novice seeking advice

[gorillag]

My son just bought an atc 200 at an auction for 100 bucks ,ive never owned an atv and know nothing about them, i need some basic advice concerning this model. i looked up the specs and it says its an automatic with no front brake. does this mean it has no clutch but you still shift manually? i see a foot shifter but no hand clutch (athough there was a lever at one time attached to the left grip) the right grip has only a thumb lever which i assume is a throttle. also there is a large lever on top of the motor which im not sure was ever attached to anything or not, i thinking this may be a choke? there is a dipstick on the bottom right side of the motor im assuming is the oil dipstick? what is the tank under the seat for? one last question, the foot shifter wont grip the shaft even after tightened (the teeth inside are worn) any ideas on how to attach it firmly so we can shift it? Im sorry for the dumb questions but im not mechanically inclined, just trying to help my kid out, thanks.

[phreakboy]

Well first congrats on your purchase. As for answers for your questions, yes you just manually shift it without the need of a clutch, it is an automatic clutch, the part on the right handle is the throttle and the lever that was on the left would have been for the rear brake, there is also a foot pedal for the rear brake on the right, the large lever on the top right side of the motor is a decompression valve, you just pull that up when you go to pull start it and it will make it tons easier to pull. The oil dipstick is screwed in on the right, you check the oil by unscrewing it and just resting it in there, and then pull it and check. Depending on whether it is the shifter splines itself are bad or the spines on the shaft coming out of the motor, if its the shifter just get a new one, if its the spline than thats more work, some ppl just solve it by welding but that is slightly frowned upon. Hope I answered all of your questions. Have fun.

[85 250sx]

welcome to the board! lots of helpfull people here.

well i can help you out with some of your ?? The thumb lever is your thumb throttle, the oil dip stick is to check your oil level, you probly have a auto matic clutch enless its a 200x if the spines are messed up on the shifter you can get a used one off of ebay pretty cheap. The tank underneath your seat is most likley a airbox (there should be and air filter in there). Try to figure out what year and model it is and it will be easier for people to help you out. There should be a sticker on the stearing stem with all that good stuff. For a $100 sounds like you got a good deal.

[Tri-ZNate]

Well the 200 and other models have a clutch, like in a car, and a centrifical clutch. The centrifical clutch allows you to shift the machine without having to pull in any type of hand clutch. This is what an auto matic clutch is, and yes you still shift it like it has a hand clutch (get it up in the rpms, take your thumb off the throttle, and shift). the lever that shoulb be on the left handle bar is for your rear brakes, you can also use the foot brake on the right side. the thumb lever is indeed your throtle. the lever on top of the motor is your compression release (When you pull start it pull the lever up and it will be easier to pull the rope. as for the shift, I'd tighten it down as far as it can go and if it still doesnt grab drill a hole through the shifter and the shaft and put a bolt in it. What year is it?

[freewheel3]

First, welcome to the board. All of your questions can be answered here, eventually.
Second, post a few pics if you can. We all love pics & they are great when it comes to trouble shooting.
What year is the trike? Pretty sure all 200's had front brakes, yours might have been removed.
There is no clutch lever on the bars, the clutch is activated by the initial movement of the foot shifter, hence "auto clutch"
The left lever on the bars was for the rear brake. There should be a foot pedal on the right side that also activates this brake.
There would have been a lever on the right side of the bars that controlled the front brake.
The lever on top of the motor is either a choke lever or possibly the sub trans shifter for switching between hi & lo ranges. Need to see a pic for that one.
Yes that is the oil dipstick. Check the oil level by inserting it until it rests on the threads, don't screw it in.
Tank under the seat? Might be your air box, again need a pic or a better description.
Foot shifter. Either replace it or you can try a couple different methods to repair it. You can file or grind away some of the area in the gap that you are trying to close when you tighten it or you can get some shim stock (real thin sheets of brass) to fit between the male & female splines on the shifter & tighten up on that. Do NOT weld the shifter to the shaft. If the splines are still ok on the shaft, get a new shift pedal, you don't want to wreck the shaft if you can help it.
Your Honda dealer, although pricey is the best place to look for parts. Alot of them are not available anymore though so try ebay or an ATV salvage yard. Also, post your needs in the classifieds on here.
A manual is a necessity, Honda first or try Clymer or Haynes second.
Finally, there are no dumb questions, just dumb answers.

[Tri-ZNate]

If those answers cant help then ask in a different way

[freewheel3]

Hmmm, 3 replies while I was typing my reply, my typing is soooo sloooow.
I gotta get a secretary, preferably a hot young blonde.

[Meat-BoX]

Allso just to let you know all Honda 200's are very good machines and for only $100 it seems you got quite a bargain. If its all there its definatly worth putting $300 into in no problem. Before you do anything though ask people here for any info you may need and allso dont forget the Classifieds section. If you need a part for a 200 im sure someone here can help you. If not E-Bay is a great place to find parts for a good price. Good luck and send in some pics so we can check her out.

[nouseforaname90]

Hmmm, 3 replies while I was typing my reply, my typing is soooo sloooow.
I gotta get a secretary, preferably a hot young blonde.

Oh.. so THATS what you call your sex-slaves now a days. Secretaries. Hmm...

[DeePa]

sexretaries

[gorillag]

wow i didnt expect such great answers so fast!!! you guys know your stuff, sorry i forgot to mention its a 1982, i will take some pics, i didnt know anyone but me would be a big enough geek to want to look at a 100 dollar atv but the internet is a beautiful place!!! thanks much

[firefirefire90]

If you want a hot blond, she wont be smart! Hey welcome to the board. If your top end ever goes, Stick an XR top end on that sucker and use the top most piece of the head for decompression. She runs? 100...i duno, seems sorta cheap.

[freewheel3]

Might want to watch that "geek" word around here, things been kinda tense on here lately. lol. Read some of the posts & you'll see what I mean.

[firefirefire90]

That guy wus ugly!! Sorry if it was anyone on this board....my opinion, then again a good bag on the head and there ya go!