Mini Tecate!

[Matt85'350x]

Check out my new toy! It's a really sweet kx 80 factory trike! Picked it up today, this thing is a lot nicer in person. It's got a decent amount of power too, I haven't maxed it out yet but it's surprising powerful for what it is. It's an angry little demon. The biggest things I need to do is remove all the nasty spray paint off the plastics and get some wider rear tires. I also would like to put a spacer on the left side so that the engine is exactly centered between the wheels. It's a ton of fun and am really happy with it, now I want to go up against you "70" guys. Onto the pics and video:

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-06_13-42-07_440.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-06_13-41-52_305.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-06_13-41-44_434.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-06_13-41-38_245.jpg

http://youtu.be/l1wX71qqEVI?hd=1

[dcreel]

I'm soooooo jealous...... I love these things... A huge part of the 3 wheeler history books... Hold on to it, and treat it well.. When you're done with it send me a pm...

[yaegerb]

That is really neat! I had no idea they made a mini Tecate look-alike! I am with Dcreel, hold on to it and baby it. I have never seen one of those until now...thought I had seen every model made. Learn something new everyday.

[dksix]

What type of spacer are you needing? Lug pattern and thickness is what I'm asking.

[fabiodriven]

That thing is really sweet. I saw that thing and wanted it, but I have to slow down. I really wanted to put an offer in on it, congrats man.

Can you elaborate on your "factory" title? I'm curious exactly where this thing came from.

[atc300r]

Nice toy.The last time I saw one of those was back in the 80s at a race.it was set up with gocart tires on the back.The swingarm bearing carrier and housing look alot like a 85 250r.

[Matt85'350x]

What type of spacer are you needing? Lug pattern and thickness is what I'm asking.
I'll have to get back with you on that-I have to get out there and get some measurements.

[Matt85'350x]

That thing is really sweet. I saw that thing and wanted it, but I have to slow down. I really wanted to put an offer in on it, congrats man.

Can you elaborate on your "factory" title? I'm curious exactly where this thing came from.
The story I was told goes like this: It was bought brand new in northern michigan from a Kawasaki dealer (either in Holland or Muskegon MI). I had originally thought that this was a kit that came with the swinger, plastics, custom triples, etc. But I was told that it was bought just like this and it appears the frame is different from a regular kx 80 (maybe the kawi dealer installed the kit and it needed frame mods?) It looks like it came straight from the factory like this-can't confirm though. Anyway a few owners later it was drag raced running alcohol, then that guy sold it to his buddy-a few owners later a moron got ahold of it and added that "nice" green paint. Then the guy I bought it from bought and, then obviously me. I wish I knew all the nitty gritty of the story but I got as much info as I could. I can say that it's a ton of fun and will raise cain in a mini trike race.

[ebaccm26]

I saw this and was pretty interested just because it's so unique, sadly never got a chance to go and check it out. Would love to hear more about the conversion if you find anything else out.

[dcreel]

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Magazine%20scans/009-5.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Magazine%20scans/010-5.jpg

[Matt85'350x]

Thanks dcreel, that's very interesting; I was wondering what axle it was because the one I've got is bent. And I had no idea it was a tri-zinger wheel. Luckily I happen to have a tecate axle. So was mine built by Dawson? Mine is an 80cc liquid cooled engine.

Oh and anyone know a cheap way of getting front brakes on this bad boy?

EDIT: Now that I really look at that Dawson trike mine must have been built by someone else. My fenders, engine, and I'm not sure what else is different-possibly the front wheel. Still hoping it is a tecate axle though, since I've got one.

[dcreel]

I'll have to look through my mags but I'm thinking A+, Dirt-E-Works, or Tricky Dick's. I'll check and get back to you. The rear plastics will help to identify.

[Matt85'350x]

Swapped out the tires today, I think it looks a lot better now. What do you guys think? Better before or now? Also, any suggestions on the most afforable way to get front brakes on this thing?

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-08_15-37-22_577.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-08_15-43-06_75.jpg

[Xowner]

Get some pictures up of the front forks wheel and front hub......

[Matt85'350x]

Here's some close ups of the front hub. What do you guys think?

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-08_19-25-25_682.jpg

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-04-08_19-25-16_441.jpg

[Xowner]

Gonna be tuff with no places to mount the rotor or the caliper......

