New guy ?'s

[Jeepermc]

Hello- First post... I've got a couple ATC90's I'm working on and I'm sure I will have some ?'s about those later.

The reason I signed up is I have the opportunity to buy a 250 Kawasaki 3 wheeler. An older gentleman owns it and doesn't know much about it...I don't know anything about the Kawasaki's either... He doesn't know what year, 2 stroke or 4 stroke, or anything. He doesn't ride it and hasn't ridden it more than about once... He says he put rings in it, starts on the first kick everytime..which to me suggests it is a 2 stroke... The info I have found so far leads me to believe that the 2 strokes were kick and the 4's electric or recoil with an optional back up kick starter on some? He was going to use it to pull a lawn rake but found it to be too fast for that duty...:lol:

So for $400 bucks is this a good deal? I'm guessing it's a good deal if it's 2 stroke...Average for a 4? I need to call him again and see if I can get a little more info out of him... Thanks for responses!

[rdlsz24]

It sounds like a Tecate, and if it is only 400 bucks and it was owned by an older guy I would definately jump on it!

Rob

[MonroeMike]

Welcome. If you get your hands on a pic, upload it.

[Jeepermc]

Anybody else want to chime in? Figures I'd post this on the day someone puts up a new 250r still in the crate.... I see where all the attention went...:lol:

[Jeepermc]

Well....I called him again...It's liquid cooled so I guess she's a 2 stroke... I told him I'd take it. Won't be able to get my hands on it for another month though...

[Frankencelery]

It has to be a Tecate. The only other option in Kawasaki is the KLT250 prairie, which is electric start. The documentation I could find made no mention of a kick starter. That being said, RUN, don't walk, back there and buy it right now! A good running Tecate is worth three or more times that price!

[oldtime3wheeler]

If its a kick start and liquid cooled its a tecate. Buy it now.
Welcome to the boards

[stoney420]

you cant go wrong for $400 but i just wanted to say i find it odd that he says he put rings in it but yet doesnt know if its a 2 or 4 stroke...

[harryredtrike]

welcome new guy,i agree with above buy it now or i will

[Jeepermc]

yep. Already made plans to go get it..... The story goes- He bought it non running. Had to get a carb, a few other things to the tune of about $350. "Rebuilt" the motor (this is where the rings come in) and was gonna use it to pull a grass rake... He found that it was too fast for this job and it's pretty much been sitting since.. He rides it across the street every now and then but no use for it otherwise. Can't license it where he's at so it can only be ridden on private property.. My friend called last weekend to see what I was up to and I told him Iwas working on my 90's. He then told me about his neighbor that has this one I'm getting. He called him and I talked to him and we made the deal. I'm stoked!

[AutoXer]

i would think that a tecate should be able to get the lawn racked up pretty fast LOL

[Jeepermc]

So...New development...As I said...The owner never rides it but once in a blue moon...Told him I was coming to get it this weekend so he went out to get it ready... It starts up and runs fine but....It's stuck in gear. Last time he rode it it was fine. I think it's been outside behind the shop....He told me I could still come get it and not pay him and then take the repair bill out of the purchase price... My guess is it's just stuck from not being run? Anything I shoudl really worry about?

[SYKO]

possibly the clutch is stuck no biggie!

[dcreel]

Yep.. probably just the clutch plates stuck together.

[shortline10]

I remember years ago when I ran barnett clutch plates and HD springs if the trike sat for more than a month or so the clutch would get stuck . You can try and just ride the trike a bit and get the motor warmed up and that usually frees up the plates . Just give it a bit of seat time and dont stress the tranny I think you will fine it will unstick it's self .

[Jeepermc]

Are fenders still available for tecates?

[stoney420]

Are fenders still available for tecates?

http://www.maier-mfg.com/shop.cfm?action=list&page=list.cfm&criteria=101&makeid=30&modelid=359&modelyear=1985

[Jeepermc]

Thanks, nothing for 86/87? or does that rear fender fit all of them? I don't know what year this thing is....It's starting to sound less and less like a deal....:(

[dcreel]

If it is an 86 or an 87 Tecate for $400 you got the deal of the century.

