Newb here, go easy on me!

[RoadRacer 831]

Hi all,
I came across your great site while searching for some info on trikes. I am looking to buy one pretty soon, and am trying to get more info on them before I buy one. I worked at an ATV/Motorcycle dealership while I was in college and have a pretty good overall knowledge of ATV's, but my knowledge of 3 wheelers is limited to my memories of riding them 15-20 years ago :cool:

I road race motorcycles, and would like to find an ATV to take to the track with me to use for running errands, tire changes etc. in the pits. Well, my trailer is 6'X9' so it is going to be difficult to fit a 4 wheeler in there with my racebike, so I figured I'd look for a 3 wheeler instead since it should fit in easier. As I mentioned, I'd like to be able to use it to pull a small trailer (tires) at the races, but I also would like to get something big enough for me to take out and play on occasionally.

I do remember the old ATC's seemed to be pretty tough and durable machines, so my first instinct is to try to find one of them. I've been looking for a 200-250 but I don't know much else about them as far as year/model, air/liquid cooled etc. I'd love to hear any suggestions you guys may have as I try to learn more about these things. I'll also be keeping an eye on your classifieds section, as I'd like to find one somewhat close to the Southeast *.S.A.

Thanks in advance, I look forward to talking to and learning from you all.
Andy

[Kintore]

Hey Welcome!:welcome:
I would say you would be perfect for a 85/86 250 honda SX or a 85/86 Honda 350x.
The SX is a auto clutch 250(shaft drive, full suspension), the 350x is a torque monster(full race suspension, manual clutch). The X is more of a play bike. And also check the specs part of the first page, homepage that is.
Good luck!

[Unclediezel]

:welcome: to the boards--

If you look back a page or two--there are a few threads on "What Trike Should I get" --- May be a help--

[edog]

I think that the 83 to 85 200X would be a good choice.There is tons of aftermarket parts for these machines.They are very 1st time user freindly machines.Just my 2 cents.

:welcome: to the board


edog

[mymint87]

uhhhh....suggestions?.....um, "Don't put your foot down":welcome:

[edog]

Done that...ouch that hurt.

[Oldshell4481]

well if your hauling tires forget the 200x and 350x, i loved my 200e, ive ridden the 250 es which is a caddy compared to the e, and the 250sx is a great trike, very comfortable and goes good.. 200e is great for playing around on cuz its a hardtail, very easy ride and fun to screw around on.

[Billy Golightly]

6x9 trailer...I'm thinking a Honda 125m or 110 in low range. Your talking tires for your bike right? A good running 110 or 125m will pull a small trailer with a little weight on it without much problem as long as there isn't a bunch of big hills and stuff. You'll probably be riding it on asphalt too so that makes it even easier

[bigredhead]

2 words

ELECTRIC START !

the SX.. lots of power.. and fun as hell !

[Tri-ZNate]

250sx plain and simple. Lots of power and lots of fun to ride.

[jeswinehart]

Welcome aboard Andy.
I would hafta say any of the automatic clutched 3 wheelers in the size range you stated would suite you well or even smaller cc ones like HondaAtc mentioned. You might need to lean a little forward under alot of tow weight to be able to corner but again ,,, I would recomend a automactic .

john

[RoadRacer 831]

6x9 trailer...I'm thinking a Honda 125m or 110 in low range. Your talking tires for your bike right? A good running 110 or 125m will pull a small trailer with a little weight on it without much problem as long as there isn't a bunch of big hills and stuff. You'll probably be riding it on asphalt too so that makes it even easier

Thanks for the welcomes!

Sorry, in my original post I meant 6X12 enclosed trailer to haul bike/ATV in, but the trailer I would be hauling would be a very small trailer basically just big enough to carry some motorcycle tires/rims, something like this:

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=6970&productId=7194&R=7194&cm_ven=TL&cm_pla=DF&cm_ite=clearance

I am going to try to look at an 85 SX this weekend, guy says it's in pretty good shape. New brakes, cables, fork seals. Painted camo though but he says it will probably just come off under a pressure washer. I can probably get it for $500 which seems to be fair from what I've seen.
I like the idea of having racks so I was thinking either ES or SX. A rear rack can be put on an SX right?
Thanks for the comments so far.
Andy

[Tri-ZNate]

Yep SX can have racks front and rear. If that paint doesnt come off with pessure washing a good potent carb cleaner will work. $500 is a pretty good price if it looks decent.

[bigredhead]

Rear rack ?

Sure does.

[bigredhead]

semi-front view ! and in use !!

