Looking to purchase a 1970 US90 - Need advice from the experts

[IronBear]

Hello,

I may be purchasing a 1970 US90 from the original owner. He said this machine has been sitting untouched for 34 years with no fuel in the tank. Further, It was stored in a dry barn and the owner put oil down the cylinder so the engine wouldn't seize.

So besides the obvious stuff that I should look at on this model?

Here are some pictures of it:

227820227819227816227817227818

Thanks for your input,
IronBear :)

[jb2wheels]

Wow! The tires hold air and the bodywork is not beat up. That should clean up very nicely! Bonus if it rolls because that means the brake pads did not fall apart and jam up the rear axle.

I don't know to much about them, though, beyond the basics - points/condensor, chain/sprocket, clean the carb and tank, etc.

[3wheelrider]

Im in no way the 90 expert but I would say the tires are the biggest concern on that bike $$$ altho they appear good but hard to say really from pics. The inside of the tank would be the next concern. Check for other rusted out areas too. Oh yeah, check the rear fiberglass fenders for cracks-front one is metal.
Its great that they lubed the cyl. tho to prevent rings from sticking/rusting. That 90 looks like it would clean up quite nicely. It dont appear theres much to worry about with that one. It looks like theyre telling the truth as far as being put away long ago -doesnt look very used -just very dirty. good luck....

My childhood best friend had 2 Parrot green 90s- a 70 & 71 -one was a parts machine tho. Had so much fun back then on it long ago.

[Joseph Farrow]

$300-$500 in my opinion.
Front fenders in good shape can be costly. Tires are the most expensive things. Especially a good set. Hard to tell how those are from the pics.
Looks unmolested out side of the added mud flaps.

[HairyJR]

Very nice find....will clean up and be a nice survivor. Tires are the make or break for the early US90's. Looking at the folding foot pegs you have a real early model. They drilled the medal front fender to mount some type of headlight and the mud flap, rear mud flaps where an option. Post up more pic's after cleaning.

"HJ" 227830 :beer

[coolpool]

As hairy said it does appear to be early with the indent on the gas tank for the warning decal and I don't see holes drilled for heel guards; very early ones didn't have them at all I believe. As an added bonus look along the right side of the frame at the rear for a tire pump. If it's there, that's a huge plus! And the tool kit will be under the front of the seat between the foam and fibreglass. The tires look good and if that seat cleans up and your exhaust isn't rotted through I's say you're north of $500. With these the parts are worth more than the whole in a lot of cases. Ultimately where you live will dictate the price. Let us know how you make out.

[rustyhondas]

Well it's a 3 wheeler so you have to buy it

[IronBear]

Thank you very much for your replies guys, I really do appreciate it.

The guy who owns it is in his 70's and he said that he has a photo of himself sitting on the machine when he purchased it new!

Coolpool, I'll be sure to check all of the items you mentioned, in fact I'm going to print out your checklist and bring it with me :)

I'll be sure to let everyone know how I made out, and thank you again!

IronBear :)

[dustrunner]

Looks like a nice machine.... Grab it .

[86125m]

I would run and buy that all day long.

[sledcrazyinCT]

I thought when I first saw your post you were considering the $3500 one on Craigslist

[IronBear]

I thought when I first saw your post you were considering the $3500 one on Craigslist

I wouldn't pay close to that but where's the one going for $3500 located at?

[sledcrazyinCT]

https://hartford.craigslist.org/snw/5420146580.html

This is an all original running atc 90.... This is a collectors item and is very dear to me...everything works and the machine fires on the first pull...the tires are original with no patches... The trike spent most of its registered life in a barn in New Hampshire...I've posted a value of $3500 meaning I will not accept any offer less then the $3500 if it's not worth the money to u then please move on...I do not need to sell....I will however consider trades... I am interested in an '05 or newer 500 cc plus 4x4 atv. I would prefer a Honda Foreman or equivalent but am open to other manufacturers.. If U have an all original mint condition 1985 Atc 250R. I might be interested... If u have a 1986 All original mint Atc 350 X. I might be interested....and if u have a showroom 1985 or 1986 Atc big red 250 Es...I might consider....but I do want a 4x4 quad as most of my friends are switching off to those...thank you for trailprotrailpro time..

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228172&stc=1http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228173&stc=1http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228174&stc=1

[sledcrazyinCT]

Willington, CT


http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=228171&stc=1https://hartford.craigslist.org/snw/5458631956.html



1.1985 Honda 250 sx clean with new battery. Runs smooth
2.1985 Honda 200s frame off and painted new brakes front and rear new cables new tires runs mint
3.1985 Honda Big Red 250es. Rough shape but runs well...
4.1985 Honda 200s complete trike needs Resto. Low hours.
5.1983 Honda 200 fork is tweaked and missing wheels and tires. Plastics r good motor runs..
6.1973 Honda 90(US90) showroom condition all original runs brand new
Looking for clean '08 or newer Honda Rubicon or Rincon 500 plus cc's...will consider a 700 cc Yamaha or maybe even a nice 2 up Polaris 850. There is $7500 dollars in value as a package in trikes...Looking For the right Machine. Mike (860) 808-4521

[Joseph Farrow]

Really nice looking bike. Too bad the front fender is crunched. It is very hard to find one that the front fender is not damaged.

