Tecate Aftermarket Radiator

[christph]

Well, I finally broke down and bought one of those aftermarket radiators on ebay for my 84 Tecate. My OEM radiator sprung a leak I couldn't fix so I had to. Anyway, I thought people considering buying one might like some pictures and feedback. Their construction, fit, and finish looks good. They certainly offer more volume and larger fins than OEM. I've always had a problem with heat fade on my Tecates so hopefully this will cure it. I plan on riding this weekend. If I see a significant reduction in heat I probably get them for my 87 Tecate.

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[3 Wheel Drive]

I've got a new set for the 86-87 Tecate if you want to buy them. I don't have the time or motivation to build another trike.

[Dimitris]

Interested Robert. Please send me your price.thanks

[barnett468]

christph, can you measure the stock rad thickness and this one and also count the number of tubes across the front in each AND look inside at the size of the tubes . The Chinese rads typically have smaller tubes than US made rads so they hold less water [not good] but I don't know how their tube size compares to Japanese tube sizes.

Thanks
.

[christph]

christph, can you measure the stock rad thickness and this one and also count the number of tubes across the front in each AND look inside at the size of the tubes . The Chinese rads typically have smaller tubes than US made rads so they hold less water [not good] but I don't know how their tube size compares to Japanese tube sizes.

Thanks
.

Well, I took it out yesterday and can say it cools a lot better than stock. My problem with heat fade is cured. I stuck my hand behind it while riding just to see how much heat it was shedding, and it was shedding a lot. Regarding the exact dimensions, I'll have to get back to you. I can tell you it has 28 tubes and they flow much more volume than stock. I looked inside before filling it with Engine Ice was impressed with how much larger the tubes are. For anyone thinking about getting one, I can highly recommend it. If I had to nitpick I would like to have seen more uniform beads on the TIG welding, but I'm a welder myself and something of a perfectionist. There were no problems with leaking or anything, and the aluminum comes with a nice polish. I will definitely be getting some for my 87 Tecate in the future, just not right now (thanks for the offer 3 Wheel Drive).

[barnett468]

Xlnt.

I see there are two slightly different styles for the ATC250R so it might be the same with the TECATE . Do you have a link to where you got yours?

[christph]

I got it from CHR Racing on ebay (link below). Apparently they stock them because I got it within a week. I noticed some of the others that sell them ship from China and it takes a lot longer. Regarding the dimensions, the width is 1 1/2 inch.

http://stores.ebay.com/CHR-Factory-Direct/_i.html?_nkw=tecate&submit=Search&_sid=1134796639.

[big specht]

That's nice to know I just got my 85 out and the radiator is leaking on it now. If I can't fix it at least I know where I can get one. Thanks

[christph]

I wanted to update people who are thinking about buying this radiator. After 2 rides, 2 of the mounting tabs broke. I notified the seller and he replaced it for me, so he stands behind his product. From what I can gather the tabs broke because they were not perfectly aligned with the holes on the triple clamps. I noticed the problem when I mounted it, but I didn't want to bend them and risk breaking them off. That put stress on them and, combined with the Tecate's vibration, they broke after 2 rides. The 2nd radiator also had an alignment problem, but I fixed it with some bending so there is no stress on the tabs when mounted. Just be aware that when you mount this radiator, you want to make sure the tabs are not under static stress, i.e., the holes are aligned. I told the seller about the problem and he said he would contact the manufacturer about the problem. Otherwise, the radiator is a good product. It keeps the engine much cooler than the stock radiator.