Well...I Did it Again (Bought Another One)

[Onetrackmind]

I couldn't help myself and bought another trike today! I guess I am now completely addicted. This 85 350X was on CL down in the gulf coast area of Texas (about 5hrs from me) and I wound up meeting the guy halfway to look at it. Talked him down a lot because of the fact that it is pretty rough and something is wrong with the clutch. It may just be out of adjustment or a bad cable...I won't be able to really investigate until next week when I have some time.

Anyway...I wasn't REALLY looking for a 350X and don't really know a whole lot about them. This bike appears to be all original and all there. It spent some time outside, so it's got corrosion and rust.and it has bent bars and a dented tank. I think I did pretty good for the price of $725 plus 2.5 hr drive each way.

Any 350Xperts care to chime in on any obvious issues that I may not be seeing? Thanks in advance.

Oh...the bike runs great and doesn't smoke.

Cody

[Onetrackmind]

Update:

I disconnected the clutch cable and found that there is zero play in the cable...it is completely frozen in its sleeve. I see that it is a discontinued part through Honda...am I stuck w ordering a MotionPro or is there another option in cables?

Thanks again guys.

[onformula1]

Awesome score, I would look for a NOS cable on EBAY first, Motion Pro second, you can also try Terry Cable.

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[El Camexican]

If the paint on the engine cases is original that thing doesn't look like it was used much. The rust spots on the bottom of the tank are a little scary. Can you tell which side of the paint they started on?

[Onetrackmind]

Thanks Onformula1! I Found ONE NOS cable on eBay for $150. Ouch! I just ordered a Motion Pro off Amazon for $16.

El Camexican
Yep...lots of rust all over the exterior of this tank. Fortunately, the inside looks really clean and rust free. This bike spent its entire life about 40 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and by the looks of it, it was outside a lot of its life.

[barnett468]

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350x . . box stock . . all orig . . runs great . . doesn't smoke . . minor surface rust . . $750.00 . . i'll take a dozen.

i see it has a bolt sticking out a little on the top of the exhaust heat shield . . i would buy some kroil oil and dribble just a couple drops on it every 4 - 6 hours for 3 days . . whack it on top lightly with a hammar one or twice a day.

if it breaks off, you need to drill all the way thru into the exhaust pipe to remove it then heli coil or time sert the thread which is a pita.

you can also try a mix of 50% auto trans fluid and 50% acetone . . i have never used that but it purportedly works . . i know kroil oil works better than all the other rust remover oils so it might be a safer bet . . wd40 will do nothing.

if the threads in the hole are a little messy, you can tap them with a bottoming tap or grind the pointed tip off of a regular tap and tap them.

look in the tank for rust as El Camexican suggested . . if its really rusty, i would not ride it because it contaminates the gas . . you can buy some powdered or crystal oxalic acid or concrete driveway cleaner if it says oxalic acid on it, or get it from most house paint stores like sherwinn williams etc . . amazon sells pure oxalic acid . . mix 1/2 to 1 lb to 1 gallon of water . . fill the tank up and let it sit for 2 days . . you can also include a box of BB's or small nuts and shake it around periodically to break the big chunks off but don't get it on your clothes etc and do it on a ventilated area . . the fumes can be irritating but not deadly.

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[yaegerb]

Looks good sir. Helluva buy!

[Onetrackmind]

Barnett...thanks for all the advice. I will start doing a few things here and there next week and the tank will be priority (along w installing a new clutch cable).

Thanks Brendon! It looks a lot better than those first pics I sent you, doesn't it? Hopefully I get lucky on the clutch only needing a new cable. Thanks for the input this morning bro!

[yaegerb]

No worries, anytime. I am glad that worked out for you. I gotta come down to Texas and ride now. You got two pretty horses in the stable!

[Onetrackmind]

Indeed you do! Or maybe we can try for a fall dunes ride...whichever works for me!