[IronBear]

Thanks for sharing Sled. I'm wondering where in NH it came from.

Anyway, I thank everyone for their comments for this thread. I'm going to be picking this beauty up on Monday. I'll post more pictures early next week.

[IronBear]

Hi guys,

I just picked up the US90 yesterday and made the following observations with the bad first:


Bike has no spark - which is understandable after sitting for 34 years
Tank has some rust inside - It will need to be cleaned out
The pump is missing on the right side of the frame. The owner is going to try and locate it for me
It seems like it has low compression, but I don't know what the numbers should be. I'm going to rebuild the engine anyway (at some point)


The good:


Tires are in great shape
Original toolkit is in tact
Seat is in great shape with no tears or foam missing
From what I can tell, the muffler is in good shape


I'd like to get my hands on a service manual if someone could point me in the right direction, then that would be great.

Thanks again,
IronBear :)

[sledcrazyinCT]

Cool that you bought it! If I remember the US 90 service book is only 36 pages. I would like to make a print out for my resources if you come across a PDF.

[IronBear]

Cool that you bought it! If I remember the US 90 service book is only 36 pages. I would like to make a print out for my resources if you come across a PDF.

Sure I'd be happy to do that.

[DohcBikes]

Adjust the valves, the engines are notorius for tight valves causing loss of compression. Have fun.

[IronBear]

Adjust the valves, the engines are notorius for tight valves causing loss of compression. Have fun.

Thanks for the tip. Once I get my hands on a service manual, I'll be sure to adjust the valves.

[coolpool]

Nice purchase!

No spark: Check the obvious first.
1. Replace the plug and gap correctly.
2. Trim 1/4" off the end of the coil wire going into the sparkplug boot. They have a tendency to get corroded inside there at times.
3. It has a two position kill switch; make sure it's on and/or disconnect the black and green wires from it to rule it out.
4. The points could just need a cleaning. Open up the round silver cover which will expose them. Slowly pull the engine over and watch for them to open. Once they are open, insert a dollar bill in between the points and hold it there. Pull the engine over letting the points close on the money. Once the money is in there good and tight, pull it out. Repeat this until the points are clean. Might as well check the adjustment while you're there, .012-.014 is what I recall as being correct.

Do not inflate the tires until you know what you're doing! Sounds silly but It's easy to overinflate and stretch them which by then they never go back.

[sledcrazyinCT]

Do not inflate the tires until you know what you're doing! Sounds silly but It's easy to overinflate and stretch them which by then they never go back.


Exactly......:(

[IronBear]

Nice purchase!

No spark: Check the obvious first.
1. Replace the plug and gap correctly.
2. Trim 1/4" off the end of the coil wire going into the sparkplug boot. They have a tendency to get corroded inside there at times.
3. It has a two position kill switch; make sure it's on and/or disconnect the black and green wires from it to rule it out.
4. The points could just need a cleaning. Open up the round silver cover which will expose them. Slowly pull the engine over and watch for them to open. Once they are open, insert a dollar bill in between the points and hold it there. Pull the engine over letting the points close on the money. Once the money is in there good and tight, pull it out. Repeat this until the points are clean. Might as well check the adjustment while you're there, .012-.014 is what I recall as being correct.

Do not inflate the tires until you know what you're doing! Sounds silly but It's easy to overinflate and stretch them which by then they never go back.

Thank you for the thorough explanation Coolpool! I'll be sure to follow your instructions.

Couple of questions, what should the tire pressure be set at and second, where can I obtain a service manual, preferably free if at all possible?

Thanks again :)

[IronBear]

Here are some more pictures of it

228518228519228520228521

[coolpool]

The tires should be set to a maximum of 2.0 PSI. If you send me your email I think I have an electronic version of the manual I can send you.

[IronBear]

I cleaned the points and was able to get spark from the coil wire after trimming it. This was when I placed just the coil wire to ground, but when I added the spark plug boot to the spark plug to ground, no spark was present but this was with the plug that was originally in the bike.

I'm waiting on a new plug to show up. If that doesn't help then I'm going to replace the spark plug boot as well.

Another question, is there any carburetor rebuild kits for these bikes? I'm also going to need an air filter as well. The carburetor needs a complete overhaul.

Thanks again

[coolpool]

Yes there are carb kits available and the foam is still offered at the dealer; although it's not cheap. At least not in Canada. To be honest, I have 4 US90's and all the carbs have ever needed was a good cleaning(s). Of all my trikes(10) I've only had to do one carb with a new kit. Maybe I just got lucky?

[83ATC185]

Cant wait to see this thing cleaned up!:pics: