Picking up a 1985 Honda Big Red 250ES This evening - 20 hour machine :)

[IronBear]

Hello,

I'm picking up a 1985 Honda Big Red 250ES this evening. It only has 20 hours on it (so I was told from the original owner). It's been sitting for 21 years in storage!! The plastics, tires (no dry rot), lights, seat are all in excellent condition. He has all the original paperwork, including the certificate of origin. Engine still kicks over as well.

It will need a complete tune up, fresh fuel, new battery, etc. I'm getting the machine for a very good price. Here are a few pictures of it.

I've been looking for a clean Big Red for some time now, and this one pretty much fell in my lap. I'm really excited about getting this machine.

My plans are to keep this beauty, and sell my Suzuki 230 quadrunner.

IronBear :)

[tri again]

Absolutely stunning find.

I bet a carb and gas tank cleaning,
engine oil and filter and gear oil change for the rear axle is about all you'll need to fire it up.

Nice to know they are still hiding around.

I'm holding my breath for 3 trikes in a barn, 2 have racks and keys and that's all I know.

Congratulations and have a great time.

[IronBear]

Thanks tri again.

I was speaking with a person down at my storage unit, and we started to talk about motorcycles and he saw my atv so we started to talk about atvs and trikes. So after a 1/2 hour goes by, he mentioned that his father purchased both the Big Red and Honda fourtrax 250 brand new in 1985. He doesn't want the Big Red anymore, just the quad which I'm going to fix for him.

My plans are to change all the fluids, put fresh gas in, change the oil/air filter and spark plug :)

Good luck on the trikes in the barn :)

[kb0nly]

Awesome find, a real gem! Looks like a very nice ready to roll rider with a little maintenance. Make sure you go through it and change that rear end gear lube out, notorious for rear end problems, but this one looks like its never been ridden that hard so chances are you will just get old lube out and not chocolate milk... LOL

Keep us updated!

[Thorpe]

Strange that the fender trim and clutch adjuster cover are missing in 20 hours... Love original ohtsu tires!

[IronBear]

My previous 250SX had rear end issues so I'll be sure to replace the great oil.

Thorpe, The fender trim is off the bike as well as the clutch cover because I was checking the bike out.

[dustrunner]

good find... wish i found it....

[kb0nly]

Can't wait til you get this out in the daylight, cleaned up, and post some proper pics... LOL

[Flyingw]

If any of you guys need the diffs on your SX or ESs rebuilt, I have the tools to take them completely apart and rebuild them. Virtually impossible to get the pinion shafts out without these tools. I'm doing two SX diffs right now and have an ES still to do. Pretty easy to do IF you have the right tools.. Gotta love Ebay!!!!

[dustrunner]

If any of you guys need the diffs on your SX or ESs rebuilt, I have the tools to take them completely apart and rebuild them. Virtually impossible to get the pinion shafts out without these tools. I'm doing two SX diffs right now and have an ES still to do. Pretty easy to do IF you have the right tools.. Gotta love Ebay!!!! hey flyingw what happens to the diffs ? i have had them sence 85 and skid logs and beat the crap out of a couple of them and fortunately havent had a problem yet ???

[IronBear]

Thanks guys! I supposed to pick up the ATC yesterday, but we had hurricane Sandy to deal with in the Northeast. I'm getting it tonight so my plans are to get the machine up and running by this weekend, then clean it. After that, I'll post some pictures. :)

Also, if you know of anyone who is looking for a fairly clean 85 Suzuki Quadrunner LT230G for a decent price, let me know.

[atc350xer]

Thanks guys! I supposed to pick up the ATC yesterday, but we had hurricane Sandy to deal with in the Northeast. I'm getting it tonight so my plans are to get the machine up and running by this weekend, then clean it. After that, I'll post some pictures. :)

Also, if you know of anyone who is looking for a fairly clean
...fairly clean what?

[aldochina]

nice barn find!! love them. better pick it up sooner than later, stranger things have happened!! definately want to see the cleaned up pics, once its in your possesion. I happened accross a sweet 85 bigred a few weeks back in a similar manner, i will share some pics and the story in my own thread when i get some time!! you have to join us on a big red adventure, check the new england ride thread for details!!

[oscarmayer]

yea amazing bike sir! very nice find!!!

[Flyingw]

hey flyingw what happens to the diffs ? i have had them sence 85 and skid logs and beat the crap out of a couple of them and fortunately havent had a problem yet ???The main issue with the diffs is the rubber boot between the swingarm and the motor tears. That allows water in to the propeller shaft cavity. That water in turn works its way past the seal and in to the diff and starts the corrosion process. The other issue is the gear oil in the diffs leaks out or is not kept full due to original dried out ring gear seals. The result is the needle bearing on the end of the pinion shaft comes apart. I have tossed several diffs in recent years because for whatever reason (water intrusion or lack of maintenance) the diff destroyed itsself. In fact, I tossed one the other day. You should have seen the pinion gear. Ground down to nothing because the pinion needle bearing went bad. When the diff goes out, you got a 365lb paperweight. All Balls sells the rebuild kits with new pinion bearings and seals but without the tools to get the pinion out, those parts are useless. My advice is to rebuild the rear end at some point in its life to ensure another 20+ years of service. I rebuilt two SX diffs last night and everything went together beautifully. Its a funny dance of heating some parts and freezing other parts to get everything to come together but now I have my process down. I can pound bearings in but for example, heat the diff cases and freeze the bearings, the bearings drop right in to their holes with no effort. No pounding at all. The pinion needle bearing is pretty fragile so pounding them in is bad no matter what and there is no way to pull them through since the hole is blind but heat the case to about 275deg and freeze the bearing and it drops right in.