[Jeepermc]

Like I said...No idea what year it is..Apparently it's been painted camo too....So new plastics may be in order...I'll look it over when I get there tomorrow and try to figure out the year. Disc or drum front brake narrows it down to 86/87 and 84/85 right? I just wanted to cover my bases on plastic availability. I haven't even seen pics of this thing yet.....

[dcreel]

84 has front drum and radiator on the triples fat front tire gold suspension parts
85 has front disc and radiator on the triples fat front tire silver suspension parts
86 has a radiator on either side of the tank with shrouds skinny front tire
87 has a radiator on either side of the tank with shrouds skinny front tire and keyed ignition

[Jeepermc]

Thanks...Off to drive 7 hours!.......

[dcreel]

Hell yeah.. Living the dream.. :-) Take a camera for pics. We want to see too...

[dcreel]

Jeeper.. so whatever happened with this? Did you pick up a Tecate?

[krazykane]

hey if it is a 86 i have plastics i will sell you .pm if interested i bought them neeeding 84 so just looking to get about what i paid so i can get my 84 looking good again

[Jeepermc]

Hey guys!...After an 870 mile round trip...made longer by having to drive around a dust storm that closed the highway for 40 miles... and 15 hours in the pickup... I have a 1985 Tecate in the bed....She's ugly but mine! Gonna need alot of cleanup work and fixin brakes and a few other things but she runs good! Eventually I'll probably tear it down and do a ground up but for now just a degrease and cleanup and ride it!. Hope to have it on the dunes for our next ride Oct. 17-21... I'll post up some pics when I get em!

[Silverado]

Machines owned by old guys are the best. my dad got a little 185cc from an older fellow who just had knee surgery. With no shocks...old bones and a replaces knee, the 185 just was not right for him, so we came across it and picked it up. Mint mint condition. he actually refused to sell it to anyone younger than 40 because he didn't want to think of it getting wrecked !!
I am glad you made a good grab on the machine !!

[Jeepermc]

Well...Mine was definitely not bought new by this guy...It was a non running bucket when he got it..I'd estimate he's about 75 or so....This thing isn't real pretty but it does seem to run pretty good... Looking at the plastic (which is OD green now) it looks like it was real faded to begin with so he sprayed it...But he used regular spray paint on it so it's peeling.... Gonna have to do something with that and I'm not prepared to buy new at this point... The OD is growing on me...

[Silverado]

is there a certain type of paint to buy if you want to all some color to ATC plastic. I have a nice seat on mine and it is in good shapw, it is just heavily sun faded...the red honda is now a pink honda..i dont wantto buy new plastic but a nice paint that holds would be nice.

[Jeepermc]

I dunno...There are spray paints out there that are made for plastics...how well they work I do not know.... I know regular spray paint does not though. There are paint tutorials on this site...

[tanks350x]

Congrats on a great deal! now lets see some pics.!!

[Jeepermc]

Trying out pics

[Jeepermc]

Feel free to critique.... I'm sure it's missing some things... It has no brakes right now... The rear res is cracked and doesn't hold fluid... Not sure what the deal is on the front but there isn't much to it. The chain is off because of the stuck in gear thing... I got it into neutral first pull on the shifter, just gotta put the chain back on. I think there is maybe a head stay missing? Oh..it also needs a new intake... it's kinda cracked and dry.

I would like to get some lights on it.... I assume these came with lights but this one has none..

[dcreel]

First off.. congratulations.. Looks like a nice score. Yes, the headstay is missing. They did come with lights, the harness and plug for the headlight should be around the steering neck dangling.

[Jeepermc]

Thank you. Do you know the wire color? I do see some loose wires so that's probably them.. 12V? Did they have a tail light too?

How important is the headstay?

[MonroeMike]

These wiring diagrams might help.

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/WiringKawasaki.shtml

[Jeepermc]

These wiring diagrams might help.

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/WiringKawasaki.shtml

Awesome. Thanks!

[Jeepermc]

more pics- A couple of Tecate cleanup and then the rest of the crew......

[MonroeMike]

You are getting quite a collection.

[Jeepermc]

Thanks... I've been working at it for awhile now... Started out with the one ATC90 and then inherited #2 from a friend. Bought the 300EX used and then the Banshee new. You know the story on the tecate.