[bigredhead]

fresh paint !:lol:

[Tri-ZNate]

i used to have one on my one but took it off. You can see the two holes in the rear plastics where they were

[DeePa]

a 6x9 trailer would be huge for a 125m haha...i have one of those snow bear 4x8's and i fit my 350x and 200s in there with a quad in the bed of the truck...youll have plenty of room for a 250sx (best choice IMO) and your bike

[bigredhead]

An 84 big red 200 ES would also do the job nicely.:w00t:

shaft drive.

electric start

and

also.. REVERSE !!!!!! nice feature with a trailer !! wich the SX also has !

[N5HNY]

Just about anything will do for a pit bike.

I have a Big Red project going now. I like the idea of a reverse.

Great size comparison there BRH.

[2XTREME]

Welcome aboard matey!!!
X:beer

[dovesprings250R]

250 sx for sure! Great trike for what you will do, and fun to trailride.

[RoadRacer 831]

Thanks for the welcomes, photos and advice! I think I will go for the SX if I can come up with the $$$. I'll post up some pics when I do get one.
Thanks again,
Andy

[bluevette87]

welcome aboard:beer

a 6x9 trailer would be huge for a 125m haha...i have one of those snow bear 4x8's and i fit my 350x and 200s in there with a quad in the bed of the truck...youll have plenty of room for a 250sx (best choice IMO) and your bike
i have the same trailer,good to know you can fit two three wheelers in it.i havent tried yet but i was hoping i could.thanks!!

[RoadRacer 831]

So, out of the ATC models (SX in particular, but I guess it applies to all of them), what year models had no suspension/ full suspension/ front suspension only?

[darrel632]

What are you road racing?
If you run Yamaha a shaft drive suspended 225 would make a good choice, Kawasaki you could run a KLT 250 (No rear Suspension) or a 185 with shaft drive and reverse.
85-87 Honda 250 ES Big Red would be your best choice for a pit trike reverse, shaft drive etc. options and parts up the wazoo. I don't think the SX is the best choice for a Honda unless you want your crew shooting 360's in the infield during the race
Polaris has a 3 wheeler with a PVT auto clutch and reverse - probably the smoothest riding Trike ever built
I left Suzuki out on purpose and I don't think alot of them and I know of 0 members who do

No suspension - everything pre 1983
Front suspension most bikes built post 1982
Full suspension most trikes 225 or bigger post 1984 (exept Kawasaki)
some smaller trikes 84-86 Honda 125, 200 Yamaha 200, Kaw 185 1986?

Darrel

[RoadRacer 831]

What are you road racing?
If you run Yamaha a shaft drive suspended 225 would make a good choice, Kawasaki you could run a KLT 250 (No rear Suspension) or a 185 with shaft drive and reverse.
85-87 Honda 250 ES Big Red would be your best choice for a pit trike reverse, shaft drive etc. options and parts up the wazoo. I don't think the SX is the best choice for a Honda unless you want your crew shooting 360's in the infield during the race
Polaris has a 3 wheeler with a PVT auto clutch and reverse - probably the smoothest riding Trike ever built
I left Suzuki out on purpose and I don't think alot of them and I know of 0 members who do

No suspension - everything pre 1983
Front suspension most bikes built post 1982
Full suspension most trikes 225 or bigger post 1984 (exept Kawasaki)
some smaller trikes 84-86 Honda 125, 200 Yamaha 200, Kaw 185 1986?

Darrel

Hi Darrel,
I am racing a Suzuki SV 650 (putting a 700 stroker crank in it for next year) and GSX-R1000.
I worked at a Kaw/Suz/Polaris dealership in college so I'm pretty familiar with their quads, but I don't know much about their trikes. I have been leaning towards the Big Red or SX this whole time, mainly because they seem to be a little easier to find (hopefully easier to find parts for). I believe both have shaft drive and reverse, which I want. I assume by shooting 360's you mean my friends might be "cutting up" a little if left unsupervised? :D
What are the other differences between a BigRed and SX? Say a 85-86 model.
Thanks for your input,
Andy

[Oldshell4481]

nothing too different i think they had the same motors, both shaft drive with reverse, both had electric start, one had racks and tow hitch, and the sx was a sportier model, would have differences in height, length, width, wheelbase, weight, and gear ratios might be different.

[YTM200BOY]

welcome aswell dont buy a 3 wheeler i say buy a honda trx 125 form 85-86 you wont be disapointed dont ever buy a yamaha ytm200e they suck in everywhich way

[Oldshell4481]

nothing wrong with the honda big red 200e :D

[YTM200BOY]

Yep Hondas ;p

[RoadRacer 831]

nothing too different i think they had the same motors, both shaft drive with reverse, both had electric start, one had racks and tow hitch, and the sx was a sportier model, would have differences in height, length, width, wheelbase, weight, and gear ratios might be different.

