To trade or not to Trade

[3wheeledjunkie]

Got a trade offer on my 1995 Camaro offered yesterday. (Car has blown head gasket, engine is bad though, probably best to replace engine, 104,xxx miles, body great, interior ok).

Guy offered 1984 200X. Dg pipe, wiseco .040 over piston an crank. Pictures looked good, tank didn't appear to be scratched or dented (was missing the emblem so maybe it's been painted), did have the little air scoops on it. Missing headlight assembly (no biggy for me really) Moose brakes all around, Holeshots maybe 60-70% tread. Fenders were all there and didn't appear cracked or scratched. Seat looked to have been covered in new fabric, no holes or tears
(blue with no logo). Sent a video of it running, it sounded pretty decent with the shitty phone quality it was recorded with.

Craigslist around my area Cincinnati,OH to Lexington,KY has several from 1000 to 1750. For one that's covered in a foot of dust to a clean one that's "all-original".
So what do you guys think, never owned one, or any atc with a clutch for that matter. I know the later models are suppose to be a little better performance wise, right? Is
there anything I should look for before even considering it?

After looking around the internet and on here, the pictures i've seen make the bike look like a 1986 model. Has white fenders, blue seat, white tank. 1984's seem to have
red fenders, maybe he got his years mixed up or was told wrong. If it is a 1986 would that make it worth more/

[sledcrazyinCT]

the 86 87 200x uses a box tube frame and comes with a 6 speed transmission. You can't always go on color of fenders/tank/seats

[Bren_downe]

So you wanna know if you should trade a basically non running car for a well running 200x. Seems like a no brainier to me, I've never really been a fan of camaro's anyway. It's really up to you though. Did you have plans for the camaro or is it sentimental in any way?

[slashfan7964]

If the car wasn't a daily driver and you had no intention of fixing it then yes by all means trade it (I'm a Mustang fanboi ).

[Larry T Moore]

id trade....and you can get those 95 camaros running all day for 5 to 800 bux

[3wheeledjunkie]

It was a daily driver but I've since gotten a full-size truck and an S10. I'm trying to get rid of all my stuff that's broke down or unusable, so I can buy a new daily driver
preferably a Civic or Accord. I've only had it about 4 years and one of those has been sitting broke down.

I've figured about 1000-1500 bucks to fix it right, like I want it. So it really isn't cost effective. I'll have to see if I can get some pictures on here, my phone won't let me receive pictures from anyone. I'll try to get em emailed.

[3wheeledjunkie]

Is there any visual difference in the engine, that I can discern from a picture. I figured he's just got later model fenders on it. What about a headlight, easy to find can I put an 86-87 on and 84?

[slashfan7964]

Almost everything between the 2 generations is different. As noted, the frames on the 86-87 are a combination of square and tubular shaped, where as 83-85s are all tubular (round). The engines you can tell right away, the biggest thing you'll notice is the spark plug is on the opposite side of the head. On the first gens, it's on the brake side (right), on the second gens, it's on the clutch/shifter side (left). The second gens also had a 6th gear over the 5 of the previous. The headlight assembly is totally different, the headlight on the 86-87 is encased in a plastic housing that runs down the tree on the forks, and the first gens was a single metal piece with the light encased. Later model fenders I believe have to be modified to fit, and obviously they are more rounded. The decals/stickers are also different. If the pipe is stock, on the first gen the muffler will be more of an odd shape, kind of rectangular, or kind of sunk and then recesses, and the second gen will be a fattened tube. Also, the gas tank shrouds are larger on second gens. 1987 models have key start. These are the biggest visual differences (for the most part).

This is a first gen, 83-85, the only differences between them visually is the sea solid black on 83/84) and stickers.




This is a second gen, again decals are different between 86-87.

[3wheeledjunkie]

I had a picture sent to a friend yesterday trying to get ahold of that picture now to check it out. It din't have a headlight at all and had a DG pipe, so hopefully I can get the picture and video to discern some stuff. He's kinda wallowing on me cause he doesn't have a way to get the car home, i don't either. But I'm the seller, he's suppose to pick it up,
if i'm right.

After studying your pictures, I believe the one's he sent yesterday If I'm right looked like a 2nd gen as far as plastics and the seat. So maybe it's an 86 up. Cross my fingers.

[3wheeledjunkie]

So got the picture, It's incredibly small and is a first gen. Here it is:


He's trying to run me down asking for gas money and to pay transfer fees. I told him all I was paying was the taxes up to date, the rest was on him.

[slashfan7964]

Instantly new it was a first gen at first glance.


I'll tell you what it is.

That is definitely a first gen, likely a 1984 since that was the year given. HOWEVER, being that the seat is blue, and the forks are silver, it may be a 1985. People that recover seats like to stick with the original color for the most part, and 1985's had silver forks instead of black like the 1983 and 1984's. The rear plastic is either a reproduction second gen fender from Maier, or an original with the stickers removed. I'm guessing it's a reproduction, since the front fender is a reproduction first gen (same brand), but in white. 192cc, 5 speed manual.

That looks like a great start/great rider from what I can see. The rear rims look replaced and the hubs painted as well. If you replaced the plastics with red, it would look like the red one I posted above a few posts back. If it was stock (plastics/light), you've been presented with this:






If it was me, the rear fender would get replaced to a white Maier fender for a 1983-1985, and I'd put 1986 decals all the way around and a 1985 200X seat and light. Very nice, definitely worth it. That's actually a better start than a lot of people get, you'd be a fool to pass that up.


If you do get it, the first thing I would do is take the seat off and rear plastics, and inspect the frame thoroughly for cracks, ESPECIALLY the front downtube by the front engine mount. Hard ridden first gen X's are notorious for cracking there. Also, assuming it's still there, check for the year. There should be a tag on the front downtube by the forks on the frame with a sticker that will give the year in very large, bold letters as well as the make and some other info. VIN/Serial is right near where the forks attach to the frame.

[3wheeledjunkie]

I've studied the picture myself, the rear fender is made to replicate a first gen, look where the fender an tank meet under the seat. I've only ever ridden utility
ATC's. Currently a Big Red 250. I told him if he can come get the car, i'd trade straight up. I don't think the headlight matters much to me, I want a vented
number plate anyways. If I do put a light on it, will the later light just slide right in or is there something I have to modify. Really only needs fork boots for me to ride it, anyone got any ideas where those can be located at. I don't think dratv.com has any. I'm not big on having it look perfect, cause if it is then I don't feel
like riding it.
I'll run the VIN at work once I get it, too find out more about it.



As far as decals go, i actually like the clean slate look, never been much on stickers, unless there original. So it'll probly just stay bare for now.
Thanks for all the info and encouragement guys.

OH, whos got the best cams for these bikes powroll, web, ?

[slashfan7964]

I've studied the picture myself, the rear fender is made to replicate a first gen, look where the fender an tank meet under the seat.

That's interesting, I never noticed that until now. I think it's more geared towards the second gen but made to fit the first gens more comfortably, or it was cut to fit.

If I do put a light on it, will the later light just slide right in or is there something I have to modify.

No, a later model will not work. The assemblies and mounting hardware are entirely different. If you want a light, your best bet is to find an assembly on Ebay for a first generation, or rig one up on your own. As I said before, almost nothing is the same between the 2 generations, therefore almost nothing swaps over to the other.

Really only needs fork boots for me to ride it, anyone got any ideas where those can be located at. I don't think dratv.com has any.

Ebay has them for dirt cheap.

Here's some if you are interested (1984 are black):


http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trks...at=0&_from=R40

As far as decals go, i actually like the clean slate look, never been much on stickers, unless there original. So it'll probly just stay bare for now.

You can get reproduction stickers that are identical to originals if you ever get interested. There are guys here that make them and you can also find them on Ebay. They go anywhere from $30 to $80 for a complete set. The higher the price, the better the quality for the most part. If you choose to get reproductions, take it easy on the pressure washing or they will wear off quickly.

OH, whos got the best cams for these bikes powroll, web, ?

Never really got into the high performance side of things on the 200X, but Powroll is a name I'm familiar with as far as good aftermarket parts. I would imagine they are pretty stout. I've heard of people swapping in XR200 cams as well for a performance gain.