Oversized ATC250R Radiators issue. Please Help!

[atctim]

Greetings fellow trikers. I am having an issue and wondering if any of you out there using these China made aftermarket oversized radiators have had this issue as well.

The radiator "cages" are hitting the bottom of the radiator. I'm wondering what the solution is?

A small bracket to keep the "cage" away from the rads?

Dinging a dent in the radiator?

Placing a piece of rubber around the "cage" so it's rubber on metal?

What can be done? I really like the looks of these radiators, plus they are oversized which will be great for keeping the big girl cool.

[86125m]

Ok I would probably make a small bracket to make the guard stick out a little. Go to home depot and get and aluminum bar about the right height and thickness and make the bracket. Of course I do not have a 250r so I really do not understand why the guard hitting the rad is that big of a deal I would weight and let one of the 250r fanatics chime in.

[atc300r]

Is that a bead of weld hitting if so could you file it down a little. Also could you make the hole on the bottom egg shaped to move the bottom back a little. I haven't had the rads off a liquid in awhile. Could you bend the lower corner of the bracket forward. Doesn't look like you need much clearance.

[yaegerb]

^this x2....it looks like a thick weld that you can knock down.

[Mosh]

Slot all four bolt holes on the rad with a dremel and a stone, so it can slide back 1/4 inch and run it. Should be enough material on the rad mounts to move those bolts back almost a 1/4 inch

[christph]

I would ask how hard it is pressing against the aluminum? If it is barely touching it, just leave it. Your rubber solution might be fine. If there is a lot of pressure, I would follow Mosh's suggestion. You might be able to slot it up a bit rather than back. I wouldn't file down the welds and risk opening a pin hole. Aluminum welds can have hidden holes and you don't want to risk opening one up. Finally, you might just try riding it a bit and eventually check to see if there is significant wear on the radiator. Perhaps there will not be a lot of movement between them to create a problem.

[atctim]

Thanks for all the help and suggestions guys. Mosh - good thinking - I will try it and report back. christph - It is pressing on it pretty hard. I feel it would take a bit of time to wear thru, however, I don't want to deal with it down the road - mainly while out in the middle of the desert. I want to make it right from the get go. Thanks again all!

[atctim]

Well - I eggeed out the holes in the radiators and still could not get the clearance I needed. I will have to make a small bracket to move the rads back about 3/8". I have them temporarily "pinched" using washers - but will have to make brackets. I'll update once I get them made.

[Red Rider]

It's a bit more work, but you could also ditch the tubular radiator frames altogether, and mount the radiators directly to the frame. This will also allow a switch to modern style "louvered" radiator guards. Here are some pics of my stock radiators modified as described.

[onformula1]

Nice, just like a CR250

Sent from my SM-G386T1 using Tapatalk

[atctim]

That is really nice work Red Rider. I think I have my solution using just a small homemade bracket with two holes in it - but again - top notch. You even welded the tab on for the shroud.

[Red Rider]

Nice, just like a CR250Or maybe it should be called a 3R250R. :wondering


That is really nice work Red Rider. You even welded the tab on for the shroud.Thank you sir. Well of course there's a tab for the shroud. I can't have the shroud flappin' in the breeze like one of Barnett's Tecates. :p

[barnett468]

Well of course there's a tab for the shroud. I can't have the shroud flappin' in the breeze like one of Barnett's Tecates. :p

The only reason The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe would be "flappin in the breeze" is because of its uber light chassis made from prefabulated amulite, unlike the atc250r which is only capable of flying about as far as a 1959 Cadillac Biarritz due to its obesity and "recreational" level power produced by its lethargic engine. http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/thumbsup.gif


CORRECTION

My deepest and most sincere apologies . I did actually hear of one Honda which was ridden by Marty Hart that flew thru the air with the greatest of ease....because it got blown off the track so hard by....wait for it......The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe . Hear all about it at the 10 second mark in the very entertaining video below as the announcer unsympathetically says, "They rolled him over in a field of green".
http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-laughing013.gif

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9E9OaUllsY


........ Look...up in the sky...it's a bird...no, it's a plane...no, it's The TECATE T he Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe!

