Tri Z vs 250R vs Tecate 1986

[SneakyATC250R]

Awesome mag shootout from 1986! Clash of the Titans http://www.quadpit.com/mags/1986/stories/250shootout01.html

[harryredtrike]

i was hoping for a vid

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I loved that article back in the day and love it every time I read it still. Because of this.........


The undisputed king of horsepower; the Kawasaki Tecate, held its crown for '86


And the winner of the Race Bike Award goes to. . the Kawasaki Tecate! This tight, light, fast bike will win races, and it doesn't require a whole lot of effort to get the Kawasaki race-ready. Most everyone could sense the precise, tight handling characteristics of this race-bred machine, and they loved it!

:naughty::naughty::naughty::cool:

[SneakyATC250R]

I loved that article back in the day and love it every time I read it still. Because of this.........





:naughty::naughty::naughty::cool:


I agree for the race bike. but the Tecate placed 1st(race) and 3rd(rec) respectivly. The Tri Z placed 3rd(race) and 2nd( rec) And the 250R placed 1st(rec) and 2nd(race) The R is clear Overall winner in my book. Best all around racing trike in my book. and yes the tecate has more power...but read. its a 5 speed with crappy gearing....the R consistently beat the Tecate in drag except for a very small amout of time the tecate launched perfect. Your a pro that wants to race on smooth flat like tracks get a Tecate. Everyone else go for the R! Thats my $0.02

[dcreel]

I'd take the Tecate any day, all day long. Thats my $0.02

[portland250r]

a friend keeps telling me the tecate stock is faster than the 250r but when built the 250r will destroy the tecate he tells me not to buy one.
im going to get a tecate even if its not as fast cause their great.

[dirtbiken]

man your friend is right the tecate is know as the fastest stock three wheeler there is. without any mods a stock tecate will wax any 250r unless the driver is unskilled and doesnt know what he is doing.

[krazykane]

hey my 2 cents is i have a tecate and had a honda the tecate is faster but the honda still has PARTS available .so just get both BOTH are worth it

[pmktm]

got the mag.

[RIDE-RED 250r]

boy SNEAKY! you sure stirred up a beehive here didnt ya!! :naughty:

[SneakyATC250R]

boy SNEAKY! you sure stirred up a beehive here didnt ya!! :naughty: I guess so! But as everyone knows...it comes down to personal preferance or brand loyalty. And maybe im not fast on an Tecate or Tri Z but someone else could be and vise versa. What works for you may not work for everyone. I put this article on here simply for a good read and a basic comparison of the major racing 3 wheelers. And let me get this out there....... I love all trikes., and owned alot of different brands. Im not prejudice towards any and just because i own a certain kind that does not make it the best lol

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I agree for the race bike. but the Tecate placed 1st(race) and 3rd(rec) respectivly. The Tri Z placed 3rd(race) and 2nd( rec) And the 250R placed 1st(rec) and 2nd(race) The R is clear Overall winner in my book. Best all around racing trike in my book. and yes the tecate has more power...but read. its a 5 speed with crappy gearing....the R consistently beat the Tecate in drag except for a very small amout of time the tecate launched perfect. Your a pro that wants to race on smooth flat like tracks get a Tecate. Everyone else go for the R! Thats my $0.02Oh, I guess you could sugar coat it to make the Honda appear supreme. But I'm sure the Toyota Camry is a better all around car then a Porche. I'll still take the Porsche.



hey my 2 cents is i have a tecate and had a honda the tecate is faster but the honda still has PARTS available .so just get both BOTH are worth it
This is correct. i agree. The Tecates could be built with aftermarket parts and still be just as nasty and nastier then the others (Jimmy White might agree) but in this day and age, if you want a great machine with a better variety of aftermarket parts, hell even stock parts for that matter, and a fair price, then you can't beat a 250R. That doesn't discourage people like me who love Tecates though. We want them and put up with the headache of parts availability simply because we know they were the best and we have bragging rights.:naughty::D

[SneakyATC250R]

No such thing as "best" its personal preference. I ride my 85r alot more then my 86 tecate. not because of parts availability but simply because i like it more. and i wasent suger coating anything. as u said urself the camry is a better all around driver but u will still take the porche. for you to refer to a 250r as a camry and a tecate to a porche that is rediculous and u know it. they are closer then you think. I was simply stating my opinion of a "Do it all" trike. wich to me falls into rec riding not racing. in the shootout it was a 1(rec)-2(race) finish for R 1(race)-3(rec) finish for Tecate and a 2(rec)-3(race) for the Tri Z to me that shows i own 2 of the best all around trikes ever. The R and Tecate....In that order lol

[Bryan Raffa]

I'll be in PA for a Hairscramble in a few weeks....with a 86.. lets do this test again....go to the Racers Lounge..

I love that article also!

[Red Rider]

That doesn't discourage people like me who love Tecates though. We want them and put up with the headache of parts availability simply because we know they were the best and we have bragging rights.:naughty::DBrag all you want about your stock horsepower, but like most R owners, our R's are no longer stock. :naughty:;)

[dcreel]

Brag all you want about your stock horsepower, but like most R owners, our R's are no longer stock. :naughty:;)

Either are our Tecates. :naughty:

[SneakyATC250R]

Just remember ...power is nothing without control!

[Chillian]

Just remember ...power is nothing without control!


Tell obama that...

[dcreel]

Just remember ...power is nothing without control!

I've been riding mine for 23 years. I've got the control, well... under control :D

[SneakyATC250R]

I've been riding mine for 23 years. I've got the control, well... under control :D Im just saying........its easier to ride a machine that has good handling with a good matched engine then it is to ride an over powered machine that tires its rider and is prone to wheelies and tire spin. and as far as riding yours for 23 years thats awesome. I only wish I had that much flight hours logged on my R. Its older then me! lol

[dcreel]

And I agree with you. I would be happy to have an 85-86 250R or a Tri-Z. In fact I look at craigslist everyday hoping to find the deal I can't pass up.

[SneakyATC250R]

And I agree with you. I would be happy to have an 85-86 250R or a Tri-Z. In fact I look at craigslist everyday hoping to find the deal I can't pass up. same with me and a Tri Z ......I want one so bad. there just so different. a friend has one and i love it. beats Banshees no prob

[Tecate 50]

How is this.....all these machines rock 25 years later! Love the article.....brings back childhood memories when I was still dreaming to own any one of the three!

[Red Rider]

Either are our Tecates. :naughty:Oh yeah I forgot about that. All of you KXT owners must have those aftermarket stators on your Tecates. :lol:

Sorry Tecate fans, you know I love you all, but I just couldn't resist! :)


How is this.....all these machines rock 25 years later! Love the article.....brings back childhood memories when I was still dreaming to own any one of the three!Tell me about it. I couldn't wait to read the tests on the new high performance 3-wheelers back then. Ever since 3-wheelers quit showing up in the mags, I just can't get excited about any of the new quads.

[Nevkilahonda3]

Them old articles are awsome I had to save them on my computer. Tecates seem to be the fastest stock but 250rs have so many mods you can get. I looked on the internet and noticed you could get A LOT of different sprocket sizes for a tri z 250 10-17 tooth front and 40-52 tooth back(wow):crazy: I couldn't find that many for both the 250r and T3 combined. It sucks they couldn't compare the 250 Tiger it would have owned in the power section but wouldn't have been a good rec. trike:lol: