new guy, fresh find

[1983HondATC185S]

I never new there were so many three wheeler fans out there 'til I discovered this site. I grew up in the 80's when trikes were hot, and I wanted one in the worst way when I was a kid. Unfortunately, my parents said absolutely not. So I would watch the older kids ride up the hill through the woods past the house with a sad and longing face! Yeah, I had been bitten by the atv/dirtbike bug BAD! If I could own one of those things, the world would suddenly be a utopia, and all my troubles and worries would disappear! It was all I could think about! But I made do with my BMX bike projects, and hittin jumps at the local trails. Well, I've owned many quads and dirtbikes over the years as an adult, but never had a trike. So just this past summer, I went to a church pig roast at my pastor's parents farm. Just across the yard from the pavilion where we were hackin up the ham, I saw a forgotten red Honda three wheeler sitting behind the neighbor's garage with all kinds of grass growing around it and all three tires flat as a pancake. After I got the chance to slip over and investigate closer, I saw potential. The head tube revealed a 1983 Honda ATC 185S. It was all there, complete and unmolested. It still had the original Pro Am tires, and the engine still turned over with a slight yank of the rope. I mentioned it to my pastor, and he told me that his sister lived at the house but she wasn't home that day, but he would ask her about it. He kept forgetting as he has a lot on his plate, so I drove over with my father-in-law just a few weeks ago and talked to the lady myself. She was very nice and said her husband was still at work, and that I should cal later on that day. When I called back, he told me I could come pick it up for 50 bucks! Once I got it home, I looked it over and realized it had very low hours. All the usual wear items were in perfect shape. My wife saw it and said she was glad I only spent 50 dollars! But I could see the diamond in the rough! The brakes still have tons of pad left, the rear axle has no bearing play, the chain and sprockets have almost no wear at all. No bent handlebars or rims, not a single dent in the gas tank. Overall, a perfect foundation. The only broken items were a brake lever, a crack in the rear fender and one in the headlight case. The seat is totally shot , too, but considering it sat outside for about 15 years, I'm not complaining! After I got it off the truck, my father-in-law decided to choke it and yank the rope a few times to see what happened. I kind of chuckled to myself and said there's no way it'll fire without cleaning out the carb and givin it fresh gas. Apparently, the on-off switch on top of the gas tank provides an airtight seal inside. I opened the cap and took a whiff, and to my complete amazement the fuel smelled surprisingly good. After about three pulls, the engine sputtered, and he turned off the choke, pulled a few more times,nothin. So I grabbed the rope while at the same time pushing the throttle half open, and it came to life! I was totally blown away! It ran perfect, no taps, no smoke, and it even idled good! So now I'm in the middle of a full rebuild. I finally got the trike I always wanted as kid at 33 years old! It's funny, I also have a brand new Raptor 700R, but I'm more excited about gettin on the trike! I can't WAIT to ride this thing!:p

[Kerick]

Sounds like a really good price, you should post some pics

[i58829]

That was well worth reading, anyone can have a new 4 wheeler but not too many people venture back to the 80's and pick up an atv that needs a little bit of work. Glad to hear you finally got an atc, it wont be long before the 700r is gone and you have a 250r and 350x in its place...

[MonroeMike]

Good story, congrats on the new ride.

[dcreel]

We've all been there. Welcome to the site..

[plastikosmd]

Had that same look on my face as a kid. My last quad was a 04 Troy lee predator. Once I got my 250r 2 yrs ago, I never looked back. Welcome

[Jim mac]

unfortunately for you wife, your going to start noticing these three wheelers in all sorts of places. And they have the strange habit of showing up at your house. jim

[1983HondATC185S]

Thanks for the welcome guys. I did take some pics of the trike as soon as I got it off the truck, and I plan on taking some more throughout the tear-down/rebuild process. As of now, I'm down to the back axle and front forks, so it won't be long til I'm down to bare frame. Then starts the cleaning and painting.

[harryredtrike]

welcome to 3ww.nice pick up.i would have never started it with crap gas but im glad it worked for you.they must have used stabil.

[1983HondATC185S]

Yeah, I planned on emptying out the tank, then flushing it and putting some fresh gas in it. Then I was going to remove the carb and clean it before attempting to start it. My father-in-law was down for the day, so he went with me to go get the trike. He wanted to see if it would run, so I opened the tank first to see if there was rust and smell the fuel before we pulled the rope. I also checked the oil. No rust or old gas smell. If there was sta-bil in the tank, that just shows how great that stuff works to be effective all that time sitting. Do you know if Honda gas tanks are air tight when the gas cap switch is set to "on"? Cause that's what the cap was set to when I found it. I figure that and fuel stabilizer contributed to preserving the gas.

[CRAZY70MAN]

welcome and glad you got the sickness......:lol: :lol: there is just something about them there 3 wheel creatures ain't there?? Your poor poor wife...... oh man she is in for it!!:lol: :lol: May as well look for a big red for her huh??:beer Welcome, lot's of great people and lots of knowledge on this site... it is a pretty close knit group of trike fans like yourself ........hope you have fun with that 185.... that's all that matters...:beer

[1983HondATC185S]

Funny thing, I actually found a Big Red on Craigs List not far from me in real nice shape last night. I was at my buddy's house talkin him into findin one when we saw it. He's had trikes here and there over the years. He emailed the guy, so we might go look at it Sunday if he still has it. As for my wife, well, she knows my gearhead madness and accepts it. She actually understands since her brother and dad are garage guys, too. I would like to get a trike for her, but she isn't bent that way. I took her ridin with quads before and she had a real hard time. I don't think she liked it. She loves the outdoors, but I think she'd feel more comfortable in a Rhino with me drivin! She got scared easily, she's not the daring or adventurous type. I gotta give her an "A" for effort, though!