What to look for when buying a trike

[hondajas]

The last Big Red 250 I bought completely blew off, top and bottom end. It's not worth fixing, for the prive of a new motor, head, components I could buy another machine. This time I'm looking for something in MINT condition. When looking at these machines, what is the most important factors to consider? I know that the motor and head should have no ticking sounds at all when it's running or else, well I know what happens But what else? I figuer that if the machine looks in mint condition, runs good, and not too much wear, it usually means a good running mahcine, cause the guy really took care of it. What do you all think, and what else should I be lookin at? Thank You

JasonJ

[J.D.]

Sounds like you have a plan to me. Check the oil and see what it looks like. Smell it and make sure it doesn't smell like gas or anything. Good luck to ya

[mrman550]

why would the oil smell like gas?????

[J.D.]

Someone left the carb on and gas drained into there, bad rings or the like.

[kwit]

yup when the engine starts ( if it starts) the bad rings let small amounts of gas and oil mix

[mrman550]

if it does not smoke the rings are good right

[ATCMedic]

Here's the checklist I use when inspecting a trike:

Start with the overall condition, does it look like it hasn't been washed since 1985? any obvious damage to the plastic, seat, tank, and handlebars/controls will clue you in to possible accident damage. Check the condition of the tires. Next check the front and rear axle bearings and the swing arm bearings, try to rock the machine side to side and note if the axles are staying put while the rest of the frame moves a good distance side to side, is it making clunking noises while your doing this? check the condition of the chain and sprockets, is there too much slack? has it been lubricated or is it dry as a bone and rusty? in the case of a shaft drive machine carry an adjustable wrench and pull off the filler cap of the final drive, is it full of rusty water/white foam? or is it fresh oil? Check the engine oil, is it clean or full of water/white foam, does it smell like gas? Pop open the airbox, is there a foam element in there, what condition is it in? Test the front and rear brakes, do they feel mushy or do they have good pressure? fire it up and look for excess smoke out the exhaust, check for engine noises while you vary the throttle speed, does it idle or keep stalling out? Once you are sure the brakes work take it for a short ride, note any wobbles from bent axles/wheels. Does it pull to one side or the other? (bent forks, frame, or uneven tire pressure) check the operation of all the controls/ lights, etc.
Once you make your way through this list you should have a really good idea of the real condition of the machine, even if it's just been cleaned and shined up to try to hide it's flaws. Then it's up to you to decide if you want to get involved with any repairs it might need and if it's worth the money to you.

[Dirtcrasher]

One mistake I made years ago was not getting nice and hot - especially four strokes seem to eat up clutches and the one I bought - an ATC200X worked fine, until I got it home and ran it hot and found it to slip like crazy.

If the model you end up looking at has a chain I like to see if it has ever come off and broke the engine cases. While your there make sure no one ever welded the shifter onto the shift shaft or stripped the drain plug by overtightening it and cracked the engine cases.

I like to see all metric fastners in place and no nuts on the back of a bolt where it got stripped and drilled out. Big Red and SX footpeg bolts break off easily.

Make sure the air fliter is in place and not filthy. I see guys buy bikes without any air filter element and wonder what the heck they were thinking!

The SX likes to leak around the valve cover or look for oil around the head to indicate a possible head gasket on it's way out.

Big Red and SX swingarm beairings - again rocking will show slop. And make sure the rubber boot on the swingarm is intact and in good condition or water has entered there.

Both one way clutches on the SX and ES can be a big headache. Use the kickstart and make sure it doesn't slip or make weird noises. The starter should spin free just as you start it or the flywheel one way clutch could be going.

The automatic shifting should be smooth and no jerking either moving from a complete stop or a quick downshift to a lower gear.

[TRI-Zbrian]

another cool trick is to stand the trike/quad up on its grab bar and take a close look at the engine cases for cracks and leaks this is what i alwase do and also what was already siad shake the back and forth and check for play in the rear end for signs of worn out barings.