catch a tiger by the toe

[kaymo]

i had a better solution to that problem. new thread. NO BS PLEASE THANKS!!

I found this tiger 500 languishing in a motorcycle scrap yard. took all of my being to keep a poker face, i knew what it was.

i got out of there with it for a great deal. the wheels arent original they were labeled trimoto yamaha but they will fit

the forks are gone. wayy too rusty. going to try and fit 250r forks i have. i have read 36 and 40mm on size, im guessing 40 is correct but i talked to someone who said their 250r forks were 39mm. close enough for me ill make that work.

ive fixed worse machines to showroom quality, but nothing as hard to get parts for. Im talking to a few members with parts they are willing to sell me and i appreciate their help. also have a few folks looking for an engine for me. their help is appreciated as well.


my last thread got really trashed up so I ask that only people post that have parts they wish to offer to sell me (or better donate to the cause!) or information on anything that could help this machine live again. those that would post nasty comments can keep them to themselves (find something better to do with your time) or i will lock it fast and ask anyone wanting to talk to private message me. I would rather avoid that but I dont have time for any other BS thanks!!!

200931200932200933200928200929200930

[Dirtweed]

That is a great find, good luck getting it back together!!!

[just ben]

I would send the fork tubes to forks by frank to have new ones made rather than try to fit something else to it.

[kaymo]

do any idea what something like that would cost? i understand the parts to rebuild them are hard to find as well

[blue27]

Great find, shoot me a PM I can help find some parts and I can make reproduction decals when you are ready.

[SteveCZ28]

yay, i was actually half pissed when i saw your other thread get trashed. i hate when something cool like this gets ripped apart.
sadly i dont have parts or any info to help you out. but im anxious to see what you can do to this machine. like i said in the other thread, i absolutley love reading stories like this, with such a great piece of history. kudos to you for finding this diamond in the rough.

[ps2fixer]

Subbed (again) lol. Looking forward to seeing photos as you fix it up.

I wonder what kind of production numbers there were for the tigers, I know they are rare.

[ebaccm26]

Seriously an awesome find, good luck bringing it back to life.

[Mickey Dunlap]

Well I'm kind of happy for, but mostly sorry it's not going to be mine:( :lol:

There is a guy sell a Super 4 and a nice looking 250 half way done that you might get a hold of in CT.

chaplin-kawasaki-polaris is the sellers name on e-bay.

Good luck fixing it up.:D

[El Camexican]

i had a better solution to that problem. new thread. NO BS PLEASE THANKS!!

Much better! Super find, thank you for sharing!

[robertc]

I would send the fork tubes to forks by frank to have new ones made rather than try to fit something else to it.

Although this would normally be an excellent suggestion, the forks he has are the only set they haven't been able to reproduce. I know because I sent mine to them, and they sent them back. The older woman (franks wife?) told me it was the first time they could not reproduce the tubes. I was crushed, thought for a few weeks my fork worries were over. Restoring one of these is much more than I ever anticipated when first starting. I sent mine to the following company after a referral from the referral that I was given by Franks.

http://www.ecgrinding.com/

I may have some 500 motor parts for you, as well as some leads for the bits and pieces(PM sent). Good luck with your rare beauty!

[TatTooL23]

So jealous.... Very cool man. Months ago a motor for a 500 came up near me. I actually went back and further a few times with the guy. Was going to buy it just cuz I knew it was rare but never did. I can try to find any info on it but I don't think I have any.

[Toaster556]

If the forks are 40 or 38 mm Marzocchi units, various vintage KTMS, Can Ams and Montessas all sported them. Perhaps you could use fork tubes from one of them with the original sliders. Can Am also had the same Rotax 486 motor in their 500ASE and 500MX bikes, as well as some Puchs. Classic Can Am may be able to help you with parts, they list a few suppliers that specialize in the old Rotax stuff.
Awesome find nonetheless, and for sure a cool project!

[kaymo]

Well I'm kind of happy for, but mostly sorry it's not going to be mine:( :lol:

There is a guy sell a Super 4 and a nice looking 250 half way done that you might get a hold of in CT.

chaplin-kawasaki-polaris is the sellers name on e-bay.

Good luck fixing it up.:D


i never said i WOULDNT sell it to ya! haha just havent decided yet. I have been meaning to call you its just been crazy around here. I think i may have lost your other number in the deleted thread, so you can PM me if you didnt PM it to me already (you may have i might have forgotten)



I would like to thank everyone in my new thread. this is more like it!

I know i upset a few folks talking about modifying this machine to put a different engine in it, but I spoke to someone who had ridden a machine with the mighty 500 on it and described it as a hard to start vibrating monster that was just itching to throw you off if you touched the throttle the wrong way. I am not a 2 smoker fan to begin with, i enjoy electric start as well as 4 stroke torque on demand and the ability to putt around

that being said, i may end up putting an engine in it because i want to ride this beast but dont feel the need to restore it original or have 500ccs on tap. now if i find one for a good deal i know it will increase its value and wouldnt pass it up but im not going to stress myself about it either way.

right now im just going to clean it up, park it in my shop and finish other things to get them out of the way for more important projects such as this.


again thank you all for the nice clean new thread. lets keep it up!

[fabiodriven]

You would be surprised what a 500cc two stroke is like. It's not going to do anything your right thumb (or wrist) doesn't tell it to do. They do have tons of power on tap, yes, but the low end torque and mid range power make it far different than 125 or 250cc two strokes. It's much more manageable and a pleasure to ride in my opinion, although I'm not familiar at all with Rotax's version. People are always scared of 500 two strokes and maybe some people should be, but it's not going to do anything you don't tell it to. It's your bike, do what you want, but if you want a four stroke there's plenty of 350X's out there.

[Mickey Dunlap]

i never said i WOULDNT sell it to ya! haha just havent decided yet. I have been meaning to call you its just been crazy around here. I think i may have lost your other number in the deleted thread, so you can PM me if you didnt PM it to me already (you may have i might have forgotten)



I would like to thank everyone in my new thread. this is more like it!

I know i upset a few folks talking about modifying this machine to put a different engine in it, but I spoke to someone who had ridden a machine with the mighty 500 on it and described it as a hard to start vibrating monster that was just itching to throw you off if you touched the throttle the wrong way. I am not a 2 smoker fan to begin with, i enjoy electric start as well as 4 stroke torque on demand and the ability to putt around

that being said, i may end up putting an engine in it because i want to ride this beast but dont feel the need to restore it original or have 500ccs on tap. now if i find one for a good deal i know it will increase its value and wouldnt pass it up but im not going to stress myself about it either way.

right now im just going to clean it up, park it in my shop and finish other things to get them out of the way for more important projects such as this.


again thank you all for the nice clean new thread. lets keep it up!


No big deal I have too many projects already.

What you might think about is getting is a 500cc Rotax 4 stroke with electric start motor in it because that's what I was working on at the factory before I went back to Powroll. I had sent a 350 motor to them to build it to a 500 because it was lighter.

So you could build the only Future Tiger 500!:cool:

[jays375]

If your going with a Tiger from the future.Why not some new style 40mm inverted dirt bike forks?Maybe you could use your current triples even?You were planning on riding it correct?Worth looking into at least.Be pretty cool to own a resto mod Tiger 500.I would keep the 500cc power plant.Sure you could have it upgraded some how.

[Orangecnty250r]

Hey Mickey, Could you shoot me your phone #. The other thread was deleted with it in it!

[Orangecnty250r]

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/mcy/4622856354.html

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/mcy/4622856354.html

https://inlandempire.craigslist.org/mcy/4622856961.html

3 of them at one time doesnt happen often

[C.J]

If your going with a Tiger from the future.Why not some new style 40mm inverted dirt bike forks?Maybe you could use your current triples even?You were planning on riding it correct?Worth looking into at least.Be pretty cool to own a resto mod Tiger 500.I would keep the 500cc power plant.Sure you could have it upgraded some how.

That's what I'm sayin! Inverts, a good strong rear shock (custom elka or fox float), but keep the Rotax mill

[bkm]

Most newer 4 stroke engines are going to have the output shaft on the left side. That would require changing the sprocket and brake setup around on the Tiger.

[Mickey Dunlap]

Hey Mickey, Could you shoot me your phone #. The other thread was deleted with it in it!


814-842-6159 3-6:00 pm Mon-Fri. est.

