texas123

No plans with it really, just enjoying it for now. Did you want it?

Just got back from riding the Big Red in Sam Houston Ntl Forest. Kind of a rough riding, unforgiving bike to be honest. It's not suited for recreational use compared to a 4 wheeler. Anyway, kind of fun to go out in the woods, but just don't expect much out of it thrill wise. Lot's of questions and somebody offered to buy it, again.

Ouch, sorry to hear that. Wasn't trying to be synical, but the ones I drove as a kid were 90-110cc. I'm just comparing it to the Can-Am's we used to have; those were monsters! And they could go well over 70 mph.

Good catch, I'll fix the boot, again. The clunk is only when the fork rebounds all the way up. It's a pronounced metallic clunk. It does pull moderately hard to the left when I'm on the street if that helps. Also, I can't tell if the danger warnings are serious or not. This thing is like a slug compared to my 4 wheeler. Even if it does go fast, I'm not sure it's designed for more than just putting around. Not a whole lot to work on with this bike, but I'll start looking for something else to fix.

Got it going after I looked at it again. The throttle cable was too tight & pulling the slide up. Running like a champ now. I don't see any rust on the bike and everything looks original. I bought it from the second owner, who bought it 3 years ago from the original owners kids after he died. It sat in his garage except for a few rides he said. There is no hi/lo gear transfer case, just a super low (SL) gear, then 1-5th with reverse. No fuel filter either, so I'll go get one Tuesday morning. The carb was nasty and had muddy fuel in it, probably a rust and fuel slurry. 2 of the 4 jets were very hard to open/clean. I ended up soaking them & using a copper bristle. There seems to be a clunk in the front end when the suspension is unloaded. Maybe steering head bearings or forks. Don't know for sure. It also pulls to the left on the road. I checked the tire pressure and all tires are 5.5 psi, but the sticker says 2.2 psi, so I'll change that tomorrow.

A few months ago I restored a 1985 Honda 200X, but realized it was too small for me, so I sold it. I started looking for a non running Big Red. I just picked up a nicely kept 1985 Honda Big Red. The bike wouldn't start or stay running, even with the choke on, so I bought it, cleaned the carb jets, replaced the fuel and it fired right up. Super easy compared to the previous one. The idle is high now, so I'll look again to see what I'd messed up. Anyway, here's the new one. Edit: Hey, if anyone lives near West Houston/Katy & would like to make a couple of bucks, hit me up. There are a couple of things I'm not certain about & would appreciate the help. This one is more complex than my 200X was.

I put about 25 hours on the bike since the rebuild & it's running flawlessly. Well, maybe a little flat spot early on the power curve and the shocks aren't set up for 225# people. The motor oil came out clean all 3 times also. I just smile the whole time I'm riding it and not because it can outperform my atvs or dirt bikes, but because it's soooo ridiculous to drive. Anyway, somebody offered me a lot of money for it, so I just sold it. It's really kind of dangerous anyway; I kept running over my legs & that solid rear axle was not very stable on bumps. I'll be looking for another project for the Houston winter, so any ideas would be cool. I appreciate everybody's help with this project & will keep in touch.

Oh yeah; probably 2-3x over the next 10-15 hours. I got almost 1 hour today, but with the tropical storm hitting us, it's been difficult to ride. I think the right front fork seal is blown, so that'll be next. The bike also sinks when I ride it (225#), so maybe stiffer shocks next. I'm actually picking up another project tomorrow, so the work will slow down a little. It's really a fun little bike though & I've always liked smaller engines since they're easier to rip around on.

Just installed a Shindy carb rebuild kit; runs like new. The main jet was longer than the stock Keihin one and the needle set jet was stuck, so I couldn't replace it with a new one. It did not come with a needle jet holder either. I had a 108 & 110, and used the 108 jet per the manual. I'm at 115', so I was thinking to just use the larger one if I go into it again. The break in process will be cumbersome, especially since the hurricane is hitting us today. I'll post some pictures in a few days. Just got back from Mena, Arkansas for some atv riding; dang those guys are nuts. They know how to have fun though.

I think the slide only goes in one way; but the bevel is towards the back not.

I'm not off work again until Thursday, So I'll try that then. I'm taking an atv trip Friday to Mena, Arkansas; anybody live near there want to ride that weekend?

Well, I took it on it's madden voyage tonight & it's doing the same thing as before the rebuild, minus the smoke screen. Starts up after 2-3 kicks, idles & revs fine, goes thru all the gears well, but if the engine revs up past 1/4 speed, it stutters and doesn't rev up. Could this be a timing issue, fueling issue, spark? It really runs and starts up fine, but will not rev while in gear driving around. It will rev okay in neutral, but I didn't really push it too hard. I really hate to take it somewhere too. Edit: Pulling the choke kills it right away.

It's chunky peanut butter

Hah, I was wondering what that was. Such a nice piece of billet aluminum looked out of place on my 200X.

Got it running well tonight. It took twice as long putting everything together than tearing it apart. The only issue I had was the petcock started leaking when I turn it on. I also had some conflicting info about the valve clearances being 0.05 mm or 0.08 mm, so I set them to 0.05, but they sound tight, so I'll readjust to 0.08 mm tomorrow and try to get a new petcock. The silicone was just thick on the one side; I figured since it was dry there I would gunk it up well . Around the camshaft oil passages has much less silicone overflow.

Thanks Shadetree and everybody. I was able to work on the engine and help the kids with virtual school (thanks corona). Anyway, I did some research & could not find where that large o-ring went. It has to be for a different bike since it's much larger than the steel cylinder liner. I looked at the schematic drawings & it wasn't listed that I could see. Also, I tightened the 8mm nuts to 28 nM; it felt like the cylinder studs wanted to snap. I've attached a parts link since I couldn't see where the large o-ring went & photo of my progress. Thanks again for the help. https://www.hondapartshouse.com/oemparts/l/hon/50541771f870021c54bef62a/1985-atc200x-a-parts

Got the parts from G&H Discount ATV; Looks good I guess & a 3 week turn around time. Total cost with shipping is $350, which includes bore, head work, piston & gasket set. Anyway, I cleaned the cylinder with soapy water as the instructions said, installed the piston rings, and sprayed everything down with WD-40 to prevent rusting. I'll start assembling when the humidity or temperature drops below 95% or 95 degrees. The gaskets kit seems to have a few extra o-rings and the paper gaskets don't say "top", so I'm assuming the print goes up? I think 2 o-rings are for the valve inspection covers, and one is for the oil passage in the cylinder, copper for exhaust, but what would the others be for?

Fuel tank is clean! 2 days and 2 gallons of apple cider vinegar & an occasional sloshing removed almost all of the rust. I should have taken a before picture, but it did remove probably 95% of the rust/browning on the inside of the tank, so it really works well. I dumped the vinegar and flushed everything with soapy water, let it sit out in the sun to dry and used my leaf blower as well, then poured in a few oz of Marvel Mystery Oil. I ran a little through the petcock. The fuel that was in there was nasty brown and there's no fuel filter other than the petcock screen, which was filthy as well. Still waiting on the cylinder and head from G&H Discount ATV Parts. Hopefully next week.

Ugg, I was hoping you wouldn't say that. Let me think about it again. It's just soooo hot and humid now. If I open the case, would I have to remove everything or just hose her down with cleaners?

I shipped the head & cylinder out on August 8 to G&H, and they said it's about 10 days before they can ship them back. I've decided to not split the case. What should I be doing now while waiting on the parts? I've cleaned and cleaned, have the fuel tank filled with apple cider vinegar, bled the brakes, but is there anything else I should be looking into? thanks.

That's crazy! I was just there in May & it was a ghost town. I felt sorry for the people who lived & worked there. Here's a picture of what I saw from the staging area.

I know this is an old thread, but... @shadetreeYou live in a beautiful state with low taxes, descent people and you seem to have plenty of free time. You want to trade lives? Come to Houston, sit in traffic, deal with the heat and humidity, and crowds everywhere. Travel doesn't have to be expensive at all. Learn to camp & bring your own food. That's what I do on my motorcycle trips; I've taken 3 across the country since covid started. No traffic or crowds so I took advantage. Don't wait to do what you want or you'll regret it later. Here are pictures of the 3 trips I've taken from Houston since March: Blue Ridge Parkway, NW Arkansas & Colorado/Utah/Arizona.

Meh, valve adjustments on bikes; transmission, brakes, oil on our cars, so nothing mechanic worthy. But I figure I'm just changing parts at this point. My only concearn is that I don't get it together correctly and destroy what I had remachined.

I picked up a non running 1985 Honda ATC 200X last night (3 wheeler) and got it running this morning. It wouldn't rev more than 1/4 throttle and would just blow white smoke, so I figured rings maybe. I removed the engine from the bike & tore it apart and found this. I can feel the scoring, mainly on the cylinder, and the piston top and vavles have grainy, sandy substances on them. I've never tore into an engine before so forgive any dumb questions. What's the next step? I did see a website that would bore the cylinder and provide a matching piston & gaskets for $155 + shipping both ways. http://www.ghdiscountatvsupply.com/1983-1985-honda-200x-engine-motor-top-kit-machining-service/

Well, since I'm in great hands...What's next Allstate? And if it's possible, pretend you're talking to a 4 year old child and not a 46 year old man.