Last night I went to cycle the rear suspension by pushing down on the grab bar......It snapped in half.... It had been previously bent and rewelded.. Now... before you go thinking I'm fat...I only weigh 150lbs soaking wet. A new grab bar is in order....I also need to do something about the brakes and cut off the hitch...I don't plan on pulling a lawn rake anymore. =)

[aldochina]

dude, i still cant believe the guy was pullong a lawn rake with a tecate!!:crazy: :lol: Must have been a sight. nice score though, with a little elbow grease, and a few new parts, you should have a nice machine. Definately lose the trailer hitch:lol:

[Jeepermc]

Yeah....I'd estimate the guy was probably mid 70's... I think he had no idea what he was getting when he got this...Come to find out it was given to him by someone who lived about 30 minutes from me...Non running...Missing some parts, mouse nest in the motor, etc... Well he spent the time going through the motor and getting it back to running and after the 1st pull of the rake realized this wasn't the trike for pulling a lawn rake....In montana I guess you can't even register them for off road use.....At least that's what he told me... I plan to slowly take it to the next level as he did when he got it running. And here I spent 7 hours each way going to bring it back :wondering I think I'll head down to Bent bike maybe tomorrow and see what they've got...Then hit up fleabay...

[Jeepermc]

Do I have to pull the rear shock on this thing to remove the airbox.... I assume most of you don't run the stock airbox..... I want a K&N or something along those lines... the carb is 2 1/4" diameter but I don't know how much clearance is between the carb and the shock? Any one got a link for a filter that will work?

[stoney420]

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=303359&store=Main&catId=&productId=p301628&leafCatId=&mmyId=9328
http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/product_catalog/Product.jsp?skuId=&store=Main&catId=&productId=p30773&leafCatId=&mmyId=9328

[Jeepermc]

Got some updated pics- Seat cover on order...

[DixiePlowboy]

Kinda cool to see OEM tires on an '85 model, huh?

Did you ever get the clutch unstuck, or get it to shift through the gears?

My stepfather traded(back in '85) his YTM200 for a cherry '82 ATC250R that way. An older gentleman bought the R to check on his cattle and ride/check fence lines with and found it to be not exactly what he needed. said it was too fast and scared his cows....lol.

Still had the "tits" on the original tires and only a few tanks of fuel through it.

Finding stuff from the older generation is the way to go.

[250twostroker]

very nice lookin t3! great deal too

[Jeepermc]

Yeah...It shifts fine... The clutch is a little "grabby". I have ridden it some on our last dune trip. The tires are OEM and still have decent tread but they have some dry rot cracks and are hard as a rock...I'm pretty sure they hold air but I'm not sure they'd look any different if they had no air in them..lol

Still have a long ways to go on the plastics and a tank cover is looking real good about now...but I think it does look better than when I hauled it home.

Thanks for the compliments guys!

[Autophysn]

welcome, congrats! Nice Score! Your welcome..... :)

[Kintore]

Oh I love the 7 hour trips, all the hard work into something that when it pays off is just awesome!

Have fun man! 400 bones is a steal!

[Louis Mielke]

I always think those, "I bought this to go hunting, do lawn work, etc." stories are so fun. It's so funny to hear about "it's too fast, it's no good to me". lol

[MonroeMike]

Great deal on that, looks good.

[riverrat]

Pulling a lawn rake with a 250 is like farming with a pro stock car. haha

[Jeepermc]

Just picked up the seat from the upholstery shop... He did a great job on it.... I'll get a pic of it on the trike later...

[Jeepermc]

Here's one's with the seat on the trike....

[Jeepermc]

Little update- I picked up some 86 rear wheels to mount some paddles on. I also did the white plastic buy and just ordered a black tank from Clarke.

Oh yeah...forgot about the billet chain guard, new smaller rear sprocket, and airbox covers on the way too.

[dcreel]

Awesome.. Can't wait to see it with the new plastics and tank..

[Jeepermc]

Thanks Doug- LOL... I posted the paddles just for you. Not sure when I'll get around to the plastics part of this build....It's still got a long way to go before I'm gonna feel good about putting new plastics on it... And I have a long way to go in getting comfortable riding this monster before I want to risk my new plastics too... But now I have them so I don't have to worry about them being discontinued.

