1985 Kawasaki Tecate Racer Build.

[Keith Salyer]

I am building a Tecate to race and romp around on like I had in 1985. This will be a low budget build at first until I can find the semi rare KX parts , spring for the new plastic and find/build an aluminum tank. In the beginning the motor will be stock except some portwork ect. Flying W powder coating and plating parts so the foundation will be solid. I have the frame and swinger (2 in over) ready to go and the parts coming to freshen214915 up the motor.

[Keith Salyer]

214957 Making headway on the powdercoated parts. It is going to be fun going back together with these clean, pretty parts.214959

[jb2wheels]

Oh that's going to be nice!

Is your swinger a stretched stocker or something more special? Curious be cause the 85 I sold in January had a +2 stocker and I really liked the way that trike handled compared to a stock length. Now I have an 84 project and I'm exploring options.

[Keith Salyer]

Yes John it is a 2 + stocker I got on ebay for $75. Before I'm done I will try to replace it with a franks or a westcoast.

[ironchop]

subscribed....I still have my `85 on the bench in pieces. I bought it a three years ago and hadn`t got around to it yet and then Tristan saw them in action at TF14 and begged me to get started on it so I gave it to him for his birthday a couple months after that. I had planned on this one being a father/son build.

Your timing couldn`t have been better, Keith

[86T3]

Just Ben has a Westcoast he might sell

[Keith Salyer]

215001215000Im a little late here but here is what my $100.00 bought me to start with.

[Keith Salyer]

215002Here is the motor before teardown.

[Fox250R]

Bet you will get it looking awesome!

[Keith Salyer]

215060Flying W got the plated parts done so I just have to drive the 100 miles to go pick them up :)215061

[jb2wheels]

More good looking parts. You're not trying to make Rampage with that, are you? It's going to be so nice.

I've been clear coating mine but that zinc looks so good I feel like a hack. Going to have to find a plater in Austin.

[Keith Salyer]

No I plan on having it running before the June 6th Overbrook TT Race in Kansas. 215103

[The_Steve_Man]

Are you bringing both bikes? Put you a kart axle in it.

[Keith Salyer]

Lol, I wish Robert. Hopefully when I am done it will look similar but sure won't be this blinged out. I would love to see more and know more about this tecate..

[Keith Salyer]

216373216374216375216376216377Made a little progress on these rainy days. Not much finer than bolting up clean, dry, beautiful parts to build a trike from the bonepile it was surely destined for :)

[Keith Salyer]

New bearings and seals are going in both ends to freshen things up. The machine shop wants $190.00 labor to put in my lower rod bearing with me supplying the parts. Seems a little steep to me? What do you think...

[nd4speed]

Hmm..havent had a crank rebuilt in awhile but standard hourly rate around here at motorcycle shops is $75. I think last one cost me like $80-90 and the Lakes Motorsports owner even welded it for free since he thought it would be better (which of course it was).

I supplied the rod kit I got for $60. I had like $150 into it.

I found a machinist who works out his garage pretty cheap and he does all kinds of stuff like sleeves and boring. He did a iron sleeve bore job while I waited and watched for $20 cause he was taking his wife out right after. He has parts and does a lot of snowmobile engine builds.

[NeverLift]

http://www.billbune.com/services.html

If you want to ship the crank these guys do awesome work at a very good price $50. I have had them rebuild 5 or more for me.

[The_Steve_Man]

I can get it done for you for $50. I bet Jim knows somebody.

[Keith Salyer]

216450Motor coming apart tonight and freshened up.

[Keith Salyer]

216496216497Made some headway last night but got slowed up because the wife brought home 3 trees to plant :(

[ironchop]

Any progress? Pics of those trees you had to plant maybe?

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[bkm]

Yes progress please. Lol
On a side note I'm foolin around with a first gen right now and never realized how damned heavy the triples are. Are they cast steel?

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[phantomtracer]

Did you cut the rotors on a brake lathe?
What did you do to them?

[Keith Salyer]

Oh my gosh, yes the yard and farm work are getting in the way. I tinkered a little last night on the Tecate and received some spacers that go from 4x4 to 4x110 for the Honda wheels I have. I am still looking for an aluminum tank? Phantom , Flying W is way good at powder coating and attention to detail. He gets the credit for the PC.

