1986 Honda 250R

[Donzi26zx]

Mike does do a really nice job, it will be interesting to see what a "VINTAGE" bike goes for. At least for 1/2 the price of the crate bike you can look at it and appreciate it!!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Honda-ATC-250R-Collectors-ATC-/140851885896?forcev4exp=true#ht_500wt_1182


Nice job Mike!

[Big Mike]

Mike does AMAZING work!!! I hope to someday see his shop, just because it is in my home state and I am out his way a lot.

[vintagemotorsports]

I just heard about this as well, watching to see what it brings . I remember building this one was about 5 years ago or so . still looks great looks like he had it up on a stand or something I know i didnt send it out with scratches like that on the skid plate , they are real expensive to restore and as the prices are going up on NOS parts the resto prices are going up as well. this was built back when I could order plastic , tires switches etc right from honda direct not anymore . will be fun to watch

[bkm]

I'm sure the restoration wasn't cheap, but I never thought the bike would go for that much.

[Big Mike]

Mike, could I check out your shop sometime? I would be in heaven to see what you are doing in person? I am out that way all the time, on the weekends, and would love to see.

[cbx1170]

I found a flaw!!! Rear shock bottom out bumper gone. Prolly didn't want to pull shock apart to replace it.

[honda200x1987]

Wow , up to 15 G's ! I will keep ane eye on this one for sure . Looks sweet. Nice job Mike

[thestud25]

This thread is way more positive than a thread I saw on another site where some immature A holes were picking the bike apart. Great work Mike!!

[vintagemotorsports]

I saw that post as well, you know what I have learned over the 20 years of restoring that the people who spend countless hours picking apart every detail of your work almost always have a total piece of junk of there own and they think by putting down your work thats makes them some kind of god . I could really care less whats important to me is making the customer 100% satisfied with his purchase and beleive me I have alot of very satisfied customers out there . I let these bozos play amongst themselves .

[thestud25]

Seems that some Bozos play on here as well.

[atc007]

I'll pipe right in here

[thestud25]

I'll pipe right in here
and...........

[Xowner]

:shiftyeyes: .

[atc007]

and...........

Cheese and rice,,I was in a hurry, Premature posted,,,went into edit,,wrote out what I thought,,and evidently didn't post. When I just came back on here,it said server was too busy.. Anyhow,, What i said was,, VMS, Mikes work,goes without saying ,it is absolutely mind boggling the amount of Extremely High quality machines he has put out. With NO employees. Unreal. They are each absolutely immaculate. Having said that. Over on Org,,I see some very educated guys pointing out 100% real flaws. This bike was done years ago. No telling how much has been changed over the years. But we can fairly accurately guess,,he probably hasn't turned a wrench on it.So,I feel,,anyone willing drop more money on a 3 wheeler than he can buy a VERY nice vette for. Has the right to expect near perfection. I just feel the standards are so high,,and raising in this market. The spotlights and magnifying glasses are only gonna get sharper. In the last week, $200 gas cap,$2300 plastics,etc,,a COUPLE 250R's on Ebay above 5 digit territory. I Love it. And,,I don't think with all the aftermarket stuff available it kills a lot for the " riders". Maybe I'm wrong there,but I do enjoy watching where it's going.

[thestud25]

Does anyone know for fact that is how the trike was received 5 years ago? That is my point. There are several people bashing not only the trike but throwing around Mike's name(the two are intertwined). Yes, they may be knowledgeable, but that thread is more of a "My dick is bigger, because I know every detail of trike history, blah blah blah." People who claim to be "keeping the trike habit alive" in one breath, but then they are bashing a guy who "keeps trikes alive" for a living in the next. And yes they are bashing him by extension of bashing his product. I have also seen some on that site bash people for building their own "New Trikes" by calling them cheap Chinese knock offs!

Stepping down from my soapbox...... ouch twisted an ankle!

[bkm]

People who claim to be "keeping the trike habit alive" in one breath, but then they are bashing a guy who "keeps trikes alive" for a living in the next.That was the one thing I took out of that thread also.

Here is the thing that a lot of people who have never built a bike of this caliber are failing to realize. I will never even begin to compare my build of my 250r to this bike. They are not in the same league as far as I'm concerned, but I have spent countless hours and thousands upon thousands of dollars trying to make my bike look somewhat original within my budget. Mike has pointed out numerous times that the way things are on certain builds is because of the way the customer wanted. There has been discussions on the finish that the OEM used on certain parts of the 250r like the brake pedal, shifter, kick start lever, ect. They used a grayish kinda rainbowy zinc finish that is very hard to duplicate.

If the customer didn't want to fork out the extra $$$ to find certain NOS parts or try and have the certain finish duplicated, then who the hell are we to pick the bike apart. How is it Mikes duty to defend his build of a bike that is not being sold by him and has been given very minimal details of the build by the seller, other than the fact that it was built by Vintage Motorsports. If it was being sold by Mike and advertised as 100% oem correct, then pick it apart all you want.

If a guy is willing to spend this amount of $$ on this bike then two things are going on. A) He doesn't care about the few little things or, B.) He has more money than brains and if these few things become an issue then he should have done his homework better.

If there are some offended by the few incorrect things on this bike I suggest you put your money where your mouth is and raise the bar to the next level.