.............................................http://www.vintagecycleprints.com/bookimages/mb283.jpg

[3 Wheel Drive]

Yea but did you ever race against Billy bad ass and his tri moto?





http://youtu.be/7ZsSzZe_dHU[/QUOTE]

[onformula1]

Or maybe it should be called a 3R250R. :wondering



I have my own nickname for your trike,,,,But it is against the rules to post it here! :lol:

[christph]

Funny stuff. I didn't realize Allen Knowles was such a comedian. Although I think Duncan Racing's website says they have been around since the late 70s.

[Red Rider]

The only reason The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe would be "flappin in the breeze" is because of its uber light chassis made from prefabulated amulite,...No, there is another reason. The bolts tend to fall out, due to the excessive vibration, as the Tecate massages itself to death, much like a 25 cent bed in a cheap motel, thus leaving the shrouds flappin' in the breeze.

[barnett468]

No, there is another reason. The bolts tend to fall out, due to the excessive vibration, as the Tecate massages itself to death, much like a 25 cent bed in a cheap motel, thus leaving the shrouds flappin' in the breeze.

Higher vibration comes with higher horsepower, but it's understandable that a honda owner wouldn't know that. http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/therethere.gif

There is a new product out called a "wrench" [see image below]. These are designed to actually TIGHTEN nuts and bolts that are occasionally shaken loose by vehicles with enough horsepower to do so, like The TECATE....The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In the Universe!

.................................................. ................http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/bow.gif . https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTG8SWuwotP_QZP_xriXqVr8kmA7q2tS OIEJzWUXbX6j_uIleaD


Besides, I like the cheap 25 cent vibrating beds. http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/thumbsup.gif

.................................................. .............https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbayxOANeMT6cAVE8Xim-zRJrRWkJPQY9VYgvgig7U1KEtpHkRjA

[Red Rider]

Higher vibration comes with higher horsepower, but it's understandable that a honda owner wouldn't know that.Well, as I understand it, the Tecate's vibration issues come from the lack of a counter-balancer, not the injection of more hp. A counter-balanced KIPS engine would have been much nicer, and refined. As a Honda owner, I guess I just expect a little more refinement, and attention to detail in my rides.


There is a new product out called a "wrench" These are designed to actually TIGHTEN nuts and bolts...Yes Barnett, I'm quite familiar with a pipe wrench. I used one of those to remove the flywheel on my buddy's '87 Tecate when the ignition crapped out, most likely from excessive vibration.

Also, for someone who supposedly did all the R&D work on the '86 Tecate, you think you'd know that the radiator shrouds are attached via phillips screws, which require a phillips screwdriver to re-tighten, and re-tighten, and re-tighten, and so on, and so on...

https://s.yimg.com/fz/api/res/1.2/xQh.0wzoeEIHi2XQI6Wonw--/YXBwaWQ9c3JjaGRkO2g9NDkxO3E9OTU7dz04MDA-/http://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/406993381.jpg

[barnett468]

Yes Barnett, I'm quite familiar with a pipe wrench. I used one of those to remove the flywheel on my buddy's '87 Tecate when the ignition crapped out, most likely from excessive vibration.

Just add a couple of these to the flywheel.
http://sr.photos1.fotosearch.com/bthumb/CSP/CSP992/k14157385.jpg


Also, for someone who supposedly did all the R&D work on the '86 Tecate, you think you'd know that the radiator shrouds are attached via phillips screws, which require a phillips screwdriver to re-tighten, and re-tighten, and re-tighten, and so on, and so on...
https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQLXe0mlFS_8t93AoiuN2eLmT8rZblj8 NfKfCK4XEfUhhkJDcpx


A counter-balanced KIPS engine would have been much nicer, and refined. As a Honda owner, I guess I just expect a little more refinement, and attention to detail in my rides.

Then as a honda owner you also expect to be BEHIND The TECATE....The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe! . But I do admit that the honda does look geat as it slowly passes by . http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/cry.gif



Well, as I understand it, the Tecate's vibration issues come from the lack of a counter-balancer, not the injection of more hp.

Who cares when you are in FRONT! http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/hysterical.gif


http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=217957&d=1436042945

[Mosh]

Higher vibration comes with higher horsepower, but it's understandable that a honda owner wouldn't .

I find it strangely odd, that the most widely known weakest trike in horspower was the TriZ, but it however rattled more bolts loose than anything in the unverse, but still was more dependable then the 86-87 Tecates...

I still maintain ANYONE with even the slighest amount of experience with the last gen tecates will proudly acknowledge, that if you could take a tecate to a track, run 30 minutes of practice, then 2 thirty minute motos, and it actually make it back to the trailer under it's OWN power WITHOUT working on it at all, the riders would consider that alone a win.... However I have seen hondas stay running even when a guy put to large of rings in it and it was shooting ring sparks out the silencer. When we pulled the running top end, the rings looked like wave washers, but it still ran....Must have been an engineering issue I guess....

[Red Rider]

Thanks for the video back in post #13.


But I do admit that the honda does look geat as it slowly passes by . From that video, I wonder if that's what Jimmy White, and all of the other Kawi riders, were thinking as Marty Hart came from the back of the pack, and passed one Tecate after another (sometimes 2 at a time). But that should be impossible right? After all, the Tecate has the KIPS, and class leading hp, compression, & a twist throttle, all from the factory. Yet, poor Marty had to make do with his Honda's subpar hp numbers, as his trusty 250R smoothly put the power to the ground. With it's refined & superior chassis/suspension geometry, Marty was able to pick off 8 or 9 Tecates, like a skilled sniper. Sure the Tecate had 2 more hp from the factory, but that is useless if you can't put it to the ground efficiently. And that my friend, is why the 250R is the best there ever was. It just does everything well. I close my case.

Nope, no http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/cry.gif here, just stating the facts ma'am, purely the facts.

We now return you to your previously scheduled program about radiators. :)

[barnett468]

Thanks for the video back in post #13.

From that video, I wonder if that's what Jimmy White, and all of the other Kawi riders, were thinking as Marty Hart came from the back of the pack, and passed one Tecate after another (sometimes 2 at a time). But that should be impossible right? After all, the Tecate has the KIPS, and class leading hp, compression, & a twist throttle, all from the factory. Yet, poor Marty had to make do with his Honda's subpar hp numbers, as his trusty 250R smoothly put the power to the ground. With it's refined & superior chassis/suspension geometry, Marty was able to pick off 8 or 9 Tecates, like a skilled sniper. Sure the Tecate had 2 more hp from the factory, but that is useless if you can't put it to the ground efficiently. And that my friend, is why the 250R is the best there ever was. It just does everything well. I close my case.

Nope, no http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/cry.gif here, just stating the facts ma'am, purely the facts.

"You want the TRUTH...You can't handle the TRUTH" :lol:

Did Marty Hart win NO!, LOL

Did he ride faster than everyone there including other Honda riders? YES, so this begs the question, if the Honda is so great, why didn't the other Honda riders that started WAY before him win, especially if the TECATES are incapable of running long enough to even finish a race?

I won the last PRO ATC race ever held at Saddleback Park beating over 30 other riders including Team Hondas riders and Kawasaki sponsored Loretta Lynn National Winner Donnie Luce and National Winner and Mickey Thompson Series Winner Jimmy White, AND, I did it with basically STOCK suspension, STOCK swingarm, STOCK frame, STOCK rear axle, STOCK front tire, and a STOCK TECATE ignition, and in FACT, most of the parts on the bike were left over from pre-production testing of over 100 hours at WOT on the Baja Course at Saddleback Park and we had ZERO failures.

I also won the "Commotion By The Ocean" race by around half a track length, and I got second at the LA Coliseum race which I would have easily won had some idiot not crashed me so hard in practice that it bent my forks and axle and one wheel and wasted my arm, and even then I almost passed first place on the last lap.

