86’ Polaris scrambler 250r 3-wheeler

[Jd110]

Thank you guys for the compliments. I really admire your skills. I just couldn’t paint anything on this. Maybe later the wheels and exhaust....
What I could use help with is a good idea to attach the tank decal. I’d like it to be able to be removed without destroying it, if possible. I thought Velcro but then not. I tested silicon caulk and Honda bond gasket sealer but they won’t adhere to the tank.

[tripledog]

Maybe you could use 3M double sided tape to attach the decals?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-VHB-5952...Qp2V0t2P5tX2NQ

[Jd110]

That's what she said.

I’d like to jump it, but howdy says no way.


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[Jd110]

Maybe you could use 3M double sided tape to attach the decals?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-VHB-5952...Qp2V0t2P5tX2NQ

Good morning tripledog. Nice to hear from you and thanks for this idea- it’s great!. I have these:
Not sure the brand, but they stick really good. It was hard to get that one test strip off. Maybe I’ll try cutting enough to cover the entire back side and keep a good eye on it.


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[Jd110]

He found the other tank decal, so I’ll stick it on the same way. Also, just disconnected the reverse limit set-up and all is still good.
After I change the chaincase oil, I’ll see if it can do 100 miles on 4 gallons.


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[ps2fixer]

Nothing will stick to the plastic tank long term (like over 10 years), gas tanks are a weird situation, not sure why but they off gas when there's gas in them and stickers trap that gas as a bubble. I suspect the same thing would happen if you painted the tank. Besides the discoloring over time, I suspect that's why basically all plastic tanks any more are just black, and there's a plastic "skin" over top the tank for the looks of the machine.

The wire diagrams are a pain to tell what's really going on. I like the Japanese company diagrams a bit better, generally speaking they show a table of what connects where in what state the switch is at.

Anyway, if you have a different diagram, I'm sure it would be interesting if you posted it to compare with the other one, also the source would be nice to know. Maybe some day I'll recreate the wire diagram with the correct normal states for the switches if I can find a way to confirm which way it should be. I'd think the push button is normally opened, and when pressed it makes contact, same setup as a starter push button. Defining the "normal" state of the push button is simple, but what is the "normal" state of something like an ignition switch, on or off lol.

I also noticed the wire diagram says it's for the Scrambler and early Trail Boss models. I'm pretty sure I have a service manual for the quads around. Yep, but it's not "that" old, 2003 Trail Boss so I suspect it might be a bit too new. Here's the rev limiter diagram from that machine though, don't see a green wire, but probably operates similar. Seems to support disconnecting it would disable the rev limiter. Also the power runs though a lot of switches, so possible there's a bad switch at some point, or maybe the override button is normally closed, but is no longer making contact (you could test it with a multi meter and see if you get an open/closed state at all).

[Jd110]

This came out of the service manual:




Cory, I actually ended up removing the limiter and button, altogether. At this point, I’m not really interested in it.
As for sticking to plastic tanks-yes I agree, I have heard that decal stickers won’t but haven’t tried another way.
I bought a 2-part, jb plastic weld glue I will test, eventually. I’m hoping to use just on either end.

[ps2fixer]

I see now in that wire diagram, the reverse override switch just disconnects the signal from the rev limiter box so it doesn't know it's in reverse. Interesting it's a normally closed switch, but on the diagram it makes sense atleast. Basically it's a +12v wire only powered when the machine is in reverse.

Just wondering, what brand of service manual is that? Diagram looks really similar to the Polaris manuals, but it doesn't have Polaris wrote on every page like the I was looking at before.

[Jd110]

It is a 400+ page, Polaris manual for many years and models. It was free, so here it is:
https://thequadconnection.com/Manual...l%20Models.pdf


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[ps2fixer]

Oh cool, thanks for the link. I have the 96-98 version of that manual.

[Jd110]

Hi all, it’s been awhile but I wanted to say the double-sided tape did not hold very long. I ended up using jb plastic weld (black) and it has held strong for several years, with gas in the tank.
Also, it was very nice surprise when the original owner rang to say he found something:

Here’s a couple newer shots since most of the others disappeared:

[ATC King]

You know, you've got a 'racing' trike. Two-stroke engine, full suspension, and rear disc brake. From the stories I remember, there was the Maple Leaf Nationals back then, and the Polaris was the trike of choice. The automatic transmission meant one hand free to carry the sugar bucket and a little of the sticky stuff on the floorboards was like being glued to the machine. The 250R riders struggled and didn't have racks to carry extra buckets. They were faster, but lost points for spillage. When global warming killed all the maple trees in '93, so too did the popularity of Polaris Scrambler fade away. It was the greatest machine Polaris ever made, but it was very niche, being tied to the enjoyment of morning pastries covered in tree blood, which is illegal now.


I'd like to own one just to see the error message on people's faces when they learn that Polaris made 3 wheelers.

Thankfully, it's blue. There shouldn't be a whole lot of people asking if it's a Big Red.

[Jd110]

It’ll boot scoot and boogie for sure
Don’t let the suspension fool you. It’s like an old power wagon. Rides ok on smooth surfaces but hang on when it gets bumpy.

[Jd110]

Theres no disc back there. Thinking of the rear brake, it is a disc but it doesn’t work like rest of them. I believe if you loose the drive chain the rear brake would be useless.
The actual brake disc is small. If I remember it’s around 3”, connects to the crankshaft and is hidden.
The engine must be slowed down from idle to shift into gear or it will grind. So, you just pull the brake to slow the engine.

[ATC King]

You're correct, if the chain breaks or comes off, you lose the rear brake. That's no different than a beach cruiser bicycle with only a coaster rear brake, except for the speed, and the same for a fixed gear bicycle if the chain breaks, no brakes at all. You'll still have a front brake though.

I ain't no Polaris expert, but I knew what type and where the rear brake is. It's not hidden, you can see it. A brake on the crankshaft would fry really quickly, because of the RPM, and there's other issues with that location. BMW (motorcycles) tried putting a manual clutch on the crankshaft, and it worked OK except for hard use, where it would fail prematurely.



It's still a disk rear brake though, regardless of where they put it. The size is because it's on a transmission shaft, there's a gearing advantage compared to directly on the axle. It's not exactly a one-off design either. Other machines have used a brake on the transmission or output/counter shaft.

ATK motorcycles (made in USA) put theirs on the countershaft. They also used a type of anti-squat drive for the chain, in an attempt to prevent engine torque from affecting the rear suspension. Neither is in use today, on production machines, and I'd guess, for reasons.

https://pulpmx.com/2012/07/19/gp-cla...1989-atk-604e/