[kaymo]

yes ive already looked at all the challenges im going to face with putting a different motor in. the only thing i havent done yet is start measuring. I have a lot of other stuff going on right now so im going to start collecting parts i know ill need like a front fender, brakes etc.

mickey i would love to build the future 500 do you happen to have that motor lying about i could get off ya? :D no seriously though i could probably live with it being a 2 stroke. i just understand that the powerbands are usually kinda psycho on 2 strokes.

either way its going to be a long process. ive got a lot of other irons that have been in the fire so long they've probably melted. back to work i go

[C.J]

It depends on what engine it is and how it's built, piped and carbed. Like, you can take a CR80, port it to hell and back, drop the compression, pull the exhaust port way up, and throw a drag pipe on it and it'll hit harder than any 250R you've ever seen. But in the same token,, you can take something like a banshee that's known for it's huge hit, and carb it down, put a 2-1 pipe, and drop the cylinders to get the compression way up and the port timing down, and you'll get a real mild power delivery. It'll still yank your arms out but not all at once LOL

IMO the Rotax 500 is a very mild and gentle beast vs something like the 490 Maico's of the time.

[Orangecnty250r]

yes ive already looked at all the challenges im going to face with putting a different motor in. the only thing i havent done yet is start measuring. I have a lot of other stuff going on right now so im going to start collecting parts i know ill need like a front fender, brakes etc.

mickey i would love to build the future 500 do you happen to have that motor lying about i could get off ya? :D no seriously though i could probably live with it being a 2 stroke. i just understand that the powerbands are usually kinda psycho on 2 strokes.

either way its going to be a long process. ive got a lot of other irons that have been in the fire so long they've probably melted. back to work i go

Hey did you get the email I sent you regarding the front fender, I haven't heard back from you

[Ghostv2]

So I've seen you listed it on craigslist...

[slashfan7964]

So I've seen you listed it on craigslist...

Yeah I saw that on one of the Facebook groups earlier.

[SteveCZ28]

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooooooooooo dont do it

[Ghostv2]

I don't mean to cause trouble, but it rubs me the wrong way when you have all these collectors here on 3ww that will bring it back to life and would snatch it up in a heartbeat, and you say no. You say you will put in the work and shell out the money and do it yourself. Which is fine, by all means. But then you list it on CL? Any explanation for that?

This reminds me of another machine that keeps popping up on here...

[robertc]

I don't remember what day the original thread was started, but the craigslist ad below was originally placed 21 days ago, updated 9 days ago.

http://hickory.craigslist.org/snw/4641090971.html

[tripledog]

Yupper, the Hickory SC craigslist pics are gonna sell that baby fur sher!

[kaymo]

I don't mean to cause trouble, but it rubs me the wrong way when you have all these collectors here on 3ww that will bring it back to life and would snatch it up in a heartbeat, and you say no. You say you will put in the work and shell out the money and do it yourself. Which is fine, by all means. But then you list it on CL? Any explanation for that?

This reminds me of another machine that keeps popping up on here...


i never said no. i said i wasnt sure what i was gonna do with it yet and i wasnt ready to sell yet. i posted the craiglist ad shortly after i got the machine, before it was on here. i was hoping that it would catch the attention of the original owner possibly in the area, or possibly someone else that had some info or parts. matter of fact the first person i spoke to on the phone about it was from my craigs ad so it worked.

im sorry that what i do with my machine rubs any of you the wrong way, but you will just have to get over it. i might put a rotax in it. i might put a chinese 200 in it. i might sell it, or maybe trade it for something ive always wanted, who knows? ive got a ton of projects going on so this just cant be a priority right now.


oc250r- i did get the email! i am sorry ive been so swamped i havent gotten a chance to reply. i def want a fender for this thing, i will email you about it asap!


guys just a small update, i was moving the ol girl to her new hiding place and noticed a stamping on the frame downtube on the driver side. "052A"

[kaymo]

Yupper, the Hickory SC craigslist pics are gonna sell that baby fur sher!

i love it when yankees try to make fun of southerners...

its hickory NC not SC. and if you are gonna make fun of southern dialect its "fer" not "fur" and its "shur" not "sher" lol

the pictures were intentionally not very good. it weeded out the "how much" dumb@$$es real quick. when you email me asking how much without asking any other questions or asking for more pics? then you're not a serious buyer. serious folks left me their phone numbers, asked multi questions and asked for more pics.

yeah us southern boys shur are stoopid.

[tecaterob]

i love it when yankees try to make fun of southerners...

its hickory NC not SC. and if you are gonna make fun of southern dialect its "fer" not "fur" and its "shur" not "sher" lol

the pictures were intentionally not very good. it weeded out the "how much" dumb@$$es real quick. when you email me asking how much without asking any other questions or asking for more pics? then you're not a serious buyer. serious folks left me their phone numbers, asked multi questions and asked for more pics.

yeah us southern boys shur are stoopid.

