Here I go again. This time a 350x for my wife! :)

[RIDE-RED 250r]

So I got this 350x for the wife from my friend.

It doesn't need much, just a few odds and ends and I will be posting a WTB in the classifieds when I'm ready to buy.

So far I have a Cosmic Quads OEM style Repro seat coming from the Mosh's. Also have a brand new set of black plastics, red tank scoops and blue Daystars to go on the fork legs, and a brand new DG full exhaust.

I'll keep this thread updated with progress..

Here is how she sits now.

Hope you like!

Anybody have any ideas on how to straighten a tweeked steering neck? (if it's even possible that is)

[Caminofeld]

Looks great! My thoughts on the steering neck would be to slide a long rigid pole through (or box tubing) and have someone hold the frame in place while you twist. Since the bending will weaken the structural integrity welding in a gussett kit might be a good idea as well. I did this to a mountain bike a few years back and it worked pretty well.

[atc007]

Looks great. Your girl must have a strong set of legs lol.

[yaegerb]

Hey Joe, nice bike! To straighten that neck and as another suggested, get some DOM or thick wall steel tubing...6ft or so, stick down in the hole and heat the crap out of the welds/connections. Do you have a torch? Heat to the point of cherry and bend away. Also be careful tweaking/heating too much as the integrity of the steel lessens when you go through this heating process....you may pop a couple welds that you have to fix.....its the only way I know how to do it. Good luck sir.

[BOB MARLIN]

This is Ironic.
I just picked up an '86 350x for my wife also, with a cosmic quad seet. And it also has a twisted neck. Let me know if you are succesful on getting it strait. I can see where it's twisted on mine. Its right where the backbone meets the two smaller frame pieces that go under the seat. I also have a Goki I got to figure out how to install on it.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Looks great. Your girl must have a strong set of legs lol.

Yes, she does. She has no trouble kicking over and taking off on my 350r and has ridden plenty of other 350x's over the years. She's a rider through and through.

You guys are having the same ideas I am about trying to tweek back the neck. I was going to put it on my flatbed trailer and strap the rear wheels down good and then take a long pipe with a tang welded on the end, hook a ratchet strap to that and and the other end of the strap to a tree and start ratcheting. Not sure if I will get around to trying that before snow flies here but I'm hoping to.

It came with both forks bent and that was making the front end kick to one side that much more. I'm thinking about installing the straight front end my friend already picked up and seeing how it looks. Then I'll take it from there...

[JasonB]

very cool! I will be watching this build!

[6speedthumper]

Everyone else has already read my mind for straightening the neck. Just bee sure to heat the frame up good where necessary. And get yourself a gusset kit!!!!! Pull the engine (maybe after you straighten it) and install the gusset kit. I just got done installing a TPC gusset kit on mine, and it will make all the difference in the world. I'm really diggin' on the blue frame and black fenders you'll be running. I had the same idea for mine.

[ONEBAD350X]

nice you can never have too many 3 wheelers

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Well, I just installed a front end with straight fork legs temporarily just to give me a look at how bad the neck is tweeked.. Down at the axle it's kicked about 2" to the left. I'm not sure I have the means to tweek the neck back that far...

I don't think I'm going to bother trying to straighten it, just going to look for a straight frame and swap it out.

I'll be looking for a frame (preferably '86), engine skid plate, left side headlight pig tail and a few other things in about mid January when I have the funds available to poor into this build. So, if any of you guys have what I'm looking for, keep me in mind.

[Mosh]

I have a tri-z headlight pigtail you can have for shipping. They are the same at the bulb you will just have to make the connector fit the 350x harness..ahh hell I will just throw one in the seat box. Forgot that seat here is yours. Good thing I saw this. Seat leaves today..

[6speedthumper]

Well, I just installed a front end with straight fork legs temporarily just to give me a look at how bad the neck is tweeked.. Down at the axle it's kicked about 2" to the left. I'm not sure I have the means to tweek the neck back that far...

I don't think I'm going to bother trying to straighten it, just going to look for a straight frame and swap it out.

I'll be looking for a frame (preferably '86), engine skid plate, left side headlight pig tail and a few other things in about mid January when I have the funds available to poor into this build. So, if any of you guys have what I'm looking for, keep me in mind.

You will be surprised how little you may have to actually bend that neck to get them forks straight. You have to think of the angle of the dangle, ya know? That neck may only be out 1/4" (as an example). If you are already thinking about going with another frame, why not just try it? Not like you have anything to loose.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Thanks very much Mosh, I appreciate it! And yeah, it's funny how things work out sometimes. I'll have to tell you the long story next time we chat sometime... Can't wait to see that new seat though!

6speedthumper: I may give it a try. We already have snow on the ground here, and once we get so much I won't be able to get my flatbed trailer near a tree to do what I have in mind to try to straighten it up.

[6speedthumper]

That's what I want to hear!!^^^ Also, once you get that chassis secured good and tight on that trailer of yours; try to get the trailer as level as possible (front to back, side to side). If you can accomplish that, then your job will be that much easier. And, here's why. If you can get all that level, you can just put a magnetic degree angle finder on the neck itself to see how far out it is from "zero" degrees.

[6speedthumper]

BTW, three50x has an 86 frame for sale in the classifieds section.