texas123

16 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

 fish's  new thread got me to thinking, any updates of what you chose to to with that showroom bike ? @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.

8 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

 

No ,  it was me , didn't mention 3 operations in the hospital and numerous in the doctor's office procedures that hurt like he!! , jaws wired shut for 19 weeks  ----  took 6 months to get back to working , was a 1986 TRX250ES 

 

 

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.

9 hours ago, _Wilson_™ said:

im like TRBrider .... I'd hang on to that one! glad you got it all sorted, but this needs attention, the boot on the carb isn't pulled all the way up. as for the clunk, does this happen when apply the front brake, and can you wiggle the handle bars back and forth ? 

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.

5 minutes ago, oh400ex said:

Great to hear!

Change your oil 😂

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.

4 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

First thing I thought of was a diaphragm in the carb busted as it will do exactly the same thing your described , but looked at your carb breakdown and seen there isn't one on that carb ---then when I seen the plunger and it made me think of something elseI have run into , the plunger was installed 180 degrees out and there was a bevel on one side of the plunger ,  the bevel was facing the wrong way , you can't make that mistake on all carbs as there is a slot and a protrusion on the side of the plunger and it only fits one way , but some don't have a indexing groove , it almost looks like your has one in the parts break down ----  just throwing stuff at the wall , might get something to stick , LOL 

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

18 minutes ago, oh400ex said:

I would pull the carb and go through it again. Sounds like something is blocked partially or not flowing correctly. Vacuum leak in boot?

Have you done the spray starting fluid around the intake boot deal? (Or a similar test?)

Spark is strong?

 

Edit: Float level?

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.

On 9/11/2020 at 7:30 PM, oh400ex said:

Well the 350 engine officially made it to the healing bench.

 

For anyone who is afraid to split cases on an old bike of unknown origin... this is why you do it.

On closer inspection she might have a few marks on her.

 

@texas123 This kind of thing is why I suggested to change the oil a bunch of times right away.

Someone might have put some peanut butter in your case too 😂

 

It's chunky peanut butter

50 minutes ago, SlammedRanger said:

Yeah deleted with a block off plate. Common practice on sport quads. They never work anyway lol

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. 

8 hours ago, shadetree said:

large black o-ring goes on bottom of cylinder around the sleeve on outside in groove. green o-ring goes around dowel pin in head gasket. two larger black o-rings for the valve caps. one black o-ring is for the intake boot to cylinder. i am not sure what the last black o-ring is for ?. as for the gaskets, they will only lay on the base and head one way, all you need to do is line the cut-outs up correctly, they will only lay flat one way, if you put it down wrong ?, you will see how it fits once down on the surface.

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.

Just now, shadetree said:

i think you are making a huge mistake not splitting the cases , and not going through it, cleaning it all out ?, but hey..it belongs to you..do as you wish..just dont come back on here asking whats this loud noise i am hearing from the bottom of engine ?!..my golden rule : if i dig into a motor at all ?, i go all in..or i dont go at all !.

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.

57 minutes ago, shadetree said:

sounds like it was sunk too me ?, or ran without oil ?. either way, engine needs to be split to clean all that metal shavings out of it, then put back together. while you have it apart, replace the cam chain, inspect the cam lobes, rocker faces, any damage !. yes, g&h supply ( so i hear ? ) does good work. make sure to check the connecting rod out for any lower or upper play with the wrist pin in upper area.

5 minutes ago, SlammedRanger said:

Looks like ran in the sand alot and seized the piston at one point from the looks of the cylinder walls and piston skirts. Engine seizure is caused by running it very hot to where this piston expands to much. So it was run hard and hot at one point for sure. Bottom end rebuild would be best as the crank bearings could have taken a hit when it seized. You are gunna get a crash course in full engine rebuild on this one. How are your wrench turning skills?

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/

2 hours ago, shadetree said:

welcome to our home, glad ya made it over from other site !, your in great hands here !!.

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.