Once I stopped and actually looked at the wheels and realized they are "reversed" they mounted up real easy. Aired up easy too.

[Jeepermc]

Just got in- Sprocket Specialists 36 tooth aluminum sprocket. $30

[Lil Earl]

go buy it, good deal, how does he not know if it is a 2 or 4 stroke if he put rings in it?

[Jeepermc]

go buy it, good deal, how does he not know if it is a 2 or 4 stroke if he put rings in it?

I've had it for over a year now.... :) He was old and couldn't remember.

[Jeepermc]

Just for Doug...... probably get it on the trike next week... wheel ended up being a little egg shaped....hopefully it doesn't bug the crap out of me until I decide I can't live with it anymore..lol

[dcreel]

Ohhh dang. It looks good. I need to get mine mounted. Thanks for the picture

[Jeepermc]

lol...that didn't take long... it does look good...It's a pain in the butt to seat, but it does look good. It's a bit taller than the paddles even which kinda surprised me, but i'm glad it isn't shorter than the rears..Worked out well! I'll try and get it on the trike sometime next week and post up another one..=)

[Jeepermc]

Alright Doug..... duh duh duh....

[dcreel]

Wow!! That looks great!! I can't wait to get mine mounted now...

[Jeepermc]

gave her a good washing yesterday... it looks better in pictures than it does in person..lol. But it's a far cry from where it started.

[dcreel]

That looks like it was made for that front end. It looks great..

[Jeepermc]

Yeah..I'm glad you directed me to that tire!..lol Thanks

[Jeepermc]

So.... I was digging through a pile of parts in a trailer at my cousin's and I spy a KX125 in pieces...I also found the silencer for it and thought.."that might work on my trike".. So...a little negotiation for a free silencer and..... I had to cut about 3" off the silencer pipe, but the mount holes line up perfectly. I need to make a mount for the front hole still but should be cake...

[hang&rattle]

Well that's cool. Let us know how the performance is with it, besides being loud, lol, if it effects anything power-wise and what not. That'll be a good deal if it actually improves performance, another great option.

[Jeepermc]

I will likely have to re-jet for it....Probably know something at the end of the month.

[Jeepermc]

I took the silencer back off...Too friggin loud...and put the stocker back on after cleaning it up and repainting it with "stove black".. and now...the rest of the story...

Just took a trip to the dunes (Florence, OR) and first ride out on the trike it locked up. Was just puttin along in about 3rd gear following my cousin around when I heard kind of a growling noise for about a second and then it went away. Almost like a bearing going out. I was lookin down going " what the hell was that" when it did it again for a split second then completely locked up the rear tires. Not slowly but "right now" locked up and skidded for about 25 feet. Kicker won't kick over. period. Can't roll it in any gear but neutral. It could be the piston but I'm not convinced it is... might be a little while before I can get into it to find out what locked up. Is it possible for a clutch to come apart and lock things up? haven't been in there but the clutch has been suspect for a little while and I just changed the oil in it... kinda bummed....=(


Well.....I drained the oil last night which was clear as could be....... So then I moved on to the next suspect... the flywheel cover...guess what I found in there...more magnetic metallic parts than i cared to find in there... Pulled the flywheel this morning and yep..... Either a stator bolt came loose and tore everything up or the magnets came loose and tore everything up...I'm a little concerned about the case because the bolts for the stator got tore out of their holes in the case... =( I think the bolts binding or magnet parts binding is what locked it up and did all the case damage.. Hopefully I can save it but gonna need a flywheel and stator.... I knew it didn't feel like it seized the piston..

[Jeepermc]

Ricky Stator to the rescue! She runs again and seems like she smokes less....Nice parts!

[Jeepermc]

Update- On our next ride out after the install of the new stator and flywheel to Winchester bay on Thanksgiving 2011, I got a few rides in before it quit again....Frustrated I didn't touch it again until a few weeks ago when I went to pull the new stator out of it to complete the build of my 2nd 85 Tecate. I pulled the flywheel cover and found a loose flywheel bolt (that I torqued and loc-tited) and a sheared wood ruff key.... Got a new key and put it back together last night. Fired up on the 3rd kick after sitting for over a year. =) I should have 2 running 85 Tecate's in the very near future.