Marty Hart was riding a factory works bike with an enormous amount of testing time on it and the Tecates had stock chassis with some of them only using a longer swingarm etc . Hell, you can even make Taylor Dunn golf cart competitive if you throw enough money and hundreds of hours of testing time at it.

The 1986 TECATE's out numbered the other brands by around 2 to 1 in that Washougal race so there sure seemed to be a LOT of people that preferred the TECATE over both the Honda and the Yamaha . There were around four Hondas in that race and at least one of them dnf'd, which by my math is around a 25% failure rate . That's just xlnt! "HONDA, Where Quality Comes SECOND", or was that THIRD.

For anyone to say that the 1986 TECATE is unreliable is ridiculous based on my testing and it's results during the Nationals, which then suggests that poor quality aftermarket parts and/or inexperienced mechanics as the main cuplrit for most failures . Also, expecting any dirt bike that is 30 years old to be reliable and not get frame cracks or have some other type of failure is beyond unrealistic.

In general, ALL mfg's want to make a reliable product, and try hard to do so within the budget they are allowed . I have also stated several times that I have owned several Hondas as well as Yamaha's and Suzukis and Bultaco's and Maico's and a Ducati and I liked them all, so I obviously have no grudge against Honda products like some of you do against Kawi ones.

FACT - The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe is still the highest performance production 3 wheeler ever made, and no matter how much you wish and dream and pray that it was the Honda, that will never, ever, change this FACT

PS- Oh, and it only has a FIVE SPEED TRANSMISSION. ;)


From Mike Coe


I believe Honda spent more money that Kawasaki which was the only other "team".

As for the "competition" I probably had the greatest respect for Jimmy White. He was a wiley competitor and most times unbeatable off the gate.

The Kawasaki's......... Well, lets face it. When they were first introduced, they were faster than the Honda's in STOCK configuration. They were also a little faster when modified too.

Marty had like 3 DNF's and what should have been a D.Q. at the Loretta Lynn's woods race. With his results he wasn't going to win the title.

Honda was determined that Marty was going to be champion no matter what because he was their "yes man" and I was still bucking the so called " Honda only system". So they changed the points system at least twice so that he would ultimately become the points champion.

[El Camexican]

Well atctim, after reading all these posts I've been brainwashed into believing that the only way to fix your problem is to mount one of your rads to your triple tree using a pipe wrench and then use the leftover brackets to mount your headlight above the rads. Only this way will you resolve your fitment issue and make your trike resemble the words greatest three wheeler.

If the constant finger pointing and laugher is an issue, you can try painting the trike snot green and perhaps the "engineering gone array" look will be less noticeable.

FACT: The term "fashion emergency" was first used in Dirt Wheels Magazine in 1984 when describing the look of the first year Tecate.

[barnett468]

.
As far as the Green color goes, KAWASAKI made their bikes that color because it is the color of money, which is exactly what you will win if use one to race with.

The TECATE's high mounted headlight was a forward thinking design feature intended to increase the projection distance of the beam, much like the roof mounted lights on ALL off road racing buggies are intended to, which is a necessity when you are capable of achieving the unbelievably high speeds that The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe is.

It is also designed to be easily removable so it can be used as a portable light to search for your friends riding Hondas with when they get lost because they are unable to keep up with The Tecate...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe.

It is however very unfortunate that one writer lacked the vision to see the brilliance of this innovative, yet simplistic design, but then again, he was probably a Honda rider.



.................................................. .............https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRmBE7SePNxA9Ul92yXufT1OexIWdL-FK5YwNdBGqu8IptTagnq4w


.............................................http://www.quadpit.com/images/mags/other/1985-tecate.jpg

[onformula1]

Well atctim, after reading all these posts I've been brainwashed into believing that the only way to fix your problem is to mount one of your rads to your triple tree using a pipe wrench and then use the leftover brackets to mount your headlight above the rads. Only this way will you resolve your fitment issue and make your trike resemble the words greatest three wheeler.

If the constant finger pointing and laugher is an issue, you can try painting the trike snot green and perhaps the "engineering gone array" look will be less noticeable.