[Bungle]

I'm restoring a 84 found it very hard to get parts as I am from the UK. There was only ever 8 kxt 250's brought into the UK.
I had this +6 axle made with honda hubs with 110 pcd
http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o633/bungle280/6475AD50-383C-4FEA-B610-B9C546DD751F.jpg (http://s1151.photobucket.com/user/bungle280/media/6475AD50-383C-4FEA-B610-B9C546DD751F.jpg.html)
Keep up the good work it will look awsome when done

[onformula1]

I like those hubs, great work

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[tecaterob]

Great find...

[Keith Salyer]

Oh that is a beautiful axle and hubs. Who made that axle?

[Keith Salyer]

223676 I got the front tire mounted. It is an Ebay special for $80 TYD and is a 20X8X10 so it is mounted on the stock Rim.

[Keith Salyer]

223677The tire has nice rounded edges on the sidewalls and a fairly low profile. Lots of sharp edges for optimum stopping power for diving deeper in the corners before letting off and standing on the brakes to shave seconds off my lap times.

[ironchop]

Is that one of those American Racer's ( on the front?)

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[Keith Salyer]

It has SUN in yellow letters on the sidewall.

[jb2wheels]

Is that T3 hanging from the garage ceiling?

I can fit 2 or 3 more in the garage if I do that...

[Keith Salyer]

Why no John, I got the new levitation app on my I Phone 8 and it just floats there wherever you need it :) I need a bigger garage

[OZQUAD44]

Keith, that is a cool looking front. I would have thought the 8 inch nominal width would have been a bit narrow for the stock rim, but it looks fine. Can't wait to to hear about how it goes.

I'm in Perth Western Australia, and I have the same dilemma re TECATE's. I think there were only a few 84's that ever came in Australia through Kawaski. I've owned 2 87's and presently I've got an 85 and I've never seen an 85 in OZ other than mine.

I also have the same challenge re yard, farm, and family time. My trikes take a back seat in the third row, that's a given. Needs to get me the pause time app for my phone so I can finish off my 85. [emoji14]


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[Keith Salyer]

224399 Well I got me an aluminum tank coming for the build. Took 3 tries on ebay to get one I thought was worth investing in.

[xrider]

What is the tank off of Keith?

[Jmoozy27]

224399 Well I got me an aluminum tank coming for the build. Took 3 tries on ebay to get one I thought was worth investing in.

Nice coffin tank... How much $$$...

[Keith Salyer]

Its off the early Maico's. It has a couple of cracks but once they are fixed I will decide if I want to paint it, polish it or leave it raw. I needed the petcock on the right and this one has that. $62.00 plus shipping. I am happy happy happy.

[Keith Salyer]

Regarding the front tire's width it measures 9.25 inches wide at the tread.

[cochran]

Keith, I would like to see how the tank mounts up. Looks good.

[Keith Salyer]

225001225002225003This is just sitting on there for the pics. I will figure out how I want to mount it a little later. Looks good so far and is lighter than the original.

[ironchop]

At first, I thought it would look like sheet but with it sitting on there now, it definitely fits the flow.

Nice find!

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[Keith Salyer]

225004 While doing these Tank swaps one has to keep in mind where the petcock is in relationship to the pipe. Kawi has many great factory tanks you could use but the petcocks are on the left side same as the pipe :^(

[BigGreenMachine]

Great build so far! Thanks!

[John_Neary]

that gas tank looks great, always loved the freedom to move around on the bike a tiny gas tank would offer

[Keith Salyer]

John I like that narrow feel then it comes to standing up and gripping the trike with my knees. Plus the skinny tank allows you to cut the fork stops even further.

[John_Neary]

Yeah more steering lock was why i first tried a small tank when we replaced the tubby 185s tank on my Nicholson bike with a tank off a atc70 so i could flat track it better. The Honda power Quad i raced in 85 and 86 had a tiny little tank that CT made for me along with front plastic and a seat to fit it and it transformed the bike.