[vintagemotorsports]

Very well said, Not anywhere does anybody know what deal i make with my customers as far as what parts are being used the budget involved in each build and how exactley oem detailed the particular customer wanted the bike . beleive me this is a painstaking process when putting together a quote to restore any particular bike and loads of variables have to be discussed and agreed upon . for instance this customer wants a New carb and doesnt want his old stained and corroded carb body restored , well i can offer a brand new keihn carb that is an exact copy to the oem one but with an upward facing inlet but have found a nos honda fuel line with the correct pre formed bend that i can use that will flow with the bike and it will look good and i can do this at about 1/4 of what it would cost if you would even be able to find a nos carb with the oem part number stuff like this happens all the time . I cant beleive i am even wasting my time typing this to defend myself against people who I will never have a business relationship with , I know why because I take great pride in my work and any attacks on my work is an attack on me personally . I challenge any one of those guys to post up some pics of there finished restorations real good detailed pics and lets pick out some flaws , put your money where you mouth is .

[honda200x1987]

I speak for all of us guys who appreciate Mikes work, hands down i drool over all vintagemotorsports restos. They are clean and new looking down to the nut and bolt and it must take countless hours to pull off a showroom bike. It is great to know that someone is pumping out these awsome machines just like they rolled off the showroom floor or even better. From the looks of his work he is a very talented ,resourceful, dedicated enthusiast who is passionate about his work. We are fortunate to have VMS on this site and I am looking forward to see the latest restoration, Mike if your reading this , what resto have you been working on lately?

[vintagemotorsports]

Oh have a whole bunch of stuff going right now , on the lifts are an 1980 CR80, a 1984 Z50, a 1969 CL350, and a 73 ATC70. on deck are 1969 SL350, 1968 Suzuki RH67 motocrosser 1 of 10 know to exist, 86 ATC 250r, Rupp digger, steens hodaka mini bike . Factory Honda HRC RS600 flattracker, 1965 CL77 Scrambler, 1973 CR250m, 88 Super red from UK, 86 tri moto 225drs ( partial restore) KX60 conversion trike, 1970 US90

[dcreel]

Oh have a whole bunch of stuff going right now , on the lifts are a KX60 conversion trike

Ooh, did someone say KX60 conversion trike? Awesome.. I love those..

[yaegerb]

Ooh, did someone say KX60 conversion trike? Awesome.. I love those..

What doug said....

I would love to see your progress with the kx 60 conversion....:drool::drool:

[mxnick]

Very well said, Not anywhere does anybody know what deal i make with my customers as far as what parts are being used the budget involved in each build and how exactley oem detailed the particular customer wanted the bike . beleive me this is a painstaking process when putting together a quote to restore any particular bike and loads of variables have to be discussed and agreed upon . for instance this customer wants a New carb and doesnt want his old stained and corroded carb body restored , well i can offer a brand new keihn carb that is an exact copy to the oem one but with an upward facing inlet but have found a nos honda fuel line with the correct pre formed bend that i can use that will flow with the bike and it will look good and i can do this at about 1/4 of what it would cost if you would even be able to find a nos carb with the oem part number stuff like this happens all the time . I cant beleive i am even wasting my time typing this to defend myself against people who I will never have a business relationship with , I know why because I take great pride in my work and any attacks on my work is an attack on me personally . I challenge any one of those guys to post up some pics of there finished restorations real good detailed pics and lets pick out some flaws , put your money where you mouth is .

Mike, I wouldnt even bother to read that drivel from those clowns. Your work speaks for itself - and if Honda Japan called YOU to build bikes to display in their Factory Honda museum, well, I think that says enough about your work. After all, Honda was the company that started, engineered and built the things back in the day. But instead of re-doing it themselves, which they could easily do - they call YOU - Mike Palmgren of Vintage Motorsports to build the very bikes that they created.

I think that says it all, brother. Forget whatever those idiots on some other site have to say.

Now, how much to restore my very first 1984 ATC 125m that I still have? Give me a deal, I want that thing mint!

[atc007]

Oh have a whole bunch of stuff going right now , on the lifts are an 1980 CR80, a 1984 Z50, a 1969 CL350, and a 73 ATC70. on deck are 1969 SL350, 1968 Suzuki RH67 motocrosser 1 of 10 know to exist, 86 ATC 250r, Rupp digger, steens hodaka mini bike . Factory Honda HRC RS600 flattracker, 1965 CL77 Scrambler, 1973 CR250m, 88 Super red from UK, 86 tri moto 225drs ( partial restore) KX60 conversion trike, 1970 US90

And you are still excavating??? If you are,,you're growing time somewhere! Absolutely astonishing.

[82300R]

Several bikes getting up there in price at the moment on ebay. Seems like they all have a bidder in common.

[Xowner]

hmmm back down to 6,100? Seems like someone got cold feet......

[vintagemotorsports]

yup still doing excavating in fact I am working with dirt wurx the supercross track builder this week in boston doing an event for jaguar we built a test track with banked turns to demo there new all wheel drive model. yes time is definitley a shortage but with the winter coming I will be full bore in the shop just doing restorations , well until I have to plow snow..

[atc007]

My plate runneth over and then some. And I have worked some insane hours most of my life. But I literally have NO clue how you do it. Astonishing is the only word I can come up with.

[82300R]

All these high dollar auctions allways end with some monkey business. Nice trike though. Hope the seller gets his money an don't have to relist it.