Ten years waiting

[Old83]

Hello all , so I bought myself a 1983 200e Big Red about ten years ago and it just sat in the garage for lack of time , I always kept it running but never took it out to enjoy it. I've always had a thing for trikes and just having it was piece of mind . Well this winter I finally got my ducks in a row and got to work on it, new brake shoes front and rear ,brake cables all around, new solenoid and battery and a tune up. The front end has never had any spring to it and some front to back play , so tonight I tore the forks open and the suspension is totally shot. I guess I've got some searching to do to get that sorted but it seems I'm in the right place, maybe I can swap the forks out with a different year for a better design or maybe just weld them solid ,we'll see. I'll see if I can figure out the picture posting thing and get a picture of the trike and the destroyed forks. Sure glad I found this forum,Thanks.

[dougspcs]

Some of the best trikes I've gotten had been left in a garage or shed ignored for years..

A bit of careful maintenance to undo what time has done is the best medicine..oil change, clean and lubricate, a tank/carb cleaning and tank flush will make sure it's ready to see use again.

I'd prefer a machine that sat for a decade or more to one that has regular use.

I found this little beauty a couple years ago for $275..it had been stored for 17 years in a garage when the owner moved across the country for work and left it in his brother's garage. Then life happened and the guy never came back for it..his loss!!



Where are you in Ontario? I may have your front shocks..there are a couple parts 200s in my shed.

[Old83]

Hey dougspcs, thanks for the reply, the trike is in great shape for the year just a few small issues and I'll have a nice machine here. Do the 200s forks bolt right on or do they require mods?. Oh and I'm in the Peterborough area !.

[MNhondaguy]

They do not bolt up. Do a search on the forum (top right, advance criteria search) there's a few threads about swapping fronts on these puppies. The stem on the 200e is longer than other models. There is a guy that makes a spacer deal that you weld on to make it work.

Sorry for the lack of links, I've never been to great at finding stuff, just know I've seen it haha

[Big G]

Some of the best trikes I've gotten had been left in a garage or shed ignored for years..

Hey Doug, just wondering if you notice any issues with engine seals/gaskets drying out with barn finds over 10 year or so. Just wondering because I'm gonna be looking at a 110 next week that a guy says has been sitting in his barn for the past 15 years.

[jakep53]

Hey Doug, just wondering if you notice any issues with engine seals/gaskets drying out with barn finds over 10 year or so. Just wondering because I'm gonna be looking at a 110 next week that a guy says has been sitting in his barn for the past 15 years.

I got an atc 70 that sat for 15 years and it did not have any bad seals or oil leaks

[LastFoolerInVA]

I got an atc 70 that sat for 15 years and it did not have any bad seals or oil leaks

X2 on that, I bought a 70 2 years ago... well, it was a basement find, not a barn find...& the lady that sold it said it was her mothers & they used to ride it when they were younger (I imagine grammy bought it new then put it away after the ban). the only issue was a very gummy carb, dry rotted fuel lines & rusty tank...

[86125m]

My 86 125m must have sat for about 5 to 10 years. They thaught something was really wrong with the bike but all she needed was a new carb
so I bought a nrand new win cycle carb and she runs like brand new.

[Big G]

Okay, good to know...thanks guys!

[Coxy]

If your looking for Any kinda parts in ontario and don't mind driving there's a fella on kijiji ( Near Ottawa I believe, I just searched ontario) that has a TON of adds up for trike parts forsale an looks pretty reasonable....it's a 5 hour drive for me or I'd be there to buy as much as I could lol!

[Curtie223]

Nice! But for the life of me there's no way I could have left it sitting for that long! Haha But Im impatient.

[dougspcs]

Hey Doug, just wondering if you notice any issues with engine seals/gaskets drying out with barn finds over 10 year or so. Just wondering because I'm gonna be looking at a 110 next week that a guy says has been sitting in his barn for the past 15 years.

None of the barn find machines I've gotten have had any major leak issues with seals and gasket..not any more than any machine that has been used continuously for the last 30 years..

I think the whole 'gaskets dry out' thing is just urban myth..I think someone needs to call Mythbusters on this one!!

Sorry I didn't see your question sooner BigG, glad others piped in and gave you an answer..!

[cap]

200s forks will bolt right on as long as you have the triple also, you might need to grind a little off the bottom of the dashpanel/bar clamp so it don't hit the tank. A better option is the 200M forks so you can keep the same width tire.