[Matt85'350x]

Gonna be tuff with no places to mount the rotor or the caliper......

Do you think A different hub/forks would be compatible or should I just forget about it?

[yaegerb]

in the article it says that they used a tri-z front end and modified KX 60 tubes with dunlop tire. Maybe you can copy what they did? You may also be able to fashion your own hub/rotor and modify the lower fork tubes to accept a caliper. Either way, expect it to take some time and patience. Or just say screw it...who needs front brakes anyway ;)

[ezmoney1979]

I have the April 86' Dirtwheels issue and it features the Pro Design KX80 conversion. It used the KX forks and a custom swingarm with revalved KX shock and Quadracer spring. It also had a Tecate rear axle and hubs. Yours looks a lot like it!
http://i975.photobucket.com/albums/ae240/ezmoney1979/060.jpg

[Matt85'350x]

Thanks ezmoney, it does look a lot like that one. I can barely read the actual text, is that one air cooled or liquid?

[ezmoney1979]

Sorry, that is a picture I took with my phone. Yes, they used an 85-6 KX80 water cooled with the stock radiator and carb. Milled head ported and polished with a hand coned pipe. They modified the KX frame (less rake and gusseted) and built a custom aluminum subframe. They never mention what front hub was used (probably custom) just that it has an 8 inch front wheel. I got rid of my 3 in 1 or I would be able to scan it for you.

[Matt85'350x]

Started taking off some of the nasty spray paint off of the tank today. To my surprise there was a primer layer underneathe the green paint. I experimented with the gas tank first instead of the rear plastics just incase it didn't go well. I have a spare gas tank but no spare rear plastics.
I was also surprised to see that I could still make out the original decal? I'm guessing the plastics around it got sun-baked and where the sticker was shows what color the tank used to be. Hopefully some wet sanding will bring the color back to life.

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-05-05_13-30-05_764.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-05-05_13-34-05_920.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-05-05_13-39-54_75.jpg

[yaegerb]

Very cool, you may be able to ask ATC007 for some old skool stickers for the gastank.

[Vealmonkey]

My advice on the rear fender. Have a mold made of it so you can make your own fiberglass rear fenders so you will always have the option just in case. Save the plastic fenders once you have your mold made and a couple rear fenders made up. You can paint the fiberglass however you want and not destroy the original plastic fender. It's not like you will find many of the rear fenders - If any.

[Vealmonkey]

Also for the front brake, do you want to keep it all kawi or what? If you want to keep it all kawi, then you are going to have to do some designing. Firstly, you would have to measure the width between the fork tubes where the axle spacers would ride. Next, you would have to have a kawi front axle set up with all the disc brake set up from the disc and caliper and just pretty much everything from top to bottom. Next You have to compare measurements between the front brake set up to the space between the fork tubes. For the A+ front ends on the suspension 70s, my friend blue27 cuts down an 81/82 atc250r front hub. The he has to machine the inside of the hub so the front wheel bearings will fit in properly. I believe than he has to machine the axle spacers down, but can't remember exactly. He also has to weld mounts onto the existing lower fork tube and set up for the correct centering of the disc in the caliper, but this would be part of the axle spacer mods as well. Then he makes tabs and locates where those need to be mounted and can then disassemble the fork tube draining all oil out and removing fork seals and such. Then the tabs can be welded on the fork tube and all that filed and blended in to look nice and pretty. Then it get put all back together. A bit of work, but the end result is super cool.

[Matt85'350x]

My advice on the rear fender. Have a mold made of it so you can make your own fiberglass rear fenders so you will always have the option just in case. Save the plastic fenders once you have your mold made and a couple rear fenders made up. You can paint the fiberglass however you want and not destroy the original plastic fender. It's not like you will find many of the rear fenders - If any.

I would like to get a mold made but don't have the cash for that right now. I'm sure it would not be cheap. Right now I've taken off the rear plastics; might just keep them off for now.

