and it ran fine for the 3 years I owned it except for the magnets coming loose and destroying the stator which I replaced with one from a KDX something or other.

    A few years went by and in 1995 I had a yearning to get back into atvs and put out a wanted ad for Tecates hoping to find an 86 or 87 but no luck. I did get a few calls from people wanting to sell 84/85 Tecates and I did buy an 85 for cheap and also picked up an 86 Tri-Z that had a fuel pump wiring problem and I got an 87 Tecate 4. I rode the 85 Tecate and the 86 Tri-Z for a while and then sold them because the 86/87 Tecate 3 is what I really wanted. Having come up empty handed in my search for a 2nd gen T3, I decided to do a full restoration on the T4 and then rode it for a few months and sold it because I never liked riding with that extra junk up front where there should be just a fork and a wheel. The extra weight and most importantly, the bump steer of a 4 wheeler never sat right with me.


    Fast forward 22 years and I get that itch again so a few weeks ago I put a want ad on Craigslist and I got only 1 call but it was the call I wanted. I have seen decent to nice ones on Ebay go for $1200-$3000 and amazingly restored examples go for much more but this call fit the bill for me as a full restoration candidate as it was cheap. Anyways it's a basket case 86 T3 for $200. It's rough, needs full restoration but it did come with an NOS front and rear fender that have seen very little use and the tank looks like I might be able to sand and buff it back into shape. It also came with an 87 KX500 engine that has damage on the crank to the gear for the water pump and the cylinder has been sleeved some time in the past. I won't be using the 500 engine because I am going to restore her back to as close to factory new condition as I can but I might rebuild it and keep it on the shelf for a future Tecate 4 build for my brother in law.

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    I have read the 89+ KX250 engine have better power valves than the earlier Tecate and KX engines. What year KX250 engine would you guys go with that would still mount up to the T3 frame without much hassle?

    I am going to tear the frame down this week and send it of for sandblasting to prepare for paint.

    I am so happy to finally be the owner of a B1 Tecate! It's going to be a long road to completion but this journey is as fun as the destination.

    David
    Last edited by Schigara; 02-03-2017 at 07:22 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Idaho
    --
    777

    New member and proud new 86 Tecate B1 owner.

    Congratulations! Welcome. Hope you enjoy the ride.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    JacobMonster's Avatar
    JacobMonster is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerFirst time rider
    Join Date
    May 2015
    Location
    Liberty, Ky
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    232
    Welcome. This is an awesome story and I can't wait to see the build progress.

    To think, there was a thread titled "What is the Tecate hype all about" and then all these Tecate builds are coming out of the woodworks. Lol.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G530AZ using Tapatalk

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2016
    Location
    OH Canada
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    1,102
    Welcome to the 'hood.

    Ya. Tecate central lately.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    '83 200X

    Chicks love guys that ride trikes

  5. #5
    arlaunch's Avatar
    arlaunch is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Oregon City
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    346
    Hi David,

    Great story! Do you figure that the KX500 needed some frame welding modifications to get it in there? Or maybe the KX500 motor never actually was in the bike?

    1984 Honda Big Red ATC 200ES (Emma)
    1985 Honda 200X ATC (Pretty Boy)
    1985 Honda 250R ATC (Dr. Fast)
    1985 Honda 250R ATC ( 77 )
    1985 Honda 250R ATC (Baller)
    1986 Honda 350X ATC (Go Go Girl)

    Feed Back: http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...k-for-arlaunch

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Las Vegas, NV.
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    2,446
    Welcome to the boards Schigara, and good luck with the restoration.

    Quote Originally Posted by JacobMonster View Post
    To think, there was a thread titled "What is the Tecate hype all about" and then all these Tecate builds are coming out of the woodworks. Lol.
    Correction: My thread is titled "Time to see what all the Tecate hype is about?"

    What can I say? I guess people like to follow in my footsteps. You're welcome Tecate lovers!
    Red Rider's Sand Machine Updated 07/23/14

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    USA
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    738
    Phantomracer recently had a nice build thread. Need4speed has contributed about the tecate, theres alot of info in their threads.
    You have $200 in it so far? A great buy on that one!
    I ended up with two 86's and the best advice i can give is don't buy something for it because you think you will never find another part like it. I have purchased mainly on ebay and the other day there was a guy selling all kinds of stuff here. Couldnt believe it. Been following this forum since 2012.
    I have not seen any kdx or newer kx motor swap thread. I would like to though because of the wide ratio in tye kdx's.The 85 and 86 kx swaps are common. I imagine that a newer 250 motor could be made to fit. Good pipes are hard to find. Klemm research still builds cylinders and off road innovation has lots of parts and builds motors too. If i can answer anything i will, been slowly gathering parts for sometime now. 86 T3 knows alot on them and Barnett knows them too. Nice to see some more team green. They say were going extinct... nah. Good luck, heck im exicted for you getting a Tecate!

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jul 2012
    Location
    Seattle, Washington
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    1,544
    How's your Tecate coming along? I have a few extra gas caps and shrouds if you have not already found them yourself.

    Post a few more pics!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    North East Arkansas
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    Quote Originally Posted by 3 Wheel Drive View Post
    How's your Tecate coming along? I have a few extra gas caps and shrouds if you have not already found them yourself.

    Post a few more pics!
    I got the Tecate torn down and had the frame sandblasted and then I primed it with a self etching primer. I think I will shoot the frame with a PPG single stage urethane. Anyone know of a paint code for the original silver frame color?

    Progress has been a bit slow as I have had to attend to replacing blown headgaskets on my Equinox along with repainting the hood and both bumpers and I need to finish painting the body panels on my Ducati 996.

    I will pm you about the shrouds. Thanks.

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    Last edited by Schigara; 03-11-2017 at 08:14 PM.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2017
    Location
    Connecticut
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    1
    I am in need of some shrouds if still available

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    york pa
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    Original nissan silver is almost an identical match

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    North East Arkansas
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    Quote Originally Posted by ghoward View Post
    Original nissan silver is almost an identical match
    Thanks much.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    May 2017
    Location
    US
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    42
    Nice buy good luck with the resto.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    halifax
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    237
    Bump... any more progress. nice 996!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Location
    North East Arkansas
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    Quote Originally Posted by fordnut79@hotma View Post
    Bump... any more progress. nice 996!
    Unfortunately, no. Too busy with the rat race of daily life.

    Thanks for the comment about the 996. I finished spraying it a couple months ago and am currently cutting and buffing the body panels to get them ready for the oem decals. When it comes to street bikes, the Ducati 748, 916, 996 and 998 are like the Tecate of the street bikes in that I think they are the most beautiful.

    Click image for larger version. 

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