Man I don't know what is your problem. Your talking trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro about the guy that posted this calling him a Yankee and so on. Then calling everyone that wanted to know how much for your bike dumbasses. You claim everyone is disrespecting u, yet u start trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro. Your post on Craigslist was to sell not to get info.

[kaymo]

i called him a yankee because his info says new york and hes obviously made fun of southern dialect with his "fur sher" comment. and i know yankees i call yankees that dont get offended, because they are, they know they are.. and its ok.

I called people who emailed me with two words asking how much dumbasses because if they went off my fender pics alone with no other questions or want for other pics, they probably arent serious buyers with serious interest in the first place, they are just fishing. we get a lot of those dumbasses around here on craigslist, with EVERYTHING.

i didnt start trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro but i will finish it no problem.

my post on craiglist was to sell? really? you know what the hell im thing or intentions are? thats why i posted such good pics of it, and put a very specific price on it. pure genius.

i told you what the ad is for, and that its already worked as intended. you want to worry about it beyond that its your own problem. my advice is to build a bridge and get the trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro over it

now back to the non bullshit.....




anyone got any ideas on this 052a stamping? tiger guys what do your stamps say?

[Ghostv2]

I can see this thread ending the same way the last one did.

And who the hell cares what he said, I live in Pennsylvania, a coal mining boomtown so to speak that dried up and has nothing to offer but a walmart and equal amounts of churches and bars on every corner. You travel in any which direction ad you have enough southern wannabes most people call "rednecks". With shows like duck dynasty, this lingo is in every household. We all know their faces are on everything.

Now what you do with the machine I could not care less, it's your property. Cut it up and sell it as souvineers for all I care. I just wanted an explanation on why there was plenty of members here willing to take it, and then you said no and did that.
But at this point I don't even remember what was said. That ship has sailed. I'm too poor to own a 250r, so owning a project like that is stupid to me, I would of unloaded it to the next guy with a nice trike for trade.

If you truly want to get serious offers and trades, you can't be a jerk. Nobody wants to deal with that. I understand it's rare enough that people want it regardless. But still.

And sorry if this ends up getting closed, I probably didn't help lol.

[kaymo]

ghost you raised legitimate reasons to be miffed, you just didnt have all the facts at hand. i did not mind your post at all, glad to answer your concerns. its just that i never said no to anyone, just that i wasnt sure yet. i just got the thing... you think im ready to send it right back out the door? ive got to have at least 3 dozen more sitting on the floor of the garage "runs" doing my best weedwhacker impression, leg cocked over the seat lol

im not trying to be a jerk, im just defensive because of all the bullshit i caught last time i was there, and some more the second time i arrive with something that if i read about someone finding i would be cheering on, offering any advice i had to give and even help keep an eye out for parts for the fellow. i believe we should be supporting each others to keep out trikes going, not fighting about stupid trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro.

ive got a machine shop and if a triker asked me for help with some machining, i would be quick to offer assistance. same with many of my resources. keeping old machines alive means a lot more to me than any of these petty sqabbles. they are bullshit and those involved including me need to rework our priorities when it comes to posting on these kinds of sites. i usually try to make sure my posts are constructive, considerate, accurate, and hopefully helpful. if not i keep my damn mouth shut unless someone wants to call me out. then i get all redneck and start squabbling lol

just dont argue with me when im drunk it never goes well. for anyone or my keyboard

[86T3]

The thing about that 500 is that its a race only machine. The frame wont last as a trail rider and the suspension wont ride very well. Its a highly specialized machine and you cant change that. It you want to ruin its value and throw an unoriginal motor in it to piss blood after a half day of riding thats your own deal. If you want to restore that machine to its former glory to race or as a show machine you'll only get help from this site and the members. I guess what i'm saying is you dont need the attitude, you have all of our attention

[tripledog]

Dude, relax. It was the dog in my avatar doing the typing, thus the phonetic reference to fur. She is covered with it, so she tends to be a bit biased. Proper capitalization and punctuation can be your friend.