[Matt85'350x]

Also for the front brake, do you want to keep it all kawi or what? If you want to keep it all kawi, then you are going to have to do some designing. Firstly, you would have to measure the width between the fork tubes where the axle spacers would ride. Next, you would have to have a kawi front axle set up with all the disc brake set up from the disc and caliper and just pretty much everything from top to bottom. Next You have to compare measurements between the front brake set up to the space between the fork tubes. For the A+ front ends on the suspension 70s, my friend blue27 cuts down an 81/82 atc250r front hub. The he has to machine the inside of the hub so the front wheel bearings will fit in properly. I believe than he has to machine the axle spacers down, but can't remember exactly. He also has to weld mounts onto the existing lower fork tube and set up for the correct centering of the disc in the caliper, but this would be part of the axle spacer mods as well. Then he makes tabs and locates where those need to be mounted and can then disassemble the fork tube draining all oil out and removing fork seals and such. Then the tabs can be welded on the fork tube and all that filed and blended in to look nice and pretty. Then it get put all back together. A bit of work, but the end result is super cool.

I do have a kx80 front end setup; but I don't think I'm going to bother with the front brakes anymore. Sounds like it just wouldn't be worth it; the trike isn't very heavy so I can probably get away with just rears.

[Vealmonkey]

A front disc looks really cool and there can be situations where a front brake comes in very handy. Even though the trike may be light, the driver may not be. LOL

[kokmatt]

that front right fork looks like it has a stop for a drum brake alot like the tecate does. im sure drum prob wouldnt be your first choice but just thought i would bring it up. I cant tell by the pic but kinda looks like that 60 might have a drum up front? hard to tell though maybe dcreel can confirm. cool little bike though.

[Matt85'350x]

A front disc looks really cool and there can be situations where a front brake comes in very handy. Even though the trike may be light, the driver may not be. LOL
That's true. I'm fairly certain the forks on my parts kx80 I have would work-I think the mounting brackets for the brake on the current forks were just shaved off. It's just getting the hub worked on that kinda scares me. I believe the hub is a one-off and there probably isn't another one in existence; so the stakes are high. I would probably want to keep the original hub and then get a whole new one made; I just have to wait until I've got the cash to do something like that.

[wonderboy]

Wow, that machine is very cool... you've got a lot of possibilities with that! Making a mold for the rear fenders is doable yourself, but it does take some investment in supplies (fiberglass mat, resins, etc). It really would be a shame to damage the fenders prior to being able to make a copy. You should bring that to the Trike Circus just so that we can all drool over it!

[CRAZY70MAN]

Holy rare trike find!! Never thought one of those would ever be found! Very nice.....congrats

[TrickyDickII]

I can say it's definitely not a Tricky Dick's conversion. Someone was feeding you a bunch of BS if they were saying that this was a factory Kawasaki trike kit. What they probably meant is they bought the KX80 dirt bike new from a Kaw dealer. I don't mean to be a debbie downer but it looks like an individuals homemade trike. I hope i'm wrong. But those triples look like someone just cut some stock KX80 triples and extended them. Most produced kits back in the day had custom made aluminum triples and swingarms. It also looks like it has a 250r carrier on a modified kx 80 swingarm that isn't centered. This, the triples and no front brake setup is what makes me think it is homemade. It should be a blast to ride though. I raced a CR80 conversion and it's either on or off. :)

[Matt85'350x]

I can say it's definitely not a Tricky Dick's conversion. Someone was feeding you a bunch of BS if they were saying that this was a factory Kawasaki trike kit. What they probably meant is they bought the KX80 dirt bike new from a Kaw dealer. I don't mean to be a debbie downer but it looks like an individuals homemade trike. I hope i'm wrong. But those triples look like someone just cut some stock KX80 triples and extended them. Most produced kits back in the day had custom made aluminum triples and swingarms. It also looks like it has a 250r carrier on a modified kx 80 swingarm that isn't centered. This, the triples and no front brake setup is what makes me think it is homemade. It should be a blast to ride though. I raced a CR80 conversion and it's either on or off. :)
The top triples don't look to be cut like the bottom ones. I was told that this was raced quite a bit so maybe the bottoms got broken at one time. Also how do you explain the plastics? Do you think someone made those in their garage? I have a kx80 I will check and see if the swinger looks the same. I don't think you can be 100% conclusive that it isn't an old school kit. There were more than one variation.