[IronBear]

nice barn find!! love them. better pick it up sooner than later, stranger things have happened!! definately want to see the cleaned up pics, once its in your possesion. I happened accross a sweet 85 bigred a few weeks back in a similar manner, i will share some pics and the story in my own thread when i get some time!! you have to join us on a big red adventure, check the new england ride thread for details!!

I've had a Big Red 200ES, but always wanted a 250ES. I'll be sure to post pictures when I can. Thanks for the lead to the New England thread. Depending on when and where it is, I'd be interested in the ride :)

[IronBear]

...fairly clean what?

Sorry I got cut off for some reason. I'm selling a 1985 Suzuki Quadrunner LT230G ATV.

[IronBear]

The main issue with the diffs is the rubber boot between the swingarm and the motor tears. That allows water in to the propeller shaft cavity. That water in turn works its way past the seal and in to the diff and starts the corrosion process. The other issue is the gear oil in the diffs leaks out or is not kept full due to original dried out ring gear seals. The result is the needle bearing on the end of the pinion shaft comes apart. I have tossed several diffs in recent years because for whatever reason (water intrusion or lack of maintenance) the diff destroyed itsself. In fact, I tossed one the other day. You should have seen the pinion gear. Ground down to nothing because the pinion needle bearing went bad. When the diff goes out, you got a 365lb paperweight. All Balls sells the rebuild kits with new pinion bearings and seals but without the tools to get the pinion out, those parts are useless. My advice is to rebuild the rear end at some point in its life to ensure another 20+ years of service. I rebuilt two SX diffs last night and everything went together beautifully. Its a funny dance of heating some parts and freezing other parts to get everything to come together but now I have my process down. I can pound bearings in but for example, heat the diff cases and freeze the bearings, the bearings drop right in to their holes with no effort. No pounding at all. The pinion needle bearing is pretty fragile so pounding them in is bad no matter what and there is no way to pull them through since the hole is blind but heat the case to about 275deg and freeze the bearing and it drops right in.

This is good information Flying. What gear oil would you recommend for the rear end? I just picked the Big Red up last night and it's been sitting for 19 years! The owner put some oil down the cylinder so the engine isn't seized, but I'd like to go through the entire bike this weekend and change all the fluids, clean the carburetor if time allows.

Thanks,
IronBear

[TatTooL23]

The side covers r missing??

[thestud25]

The side covers r missing??

I saw both of them in the pics.

[TatTooL23]

Ohhhh ok. Sorry. Very nice big red

So what did u get it for?

[IronBear]

Ohhhh ok. Sorry. Very nice big red

So what did u get it for?

I have both side covers. They were removed because I was looking at the machine. However, I'll be looking for a right hand mudguard because the one I have is cracked.

The owner sold me the machine for $500.00. He gave me all the paperwork (certificate of origin, bill of sale) and even some extra OEM spark plugs, new in the box! Not sure if their still good, but they appear to be in decent shape :)

[dustrunner]

AWESOME flyingw , hopefully ( knock on wood) i wont have any problems with my fleet, but log skidding season and creek challenge is comming up fast and you never know... but i have a spare rear so im thinking that would be easier than rebuilding a broken one correct ? is all the 85- 87 big reds rears the same ?

[sledcrazyinCT]

AWESOME flyingw , are all the 85- 87 big red/SX rears the same ?

[JasonB]

congrats on the awesome find! looks great, just needs some scrubbing but otherwise I could believe low horus for sure! dont know why theres corosion on the light brace though.... anyhow, awesome clean machine! Im jealous! I wouldnt think the Diff would need rebuilt though. But ya. I have been through one diff rebuild, they are not something you can do at home without the tools to get the major rings off to get into them lol. I paid honda to tear into mine and I pushed the seals in myself since that was all I could do.

How much do you charge to do a diff FlyingW? ATC-Lindsey needs hers rebuilt from her 85SX. PM me if need be, dont want to clutter up someone elses thread :D

[Thorpe]

AWESOME flyingw , are all the 85- 87 big red/SX rears the same ?

No. 85 fits 85.... 86-87 are interchangeable.... The correct year differential will swap between the SX and the BR, but the gear ratio is different between the two... Did that make sense?

[IronBear]

Well I finally was able to work on the Big Red this weekend. Below is what I've done to date:

~ Changed oil/filter
~ Cleaned and rebuilt the carburetor
~ Cleaned gas tank
~ Replaced air filter
~ New Battery
~ Replaced the spark plug

Just need to change the differential fluid. Machine runs nice.

Also, where can I find a left hand side mudguard. After further inspection, mine has some minor cracks, probably from sitting all these years.

Thanks

[Afrothunderkat]

$500?

Mean deal. People up in NH try to sell big reds all spray painted and what not for $1000.

Good find man!

[IronBear]

Thank you Afrothunderkat!

I've been looking for a clean Big Red for quite some time. Maybe we can hook up for a ride sometime!

[Afrothunderkat]

Thank you Afrothunderkat!

I've been looking for a clean Big Red for quite some time. Maybe we can hook up for a ride sometime!

Yeah deff! Im sure we could gather quite a few people for a ride. Trails around here are a little rocky, but further you go out, nicer they get!

[IronBear]

Yeah deff! Im sure we could gather quite a few people for a ride. Trails around here are a little rocky, but further you go out, nicer they get!

Sounds like a plan! Maybe we can set a ride up for after the holidays. Never been to Richmond as I'm only 5 years young to NH.