Its crass but i compared stock tanks to having sex with a pregnant chick. :twisted:

225309

Loved that bike so much, was a mistake switching from that setup to a Fourtrax.

[Keith Salyer]

I am still looking for a KX Cylinder for my motor if anyone has one? I found one that needed relined so should work out great after Selvy works his magic on it>

[bad to the bone]

Is there a new update on this tecate?

[Keith Salyer]

Deer season is drawing to a close so I am going to get back on it. Got my aluminum straps for the tank mounts. Happy 2016

[Keith Salyer]

228881Got my frame back from the Powder Coater so I will sling some wrenches this weekend.I have also decited to polish the tank first to see how I like it. Has anyone tried to polish the stock Tecate aluminum wheels?

[jb2wheels]

Looks soooo nice!

[loganm]

Kawasaki actually designed this engine to make peak horsepower when ran in tecate, Mexico. The air and humidity there flowed better than the inferior American air for making maximum power. If you want to simulate this while running in America, you can run 50:1 tecate beer instead of pre-mix.

[Keith Salyer]

229054229055229056Got some of the racer put together in between Honey Do's this weekend. This is going to be a Mongrel.

[atc300r]

Looks great so far. Cant wait to see it done.Is the motor next to the Tecate motor on your bench a Cammex air cooled 200-250 r. The head look different than the other air cooled motor.

[Keith Salyer]

That is a Cammex 250 Motor going in 2nd gen roller. I painted the frame white but it is already yellowing so I am going to spring for PC to finish the project.

[Keith Salyer]

229679229680Made some headway this weekend. BKM made some Delrin bushings for my swingarm that are sweet. These will last much better than the factory bearings.

[bkm]

Does the bushing stick out the same distance on the inside and outside? I think a 2 piece flange bushing similar to the 250r would be a better option.

The problem I see with these bushings is the swingarm can move laterally without an outer flange.

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[loganm]

Looks slick. Is delrin a good replacement for bearings at the front of the swinger?

Also, where in Kansas are you racing this thing at?

[Keith Salyer]

Delrin is deemed very durable. We race at Overbrook, just south of Topeka. They do a couple of races a year plus are part of the Missouri series this summer.

[Keith Salyer]

229785Bruce sent me a goodie bag of stickers. These Franks stickers make this swinger.

[bkm]

Keith, I still think we need to re-evaluate the bushing scenario. I'm not convinced the straight bushing is going to work and think a flange is going to be necessary.

[onformula1]

Keith, I still think we need to re-evaluate the bushing scenario. I'm not convinced the straight bushing is going to work and think a flange is going to be necessary.

I think you are correct, but Delrin flange washers could be added too.

[bkm]

I think you are correct, but Delrin flange washers could be added too.

True, but for simplicity sake, I'd like to make them flanged like the 250r setup. I guess I could always make 4 washers for Keith to use, then just make the flanged bushings from here on out?

[Keith Salyer]

Brian, do you need different measurements? I have a tecate with the motor still in it to get the specs from. 230435Getting the cases split to send off the crank, case halfs and top end.
230443

[bkm]

I need to know how much the bushing sticks out from the swingarm on the outside and inside. I also need to know the diameter of the pivot tube itself.

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[Keith Salyer]

230587Made a little progress this weekend. My main accomplishment was to tear down two other Tecates to make them easier to store.

[Keith Salyer]

I am double checking the ID of the swinger and the OD of the swinger bolt. The bushings we put in the Blue swingarm are such a tight fit I do not believe they will walk around any.230592230593230594

[Keith Salyer]

230604230605Here are the Bushing OD and the bushing ID.

[Keith Salyer]

230688230689Wheels are at PC.

[Keith Salyer]

Check out what I just got back from PC231044These are going to have Tri-Trak Hoosier 18x10x10 tires mounted on them.

[Keith Salyer]

231194This s pretty awesome looking.

[Jmoozy27]

Definitely gives it a vintage look. Looking good

[Keith Salyer]

231910Got the Front wheel tire done.

[The_Steve_Man]

Wait, that's not a Hoosier! . Looks good.