FACT: The term "fashion emergency" was first used in Dirt Wheels Magazine in 1984 when describing the look of the first year Tecate.

Please, don't forget to mount the headlight offset to give the trike a more rounded look, now you can run a bulbous red tecate gas tank. :lol:

[El Camexican]

Please, don't forget to mount the headlight offset to give the trike a more rounded look, now you can run a bulbous red tecate gas tank. :lol:

I'm pretty sure that headlight location was determined in the Kawasaki wind tunnel. Using the same methods used to determined the best rake for sustained high speeds on the H and KZ bikes.:lol::lol::lol:

All I know for sure is that I wouldn't want to put the magazine page used in that scan under ultraviolet lights.;)

[onformula1]

I'm pretty sure that headlight location was determined in the Kawasaki wind tunnel. Using the same methods used to determined the best rake for sustained high speeds on the H and KZ bikes.:lol::lol::lol:

All I know for sure is that I wouldn't want to put the magazine page used in that scan under ultraviolet lights.;)

Could be, I always thought it was because Kawasaki determined that a 250r roosted more toward the throttle side, so they moved it for protection OR they used the same wacky robot welder they used to weld the frame. :lol:

[barnett468]

The large capacity tank was needed because it takes a lot of fuel to make make a lot of power like The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe has, and it also helped Donnie Luce win the 3 hour long 1985 Loretta Lynn National in spite of Hondas attempt to be "creative" by putting Marty Hart and his bike to the front of the pack and then letting him out so he would have enough fuel to finish without stopping...or was it because his bike was so reliable that he couldn't get it started for the race. http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/shrug.gif

The large tank also helped Jimmy White and Donnie Luce and myself win the Perris Raceway 3 man tag team endurance race over Team Honda....but the Honda does look great getting refueled in the pits. http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/thumbsup.gif


Hey Barn....I'd take a small stylish looking tank over a first place finish any day!

http://www.picgifs.com/graphics/l/laughing/graphics-laughing-867787.gif

[barnett468]

Could be, I always thought it was because Kawasaki determined that a 250r roosted more toward the throttle side, so they moved it for protection OR they used the same wacky robot welder they used to weld the frame. :lol:

Yes, the high mounted light on the TECATE did also protect against getting roosted by the Hondas...as the Tecate lapped them over and over again! http://www.mustang.org.au/forum/Smileys/smilies/hysterical.gif


Chris White in FRONT of Marty Hart and Mickey Dunlap

http://www.3wheelerworld.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=218218&d=1436498018

[DohcBikes]

Pro vs. amateurs

[christph]

I always liked the high mounted light on my Tecate. It's part of its distinctiveness.

228864

[Red Rider]

Did Marty Hart winNo, but it appeared to me that he only needed another lap or two to complete a monumental comeback and win.


Marty Hart was riding a factory works bike with an enormous amount of testing time on it...You've mentioned lack of time, and running out of time, a few times before with respect to doing R&D, and proper testing on the Tecate. If Honda had time to test their bikes, why was Kawasaki always so short on time? Where does the time go?


For anyone to say that the 1986 TECATE is unreliable is ridiculous based on my testing...Oh ok, so you did find some time to do some testing.


Also, expecting any dirt bike that is 30 years old to be reliable and not get frame cracks or have some other type of failure is beyond unrealistic.Unrealistic? Maybe. Unachievable? No. My 250R is over 30 years old, and it has never had any frame cracks, is still using the original ignition, and starts on the 2nd or 3rd kick every time.

I remember when my friend's '87 Tecate, which was standing up on the rear grab bar, fell over on it's back because the grab bar attachment brackets, that were welded to the frame, snapped off. Luckily, a compassionate Honda owner (yours truly) was nearby to rescue the stricken Tecate, which was looking like wounded ninja turtle, laying upside down on it's shell. I figured I should either flip it upright, or put up some "NO SMOKING" signs. At the time, his Tecate was about 3-4 years old. Were we being unrealistic to expect the welds to last a tad longer?

