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Thread: My first bike: 1983 Yamaha 200ek

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    NY
    --
    11

    My first bike: 1983 Yamaha 200ek

    Hi all,

    I tried making a big long post with pictures an everything but nothing seems to have happened after i hit submit a week ago. It said the post would be reviewed. Are there active mods here approving first posts?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    NY
    --
    11
    OK, I don't seem to be able to post in Tryksylvania, so I'll post here, and in my experience mods can simply move it wherever is most appropriate.

    Hi everyone!

    So the other day had the realization that I am now a 34 year old dude-bro who has a garage and can buy whatever he wants. I was never allowed to have atv of any kind as a kid, and always remembered seeing all my friend's three wheelers (usually in various states of disrepair). There's no time like the present, so away i went to marketplace and craigs list.

    Ho-ly-crap. Clean 250es Big Reds are $4,500 and a rider is $2,500. 350x and 250Rs are going from $5k-9k depending on level of restoration. I had no idea these things would be so expensive. I had my heart set on a big red going into this, but the prices around me just didn't seem reasonable.

    I always enjoyed my yamaha wave runners and my friends yamaha sleds, so I found a clean looking 1983 Yamaha 200ek only about an hour from me and figured it might be good fun. Reviews said they were a big faster an lighter than the hondas, if not a bit taller and trickier. Great. Danger is the main selling factor here anyways! I threw the utility trailer on the rover and went out to get it.

    Older gentleman told me it was mint, and that it just needed a little carb tuning and the (new) brakes adjusted and I'd be good to go. It was stone cold when I saw it, fired up instantly and seemed fine driving it around the parking lot. I handed him $900 and away I went happy as could be.






  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    N.E. Ohio
    --
    2,005
    As a rule of thumb around here you need to reply to some post and become active. There is a Sticky explains posting rules but Welcome to the boards. Nice trail trike.
    Last edited by Tri-Z 250; 11-02-2020 at 11:44 AM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    ME
    --
    113
    You got a steal on that thing, damn. Congrats. Prices where I am (maine) are out of control too. Were certainly not as lucky up here in the northeast as they are in the south and out west
    1980 Honda 110-125 lifan manual clutch *in progress*

    1985 200x - building peice by piece

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Arkansas
    --
    2,196
    It looks like you got a good deal.

    They defiantly require more standing and leaning over the bars when climbing hills, and I guess, to have enough traction to even turn while accelerating. They're wheelie machines, and nice looking trikes too.
    The story of three wheels and a man...

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    glendive, montana
    --
    1,822
    be nice when shifting, the shift shaft likes to break where the connecting rod attaches. it can be repaired by a machine shop, but is better if you don't break it to begin with.
    rectum nothin damn near killed them
    feel free to leave feed back for me here. http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...06#post1119306

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    NY
    --
    11
    OK sweet, looks like I finally got approved to post and my posts went live. I am going to do just a summary here, then move the actual sorting threads to here: http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...200ek-pls-help

    TLDR Summary:

    Trike #1
    Bought 1983 Yamaha 200ek, fulfilling a childhood dream. Didn't know what I was looking at and got pretty ripped off.

    Guy told me that the trike was 100%, just needed the carb to be tuned a bit and the brakes adjusted.

    The Good:
    - It's in pretty good shape all original plastics
    - Fires right up instantly with the electric start and idles nicely
    - Shifts very well, not to hard, not too soft

    The Bad:
    - Bogs down any time after 1/2 throttle, seems like it has about half hp, this is the biggest problem
    - $28 Chinese carb
    - Choke cable is rusted in the on position, taking it out and fixing only makes it so it doesn't dump gas on the ground after shut down, purchased new for $110!!! on Partzilla
    - Brakes are completely inop, front seems maxed out on adjustment, rear pedal seems maxed out on adjustment, rear handle adjustment at the bottom
    - Front struts seized, bought used on ebay
    - Lights dont work, turning the switch to light kills engine running
    - Recoil doesn't seem to work, cord pulls out like 6 inches then binds, wont retract
    - Tires are dry rotted and wont hold air, obviously I could see this but he said he slimed them and they hold air fine. They do not. Purchased new cheapo ones on eBay
    - Muffler is loud and must be rusted out, I didn't know until I had one to compare it to
    - no battery, bought a duralast for $90



    Live and learn, just assumed the old guy was being honest about it's condition.

    After learning about how difficult it is to find parts and information online, I decided to get a better one so I could still ride this year before the snow and could take my time fixing this one.


    Found another identical 1983 200ek about three hours away from me. Talked to the guy, he said it was literally perfect and he ran it for 2 hours just this weekend, answered every single one of my questions from what I learned with the first one. I insisted on EVERYTHING. Got there right near dark. Bike checked out, drove it in his lot best I could. paid $1,000 for it. Oh course I fricked this one up too and it has a problem :/



    Trike #2
    The good
    - Very original, looks great
    - New tires!
    - Fires up instantly and idles great, seriously, Yamaha must have the best starter and ignition systems ever
    - She fast!
    - Pull start works great as well
    - Has a GUN HOLDER for HOLDING GUNS! (what more appropriate here, a marlin 1897 leverboi, or a beat up 870 with more than a bit of patina, leaning towards the latter)

    The Bad
    - when you're running for a couple minutes in 4th or 5th gear, the bike starts to bog and dies, nothing you can do to stop it, it has to sit for about 30 seconds, then it fires right back up again as if nothing happened, and the process repeats. After the first couple of times, it happens faster and faster. Haha, good work dude, you got me, thanks for lying your face off to me for 30 minutes straight. I believe this is an ignition problem, like maybe a bad ignition coil is getting too hot or something.
    - Headlight doesn't work, when I switch it to light the engine dies. Seriously what's up with this how do they both have the same issue.

    So as of now they are both sitting in the garage. It's 28 degrees in Syracuse and we just got 5 inches of snow. Not sure how I feel. On one hand I am excited, on the other I feel a bit defeated. Considering spending $4k on a restored 350x seems like not as bad of a deal now. I did have some fun on the second one however.





    Almost nap time

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    NY
    --
    11
    Quote Originally Posted by Blmpkn View Post
    You got a steal on that thing, damn. Congrats. Prices where I am (maine) are out of control too. Were certainly not as lucky up here in the northeast as they are in the south and out west
    Haha, not so fast! I think it will work out, but there is some sorting to do.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    NY
    --
    11
    Ooof, I just made another big follow-up post and again it says it needs to be ok'ed by a mod. Update incoming

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Location
    Edmond, KS
    --
    2,531
    As for the running issues in 4th and 5th on your second trike, my first guess is that you're not getting enough fuel delivery. Maybe your petcock is partially plugged. You can try removing it and spraying it out with carb cleaner.

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    glendive, montana
    --
    1,822
    you are not turning on the right light witch there are two of them. lmao no worries you didn't know the switch for lights with the key will always kill the motor, it is designed to do so and allow you to run lights directly from the battery like if you were doing fencing work on a ranch. The switch you are looking for is on your handle bars right above the starter button and it turns from left to right 3 positions: 1st,off 2nd,low beam, 3rd high beam. If it is on off doesn't matter what position the key is in your lights won't come on. to check if your petcock is dirty have a drip pan under the bike where the drain hose is and loosen the screw on the bottom of the carb, if you don't keep a steady flow of fuel coming out of it for over a minute then yes your petcock on the tank is dirty and that is your problem, other wise yes it could be electrical, but that issue you usually have to wait more than 30 seconds to restart it.
    rectum nothin damn near killed them
    feel free to leave feed back for me here. http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthr...06#post1119306

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