250sx shifting problem... aka.. won't shift

**tyman** · 07-29-2006, 09:23 PM

hello all 3wheelerers.. lol... i'm finally retiring my old leaky Honda 110 (it leaks 1 quart of oil per half gallon of gas on a good day, not to mention that the oil plug was jb welded in... and the rope starter came apart.. for the 15th time...) so i found a 250sx for 200 dollars... excellent condition except for one problem... it absolutely won't shift into gear... when you shift up or down the shifter sticks and doesn't ACTUALLY go into gear... starts and nothing rattles or anything... i havne't bought it yet but i was wondering if anyone had an idea what was wrong with it... and could someone give me a price range and if the parts can be bought new (and from where) or if i need to hunt parts on ebay/junkyards to find it... i'm buying it tomorrow if its worth it... thank you in advanceeeeeeeee

**mad_max** · 07-29-2006, 09:34 PM

tyman, do a search on 250SX and shifting and you'll find posts about a pin that can break and cause the shifer to not return to center. take the LH engine cover off, remove the shift shaft and youll see it. probably cost $10-15 in parts (pin and gasket from a honda dealer). Not a difficult repair.

**tyman** · 07-29-2006, 11:50 PM

really??? wow... awesome.... i hope thats it because this guy wants to sell it because the he said he though the gears were screwed up or something... and its definitely worth 200 bucks... so thanks alot max.... if you were closer PA i'd be interested in that 70... i always wanted a lil 3wheeler like that.... now one more thing.... anyone know where i can find a "kick start kit" for a 1985 honda 250sx..... it has only electric start.. and maybe i'm not the only one out there.. but i don't want to be stuck somewhere and have a cut wire or something on my battery and have to find a hill to start it..... so any ideas???

**ATC-Eric** · 07-30-2006, 02:19 AM

what do you need for the kick? first place i would check out is ebay. maybe do a sarch through the classifieds here.

good find!

good luck!

**tyman** · 07-30-2006, 01:01 PM

ok... so are 85 250sx's without kickstarters rare or something??? and does anyone know where i can find an online copy of a FREE 85 owners manual or repair manual....

**ATC-Eric** · 07-30-2006, 02:08 PM

you sure thats an 85? mybe its got a different engine in it

**tyman** · 07-30-2006, 03:17 PM

hmm not sure..... but i actually got to see it today.... when you shift up it clicks but doesn't seem very tough to pull.. and when u push down it goes the whole way down (like you were holding the left brake/reverse) and sticks... if u just bump it it goes back up.. but does not! shift... so any ideas now? is it possibly a broken/bent shifting fork??? and is it possible to get parts???

**tyman** · 07-30-2006, 05:31 PM

hmm... well i'm no professional 3wheeler mechanic... but how hard is it to get the left side of the case off? and can you tell if the "linkage" is broken without tearing anything out? help please

**Tri-ZNate** · 07-30-2006, 06:34 PM

Originally Posted by tyman

ok... so are 85 250sx's without kickstarters rare or something???

here is a pic of the right side. You may just be missing the kick lever.

**tyman** · 07-30-2006, 09:18 PM

kool.... but since u reminded me... did 85 250sx's come through w/o kickstarters... cause its got a aluminum cap on it and i took it off and its got a black seal behind these roller thingy's about 1 1/2 inches back... so is this a rare option or someone who broke the kickstarter and found a cap that fitted it? cause their isn't a shaft thingy in it.....

EDIT!

also... i'll probably need one of those pin things for the clutch IF! i buy it..... so if anyone who can ship a set (preferably for less than 30 all together if possible???) to me could pm me and tell me they have one that'd be great... cause i'll know by this wednesday/thursday if i'm buying it.....

and how hard is it to straighten a front fork.... its bent a little bit... like.... probably the wheel is turned an inch ... the left is bent BACK so i suppose it hit a tree at one time.....

**Tri-ZNate** · 07-30-2006, 09:56 PM

no it wasnt a rare option for SXs. The Kickstarter is the back up starter and all SXs had them. If you dont even have the kicker shaft (the part the kicker slides onto) someone down the line must have snapped it off or removed it. Do you have a camera to take a pic of it?

**tyman** · 07-31-2006, 06:21 PM

i do have a camera... but i have NOT purchased it YET... even though everyone seems to agree it is probably the "pin" previously talked about.. i'm still afraid its something highly expensive... and for a 15 year old kid working only during summer for 6 bucks an hour... 3 or 4 hundred dollars is alot to spend on a transmission/transmission pieces... if i go see it again on wednesday i will take a picture of it... whoever got rid of the kickstarter must have either taken it out (for more horsepower or something???) when he put the stroker cam in it... so i'm not quite sure... i probably will buy it though... my 110 is soon to be pronounced DF (dead... forever) ...

also..... anyone have a recommendation on a exhaust pipe for a 250sx... for someone on a low budget... no bling required... or something else that'll give it a lil more GUAGP (get up and GOOOOO power) that i could put in while i'm fixin the shifter pin....

**Tri-ZNate** · 07-31-2006, 06:50 PM

Depends, how loud do you want it? The Bassani is really loud, the Supertrapp, if you dont have alot of disks in it is fairly quiet from what i have seen, Jardine, Kerker, and Dg also have pipes for these. The only probalem is you will have to do some hunting because they are no longer available. Most you can get for under $40.

HOWEVER Cobra does still make a replacement that you can buy brand new for around $125. They make a quiet series and a loud one.

**ATC-Eric** · 07-31-2006, 07:45 PM

if you want to open the flow up for cheap, keep the original exhaust on it. under the exit on the muffler, there is a plate/lid and gasket that can be removed. it is on the bottom side (small rectangular plate) that can be unbolted. my brother did that to his 85, it made it louder, and gave it more flow which in turn will give it that guagp that your looking for.

as for the fork, i would find a used one around here, or on ebay. shouldnt cost you much.

it sounds like you have a couple of projects on your hands with this bike, you might not be a master mechanic now, just give it six months of owning a trike and you will be!

not saying sx's are bad, it will just take you a little work to get that one in good shape.

sounds like a good deal, go for it

good luck

**ATC-Eric** · 07-31-2006, 07:45 PM

if you want to open the flow up for cheap, keep the original exhaust on it. under the exit on the muffler, there is a plate/lid and gasket that can be removed. it is on the bottom side (small rectangular plate) that can be unbolted. my brother did that to his 85, it made it louder, and gave it more flow which in turn will give it that guagp that your looking for.

as for the fork, i would find a used one around here, or on ebay. shouldnt cost you much.

it sounds like you have a couple of projects on your hands with this bike, you might not be a master mechanic now, just give it six months of owning a trike and you will be!

not saying sx's are bad, it will just take you a little work to get that one in good shape.

sounds like a good deal, go for it

good luck

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250sx shifting problem... aka.. won't shift

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