[Mosh]

I want verifiable pics of these pro accomplishments of barnett or none of it happened...

Hillbilly trail repair= ;) When over paid, under educated, over thinking engineering, with no field experience fails.

I will take a few beers, and a need to get back to camp from 5 miles out for more beer, and a moderately prepared female and 3 "trailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotrailprotr ailpro non former pro riders" any day over book worms...

http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m40/cosmicquads/IMG95201405169513084295506_1.jpg (http://s100.photobucket.com/user/cosmicquads/media/IMG95201405169513084295506_1.jpg.html)

Sorry Tim. Another thread that ended up with the dark liquid, stink sheen and stench, of a farm field in early spring, due to a manure spreader malfunction caused by operator error...

[The_Steve_Man]

And Al Barnett sucks another one in on how great he was in the glory days at Polk High!

[atctim]

Wow - all of this is so helpful to my oversized radiator dilemma. Thanks!

[ironchop]

Wow - all of this is so helpful to my oversized radiator dilemma. Thanks!
This thread is now about oversized egos and how to get them to fit on a trike.



Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

[ONEBAD350X]

I really am thinking about buying some for extra cooling when riding in the woods. They look really nice.

[barnett468]

I really am thinking about buying some for extra cooling when riding in the woods. They look really nice.

christph got one for his 84/86 TECATE and tested it last week and said it made a definite improvement . Look closely at the photos before you buy one because they are actually selling two slightly different styles for the 85/86 Honda . One style has the same shape on the top and bottom tanks as the Honda ones and the other is just a square tank.

The Chinese rads have the same size or slightly larger tubes and they two more tubes across than the Honda rads and it has less cooling fins which in this case is what it should have because it allows more air thru the rad . Check the fins out closely if you get one because some are often bent which reduces the amount of air than can flow thru them so the bent ones should be opened up . There is a tool to do this with called a radiator comb but they don't always work that well in all situations . I often use a very small blade screwdriver but be careful because the fins are extremely thin and ca tear easily.

At only $110.00 for a pair, it is the deal of a lifetime and one f the best upgrades you can do to a water cooled bike, especially if the engine has been modified and the bike is ridden hard in hot weather.

[barnett468]

I want verifiable pics of these pro accomplishments of barnett or none of it happened...

Sorry Tim. Another thread that ended up with the dark liquid, stink sheen and stench, of a farm field in early spring, due to a manure spreader malfunction caused by operator error...

It doesn't seem to me that you are sorry for anything otherwise you wouldn't be asking for me to post more in this thread and now I'm guessing you are going to make another one of your posts that start off with "I may get banned for this but I just have to get this off my chest" . No ill will or disrespect intended, but imo [not that anyone cares], it's really time for you to stop obsessing over me and move on with your life.


................................................ht tp://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/540/655/439.gif

[barnett468]

.

No, there is another reason. The bolts tend to fall out, due to the excessive vibration, as the Tecate massages itself to death, much like a 25 cent bed in a cheap motel, thus leaving the shrouds flappin' in the breeze.


.................................................. ...........http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/705/640/673.gif

[barnett468]

Wow - all of this is so helpful to my oversized radiator dilemma. Thanks!

Well since it seemed like you already had lots of ideas and a plan of action, it didn't seem like there was much more to ad.

This all started with the comment below from Red Rider whom knows that I will make some type of good natured reply whenever he or others say these types of things which is one of the reasons he and others do this . They always then reply back, and then inevitably other Honda guys join in because it seems to take a lot of them to attempt to beat up on just one lowly Kawasaki guy, lol . That process then turns peoples threads into ones like this one has become. Then, some of the Honda guys occasionally get nasty because they don't know how to have fun . It is illogical for people to make comments that they know will elicit a response from someone and then complain when that person does exactly what they wanted them to do.

The Kawasaki guys are outnumbered on this site by maybe 100 to 1, so imo, when any of the Honda guys get upset when one lowly Kawi guy occasionally says, "The TECATE....The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe" etc, they need to take some Prozac or go find some defenseless animals to shoot for "sport" to relieve their anger . imo, dirt bikes and dirt bike people are supposed to be FUN.

