Looking for some 200X info

[Vootie]

Hi all,

Kind of a newb here, well, it's been a while since I've had a trike anyway. I recently picked up a bone stock 200X for $300. The kid told me it didn't run good, and was hard to start. I brought it home, cleaned the carb good, set the carb adjustments to factory, and adjusted the valves (that's where most of the probs came from). Anyway, she runs great now. I have a couple questions, that hopefully some of you more experienced guys can help me with.

1. The kid I bought it from said it was an '85. After a little research, I think it's an '83 or '84. The sticker is missing from the frame, so I was wondering if there were any visual cues to tell them apart?

2. I'm looking to do some performance upgrades, but I'm unsure where to start? I don't know what's available for these machines, and which bolt on's work the best. I was looking at a Cobra full exhaust since the stocker is fully gutted and rusty. Are these any good? Also, I see Wiseco makes a high comp piston for these. Can these run on 93 octane, or are there any other mods that are needed to compliment the high compression? Cam? Stroker?

3. Bigger carb? Anyone know of any that fit the stock airbox/intake?

4. I want to widen the rear end, and from what I can tell, aftermarket axles are hard to come by. What are some options? (I don't care much for wheel spacers)

Sorry if this is a bombardment, but I'm real excited about overhauling this little bugger. I had an '84 X when I was younger, and I used to have a blast on it. I also used to have an '85 Tecate 250 also, and boy, do I regret selling that baby. Anyway, here's a pic of my new score.

[Dammit!]

Looks like a 1984 to me. What is the tenth digit of the VIN?

[Vootie]

I can't seem to find the VIN anywhere. Is it stamped on the frame or is there a sticker? If it's just a sticker, mine's missing.

[Dammit!]

Stamped on the neck of the frame by the handlebars.

[81k]

you can get some 300 or 400EX hubs and this will help widen it some. Turn handlebars fully right, and look at the neck of the frame on the left side, you should see the vin.

[dcreel]

83 and 84 both have black lower fork legs, the 85 has silver fork lowers. The 83 has an ugly stamped steel swingarm. The 84 and 85 share a normal looking swingarm.
83 swingarm has holes in it.

Here is a picture of mine with 400ex hubs and 18" H Track tires

[techmaster330]

To answer the question about the Cobra, yeah they're a good pipe. I have one on my 85 200x and I love it. Its loud but it purrs quite nicely once you're used to it.

[Vootie]

OK, I found the VIN, the tenth number is E. The swingarm isn't stamped, so I guess it's an '84.

I'll hit ebay up for some EX hubs, and with some more square profile tires hopefully it will handle a little better.

I'll probably get a Cobra pipe, they can be had pretty cheap. Does anyone have experience with the DG pipe? They are cheap too, but I ran a DG on my blaster for a bit and while it sounded good, the performance was pretty much crap. Are they decent for the X?

Anyone use a high comp piston? Not sure, but the idea of high compression in an air cooled jug doesn't sound like a great idea.

And lastly, My brakes don't work, front and rear. I had the same problem with my old X. Is this an issue with the calipers, or master cylinder? Are there any brakes from other bikes that bolt on that are a bit more reliable?

Thanks for the help guys, next weekend I'll tear it down to the frame and begin the rebuild process. I'll snap shots and make a build thread.

[dcreel]

I have a 2003 Honda CR85 front caliper on the rear of my 200x. Bolts right onto the 200x mount. Removes the parking brake too.

[shortline10]

powroll and Web make a decent cam for the 200x . Not sure if powroll makes the performane pipe for it any more but in my opinion their pipe was awesome back in the 80s . Wiseco makes a decent piston and will improve the Hp A-lot . Can still get a 28mm carb by mikuni but finding the aftermarket manifold to mount it to the head is the hard part .

[Erics350x]

a high comp. piston wont do a dang bit of good with out increasing fuel and air flow.

[AutoXer]

upgrades will cost way more than you paid for the bike ....... Megacycle also makes a cam and you can put a cam out of a xr200 in for a cheap small upgrade. There is a ton of info on upgrades for the 200x just do a search

[Vootie]

Thanks for all the great info guys. Now it's time to start making a list...

[Erics350x]

From the research i've done, it seems the real power gains come from stroker setups. There's a few guys on here with 1st gen X's that can run with the 250 2-strokes.

[yooperman]

are you looking for an exhaust for it i have one brand new never been put on anything actually still in box i am looking to sell