My New Trike!! (Kinda) I know, i know. forgive me.

[redsox]

Well, i bought a fatcat. i know its not a trike and maybe a mod will move this. so be it. fact is, i think they're more like trikes than dirtbikes and the masses on here seem to have a soft spot for these and the BW yamas. so, here is where i posted. I must admit, i had never ridden one prior to buying this. I had a z50 as a kid and i loved it. i always wanted a fatcat as far back as i can remember. I've been casually looking for quite some time and a nice one popped on CL nearby. it was priced out of control and I ignored it. the description read that it was a California bike (I actually just typed trike and had to correct). The new owner bought it on ebay and had it shipped cross country here to massachusetts. now had "too many toys" and needed to make room. about a week went by and he re-posted for $300 less, but still too much. Another week and he reposted at the same price with "OBO" and he listed a number. I sent a text looking for his "rock bottom price" and he replied with a little more off. I ignored it. three days later i get a text out of the blue with a "take it away today" price that really peaked my interest. he was just about half his original asking. I drove right over and was immediately happy. not a speck of rust on the bike. plastics were totally intact (more on that later), everything original. even had original tool kit with honda low pressure air gauge!! i was pretty pumped. i took it for a ride and everything was great, except it wouldn't idle. i could tell it needed some carb attention and the fuel smelled a little old, but not awful. the tank was mint, as were the tires and seat. also, its an 87! then the guy shows me the california title and his bill of sale. (he was losing money) he said that he always wanted one, bought the nicest one he could find, and then didn't like it when he got it. he didnt like that it didnt idle. well, i didnt mind and i took it home. i tried to work a little more off the price but he wasnt having any of it. here it is.
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i'm a happy man. i pulled the carb and it was a little gummy. its getting a nice soak. which leads me to my first two questions. forgive my ignorance, but i haven't had alot of experience with these. first, did the fatcats all come with keihin carbs? this is not, and i fear its a knockoff. second, the fuel line from the tank to the carb is lighter and smaller than that of my 250sx (or other trikes for that matter). is that normal, or a non-factory replacement? third, when i pulled the petcock apart, and i pulled the screen filter off above the bowl of the petcock, i heard something fall. I don't remember anything else being in there other than the o-ring, but i heard something. i looked and looked and couldn't find anything. is there anything under this piece?176309

lastly, a plastics question. As stated above, the plastics are complete. not a chip, scrape, or crack. they are original and not repo's. there is some noticeable webbing that i assume is from the cali sun. that is not something i am used to. i'm happy to trade rusty everything for some webbed plastic! but, is there anything i can do to treat this? heat? sanding? etc. etc. i'm sure there are threads on here and i will do a better search, i just figured if i was writing this novel anyway, i might as well ask to get steered in the right direction. i'll post some more pics after she gets a bath and i'm actually home in the daylight.

[JasonB]

Very cool man, it belongs here no worries. Theres too much BW talk on here to say its not an outcast like the trikes we love so much ;) Nice acquisition!

[Ghostv2]

I heard you can sand them down but i always thought that webbing went all the way through. I just feel like it wouldnt fix it but i guess the experts know best.

[Dirtcrasher]

SWEET!!

I would have helped you with your forks, never heard back from you.......

[Bren_downe]

That's looks awesome! Is it the same one from VT?

[aldochina]

kick ass redsox!! looks mint, and sounds like you did pretty good on it! sorry cant help on your petcock, but the webbing can be scraped off with a razor, then wet sannded and polished. It is a ton of work and requires a good touch and alot of supplies. White is more forgiving then colored atleast.

[redsox]

That's looks awesome! Is it the same one from VT?

Thanks man. no, it was close by, here in massachusetts. that one in VT looks very nice as well though. big dollars. kid was also selling a couple of quads and an 85 big red. i think he's hurting for $.

Rory, thanks man. The webbing doesn't seem to be brittle at all, so i'll hold off on taking an unexperienced razor to it. maybe i'll practice on my S-box 200m plastics first. we'll see. as for the petcock, i know something fell outta there, bt i'll be damned if i could find it. I checked the exploded view and i seem to have all the parts. maybe i'm just going crazy.

[redsox]

the Fatcat has a Wabron carb on it. Bummer. I tore it down and cleaned it. it seems to be in good condition. it'll be back on tomorrow. it feels really cheap. they're like 30 bucks, brand new. Anyone have any experience with these? is it a paperweight? i'd like to get some time out of it if i can, but on't wanna run junk.

[3 Wheel Drive]

Now all you need to do is mod a 250r rear end and your good to go! Just kidding it would be sweet to see a BW350 conversion though,,, check out Mr BigWheels vids sometime!