:Bounce


Well of course there's a tab for the shroud. I can't have the shroud flappin' in the breeze like one of Barnett's Tecates. :p
.

[El Camexican]

I really am thinking about buying some for extra cooling when riding in the woods. They look really nice.

They are much stronger than OEM as well. I had fitment issues on the bike this went on, but nothing a little elbow grease couldn't fix. The last $300 OEM rad I put on lasted less than 50 hours before a tube split open without ever having been stressed. These sell for $130 a pair and are built like brick outhouses. The one in the photo never leaked a drop.

I would suggest that you take a file and smooth out the edges on the rad cap and the spigot as they turn a little rough. If your model uses a bleeder hole on your rad I would make sure the boss is flat with a file and then switch the aluminum screw and washer out for a copper washer and an SS bolt as the aluminum bold can snap before you get the aluminum washer to seat. Other than that I had one come with a steel insert in the wrong spot, but I put a new one in and emailed the seller and the next set were correct. Small details, but worth it.

228898228899

[ironchop]

How much thicker than stock are these things?

I'm willing to do the proper fab to fit them to save that much money.

Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

[El Camexican]

How much thicker than stock are these things?

I'm willing to do the proper fab to fit them to save that much money.

Sent from my Z998 using Tapatalk

I didn't measure, but I'm going to guess one gauge thicker that what my stock rads were and the frames are about 1/8" thick. For $130 a pair they even look good on the shop wall. Get em now before Trump marks them up 40%

[barnett468]

.
Don't worry about the price going up because Trump will "negotiate" on it.

[ONEBAD350X]

christph got one for his 84/86 TECATE and tested it last week and said it made a definite improvement . Look closely at the photos before you buy one because they are actually selling two slightly different styles for the 85/86 Honda . One style has the same shape on the top and bottom tanks as the Honda ones and the other is just a square tank.

The Chinese rads have the same size or slightly larger tubes and they two more tubes across than the Honda rads and it has less cooling fins which in this case is what it should have because it allows more air thru the rad . Check the fins out closely if you get one because some are often bent which reduces the amount of air than can flow thru them so the bent ones should be opened up . There is a tool to do this with called a radiator comb but they don't always work that well in all situations . I often use a very small blade screwdriver but be careful because the fins are extremely thin and ca tear easily.

At only $110.00 for a pair, it is the deal of a lifetime and one f the best upgrades you can do to a water cooled bike, especially if the engine has been modified and the bike is ridden hard in hot weather.
Thanks for the tips!

[3 Wheel Drive]

1986 Tecate Rads:

228912228913228914

The black ones Japanese, bare aluminum = GPI from china, baby blue = PWR Performance made in the USA.

[Red Rider]

Well since it seemed like you already had lots of ideas and a plan of action, it didn't seem like there was much more to ad.I concur.


This all started with the comment below from Red Rider whom knows that I will make some type of good-natured reply whenever he or others say these types of things which is one of the reasons he and others do this .See the little "razz" emoticon in my reply, that you re-posted above? That made it a good-natured comment. Actually, I had no idea you'd reply or even see it. After all, you hadn't even posted in this thread yet.

Oh yeah, one other thing. Dude, did you just tell on me? I'm telling mom! Mom, Red Rider is bad-mouthing Tecates! :p

[barnett468]

See the little "razz" emoticon in my reply, that you re-posted above? That made it a good-natured comment.

Yes, I know. :)



Actually, I had no idea you'd reply or even see it. After all, you hadn't even posted in this thread yet.

I'm psychic, so every time someone mentions my name or The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe, I can sense it. ;)



Oh yeah, one other thing. Dude, did you just tell on me? I'm telling mom! Mom, Red Rider is bad-mouthing Tecates! :p

Sorry, I have no idea what you are referring to, however, I can tell you that I was laughing my ass off at ALL the posts regarding the TECATE as I always do . Hell, even I made fun of the magnets and the self loosening shroud screws which I did in fact have to frequently tighten . My comment to atctim was merely to explain how the thread got a bit off topic since he mentioned it and to throw you under the bus as the guilty party in the process solely for my own amusement. :lol:


If nobody ever said anything bad about the TECATE I'd be bored. :(

:beer
.