[barnett468]

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Barnett...thanks for all the advice. I will start doing a few things here and there next week and the tank will be priority (along w installing a new clutch cable).

no prob, hope it helps . . some things you might know which i would do is disassemble the kick starter lever and grease it because that bike just looks really "dry" . . i would also do the same to the foot brake pivot and clutch and brake lever pivots and the brake cams where the shoes ride and where they go thru the backing plates and maybe the swing arm bolt.

i would also remove every nut and bolt and grease them before they permanently seize if they haven't already.

the obvious would be to change the oil.

if you pinch the air filter then pull on it and some comes off in your hand, it is junk.

[Onetrackmind]

Some more great points. Thank you sir. And you are correct, this thing is bone dry.

Yep, I plan on rebuilding both brake systems in short order.

I've already started soaking all of the hardware in PB Blaster in hopes of easy removal.

[barnett468]

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Some more great points. Thank you sir. And you are correct, this thing is bone dry.

Yep, I plan on rebuilding both brake systems in short order.

I've already started soaking all of the hardware in PB Blaster in hopes of easy removal.


ok, pb blaster is whimpy compared to kroil oil . . kroil oil is around ten zillion times better than anything else because it has tiny nano, nano particles of prefabulated amulite or somethin that can go between much smaller spaces than the other products can . . in other words, if they dont come off after spraying with pb or wd, it does not mean that kroil oil will not dissolve the rust.

as far as the tank goes, you said the inside is clean so you just want to fix the outside . . if this is the case, or even if the inside has light rust, you can buy 3 gallons of apple cider vinegar and soak the entire tank in that for 2 days, however, i don't know if it will eat your decals . . the good thing is that i think you can buy new ones or there is a person here that can likely make them.

i would first try good old number 7 rubbing compound on them though, however, it will remove a little paint . . this "should" remove a good portion of the rust, but it will still need to be soaked to remove the rest . . rub the spots with a tooth brush occasionally while it soaks to speed up the process.

after soaking, mix 1/2 cup of baking soda [or just plain soda ash is better], with a gallon of water and rinse it out and rinse the outside with it . . if the inside of the tank did have rust, it will rust again quickly so it should be coated with sealer but doing body work on the tank to repair the dent might damage the sealer in that area...hmmm

once the rust is removed on the outside, the bare metal needs to be covered so it will not rust again . . clear or semi clear verathane lacquer spray paint from home depot will slow the rust but it will not stop it . . catalyzed epoxy primer will stop it but then you tank will look like crap unless you use white.

...................................https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTFiXa7iB90D06-3LcApKhJuclG9s3LepF_4V9rfrVgCdqMUDgDaA
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[Onetrackmind]

All kinds of great stuff right there! Unfortunately all I have is Blaster and will be out of town for the next several days. It will have to do until I get back and can buy some Kroil.

Thanks again for all of the tips. I thought my R was rough, but I think this one is going to be a bit more of a challenge.

[bkm]

I don't have any parts for this one. Lol Nice score.

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[Onetrackmind]

Ha! Thanks Bryan...luckily this one is mostly there and in pretty descent shape. Just been neglected for quite a while (kinda like my R was ;-) ) I may look for another tank and a few other odds n ends, but that's about it for now. Maybe the mudflap, but holy cow those are pricey!

[King Trikester]

750$$?????? I need to take a trip to USA, that thing would sell for 2500 in a heart beat as long as it runs and drives

[jb2wheels]

Nicely done! We need a TX group ride...

[Onetrackmind]

750$$?????? I need to take a trip to USA, that thing would sell for 2500 in a heart beat as long as it runs and drives

The funny thing is...that's what I paid for my 85R too. Of course, I have put about $2.5k total into it and still haven't started the resto yet!

This X is only missing the mudflap, so hopefully it won't cost quite as much to get it nice.

[Onetrackmind]

Nicely done! We need a TX group ride...

Definitely! I'm on my phone, so I can't see your info. In what part of the state are you? I'm just north of Dallas.