[TrickyDickII]

The top triples don't look to be cut like the bottom ones. I was told that this was raced quite a bit so maybe the bottoms got broken at one time. Also how do you explain the plastics? Do you think someone made those in their garage? I have a kx80 I will check and see if the swinger looks the same. I don't think you can be 100% conclusive that it isn't an old school kit. There were more than one variation.

Maybe they did break. But most of the old school aftermarket kits had machined triples. The bottom ones were probably cut since the stem is pressed into them. Then a different wider top triple was used so they didn't have to cut it. Anyone can buy plastics and put it on there conversion. Most of our conversions had Maier plastic. With the hump and mounting holes, these look like they came off a KLT200 that have been cut to fit. I'm not 100% conclusive. I just don't know of anyone that made swingarms with an offset carrier. Maybe it the camera angle that's throwing it off. Like I said, I hope i'm wrong. I'm not trying to bash your trike. I'd love to have a little 80 again.

[Matt85'350x]

Maybe they did break. But most of the old school aftermarket kits had machined triples. The bottom ones were probably cut since the stem is pressed into them. Then a different wider top triple was used so they didn't have to cut it. Anyone can buy plastics and put it on there conversion. Most of our conversions had Maier plastic. With the hump and mounting holes, these look like they came off a KLT200 that have been cut to fit. I'm not 100% conclusive. I just don't know of anyone that made swingarms with an offset carrier. Maybe it the camera angle that's throwing it off. Like I said, I hope i'm wrong. I'm not trying to bash your trike. I'd love to have a little 80 again.
The bottom triples are cut and welded in 2 places on one side and only one on the other. That doesn't make sense if they were cut and extended. They would need to be cut twice on each side. Also, the plastics do look similar to a KLT but clearly different. I don't believe the KLT200 plastics came in Kawasaki green. And no they are not painted (well they are now, but I have seen the bottom layer and it's green).

[thestud25]

KLT200 came in green.

[Matt85'350x]

KLT200 came in green.
Yes it appears that it did. Even cut up the geometry does not look the same. The P.O. had a second set of plastics with it (although he would not let me keep them) and they looked exactly the same as the ones I have. They weren't at all different-if they had been cut I would expect some amount of difference. The fact that there were a second set leads me to believe that they were not just cut up klt fenders. Also the plastics look exactly the same as the kx80 in the magazine article.
Here are some pics of the swingarm on my KX80 dirtbike. If the swinger on my trike was made out of a kx80 swinger than it wasn't the same year bike as what I have. They look completely different.

KX80 bike:
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-05-07_21-01-53_527.jpg
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-05-07_21-01-17_193.jpg

KX80 trike swinger:
http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y344/msure462/3WW/KX%2080%20Trike/2012-05-07_21-02-09_536.jpg


I know it's hard to believe because I don't think there is anything to compare it to. If the guys who are doubting its authenticity were standing right in front of the trike; you wouldn't have any trouble believing it's real. I know there are plenty of people who have come on this site with big claims of having an 87 350x/250r's only to never be able to prove it. I am not one of those guys. Please stop raining on my parade; you can't disprove it by looking at my cell phone pics. This is as real as an 87 200x. If you have a KX80 trike to compare, please by all means disprove the authenticity of my trike.

[cochran]

Here's a few threads that I came across:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/78308-KX-60-quad-conversion.-Pics-added
and another:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/79975-KX-80-Conversion-!!!!!-Info-needed./page3

[Matt85'350x]

[QUOTE=cochran;1123313]Here's a few threads that I came across:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/78308-KX-60-quad-conversion.-Pics-added
and another:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/79975-KX-80-Conversion-!!!!!-Info-needed./page3[/
The 80 in the first pic looks similar to mine. And the second link is my trike. That's the guy I bought it from.

[86T3]

Those fenders are definitely cut down KLT 200 fenders, but so are the pro design ones. If you compare the pics of yours to this you can see where they cut them. Your swingarm is different than the pro design, maybe EZmoney can get some larger pics of his article so we can read what they did to convert that one and see if any of that matches yours. I really like this trike, i have a kx60 i've been dreaming about converting for a while.
146573

[kokmatt]

still a kick ass bike real or not. thats what i think.

[kristofrogers]

wow that's killer! Never knew those existed xD Definitely hang on to that rare little guy!