85 Big Red Score! Initial thoughts and repairs...

[350Kris]

I scooped up an 85 Big Red from almost the original owner. A guy got it from the original owner and then marked it up a bit when I bought. Got it for $3k. The original owner was an older lady who really rode it easy! It's got great bones and some cool factory accessories - foot guards (nerf like) and the odometer.

I don't think I'm going to do a frame up because honestly it doesn't need it. I'll change all fluids and do maintenance to "make it mine", but that's it besides a few things that bug the crap out of me...

- The Odometer glass and bezel are broken. How easy is that to repair? I semi-tried to get the bezel off, but didn't want to jack it up more.
- The rear tires suck. :( Hate Turfbusters. Thinking of going with a knobby like the front. I ride mostly in desert and occasionally on trails in NM.
- Going to remove all tires and powder the rims original color. I know there are lots of alloy options out there, but I don't dig that look too much on a BR.
- The right rear OEM fender is cracked, poorly repaired and it bugs me. Does anyone have a right rear OEM, comparable to the condition of the other fenders, that you would sell me? Or....if you are an expert in plastic welding, could I send you mine for a real fix? And I mean expert...I'm picky :) I considered Maier, but like the look of the back OEM mudflaps and the condition is really good minus the crack. The black side fender trim is glued on...odd. I'll be looking at cleaning that up.
- Going to try to heat and reshape the front mudflap. Looks like it somehow got caught on something hot. Anyone have one for sale just in case?
- Minor fix...the seat cover needs a few new staples.

Anything else you would do to this thing?!? Open to suggestions. Not looking to invest a ton right now, though.

[350for350]

Nice score. I LOVE the knobbies on mine. The ride is great with them. Since you ride in the desert a lot. I'd recommend installing a good tire sealer especially with the two ply tires.

[ATC King]

Just go through the basic maintenance, like you mentioned.

Engine oil and filter change. Differential oil change. Check air filter and replace if crumbly or questionable. New sparkplug. Lube the cables. Check valve clearance.

Look at brake shoe condition. Pull the brake parts pivot parts and put some fresh grease on them.

Check the wheels for true before you have them powder coated. Put it on some jack stands in gear and watch them. Front one you'll have to spin by hand. If people get aggressive while changing tires, they can bend the edge in and make the wheel look a little off, even if it's not actually.

Have fun while doing it.

[350Kris]

Nice score. I LOVE the knobbies on mine. The ride is great with them. Since you ride in the desert a lot. I'd recommend installing a good tire sealer especially with the two ply tires.

Sounds good! Do you run the Carlisle Knobbies like the one on the front of my BR?

[350Kris]

Just go through the basic maintenance, like you mentioned.

Engine oil and filter change. Differential oil change. Check air filter and replace if crumbly or questionable. New sparkplug. Lube the cables. Check valve clearance.

Look at brake shoe condition. Pull the brake parts pivot parts and put some fresh grease on them.

Check the wheels for true before you have them powder coated. Put it on some jack stands in gear and watch them. Front one you'll have to spin by hand. If people get aggressive while changing tires, they can bend the edge in and make the wheel look a little off, even if it's not actually.

Have fun while doing it.

I imagine I can bend the wheel lip back in place if needed... Thanks man.

[MrConcdid]

A good size pair of Chanel lock pliers will straiten the fold on the wheels, if you over do it you can always tap it back in place with a ball pean hammer.
nice bike.

I don't have a lot of experience with the 250es, but overall. valves need adjusting, timing chain will tick or rattle when its time to be changed (be careful the tensioner bolts tend to break off when you try to remove the tensioner)
The rear ends are very strong, check the fluid and keep it topped off. Keep up with both your side plastic covers, there very expensive to replace.
It's a Honda, ride it, enjoy it, if taken care of it may just out last you.

I attached a few I have built, also a 300ex carb and a header will really wake up the 250es engine.

MrC.

[350for350]

Sounds good! Do you run the Carlisle Knobbies like the one on the front of my BR?

I run Cheng Shin C829's, but they're probably just about the same. Here's a shot of mine from a river ride last Saturday. It's the one in the foreground with the blue and white cooler. It isn't pretty yet, but I'm slowly working on it.264351

[350Kris]

Just got the 2 knobbies in...about to clean up the wheels. Do you guys recommend a powder coat or a cleanup and some wheel paint? Not sure if I will stick with them (the wheels) long term...

[ATC King]

It wouldn't do any good for me to have powder coated steel wheels. They just end up bashed against rocks anyway. Paint is the way I go. It's easy to touch up.

[350for350]

If you're thinking about getting rid of the wheels sometime in the future, I'd go with the paint. That way you won't be basically throwing away the cost of the powder coating.

[JimJ]

Nice bike. I recently acquired the same 1. It was in great shape when I got it and I still have $700 into it. Tires, rims, seat cover, Shocks boots, were the big aesthetic ones then some piddly stuff here and there. It adds up very quickly with these things. My original rims are in much better shape than yours so let me know if you are interested. Good luck!