I got a crazy idea................

[BIGKAHUNA]

I am frustrated....I have been shopping for a bike, specifically either an 85 or 86 ATC250R, an 86 Tecate or a TRI-Z. Its seems to me...and correct me if I am wrong, that the market for these things is crazy. Either someone has a junker they want $1500 for, a well cared for original that they're askin over $2000 for (a 86 Tri-Z went for $2475 on ebay recently) or they have a bike that has been rebuilt and has every accesory known to man on it and are asking used car pices (found a 85 ATC 250R like this for $3700). I aint sayin these people are wrong for askin these prices, its just that these bikes are going fast as HEdoublehockeystix. I am tired of tryin to out bid others and every other bike I find and make a friggin long distance call about is sold. SO....to this crazy idea of mine. I am thinking of building and 88/89 TRX250R piece by piece using a combination of new and used parts. I know, I know your saying to your self that I am a couple sandwiches short of a picnic..BUT, aside from being a fun although costly in the long run project...I'll have a sweet ride that I know top to bottom. The reason I am thinking of the TRX250R is that it maybe the easiest bike to get parts for and it is still the standard all bikes are measured by. I know in the long run I will have spent more money, but the expense wont be all upfront while buying someone elses bike you know nothing about. Yall geaux ahead and tell how crazy I am....or just tell me what ya think! ! ! !

[mike from long island]

i have an 85 tri-z for sale. $1200 it needs nothing but a rider. everything isnt new but its in good condition. what do ya say

[BIGKAHUNA]

Thanks Mike but I think my minds made up unless some of yall talk me out of it. Sounds like a decent price though. Tack on about $300 to ship or about $300 and missin a couple days work to drive from Louisianna to New York. I sure do thank you for offering and if I change my mind I'll let you know but I am sure it will be sold by then.

[mike from long island]

well i bought a tri-z from colarado and had it shipped for $180 if thats temping lol good luck with what ever you do thanks mike

[skippy]

well i can tell ya... im building a trx piece by piece.. and yes its expensive... if you want the good stuff.. you did need to decide on a good brand and stick with it.. you should also try to find your 250r, tri z local.. they are around.. if you know where to look!

[BigRedRunner]

There's a song that Johnny Cash sung that reminds me of this...

Well, I left Kentucky back in '49
An' went to Detroit workin' on a 'sembly line
The first year they had me puttin' wheels on cadillacs

Every day I'd watch them beauties roll by
And sometimes I'd hang my head and cry
'Cause I always wanted me one that was long and black.

One day I devised myself a plan
That should be the envy of most any man
I'd sneak it out of there in a lunchbox in my hand
Now gettin' caught meant gettin' fired
But I figured I'd have it all by the time I retired
I'd have me a car worth at least a hundred grand.

CHORUS
I'd get it one piece at a time
And it wouldn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is a round.

So the very next day when I punched in
With my big lunchbox and with help from my friends
I left that day with a lunch box full of gears
Now, I never considered myself a thief
GM wouldn't miss just one little piece
Especially if I strung it out over several years.

The first day I got me a fuel pump
And the next day I got me an engine and a trunk
Then I got me a transmission and all of the chrome
The little things I could get in my big lunchbox
Like nuts, an' bolts, and all four shocks
But the big stuff we snuck out in my buddy's mobile home.

Now, up to now my plan went all right
'Til we tried to put it all together one night
And that's when we noticed that something was definitely wrong.

The transmission was a '53
And the motor turned out to be a '73
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.

So we drilled it out so that it would fit
And with a little bit of help with an A-daptor kit
We had that engine runnin' just like a song
Now the headlight' was another sight
We had two on the left and one on the right
But when we pulled out the switch all three of 'em come on.

The back end looked kinda funny too
But we put it together and when we got thru
Well, that's when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin
About that time my wife walked out
And I could see in her eyes that she had her doubts
But she opened the door and said "Honey, take me for a spin."

So we drove up town just to get the tags
And I headed her right on down main drag
I could hear everybody laughin' for blocks around
But up there at the court house they didn't laugh
'Cause to type it up it took the whole staff
And when they got through the title weighed sixty pounds.

CHORUS
I got it one piece at a time
And it didn't cost me a dime
You'll know it's me when I come through your town
I'm gonna ride around in style
I'm gonna drive everybody wild
'Cause I'll have the only one there is around.

(Spoken) Ugh! Yow, RED RYDER
This is the COTTON MOUTH
In the PSYCHO-BILLY CADILLAC Come on

Huh, This is the COTTON MOUTH
And negatory on the cost of this mow-chine there RED RYDER
You might say I went right up to the factory
And picked it up, it's cheaper that way
Ugh!, what model is it?

Well, It's a '49, '50, '51, '52, '53, '54, '55, '56
'57, '58' 59' automobile
It's a '60, '61, '62, '63, '64, '65, '66, '67
'68, '69, '70 automobile.

[theeechozen1]

I would find an atc 250r 86' if possible, this is prolly the most fun bike i have ever rode -- I have nothing done to it cept for the pipe and filter and this bike screams, i weigh 275 lbs and kill piped banshees, doughnuts, wheelies, or flat out hauling buttocks- you can do it all on these machines, with the right find i think you would be much more happy than waiting years and years to build up an trx. The atc's are much more cost effective and deliver better performance in stock form. You just have to keep trailprotrailpro ass over the fenders when turning :D

[Billy Golightly]

As a 2 year owner of a TRX250R, and a few high performance threewheelers (Tri-Z, Tecate, 200X) I'll give you my opinon and thats that the TRX's aren't all their cracked up to be. I bought mine 2 years ago this November and it had less then 30 hours on it from new. I Have ran the hell out of it and I can give a more then fair analysis on it.

The TRX jumps nicely, and is good for hill climbing with roots in the ruts. The kind that normally a rear tire on a trike would catch and damn near flip you over backwards. It is good for power sliding at high speeds (Power slides around a broad corner in 5th-6th gear at pretty high throttle is possible without any worries what so ever).

But, I will tell you this. Over the course of the first year I had it I barely rode any of my trikes, all I rode was it. Then one day I picked up a Tri-Z and worked on it and got it running. And the entire time it ran I NEVER touched the R one time. Quads might be better for riding, but they are no where near as fun as a threewheeler. I've ridden threewheeler my entire life, since I was 2 weeks old I was on my Dads Big Red with him riding. I almost didn't buy the R because I felt it would be a step backwards in my riding ability. I'm glad I bought the R because it is a peice of ATV history, but I can't say its helped hone my riding skills any. Considering the TRX250R is the quad that every other quad is set to compete against, and that it is pretty much the best one ever made, I think I'll be sticking to threewheelers. The R was my first quad and it will more then likely be my last one. This doesn't mean I don't like the TRX, Its a fine machine for what it is, but it is a quad and thats just not my cup of tea. I would personally rather buy a new dirtbike then a new quad if I had the choice.

[theeechozen1]

I had an 87' for about a year and since i weigh so much i kept having to put a new top end in every damn dune season-- the cool thing is when you sell it, its almost impossible to lose money on. The market for those bikes here in AZ is unreal. But building your own you better plan on keeping it for a while, my friend has over 12k invested in his and its not that special unless all you do is track ride. Check out the cycletrader.com for all the different states around yours and i'm sure that you can find something to your liking.