[Keith Salyer]

232259 Moving along.

[Keith Salyer]

232260232261It was nice to have a long weekend.

[Keith Salyer]

[232357Polishing the tank also.Got the tank mounts done and mounted the pipe. I have a couple of pipe dents that need removed and I plan on Polishing the tank also

[Keith Salyer]

232358That's better.

[Keith Salyer]

232361Got the tank mounts done and mounted the pipe. I have a couple of pipe dents that need removed and I plan on Polishing the tank also and Putting Bruce's Kawasaki stickers on

[jb2wheels]

I'm glad you're doing this, Keith!

I was going to clean up my beater 85 but even cleaned up it would look like poo next to yours so now I won't bother.

Saved me a bunch of time and $$$ - thanks! ;)

Love that tank!

[Keith Salyer]

232525232526John, that's the wrong attitude. Thanks for the compliments.

[Keith Salyer]

232527232528Some other angles.

[El Camexican]

Sweet trike! Good to see it all together. :beer

Is that front fender a little twisted, or is it just the angle of the photo? If twisted, I've had luck sticking flat washers between the fender and the lower triple to get them sitting level.

[jb2wheels]

232525232526John, that's the wrong attitude. Thanks for the compliments.

I know but, when I twist it, it GOES so... ;)

[350xtrike.rider]

Sweet trike! Good to see it all together. :beer

Is that front fender a little twisted, or is it just the angle of the photo? If twisted, I've had luck sticking flat washers between the fender and the lower triple to get them sitting level.

I'll have to do that my 350x. It sits crooked. thanks for that tid bit! Awesome T3 by the way! That tank is killer!

[Keith Salyer]

Thank you Tom. I have tinkered with the ignition because there is no spark. Hopefully this week I can mess with it and get the ignition going. I am ready to ride it.

[RubberSalt]

Test the resistance of the stator, that Is a common component to go out. I haven't read anything on an the ignition coil. But the CDIs have started going on many machines. If it's the CDI, I'll be selling them within the next couple of weeks as production ramps up. The other option is to by 1 of 2 off ebay.

Before dropping any more, I'd check the following.

Check Stator resistance per the manual. Check ignition coil per the manual/swap it from another machine (most coils work the same and it wont hurt the Tecate CDI despite coil resistance). Check the wires were they go into the CDI. I've had a few that looked to be flexing over the years, they got thin and burnt up the wires.

If you have a spark, but it looks very anemic, then odds are it's the CDI(could be the source coil on the stator). If all the resistance checks for everything, it's probably the CDI.

[Keith Salyer]

234822Getting closer to done. I have almost talked myself into powdercoating the tank green. It is a little enduroish until the revs get up so I may try the lighter flywheel.

[Keith Salyer]

234824I decided
I like the green fenders better.

[xrider]

Polish that tank out!

[bkm]

Oem fender profiles look so much better on the first gens.

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[oldskool83]

Cant say I dig the 2nd gen front fender on there it looks like or the green rims but it's still nicer then most you will ever see. I have a green bug but only in collecting stages right now.

[250rmanfmf]

Dang that bike is sweet! great job.

[jb2wheels]

Bring it to Little Sahara next weekend ;)

[Keith Salyer]

235027235029I trimmed the OEM First Gen Fender so the smaller front tire would not be out of proportion IMOP. John I am racing in KC next weekend. Also this front fender should have been trashed but I scraped, sanded and painted it to resurrect the dead.

[OZQUAD44]

I like it Keith, gives the fender a sleek look. Have you decided on what your doing with the tank yet? I'm thinking the polished route with blue Kawasaki stickers would look the goods.


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[Keith Salyer]

As soon as I find a local polish expert I will give that a try. My table grinder is not powerful enough to do the job. Plus the rear fenders are going to be replaced .

[barnett468]

.
I think the fender looks good and I like the tank . It looks a lot like an old Maico tank.

http://www.redisdead.org/maicomas/nos_maico/biesemans/mc250_1974_2.jpg

[Keith Salyer]

Yes sir and it was affordable and only took minor mods to make fit.

[Keith Salyer]

235454Still looking for a polisher locally.