Does the SX have a tow hitch? If not, can one be added?

[Tri-ZNate]

yep the SX can have a tow hitch but stock it doesnt have one. Check denniskirk.com out. They have a couple for it.

[RoadRacer 831]

Cool, thanks for the info everybody.

[atckowalski]

The 85 250sx is red and black and the 86 is red white and a little blue I think.I like the 250sx idea as well, you are making me want to get one!:)

[trikes4life]

84 85 200m would kick ass.

[DIGGER DOG]

Road Racer 831 ,welcome to the board... where about are you in Ga? I live In Buena Vista about 30 mins out of colombus. also how was it working at a dealership?
I am in crappy ***** orlando Fl right now attending MMI and will be done in about 6 months so I was kinda wanting to know what the industry has in store for an entry level tech. Lol.. a 38 year old C tech lol. I think its going to be fun. and hope my age wont be a hinderance.

[RoadRacer 831]

I'm in Acworth now, been through Buena Vista a few times. Working at the dealership was fun... I worked with a great group of people and still miss working there sometimes. I was a salesman but also ended up working in parts, service and finance sometimes if we were busy. Good luck with MMI. I don't think age matters much anymore as far as entering into the industry as a mechanic/technician. As long as you know what you are doing, people will pay for your service.

[darrel632]

Call me weird I'd rather run the Big Red, It was engineered to be a Utility, the SX was and is a Sport bike, Modify a Mustang you can tow a trailer, buy an F150 and you can TOW a trailer I pull a little "Log Trailer" and haul fire wood out of the bush with YTM 225's all the time; great trikes. Use the Big Red for the same job, same results, The Big Red has a little more grunt on the bottom end and, maybe better wiring. A neigbor has trailer brakes wired into his and pulls some pretty heavy crap around the yard I don't think I'd do it with my YTM. The SX will be softer on your butt by a little, but sit a hair lower, my back is worn out I'd rather get off and on the RED or YTM than SX because of it

[Dirtcrasher]

I know we all have are "own" opinions. I just wish everyone on this whole board had a chance to ride a stock SX, or better yet a modified SX with 200X suspension and a hopped up motor. I've owned a few trikes, from an ATC 90, 125M, 200X, 250SX, 350X and the crazy 250R and out of all of them I will take my electric start, reverse, shaft drive 250SX for it's reliability, ease of use and just because it truly is the cadillac of all trikes.

[Tri-ZNate]

I know we all have are "own" opinions. I just wish everyone on this whole board had a chance to ride a stock SX, or better yet a modified SX with 200X suspension and a hopped up motor. I've owned a few trikes, from an ATC 90, 125M, 200X, 250SX, 350X and the crazy 250R and out of all of them I will take my electric start, reverse, shaft drive 250SX for it's reliability, ease of use and just because it truly is the cadillac of all trikes.

:beer Light enough you can jump them too :beer There is no comparison to a big red once that 200x front end goes on. Totally different animal.

[RoadRacer 831]

:beer Light enough you can jump them too :beer There is no comparison to a big red once that 200x front end goes on. Totally different animal.

I know this will probably sound like a stupid question to you all, but the X being the sport model means the 200x front end is more built for performance than the SX front end? Is the 200X front end a easy mod? bolt right up? Is this a common mod? Thanks for all the help and answers.
Andy

[Tri-ZNate]

yeah the 200x is more sporty and the front end has more suspension travel that the stock SX front end. The SX and 200x front ends wont bolt up without some modifing. I wanted to make my SX a little more sporty so I had Brapp manufacture it up so it could bolt right on. If you have the tools go for it, and there are plenty of guys who have done it on here to help you out.

[RoadRacer 831]

Thanks for the info, you've been a big help. If I end up with an SX, I'll probably ride it as is and then decide if I want to upgrade the front end.
Andy

[Tri-ZNate]

for regular trail riding and stuff stock is ok, but if you want to jump it more, lighten it up, and make it look sporty like the one in my signaature the X front end is the way to go.

[RoadRacer 831]

Actually, I was checking out nouseforaname90's SX project, and I'm really digging the 350x headlights on the SX. Wonder if I could have the 200x front end with 350x headlights? :D I might have to put a Frankenstein plate on the back

[Tri-ZNate]

yeah you can put the 350x lights on front. I was going to but so many people have done it that I decided to just put a race plate on.