OEM plastic question. Is it still available?

[90nut]

I thought I remembered someone on here saying that tecate plastic was still available from kawasaki. I called the dealer today and asked about it and they said no very quickly. That is after I got done explaining to them what a 85 tecate was :( So does any one know if these are truly still avaiable new? I really don't want to put maiers on it. Any help would be great. Thanks

[84250r]

I'm sure they are somewhere,but from Kawasaki I'm not sure.

[BigGreenMachine]

No, plain and simple, you won't find it from the manufacturer anymore. 86 Maier rear fenders look awsome on the 85 Tecate.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/PHOT0001.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/PHOT0005.jpg

[90nut]

I have thought about puttin the 86/7 fenders on it but I am not sure about it yet. Do you have a direct side shot of your biggreen? Also how about from the back? Oh and one last question for you, have you got your champion yet? Thanks

[BigGreenMachine]

They go on easy. I made a new rear fender brace to replace the 85 piece. I sent the swingarm to my bro in Austin to save on shipping. He'll be getting here on vacation on the 5th so it won't be much longer. He says it looks mint.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/PHOT0008.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/PHOT0009.jpg

[90nut]

Well I like the look of your tecate and that will look good on mine so I might as well do it. I believe those are still available from kawi. also. I can't wait untill you get that swing arm so I can get a bunch of pics and measure ments from it so I can build one for my self. Oh and where did you send your cylinders to get them sleeved?

[BigGreenMachine]

CT Racing out of Southern California did them but I wouldn't recommend them simply because they are super busy and take a long time to do work for you. The 86 rears aren't available from Kawi either, dont know if Maier still does them either. Always a set on ebay however. What mods do you have done to yours?

James

[thedeatons]

No offense... but you guys have to get creative in your search. Go to a local "trusted" dealer, where you know someone in the parts department... Have the parts guy you know look up the OEM part number on the microfiche, and then do a dealer search for the part. This will broadcast the part number you need by fax to every authorized Kawi dealer in the US, and chances are you will find your part. Don't rule out other countries, as they are on a different dealer network than the US, and have different warehouses. I am currently restoring a 1981 185S and have found tons of OEM parts this way. Many dealers are more than happy to ship the stuff, just to get it out of their inventory and clear their shelves. The true restorer only accepts OEM parts.... P.S. you should also obtain the part number and then type it into google to search. Try typing with the dashes, without the dashes, etc...

[90nut]

Thats just the thing, there is no such thing as a "trusted" dealer around here. When I have to drive 40 mins each way just to order a kawi part because they will not take a credit card # over the phone and when I get there the people have absolutley no idea what in the wold a tecate is. Even the old dude that works there dosen't actually know what one is. But I am going to have to get something as these low pro maiers are just gay looking anyways. They were just a temp because my OEM fenders were spray painted so many times and sun faded and just plain nasty that I could not save them. I tried sanding and scraping and stripping them for weeks and they looked better but not nice at all.

BigGreen, I am debating wether or not to go with the sprock 300 kit or just leave it on the stock bore and get it ported. At the moment I have a JP racing pipe and silencer, getting the delta reed cage for it, making the swing arm like yours, ditched the lighting system and all that good stuff, I have a KX fly wheel but those parts are kind of a pain to find. Oh and I am converting it over to 85 front end. Just with the porting it should really make this thing snappy, not like they aren't from the factory anyways. But as of right now mine is tore down to the frame and I am powder coating it and doing all of the build up as money allows. Also did you ever cut your steering stops?I am going to be calling around on tues. to look for some fenders for this beast so wish me the best. thanks

[BigGreenMachine]

Deatons, I checked with the dealership and they did the search for me and came back with nothing.

I have a set of dull maier low pros that came with the bike, they don't look the best I agree, thats why I went with the 86/7.

I really want to do the KX wiring and flywheel but it is expensive. Think I'd rather spend money on a PVL setup. This winter I'm having the cylinder ported and the head shaved to make this thing really angry.

I've cut my steering stops off a long time ago and made the 3/4 inch spacers to move the tank back also. There isnt much that hasnt been done with my bike now.

[90nut]

How does it turn now with the steering stops cut off? Any downsides to doing this?

[BigGreenMachine]

Sharp, lol. Only downside I see is at full lock the fender will pinch the coolant line. In the JWR manual it says to make a window in the rear right side of the front fender where it pinches the line so that everything is free to move. I haven't done this nor do I plan to.

[thedeatons]

If you are really going for a restore you may have to go out of country... There were quite a few other countries that sold all these trikes too, and a lot of them have warehouses full of stuff.... You're only limited by your imagination. Mike at Vintage had a part that they could not find for Honda Japan, and he told me they made a fiberglass replica and put over twenty hours into the handsanding just to get it perfect, and now you can't notice the difference... Like I said, you have to get creative...

[BigGreenMachine]

If I had original plastic I'd of fiberglassed them and made a copy.

[thedeatons]

Hey, I just realized you were in Canada... Have you tried US and Canadian dealers? There are many dealers in the back of magazines that may be willing to help you out. I called a dealer in another country and talked to the parts guy about my project, and ever since I have been going to him for parts, and he is really cool about it.... Maybe someone will donate a used set to make a mold....

[BigGreenMachine]

Yeah I tried Canadian only as I don't think my dealer checked the US. Not interested in oem now anyway but thank you for the offer.