[threewheelin-feelin]

$725????? thats over a $2000 bike in my area...nice score

[Onetrackmind]

Thanks man! Yep, I think I just got lucky on this one. The guy started at $1500 on CL and within 48hrs dropped it to $1250. He said "the clutch was shot and it needed tires, that's why it's not priced at $3k". Well...it also has bent bars, the tank is dented and rusty and there literally isn't one piece of metal on the bike that doesn't have at least "some" rust or corrosion. Oh, and it's missing the mudflap which is AT LEAST a $250 part. I pointed all of this out and we thankfully settled well south of his original ask.

There will be work involved w this one...I don't think the pics show all the finish issues (corrosion), but it's darn-near a complete, running all original bike. The "shot" clutch is likely just a frozen cable...won't know till I get home in two days to put it on. Very happy with this purchase (so far).

[jb2wheels]

Definitely! I'm on my phone, so I can't see your info. In what part of the state are you? I'm just north of Dallas.

I'm in Leander near Austin.

[Onetrackmind]

I haven't ever ridden any hill country stuff. I guess you get your dunes fix out in Monahans?


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[jb2wheels]

Usually Little Sahara in OK - better campground facilities since I don't have an RV.

I haven't been to Kermit in a year or so.

[Onetrackmind]

I've heard Little Sahara is the place to go...can't wait to try it out. We used to ride Monahans back when I was a kid living in W Texas but I haven't been there in about... 25 years! Ha!

[yaegerb]

I've heard Little Sahara is the place to go...can't wait to try it out. We used to ride Monahans back when I was a kid living in W Texas but I haven't been there in about... 25 years! Ha!

Banshee will be with me soon (I hope). You better tell me when you are going over!!

[Onetrackmind]

Nope...wouldn't even THINK of trekking to Wainoka without calling you. Right now I'm thinking late Sept/early Oct. That's about the soonest I could make it happen.

BTW, I can't wait to see the new ride. Banshees are kick trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro!

[oscarmayer]

Thanks Onformula1! I Found ONE NOS cable on eBay for $150. Ouch! I just ordered a Motion Pro off Amazon for $16.


hey Onformula1,
Do we have a spare good cable we can send this man free? we will not be using the stocker clutch cables but if it is in ok shape, send it to him. lets help a fellow triker! :)

[jb2wheels]

... Right now I'm thinking late Sept/early Oct. ...

That's pretty good timing I was thinking about a trip in Oct this year.

[Onetrackmind]

Should be about perfect weather around then. Cool.

So a little update on the X. I was able to spend a couple of hours on it just now. I hadn't started since the day of purchase, because it needed an oil change and fresh gas. I did try to kick it over early this morning and darn near broke my foot in half! It took every bit of my 200lbs to turn it over. Hmmm...

Well, I reached out to Oscarmayer for some trouble shooting help (thanks man!) and followed (most) of his advice. It does kick over a lot easier now.

I put fresh fluids and a filter in it and turned on the petcock to find all my fresh gas pouring out from the carb bowl. Ugh... Now I will have to wait for the carb kit that I just ordered to come in.

I still haven't gotten it to fire off yet though...I've got good spark on a new plug and fresh gas. It ran a few days ago, but it's not even trying now. Could the gas be leaking out so fast that the jets can't pick it up?

[barnett468]

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Should be about perfect weather around then. Cool.
I hadn't started since the day of purchase, because it needed an oil change and fresh gas. I did try to kick it over early this morning and darn near broke my foot in half! It took every bit of my 200lbs to turn it over. Hmmm... Well, I reached out to Oscarmayer for some trouble shooting help (thanks man!) and followed (most) of his advice. It does kick over a lot easier now.

its good he was around, however, if he wasn't around, most anyone here could have told you that your compression release wasn't working or your engine filled with gas because the float wasn't shutting it off . . since it kicked over ok a few days ago, i would suspect the engine was flooded because it is unlikely the compression release would have failed out of the blue, but odd things do happen.