[kaymo]

The thing about that 500 is that its a race only machine. The frame wont last as a trail rider and the suspension wont ride very well. Its a highly specialized machine and you cant change that. It you want to ruin its value and throw an unoriginal motor in it to piss blood after a half day of riding thats your own deal. If you want to restore that machine to its former glory to race or as a show machine you'll only get help from this site and the members. I guess what i'm saying is you dont need the attitude, you have all of our attention

i know it was built as a racer,but pretty sure i saw the advert showing it run around offroad looked just fine.
why would the frame not last as a trail rider? it seemed to handle being used as a puller with tractor tires. its got a big beefy axle. the frame is chromoly steel and made of thicker tubing than the smaller tigers. the tiger came with optional knobbies. the suspension can be changed, but i dont see why it wouldnt be fine stock with some ride height changes.

i dont race, dont have a place to race. but i dont have any worry about the frame holding up to any kind of abuse which is why i wanted to start with it

the value makes me hesitant to modify it, doesnt mean i wont but i can wait to see what i can find for it.


i really dont see where my attitude has been anything other than adequate for the flak ive taken from some members here. its no secret. there are known to be unnecessarily abusing members that drive away people from the site. i am simply telling those folks to buzz off


tripledog- no worrieds my cat types for me all the time. hope you dont think being a yankee is offensive. i live in the bible belt and it brings me much grief. esp when i want booze on sunday lol

[El Camexican]

I think I’m going to stop checking this thread.

While it is your trike (or pieces thereof) to do with as you wish, it pains me to see that you would consider doing anything other than preserving, or restoring it. I sincerely hope you understand the rarity of those parts and will sell or trade them to someone with the means and expertise to return them to their former glory. To modify that frame to insert a different power plant and trail ride the plastic off it would be kin to putting an XS650 engine into a 1903 Harley frame and entering an MX race.

Again, yours to do with as you wish, but if you’re looking to shed any “Southern Engineering” stereotyping that would be the wrong way to go about it.

[tripledog]

Kaymo, my bad. I have a nasty habit of trashing c-list adds, but it isn't cool to do that to one posted by a 3WW forum member. Sorry about that. As far as the Yankee comment goes, I don't find that least bit offensive. Hell, I don't even like baseball!

[yaegerb]

Since you listed it on CL I assume you have a price in mind. What do you want for the bike as it currently sits?

[3 Wheel Drive]

That 250 Tiger on ebay was not even a roller and it sold for 3K. The tank shroud and fenders looked mint, missing alot of small parts too.

[kaymo]

it was missing a rear hub which i understand those are like hens teeth.

the tank and fenders looked mint yes, but the decals were all wrong on it. the 250 was too big, to thin, and just not correct.

it seems tigers only come in 2 conditions... brand new cause they were never finished or sold

or clapped out and rough because they were raced. minty is nice and all but you know mine saw action!


and since i listed on craigslist is no reason to assume i have a number in mind. like ive said like 20 times now, i was more hoping to find the original owner in the area. maybe someone that has the motor out of it will see my ad.


el mexican- my mods if i do any will be reversible. i wont be doing any major cutting or modifying of the frame itself if i decide to put something else in it. i would like to be able to ride it no matter whats in it.

and as far as trail riding the plastics off, my plastics are already powdery and brittle. i will be using them to fiberglass myself a few sets as to not be damaging anything original

[yaegerb]

it was missing a rear hub which i understand those are like hens teeth.

the tank and fenders looked mint yes, but the decals were all wrong on it. the 250 was too big, to thin, and just not correct.

it seems tigers only come in 2 conditions... brand new cause they were never finished or sold

or clapped out and rough because they were raced. minty is nice and all but you know mine saw action!


and since i listed on craigslist is no reason to assume i have a number in mind. like ive said like 20 times now, i was more hoping to find the original owner in the area. maybe someone that has the motor out of it will see my ad.


el mexican- my mods if i do any will be reversible. i wont be doing any major cutting or modifying of the frame itself if i decide to put something else in it. i would like to be able to ride it no matter whats in it.

and as far as trail riding the plastics off, my plastics are already powdery and brittle. i will be using them to fiberglass myself a few sets as to not be damaging anything original



Sigh.....I'll ask again. What do you want for it.

[erectordale]

I've quietly watched and read this thread here's my 2 cents if a alternative power plant other than the original rotax was put in this machine it would be no differant than doing a honda It would be a shame to see that. i know it takes time but everything to restore/rebuild is out there with a lot of searching. i built 1- 500 from parts that was converted too a quad (wishing i would have never sold) kaymo if you keep this please take your time and restore it will cost around $4k to restore correctly since i've seen this thread i have located everything that it would take to restore except the pipe which was a tiger only piece. that is what would take the time