1981 185S Restoration Pictures - Updated 03/22/07

[thedeatons]

Hey Everyone,

I have posted some of my resto pics in my "To ride or not to ride" questionaire thread, and that worked out okay. I decided to begin an official restoration thread dedicated to nothing but my project pictures. I will repost the pipe pics and the tire pics in here also though. The most recent pics are of the frame. I had it ppowdercoated, along with all the other black pieces, and have also ordered just about every available nut, bolt and washer new from bikebandit.com. The frame pics are of a lot of the new bolts screwed in, simply because I am impatient. The axle carrier is on now, and I would have the axle on, but I have to find a chain case to get powdered now, as mine was trash. From what everyone said I cannot install the inner chain case (cover) without removing the axle, and I don't want to do anything twice, so I'm waiting again. I literally have five bags worth of stuff to install, I just can't do it all just yet... Mike is almost done with my tank and forks, and once I get the forks I can probably make it a roller, which will be nice. So.... I'll try and post pics when I can, although the going will be slow, so please be patient. James

[thedeatons]

More pictures...

[thedeatons]

And more pics...

[thedeatons]

P.S. My wife lets me build it in the living room, and offered to clean off our bedroom dresser to store the frame there..... nice....

[Orangecnty250r]

I'll be patient, Good things come to those who wait. Your attention to detail is very evident and I cant wait to see it. Although its to late (I can delete my post) should we not post so when we click on it we can just see your pics in sequential order without posts inbetween. Whats your thoughts on that. I'd like to do something similar with my R and Z but posts (such as mine right now are great but separate the pictures to much

[thedeatons]

Nah... don't worry about it... I hope to get this to the restoration buildup webpage eventually, so no worries.... anyway comments keep my motivation going...

[short4stuff]

You have a kick ass wife, I hope mine is half as nice (when i get one lol)
And it's coming along great.... Keep it up.... I don't know if it's gonna be a driver or not.. kinda MINT...



I have my dirty engine in my bedroom .. lol I don't think she likes the idea. but she hasn't made me take it out either lol

[sandpuppi101]

James now comes the fun part of doing a complete restoration and a little ease also from the old lady,When you start putting a unit together and start to see how good it looks and imagine the finished product is where I get most excited at.And my wife actually gives me compliments instead of hounding me on the expences! I just finished a '82 185S a few weeks ago and rode it for a few minutes but instead just like to look at it.I am really particular on my restros too,but just remember to have fun and take your time,and send me some pic's of the finished trike when you get her done and I will hang it in the shop!!!

[Dave223]

Deaton,
when you said you were looking for a "chain case" you meant the outer portion of the chain gaurd? If so, I may have one at home , I will have to check on the condition. Im at work now, but I will check and post pics if your interested, Dave

[firefirefire90]

well think if no one restored the 185 trikes or the yammy 225s then they would just dissapear from neglect and no one would really be able to see what one would look like when it was out of the box New unles * went to the honda museum in Japan. Just one way to look at restorations of anything

[thedeatons]

Hi again guys... regarding the chain case, I am referring to the large black metal pieces that make up the inner and outer chain/sprocket covers. I don't need all the hardware, because I'll get new stuff anyway, the metal pieces are the most important. It's also important that they are perfectly straight. I'm going to have them blasted and powdered, so I don't care about the paint on them, but I don't want to get into reworking old bent up metal.

I started this project as "needing a few bolts and a cable" and it was going to be my wife's bike. Once you put one new bolt on it, the other bolts look bad, so I started buying hardware, but then the paint started to look dingy next to the new bolts and so on.... So eventually I was ordering tons of pieces and finally tore everything down to send to powder... My projects tend to go way overboard, no matter what they are... Hopefully that answers your questions. I am of the opinion that every model deserves a restoration, because NONE of them are made anymore...

[sandpuppi101]

Amen to that ! Why is it that a 250R or T3 is any more important to restore than a 185S! These machine's are vastly becoming Dinasours anymore and The people that grew up and /or started riding these ATC's when they were kid's will pay too get that piece of their childhood back. Now I ain't knocking anyone at all -but I restore quality machines and it shows ,and from a business aspect my craftsmanship ,finess and work to detail ,are all I have other than my word ! That being said kudo's to you Jame's and I look forward to your Restoration on your '81 185S!!!

[thedeatons]

Hi all... Mike at Vintage just sent me these pics and I thought I would share... It's going to be really hard to ride this when I am done... I might not be able to... James

[IrvSLedman]

Ohhh man, thats beautifull good luck to you man... lol I did my halfarsed rebuild of my 200(83) i got from a buddy added some new toys onto it, and have a homade set cover, but even if it were new, you bet i would still ride it the same. Haha, it at all possible i will not come home clean. I love mud.... thought i would share that with you all lol.


Ryan

[edog]

Looks real good.Good job Mike.

[thedeatons]

Hi again all.... So my Christmas present was getting Ryan at www.bikebandit.com's customer service to deliver some of my bits and pieces to me early, so I got the forks and handlebars on this morning.... I somehow forgot to order freakin front axle nuts, so they are on the way, and my front axle and front brake drum cover are at zinc right now... I'm hoping this next weekend (New Year's) I will be able to get the front wheel on and get it rolling... I have all the brake parts sitting in a Honda bag too, so those will go on at the same time... Here are the new pics. Sorry about the clutter in the garage, we are moving in less than two weeks, so everything is getting prestaged there... If I get the front wheel on this next weekend I may pull the tank out of the box and sit it on there for a nice picture... Enjoy!! James

[Chevy200s]

wow:drool: that is awesome, nice trike

[2strokepwer]

wow:drool: that is awesome, nice trike


Yes it is :w00t:

[petesatc]

Hey James
very nice job you have done there:D :D :D
Pete

[Orangecnty250r]

Get it ready for the Museum.....its coming out P E R F E C T !!!!!!!

[Maine_Triker]

It's good to see that you are doing it right... looks like it's going to come out perfect!

[thedeatons]

Thanks guys.... I appreciate the wonderful comments... I think I may try to sell it, but I don't know how that will go. Right now the price would be about $3000 for everything I have, which is everything one would need to complete the project. I have the NOS plastic in my closet, along with all the other stuff in the Honda bags... I am waiting on a few parts from Pete, after that the only thing left to do is have Mike go through the engine... I am not going to be able to let it sit, if it stays with me it will get ridden, which I don't exactly have a problem with, but I know that a lot of people like to display them, which is fine too. I just cannot justify having a display ATC, and neither can my wife. She expects me to get decades of fun from this thing after the money I have spent..... We'll see how it goes I guess...

[Mike(nj)]

WOW! Sweet 185! I just picked up a 1981 185 that was sitting in a field for years. Its rusty but thats the way I like'em. I couldn't ride a atc like yours.......thats way too nice. Good Luck.

[Darius1502]

Wow thats a beauty. I honestly don't know how you will ride that thing....the zine plating on the axle blows me away.

[thedeatons]

Hello all... Thought you might like an update... At the moment I am looking for just three pieces...

Inner Chain Case Cover
Outer Chain Case Cover
Seat

I'm trying to find NOS parts, but I'm running out of continents to search on.... So far it's a roller, and the engine should be sitting at Vintage Motorsports RIGHT NOW for Mike to get ready. I'm waiting on some parts from Pete to get the little things together, like the headlight and taillight, along with the thumb throttle. I'm also working on repolishing the NOS fenders, which is a pain.... Here are some roller pics... Enjoy, James

[thedeatons]

By the way... It's a little dusty, the black is actually super glossy....

[nouseforaname90]

Eh.. its a mediocre looking restore. I'll give you a 6/10.

Lol.. J/K!!! It looks awesome!!
I see that you decided to keep it instead of sell?

[Rm250RF900R]

That has to be one of the finest restores I've seen in a longggg time. Good job.

[thedeatons]

Yeah, for now... I am just going to hate to ride it, but I cannot afford to do this and then NOT ride it. It's going to become my wife's trike, as it was originally intended... We will take it to Sand Mountain along with the local trails... It's definitely going to get used, but should last at least another two decades. BUT, the right price will talk me out of it.... My minimum would be $2500, which is a ridiculous deal....

[grundlegrabber]

$2500? My god! That's a steal. Considering the ammount of time that has been put into it. I don't see how it could possibly be any nicer. There's no way I'd be able to take that out riding, other than in a field or something. Great job on the restore. Hope the wife appreciates it as much as you do. She's a lucky lady!

[thedeatons]

Yeah... I don't know if $2500 would cover all the engine work being done at Vintage or not... that cost alone is ~1000... plus the carb is there... I don't know.. If someone wants it, throw offers at me...

[thedeatons]

Here are some engine update pictures from the great Mike Palmgren at Vintage Motorsports.... This three wheeler is officially for sale now, including the engine, paid for and installed. I have all paperwork including the original manual and ownership card from 1981. I am only the second owner. I have thousands in this trike and can back that up on paper...!! Enjoy. James

[edog]

Mike does great work.Looking good.

[200x Basket]

looks great but why did you powder coat for an OEM style restoration?

[thedeatons]

Powdercoat is the MOST durable when it comes to paint material, and I wanted this restoration to look as new even 20 years down the road. Even if this trike was made a rider the powdercoat would keep it looking freshly restored and easily cleanable.... You'll also notice the tires are not OEM, but the service replacement Ohtsu tires. They are still an official issue, just not the first original issue. Those are the only couple things I can think of that are not exact, which is why Mike at VMS said that Honda Japan would not accept it for their collection hall (among other little details I'm sure).

A couple other things - Even details like every spring and bushing in the thumb throttle assembly are brand new, never been used. The exhaust was also coated.... sigh.... Okay... enough....

[200x Basket]

i was just curious. it looks great and it would hurt to sell it

[Yamaha Tri-Moto]

I agree, looking awesome. Can't wait to see it complete.

[OldManDM]

just out of curiousity,you are going for a complete "accurate" restoration,which by the way looks simply outstanding........so why do you have tires on an `81 that didn`t come out until `83-`84?....just wondered....the `81`s and `82`s had the old school square,even rowed knobbies that were literally "balloons".....i remember this distinctly since my first was an `82 and i HATED those tires.......not trying to put you on the spot or anything by this,just wanted to ask.........and sorry to hear about your financial situation,hope it works out for the best

[thedeatons]

Many searches were performed looking for the exact original tires you mentioned. When I came up with nothing in more than a few countries, I settled for these, because at the time I needed to keep things going, and to be honest with you, at that point I had not yet realized how crazy I was going to get with this thing. It has truly become like an obsession to find the correct parts, and it pains me to know that there are one or two things that I have had to settle for. These are listed as the service replacement tires according to old Honda/Ohtsu files, so that does help things a bit. Occasionally there may pop up an S.P. Wamulass tire on Ebay (the originals), but I have had other pressing issues. I am not saying there are none out there, just that I moved on as these tires were one of the first things purchased. If someone were to find three of the originals, it would not be difficult to replace these, as the powdercoating on the wheels is inside and out, along with new O-Rings, Nuts/Bolts/Washers, anti-seize, oh, and no RTV was used. They hold air perfectly.

By the way, all threaded holes in the project so far have had a metric tap of the correct size chased through them, and the corresponding bolts have anti-seize applied to them.

[OldManDM]

that`s cool...like i said,i was just curious...you`ve done a beautiful job so far and it saddens me that you`re forced to let it go to someone else....we`ll pray that it won`t come to that for you......best of luck!

[thedeatons]

Hello again everyone... I am nearing completion of my 185S and thought everyone might like to see it. n case everyone forgot, it is officially for sale, so let the bidding start. The trike will be completed before the sale, but not started. The engine is still the way Mike at VMS shipped it to me, and no gas has been poured into the tank. The entire restoration has cost me thousands, and parts have come from almost every continent. Many of the parts were the last of what is openly available, and is no longer in production. If anyone has any questions they can email me directly. This trike can take a beating for the next 30 years, or just sit in someone's showcase. This is not the finished product being shown, I am in the final stages... Enjoy!

[petesatc]

Hey James,
looking awesome bud....... but why are you selling it now?? after all the great work you have put into it.......
BTW do you need rear fender decals????

Pete

[nouseforaname90]

Wow I haven't seen you on here in forever. I was actually wondering what happened to your 185 the other day.
Looking good!

[sandpuppi101]

Wow Jame's ,that machine is beautiful. So your not even gonna start it up,I don't blame you one bit.That restoration turned out really nice ,and yep Mike does a really nice job on his work.I hope you get a mint for it.. Congrat's!

[thedeatons]

Thanks for the kind words guys... Yeah, I have been around working on it here and there. I have been super busy with our Cannondale quads, so this has taken a back door for the past year. Pete, I still owe you some money for these parts. If anyone has any suggestions about my getting top dollar for it, please let me know. I am hoping to find a collector that can cherish it. Maybe Mike will chime in. P.S. Thanks for all your loving attention to detail on this Mike...!!

[vintagemotorsports]

hey James,
I can attest to the fact you put a lot of time and effort in this ATC and it looks incredible. I know first hand how much money and time is involved in restoring any ATC. this would be a great way for someone to get into the hobby without totally breaking the bank just to put a price on it If i was to get his original bike in for a restoration done to the degree he has gone it would cost somewhere in the 6 thousand dollar range possibly more , anyone who has priced out a list of Honda OEM parts will totally understand . does not get any better than this one , hope it goes to a good home
Mike

[thedeatons]

Just wanted to let everyone know that this 185S is still for sale. At this point I would take $2500 for it... Aww heck, make me an offer. We are going through a very tough financial time right now, and our family could sure use the money.

[thedeatons]

Still for sale guys... Once again make offer!!