My 350x rebuild with pictures Whiskey Throttle is done!

[ditchmud]

I bought my 1985 350x back in the spring of '08. It was a fine machine that had been well cared for. I gladly paid the gentleman $1500 for it and brought it home. I was very excited to get such a nice 350x. My 2 buddies here at home both had 350xs and I was envious every time I lagged behind on my 1984 Big Red bouncing down the trail because of the lack of suspension. Ok it did have front suspension with a whopping 1.5" of travel or so:lol:

This picture is at Trikefest '08 just a couple months after getting my X
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg308/ditchmud/350x%20rebuild/DSC00323-1.jpg



This is my X today
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg308/ditchmud/350x%20rebuild/20130201_6.jpg

After 4 trikefests, plenty of riding trips, ice races, Rose city trips, and several motocross races and a few drag races, and one crash this is her current condition!

That picture is the last picture of my machine before the teardown begins. She will never be the same again! It has been an awesome machine to me, but the time has come to upgrade some things and pretty her up.

After some research and looking at others builds, talking to a few people getting advice and what not here is where I am going with this build:

First off it will be a complete teardown.

I will gusset the frame and it is going to be powder coated but the color is a surprise:naughty:

I will be installing a set of Hall's Performance triple trees with a set of cr125 forks to give it plenty of travel and give it a plush ride.

It will get new fenders, a clark gas tank, and a headlight shell all in BLACK! I recieved a headlight shell today from my good buddie John Swinehart. It is officially the first part aquired in this build, THANKS John and Liway!
http://i251.photobucket.com/albums/gg308/ditchmud/350x%20rebuild/20130201_7.jpg

The swing arm is going to be extended 3" and then chromed just to add a little bling in the rear to give the guys behind me something better to look at than my Butt:welcome:

I am still undecided what I am going to do with the rear suspension so any suggestions or advice would be appreciated:welcome:

It will be getting a new exhaust from front to back.

a 400ex carb or maybe one from a crf

A new cam, timing chain, valves, rings, a little port work and that's about all for the engine. It runs good and strong as it is so it really just needs a little freshening up.;)

A set of fat bars with some new controls.

New wheels and tires to plant her to the ground!

That's about all I can say for now I will update as things come along!

[GO OVRIT]

Looking forward to it. It sounds like a similar build to what I'm starting. I like that headlight plastic.

[tapper190]

Sounds like a good build or freshen up Rich! I'm not sure if you seen Kasey's build with the 350x. He mounted a 250r pro link set up on I believe was a '85 350x. Looks very good and would probably be your best bet. I love the xr500 pro link set up on the 600.
Tapper

[ditchmud]

Got my new forks in the mail today! I got them off of eBay for like $100 shipped! They are from a '98 CR125, they need new seals and bushings but they look to be in great shape.

Last weekend I took my frame, swingarm, and triple trees up to Jason Hall. He is going to gusset my frame, extend the swinger 3.5", and press the shaft out of my old triples to use in the new set.

That's where we are right now.

[atctim]

I'm looking forward to watching this build Rich!

[keister]

I have a new in package 400EX carb. Text me if you want it.

[Howdy]

Rich, you need a new tire on front. How about one that has traveled 4000+ miles? LOL

I got a package ( many items ) to come your way. Think they can screw 2 packages up?
Howdy

[ditchmud]

Been chatting with Jason Hall and he is going to fit a trx450r rear swingarm to the x frame. This should open up a whole new world of options to me!

[Kintore]

Git it buddy! Love a nice working over 350x!

[ditchmud]

Went up and picked up my frame and forks today! I didn't take a picture of the frame with the swing arm mounted before we took it apart to get it in the car, but Jason Hall did a great job reinforcing my frame by adding gussets. I will get some pictures up soon. Jason mounted a trx450r swing arm to my frame and used a rear shock from a cr500 dirt bike so that I can still use my stock air box.

For now here is a picture of my new Hall's performance triple trees and CR forks.

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[CRAZY70MAN]

Man Rich....I'm really diggin' those inverts!!:naughty::naughty: Watchin' your build as I am into a 350x as well. Shoot me a pm. I would like to ask ya a few ??? on those inverts. Jason does some really great looking stuff man:lock: Keep us posted, nice work

[JasonB]

Looking good man! Can't wait to see it finished up. Man those inverts look sweet, I don't know that I have seen a 350x with inverts yet either, same goes for the 450r swinger. should be nice! Can't wait to get my inverts from Hall, I went with 01 cr125 forks

[ditchmud]

Couldn't figure out where to stash my front end until assembly.....
Ended up in my bedroom closet standing up in between my hanging clothes:naughty:
I'll bet I'm not the only one with cherished parts stashed in my bedroom??:banned:

[MojaveRider]

Looking good man! Can't wait to see it finished up. Man those inverts look sweet, I don't know that I have seen a 350x with inverts yet either, same goes for the 450r swinger. should be nice! Can't wait to get my inverts from Hall, I went with 01 cr125 forks

Not to steal ditchmud's thunder, but I've got inverts on my 350X: http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/156094-Picked-up-an-86-350X?p=1219746#post1219746

Someone here on 3WW had them previously, and I found them complete with forks on Craigslist. CR500 forks aren't exactly known for being cutting edge, but it is certainly nicer than the totally worn-out stock forks that were on the bike before.

The CR125 forks should be amazing!

[aldochina]

real nice dude! I have been waiting for some 350 threads! I need motivation, and this is just the ticket! Do the cr 125 forks need to be shortened at all?

[ditchmud]

real nice dude! I have been waiting for some 350 threads! I need motivation, and this is just the ticket! Do the cr 125 forks need to be shortened at all?

I really don't remember if they had to be shortened or not. Jason Hall was the fabricator maybe he will chime in.

Mojaverider, I hope that mine looks as nice as yours when it's done.

[ditchmud]

After some thought I do not believe that my forks were shortened because we used a longer swing arm than stock.

[6speedthumper]

real nice dude! I have been waiting for some 350 threads! I need motivation, and this is just the ticket! Do the cr 125 forks need to be shortened at all?

If motivation is what you need, you can check out my build thread. Not to steel ditchmud's thunder, but, I too love 350x builds! I'm really anxious to see the outcome of this X!!!!! More pics!!!!!

[ditchmud]

Not too much progress to speak of. I disassembled the new front end and sent some stuff off for polishing. Starting to gather parts to assemble for mock up before it goes to the powder coater.
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[ditchmud]

My seat is now done!

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Had some warning labels made! This one is on my SX but I have one for this build too!

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[DickyDanger]

Im going to be looking forward to seeing your progress im in the same boat with the 350x I just picked up recently

[ditchmud]

The motor always ran really strong, heck it was stock class drag champ 2 years in a row, but I decided to let Mr. Jason Hall crack it open and freshen her up! Gonna be doing some port work new valves, cam and piston just to freshen it up a bit. I should be getting the motor back soon and then I will begin the mock up assembly before stuff goes to powder coater.

[tanks350x]

awesome looking seat! looking forward to seeing it come together

[Matt85'350x]

Did this get finished? I like where it was headed.

[ditchmud]

I've had the motor rebuilt by Hall's Performance. I have a black low profile fender from Mickey Dunlap. I've also gathered some odds and ends. It's been a much slower project and I have almost thrown in the towel several times due to frustration. My main difficulty has been waiting on my triple trees. I sent them along with some other parts to a guy to engrave them. He has had them for over a year and still hasn't returned them.

I'll mount the seat onto the fender....maybe that will make me feel better.

[Jmoozy27]

Dude , that sucks, what's the hold up, that would piss me off!!!

[ditchmud]

Ok, I needed a little motivation so I gathered up some stuff and assembled. I put the seat and decals onto the rear fender. The rear fender is a fiberglass low profile fender from Mickey Dunlap. The seat was done by Mrs. Mosh at Cosmic Quads. The decals were done at Blueline Graphics by Blue27. Thanks to all of them and others that have been making custom parts for me and others.
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[blue27]

Looking GREAT!!!

[6speedthumper]

Looks great! I love my 350X. If I were you, I'd go get my parts back from the engraver!!!!

[Mosh]

I hope you stay motivated. This has the traits of being one of the coolest theme builds ever.
I have always had a love for semi stockish machines with full on theme builds. I always wanted to do a purple machine dressed in Crown Royal garb, but never did. Aside from a banshee or blaster purple plastic does not exist. My favorite build was definately the Bud Light Z, and yours has the makings of being cooler than that in my opinion, specifically because black is just such a cool look. Smack the engraver in the eye and get back to it. Everything looks too good so far to abandon.

[Jmoozy27]

Ok, I needed a little motivation so I gathered up some stuff and assembled. I put the seat and decals onto the rear fender. The rear fender is a fiberglass low profile fender from Mickey Dunlap. The seat was done by Mrs. Mosh at Cosmic Quads. The decals were done at Blueline Graphics by Blue27. Thanks to all of them and others that have been making custom parts for me and others.
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That's what we call a "Pappy"!!! Looks really cool. You gotta finish it now!!!

[ditchmud]

Got another key piece of the trike from Flyin Brian during Trikefest. It will be polished before completion.

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[ditchmud]

One more update: my triple tree clamps are still with the engraver but luckily they are the last custom piece of the puzzle! The rest is here already or easily ordered so it looks like I'm in the home stretch somewhat!

[Matt85'350x]

Got another key piece of the trike from Flyin Brian during Trikefest. It will be polished before completion.

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Nice! I thought you had abandoned this project ever since you had some inverts up for sale. Glad to see it's still happening. Just for my curiosity sake, why the aluminum tank?

[ditchmud]

Just for my curiosity sake, why the aluminum tank?

Because I thought it would be cool

[Matt85'350x]

Mission accomplished. Looks great!

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[ditchmud]

Just recently got busy on this project again. My frame is getting powder coated this week. I bought the parts to replace what the engraver has yet to return and had them along with the tank polished by Greg King polishing.once I get the frame back from pic this thing is going into full swing. It's been over 4 years since I tore it apart for this. It will be at Trikefest this year!

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[83ATC185]

That tank is beautiful man!

[ditchmud]

Frame is back from PC and I have almost everything ready to start assembling at least a rolling chassis. The gussets in the frame blend so well they look factory. Thanks Jason Hall.

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[Outlaw #24]

Thanks for the crook in my neck!

[ditchmud]

Sorry, I don't know why it puts them upside down.

[200x newby]

Hey Ditch who do you use for PC in Toledo? I live in BG and have been looking for a good source since I moved up here from Lima.

[86T3]

Looks great Rich, can't wait to see the completed machine

[Dirtcrasher]

Remember years ago when there were just a couple builds going on??

There are tons of builds of pure awesomeness now!!

Came out great buddy!!

[Matt85'350x]

How's this thing coming along?

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[ditchmud]

I kind of got myself in a bind and had to put this project back on the back burner again for a while. I still need some parts. Mainly axle and other parts related to the rear end of trike.

[Matt85'350x]

I kind of got myself in a bind and had to put this project back on the back burner again for a while. I still need some parts. Mainly axle and other parts related to the rear end of trike.
I think I know how that goes. I purchased a swing arm from HRE that allows me to run 450r components. Trouble is the whole point of doing that is to be able to take advantage of the parts support that's out there, not to buy beat up used stuff. So then you're buying a new axle, hubs, new brake caliper, carrier, rotor, sprocket, brake hub. By the time it all added up it was $1000! I also bought a new master cylinder too. And that $1000 doesn't include the actual arm. It's nice having new stuff but that particular upgrade cost me a lot of money for my build. Oh well, you gotta build it with the end result in mind, not a budget. Do it for the love.

Are you running the 450r swing arm still? Are you also using the 450r shock? I like the look of it so far, it'll definitely be the only 1 like it.

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[schlepp29]

Damn rich! That's gonna be an amazing looking bike! I'm loving every detail your putting into it. Polished aluminum on black! I can't wait to see it in person.

[ditchmud]

Matt,
Yes I am using a trx450er swingarm but it is mated to a shock for a CR500. Jason Hall chose that shock because I wanted to use the air box. I needed a remote reservoir shock to do that.

[ditchmud]

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Just some updated progress lately. Won’t be long now

[Footy]

Wow! You must have hundreds of hours into that. Beautiful. Let us know how the razr 2 front tire handles. I have used those on 4 wheelers many times but never with an atc.

[ditchmud]

The front tire is made by SunF . It was a $45 tire on eBay. It size it 22”x7”x11”. I have a 250r with a similar tire that was made by Duro but I can’t find the Duro anymore. The Duro handle really well so imagine this one will also since it’s so similar.

More progress! I have the motor ready to install! I’m waiting on some critical pieces from the powder coat man and I will be able to assemble this trike. I plan on removing the front end off of the frame. Then lay the motor on its side (kicker side down) and then slip the frame onto the engine. I have seen this done like this and it’s definitely the best way to reinstall the motor if possible. The 350x motor is very cumbersome and has to be twisted and turned to fit into the frame. It’s too big and heavy to do it easily and without any paint damage in my opinion.

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[devilman]

Nice build man. Can you post a video on youtube of you putting frame and motor together?

[ditchmud]

https://www.facebook.com/louis.mielke.96/videos/10211766270058694/

See if this link works

[ironchop]

Wow! Nice build.

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[ctk]

When we gonna go ride it??

[ditchmud]

When we gonna go ride it??

Soon! Real soon!

[ditchmud]

Getting really close now. Waiting on a critical piece to mount the carb and another to mount the swingarm. The light at the end of this tunnel is so bright!

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[Arky-X]

That is a beauty!

The OEM builds are impressive because of the rarity of nice OEM parts but these type of builds lets your imagination go anywhere. Love the design and the craftsmanship.

[ditchmud]

It’s a Roller now!

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[Atcrumm]

Wow looking great rich

[ditchmud]

It’s a runner as of today! Got the carb on and it started on the 3rd kick! It had an oil leak from having the incorrect o ring in the oil filter housing, an exhaust leak at the exhaust post and header, and a little fuel leaking from the carburetor that I have to sort out before I take it for a run up the road.

[ditchmud]

Ok folks it is done!!! I need to get a heavier spring for rear shock but other than that it’s done.
Here is a short summary of this build. It took me 5 years to gather parts and such. I almost gave up several times because of frustration but finally came through. First I would like to thank some people and give credit where it is due.
When I decided to do this build I wanted to use as many resources from my friends here on this site and in our tight knit community as possible.
First part I acquired for this build was the black headlight shell from John Swinehart. A lot of people inquire about it and I believe that item would be a great seller.
Next I contacted Jason Hall and told him that I wanted a fast and comfy trail rider. I wanted inverted forks. I wanted a Trx450r swingarm for parts availability. I wanted the frame gusseted for strength and most of all I wanted reliability with performance. So I dropped off my frame and some goodies to Jason. A while later I returned to pick up my frame with gussets added. A Trx450r swingarm that I sourced from Jonathon Honerlaw fitted to my frame and a beautiful set of inverts with a set of black anodized cr125 forks and Jason’s custom triple clamp kit. Jason also made a setup to mount Trx450r foot pegs to my 350x. They are big and no slipping off of them. They look and fit awesome! Later Jason finished my motor. It has a new Webb cam, new valves and a high compression piston. Jason did some great porting on the head that would require 2 things to make it work. It needed a better exhaust to handle all that flow and a better carburetor to feed it. Jason suggested a carb from an 04-06 crf250f. It’s a 38 mm FCR carburetor that works beautifully with everything that Jason did internally.
The exhaust was left up to Sam Harkabusic. It uses a trx400ex header modified and I gave him a muffler for a Trx450r to mate it to. Sam did an awesome job and it fits beautifully. I added a HRC tip to the muffler to increase its restricted stock flow. It sounds amazing!
The seat was made by Cosmic Quads. Mrs. Mosh did a wonderful job! I told her that I wanted it to resemble the Jack Daniels bottle label similar to the JD bass guitar used by Van Halen on the 1984 album. I’d say she hit a homerun!
Along the way I saw that Mickey Dunlap was selling a fiberglass low profile fender. I could get it in black and the low profile look makes the seat stand out even more!
Then I saw the Tri Z fallen members tribute bike and the aluminum top mount tank built by Flyin Brian. I asked Brian if he thought he could make that type of tank for a 350x and I challenged him to make it. As you can see he knocked it out of the park for me.
Dave “Tapper” Coleman provided me with a case saver and sprocket cover and also a license plate bracket.
Brad Rye supplied me with a 350x dress up kit which included motor mounts an additional sprocket cover that I put over Tapper’s sprocket cover to contrast each other and also a oil cooler guard that has Honda wings cut into it.
Greg king polished that tank and my triple clamps along with a few other odd pieces.
Bruce Allerman from Blueline graphics hooked me up with some decals to follow the theme.
Towards the end of the build I put a shout out to my friends on Facebook for some needed parts. Louis Mielke offered up the specific carburetor I needed. John T. McLaughlan gave up an axle and Richard Maestas got me a 350x steering stem I needed. Man what a boost that was to have people in my corner helping me along the way. One of my biggest supporters and advisors was Derrick Adams. In my opinion Derrick is the best at coordinating colors and designing a factory looking machine. I sent him many questions, pictures and generally counted on his advice in tying all of these great acquired parts together.
Building a custom machine you will come across many hurdles trying to get everything to work together. First off Jason did his homework engineering and fabricating this build so those hurdles I came to were minimal, however my talented toolmaker buddies at work save my butt when it came to needing special parts.
That about does it for my summary. I hope that I mentioned everyone and no disrespect if I missed you. Before I end this I have to say that it was truly an honor to have such great help on this project. All of these individuals have regular jobs, families and lives. It takes a little while for it to get done this way and a whole lot of patience and understanding on my part. I am truly honored that the absolute best people in our community came together on my project and I hope that what I have assembled showcases all of their talents at the level that they deserve. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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[hublake]

Fantastic Ditch.. Are we going to see it at Rose City?

[jeswinehart]

Yes, very impressive build Rich !!!

[ironchop]

Looks fantastic!

I sure miss all those people you mentioned around here from back in the day

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[wonderboy]

Hope to get to see this one in person! Looks really cool. Give us a ride report as soon as you get the chance.

[ditchmud]

Fantastic Ditch.. Are we going to see it at Rose City?
I’m planning on it buddy.

[ditchmud]

Entered the trike in a large bike show at Ohio Bike Week. The reviews and reactions from a mostly Harley-Davidson crowd was very positive. Even builders of some high end show bikes seemed to be impressed. I ended up winning Best of Class.
Can’t wait to bring it out for Trikefest and get to see people’s reactions.
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[ironchop]

Congrats on the win


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[schlepp29]

I forsee a best bike award this year! Just saying