[Red Rider]

I'm psychic, so every time someone mentions my name or The TECATE...The Most Powerful 3 Wheeler In The Universe, I can sense it. ;)That's what I was thinking, because no sooner had I mentioned your name & Tecate in the same post, and BOOM, you were responding. It's almost like you're Beetlejuice, except I didn't have to say your name 3 times.


My comment to atctim was merely to explain how the thread got a bit off topic since he mentioned it and to throw you under the bus as the guilty party in the process solely for my own amusement. :lol:When I read your comment that I started it, I pictured a little kid whining, "But mom, he started it!", which I found amusing.

We do bring the entertainment from time to time don't we?

[DohcBikes]

Always be sure your radiator cap is functioning properly. Commensurate pressure is imperitive to achieving the maximum potential of any liquid cooling system.

[barnett468]

Always be sure your radiator cap is functioning properly. Commensurate pressure is imperitive to achieving the maximum potential of any liquid cooling system.

I want verifiable pics of these pro accomplishments of barnett or none of it happened... book worms...

This reminds me. :idea: The "bookworm" whom never won a race because his IQ is too high and he has no photos of himself sticking his tongue down a Trophy Girls throat, suggests that the depth of the sealing area for the cap be checked because he alleges that he has found that it does occasionally vary on aftermarket rads . He also alleges that the farther/further/ it is from the top, the less pressure it will place on the rad cap spring which will reduce the amount of pressure the cap can hold, or at least that's his "theory".

If that sealing area is more than around .020" deeper than it is on a stock rad, he would either use a higher pressure cap which Rocky Mountain sells, or he would simply go to the hardware store and get a rubber "washer" the appropriate od from the plumbing department and inspect it periodically, that is if he actually ever rode or even existed for that matter which is doubtful since he has never posted a photo that he purported to be himself. :wondering


.................................................. ...https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZPKUImt2P20L4cMAZP_TyeBNXI-BVH1Bnk7_6Z6FZlIh6ohqR

[barnett468]

That's what I was thinking, because no sooner had I mentioned your name & Tecate in the same post, and BOOM, you were responding. It's almost like you're Beetlejuice, except I didn't have to say your name 3 times.

Saw that maybe three times under a slightly "altered" state of awareness . Thought Winona Rider was hot . Saw Phantasm also but definitely don't suggest seeing that under any altered state of awareness. :(



When I read your comment that I started it, I pictured a little kid whining, "But mom, he started it!", which I found amusing.

Thought you might which is another reason I said it. :)



We do bring the entertainment from time to time don't we?

Yes, as evidenced by the many "likes" our posts get....and the occasional comments implying how annoying we sometimes are . :lol:
.

[atctim]

So for anyone still following this thread for the actual original posted question / topics, here is my fix. I made 4 of these little brackets. I tried several other options and thought of many more, but for me in my shop this was the easiest to fab up. They are made of 1/8" aluminum.

[atc300r]

So for anyone still following this thread for the actual original posted question / topics, here is my fix. I made 4 of these little brackets. I tried several other options and thought of many more, but for me in my shop this was the easiest to fab up. They are made of 1/8" aluminum.
Glad you got it sorted out.Looks good aswell.

[Jmoozy27]

So for anyone still following this thread for the actual original posted question / topics, here is my fix. I made 4 of these little brackets. I tried several other options and thought of many more, but for me in my shop this was the easiest to fab up. They are made of 1/8" aluminum.

Looks like a winner to me!!!

[ONEBAD350X]

So for anyone still following this thread for the actual original posted question / topics, here is my fix. I made 4 of these little brackets. I tried several other options and thought of many more, but for me in my shop this was the easiest to fab up. They are made of 1/8" aluminum.

Looks good. That should work just fine!