I put fresh fluids and a filter in it and turned on the petcock to find all my fresh gas pouring out from the carb bowl. Ugh... Now I will have to wait for the carb kit that I just ordered to come in.

its possible that there is simply some debris stuck in the needle that came from the tank or deteriorating fuel line so i would simply remove the bowl and float and clean the seat area out and it might be just fine.




I still haven't gotten it to fire off yet though...I've got good spark on a new plug and fresh gas. It ran a few days ago, but it's not even trying now. Could the gas be leaking out so fast that the jets can't pick it up?

it will not run if the carb is pouring gas into the engine because it will foul the spark plug.

you could shut the gas off.

drain the float bowl.

remove the plug and clean it

kick it over several times with the plug out to remove any excess gas

s[ray some flammable bralk cleaner or ether in the plug hole then quickly reinstall the plug and kick it over again.

if the air filter is off you can spray the fluid into the carb.

[Onetrackmind]

Thanks. Still new at this so I really do appreciate all of the help and advice. I will pull the carb and give it a really thorough cleaning. Hopefully that does the trick, if not I have a kit coming in a couple of days.

[barnett468]

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Thanks. Still new at this so I really do appreciate all of the help and advice. I will pull the carb and give it a really thorough cleaning. Hopefully that does the trick, if not I have a kit coming in a couple of days.

no prob, you're welcome . . closely inspect the tip of the needle for damage like missing pieces when you have it out . . also feel if it is rock hard or still somewhat pliable/soft . . make sure nothing is stuck to the seat.

if all is well, you can reassemble then just connect the fuel line to it before installing it and see if it leaks if you want.

if your float is metal or plastic, shake it to see if it sounds like there is liquid in it . . you might here a slight rattle in a brass float caused by loose solder . . this is ok.

might be helpful to put a small clear plastic filter in the line if there isn't one.
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[Degoragon]

That is a good price for an x . here in St Louis, people want over $1,000 for 200x and 350x 's in worse shape. Three wheelers in general have spiked in the last two years. Quads are even crazier. Bargains are getting harder to find everyday.

[Onetrackmind]

I'm hoping that the carb rebuild solves my problems and I will have a running 350X in short order. I've also got a new front brake line and rebuild kit for the front caliper on the way (swapped w a working perch/ms that I got from BKM - thanks man!). The old system was full of crystallized fluid.

I have decided to use the old tank if I can and just clean it up. It's full of apple cider vinegar to clean out the inside and I will use some rust remover for the rusty spots on the exterior.

Question: What should I use to seal the inside of the tank? The auto store has Red Seal...is that stuff legit or should I use something else?
Thanks

[barnett468]

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I have decided to use the old tank if I can and just clean it up. It's full of apple cider vinegar to clean out the inside and I will use some rust remover for the rusty spots on the exterior.

Just keep in mind that I mentioned that the vinegar will only remove lite, thin rust, like the kind that is on the outside of the tank . . If it had spots of fairly heavy rust, you need the oxalic acid I mentioned.

[Onetrackmind]

Thanks. I didn't see any serious rust inside the tank. It was very light and had quite a bit of varnish.

What sealer do you recommend?

[Jmoozy27]

Red kote is the best!! O Reilly stocks it.

[Onetrackmind]

Good to know Jmoozy27 ! That's what I was talking about and will get some mañana.

[barnett468]

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Thanks. I didn't see any serious rust inside the tank. It was very light and had quite a bit of varnish.

What sealer do you recommend?

no prob . . if it still has varnish, you will need to clean it with a thinner like lacquer thinner or paint thinner . . the lacquer thinner can soften your paint if you get it on it . . the paint thinner won't . . you then need to put the vinegar back in.

after its clean, mix around 4 ounces of soda ash or baking soda with 1 gallon of water, then swish it around . . this will neutralize the acetic acid in the vinegar . . rinse it a few times with warm water.

dry the inside with a hair drier, then let it sit in a warm dry place until you seal it.

the vinegar will also etch the metal which will make the sealer stick better.

imo, the best sealers are Bill Hirsch, Caswell and Red Kote with Red Kote probably being last of the three but it is still very good and easier to find than the others . . Bill Hirsch is the only one I know of that also has rust inhibitors, but with a clean, rust free tank, the others will also last a very long time.

I might have mentioned this but just in case i didn't, I would also install a small, clear, plastic fuel filter.
.

[Onetrackmind]

My first attempt at using Red Kote was a fail. I definitely used too much and it began to set before I could I could drain the excess out. It pooled up, puddled and wasn't even close to cured after 48 hrs. So...I stripped it out w MEK and started the process over.

This second go around is going to do the trick I think. I used a MUCH smaller amount of RK and even cut it w a little MEK to help it flow better (it's been really hot in TX lately which thickened it too quickly I think). After 24hrs it still isn't completely cured, but just a faint hint of solvent smell is left. I think it's almost there. Another 12 hrs in the TX heat should do the trick.

Thanks to jmoozy for the input. I really appreciate it.

[Onetrackmind]

221009221010221011221012221013221014221015Since I've had a little extra time lately to work on this project, I thought that I would update the thread.

I finally got this beast running yesterday and took it around the neighborhood for a quick spin...it ran great. Unfortunately I procrastinated on buying new tires for it and still don't have them in my hands yet (or on the trike for that matter). I quickly found out that I don't want to ride it very far on these original Pro Vectors...yikes! I went with the Cheetah HP577s for the rear (yes...I know they are the wrong size, but they just look so cool!) and a Kenda Front Max (which will have to do until the Cheetah fronts are available).

To date, very little had to be done to get this machine back into "rider" status. The vast majority of the rust and corrosion that literally covered almost all of the metal on the bike was only on the surface...whew! So some vinegar soaking and and a lot of elbow grease brought the majority of the parts back to life. I disassembled some items to get them clean and rust/corrosion free, but the majority was just done on the bike. I rebuilt both the front and rear masters and calipers, bought OEM throttle and decomp cables and MP clutch cable. I found a solid grab bar as mine was broken in two places (will have it welded back together down the road) and was fortunate enough to get my hands on a very nice mudflap (THANK YOU MIKE! :beer). Got a new chain and UNI air filter, changed the oil and had to get a new coil.

After cleaning out the tank and getting rid of the rust, I spent an incredible amount of time trying to seal it with Red Kote. I tried two different times and never could get it to cure...so I stripped it out and will just always keep the tank full and run a filter. It was only surface rust as far as I could tell anyway.

Last but not least, I sent my carb up to flyingw for him to work his magic on. Wow! This thing looks brand spanking new and performs flawlessly! Thanks a ton Jim.

Well, that's about it for now. I can't wait for my new tires to come in so I can comfortably flog it without worrying about shredding these ancient, dry rotted bricks.

[dman10]

DANG!!! That's better than the locked up 86' I got for $800 in San Antonio. Good find man!

[Onetrackmind]

Thanks brother! This one was down in Alvin, but I had the guy meet me halfway in Madisonville...that saved me 5hrs of driving. He thought the clutch was gone, but I suspected (and it turned out to be) just a frozen cable. I got lucky.

It cleaned up really well and all-in I have right at $1200 in it. That's w a mudflap, all new cables, all new tires, chain and a FlyingW carb. Not bad...

Heading out mañana for a couple days of riding...finally!

Here is a pic of the new Cheetahs I just mounted:

[Jmoozy27]

Looks good glad you got it rolling. I did the same thing with my 86 200x tank and have no problems with it. Just try to run it as much as you can. Filters are only five bucks a pop so I keep a few in the tool box. Happy triking my friend.

[Onetrackmind]

Thank you sir! Yes, I bought several filters and plan on running them until I do something w the tank. I took it out today and am very pleased with it. It is definitely a torque monster and lots of fun to ride around. Tomorrow we are going to do a little shootout with my 85R and 07 400EX. That should be a lot of fun...will report back.

Happy Labor Day everyone.