1985 200x Missile

[yellowoctupus]

So, I already converted one trike to a two wheeler (GASP!!! BLASPHEMY!!! ). My wife sees my daughter and I having fun and now she wants in too! The last Boonie Bike I built (as I like to call them) is the one in the link below.

This one is an 85 200x with low compression, and basically nothing positive going for it except it's got a new front tire. Needs bars, fr. master cylinder, exhaust, front fender, you name it, it needs it.

I just pulled the swingarm out last night, the needle bearings look and feel like they're in great shape. I'm a little surprised there's no zerk fitting there yet. Obviously I'm adding one before I'm done. I haven't decided if I'm going to reuse the pivot tube on the old swingarm, or just start from scratch. Also haven't decided if I'm running the brake and chain on the same side (not a great idea because of chain lube contamination) but it might make the three flanges on the hub easier to deal with (wheel flange, disc brake flange and sprocket flange).

Sorry for the crappy pics. It's the one that was on the craigslist ad. That was pretty funny. I get there and there's only two wheels. The guy looks at me as I asked where the third one was and he just says, well, i needed it for my other three wheeler. Like I should have expected to only get two wheels. Lol. Craigslist. Need I say more?

[x-rider]

Funny story, I called to pick up that trike to. He said he already had someone coming to look at it. Must have been you. Anyways I got my DG 250r instead. He had it on Craigslist for a reasonable price though. Can't wait to see what you do with it.

[yellowoctupus]

Small world! He wouldn't move much on the price, even though it was missing a wheel because he said there were other people ready to come out. I guess that WAS you. Those DG 250r-s look like pretty cool trikes.

[yellowoctupus]

Just some quick update pictures. I pulled the rear end apart and got the hub finished. I realized I only have to add an inch for clearance to fit a sled track in there, so what the heck, why not? The on-lathe picture is what it looks like once you break through the external splines and push them into the back of the hole.

The wheel mounting flange is from a KLT200 front hub. The disc brake flange was easy, just bore to size and weld on, however the sprocket mounting was more of a pain as the sprocket is mounted on studs which then are set in a cush mounted, internally splined hub which is held on to the axle by a circlip. The axle's splines are actually pressed on ANOTHER set of splines on the axle shaft itself. Thank you Honda for not making things TOO complicated. Right.

[yellowoctupus]

Just a few updates. I picked up another 85 200x, ALSO without getting the right rear wheels. What's up with this? Anyhow, I'm going to mount up my missile wheels on the 200x I just got and ride it as is while I finish up the swingarm part of this project. The latest 200x came with Odyssey wheels and hubs, but one wheel got TORN UP badly by loose hub studs, so I'm trying to swap those tires onto my other rims. I can't for the life of me get the bead to slide down the rim though. I build a bead breaker which I believe is doing the intended job rather well, but it is just so damn stubborn!

Swingarm pictures below:

[yellowoctupus]

So, we're up and running. This is of course days after getting wheels put back on the three wheeler, and riding it around for about an hour as such. Missiled, it's super fun. Very responsive, and it seems 'snappier'. Steering isn't the best; that will be a topic for later.

Took it in for it's VIN inspection, so now I can title and register it too! I can't imagine what the VIN inspector guy sees, cause he's done both of my bikes, and didn't blink an eye at either one. He looks about 90yrs old too, so I'm guessing he's seen a few oddball vehicles roll through his office.

I still have to make a rear brake mount, but I have a pretty good idea how I'm going to do that, it's just a matter of doing it.

I also want a headlight at some point, and with some parts from this Polaris 4x4 I got for parts, I think I can even make up a neat little dual headlight mount. (See Photoshopped image in the 200x ad. Any thoughts? The Polaris actually has KC lights on it, for what it's worth. Did the 350x, 250R headlights use one for low and both for high beams? Or did each light have dual filament bulbs?

[yellowoctupus]

[x-rider]

Looking good. I would like to see some video of that in the snow. You gonna put a ski on the front too?

[yellowoctupus]

The ski I'm using is actually sitting under the front tire (you can just barely see it in the picture). I've had it for almost 15yrs; it was a NOS early Sno-Hawk ski. It's probably a foot wide, and loaded with carbide runners. I'll remove the front wheel, and make some sort of strut to mount to the ski. If I remember right, some of the old minibikes (ie, Heathkit's Boonie Bike), you just drove the front wheel on top of the ski and hoped you didn't auger in going through a ditch or something! I'm hoping to get out in the snow in the next month, just to see if it works at all. My wife just shakes her head at me, as...we don't really get snow at our house. Normally a few inches, once or twice a year, but we're only a few hours from the mountains, and I like skiing, so I want to go poach an empty field somewhere on my way back from skiing next time I go out.



I'll certainly try to get a video, if nothing else, it helps explain things at the ER later.

[yellowoctupus]

For my own FYI, the rear grab bar I have I BELIEVE is off of a Yamaha Raptor 700. I need to cut the little 'wings' off before we take it out this weekend.

http://www.parkeryamaha.com/yamaharaptor700reargrabbar.aspx