how many 3 wheelers are we losing everyday?

[Stuka Dude]

Just finished browsing some ebay auctions... its amazing how many trikes are being "parted-out". Some of these three-wheelers don't really look to be in such bad condition to me. Hell, some look to be in better shape than my 200x!! But I guess when you can get $150.00 just for a seat with no rips, 200 bucks for a straight axle, etc, etc.... some people would rather destroy an otherwise good machine and make a few extra bucks than sell it whole to someone who would love to bring it back to life. Sure, I can see where some atcs might be in "beyond help" condition... but a lot more seem to be in "fix me up" condition rather than "completely destroy me" condition. So I guess this means hold on tight to the three-wheelers you have........ maybe even "adopt" one that needs a little TLC cause there ain't gonna be that many left in a few years....... ???

[thefox]

How many are being saved each day? I know all of the trikes I have owned ( the one exception is my 200e) have had used parts put on. My YTM200 is about 50% used parts and the 200x is completely pieced together, if it weren't for people parting bikes then these two trikes would not be around.

[82300R]

the way i look at it is from the point of view of someone who cares about three wheelers, is that once you part that trike out its gone. soon the money you got for it is gone. so i would not part out a good trike. now one that is totaly trashed with some good parts still on it, if i didnt need those parts i would sell them to help save another. some people are driven by dollars and think nothing of doing this. that is why i will try to hang on to the trikes i have. even though they are not shiny new showpieces to me they are more valuble than what i could sell them for or have into them. just because you cant just go down to your local bike shop and buy another, like a new quad.:)

[nouseforaname90]

I know I have saved 3 wheelers myself. Well.. I've saved one, I'm in the process of saving another, and then there is another one in the works as soon as I get that one done.
Here is the SX I "saved" (more like made it look better and fixed a few things so that it would be more "wanted" and some a-hole wouldnt part it out if I were to ever sell it):
http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/DSCN2219.JPG (http://s2.supload.com/free/DSCN2219.JPG/view/)
http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/DSCN3108.JPG (http://s2.supload.com/free/DSCN3108.JPG/view/)

Here is the X I'm in the process of bringing back to life. I saved this one from a sure death because I don't know who else (except for maybe someone on this forum) would have went through this kind of trouble to fix it up when it would be worth alot more as parts. I saved it from eBay and had to pay $200 to get it delivered.. just to save it :) lol:
http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/100_0286.JPG (http://s2.supload.com/free/100_0286.JPG/view/)

And here is the R I just bought and I will be saving it whenever the X is done.:
http://s2.supload.com/thumbs/default/100_0410-20060219135640.jpg (http://s2.supload.com/free/100_0410-20060219135640.jpg/view/)



So I think that there are as many trikes out there being parted out everyday as there are trikes being saved using those parts..
Just the people on this forum have enough trikes in their posession to keep triking alive for many years to come.. and thats not counting the thousands of people out there that have trikes and don't know about this site..

[Kintore]

The way I look at it, sure people will always sell trikes for the buck. But how many of us need those parts? Trikes will have to sacrificed to run other trikes. Sad to think I know. But what always cheers me up, Do you have any idea how many trikes are sitting undiscovered in barns, sheds, under trees? Its a conforting thought to me that one day ill spot a nice trike for cheap or at least fair priced :lol:

[Stuka Dude]

Hmmm..... don't take me the wrong way here. I am aware that if certain machines weren't parted out it would be tougher to keep the ones we have "alive". My beef is watching otherwise "nice" trikes being put to an early death..... like the fpormer poster said, I guess I'm looking at it from an enthusiasts point of view rather than a lets make some cash point of view. So whats next? Should we completely chop up a 67 GTO or a 70 Boss Mustang just to cash in the parts and make more money off those parts rather than sell the complete car? Not the best analogy maybe, but thats my point of view. And maybe if those parts weren't so readily available from parted out machines it would be more of an emphasis upon the aftermarket to start cranking out some of these parts we need??

[Old 179]

May have been stolen and thats why it is being chopped!! Just a thought.

[Stuka Dude]

For example guys: Check out item number 4614647177 on Ebay... scroll down and check out the pics before the dismantling began... now tell me this looks like a machine that deserves an early death? :( Wow, the seats ripped... in the dumpster you go!! Hopefully this post won't be removed because I referenced an ebay part number... I'm just trying to make my point. :wondering

[dreadhed]

How many are being saved each day? I know all of the trikes I have owned ( the one exception is my 200e) have had used parts put on. My YTM200 is about 50% used parts and the 200x is completely pieced together, if it weren't for people parting bikes then these two trikes would not be around.
I agree 100%. I have many trikes and will pull parts off for some one if they need one. I hear people saying alot don't part a trike out. Well why not? How will we keep out tirkes going.

[Yamahauler]

The only things original on my yamahauler are frame, axle, hubs, rims, cylinder, front end and the clutch boss (basket and plate are all differant).
Damn yamaha's
If people didnt part out trikes, I'd be screwed.

[Tri-ZNate]

ya gotta remember too, for every trike pieced out there are many more being put together with thoe parts.

[chris200x]

I guess it pretty much evens itself out if you think about it. Its those poor trikes that are taken to the scrapyard and thrown in the grinder are really the ones to worry about.

[82300R]

dont get me wrong. i have no problem buying parts off parted out machines. i just would not part out one of my own. my 82 250r roller started out as just a frame that i pulled out of a salvage yard. EVERY part on it is coming off another machine. it's being brought back totaly from the grave.

[firehart]

I love my 200x and I don't forsee every getting rid of it or parting it out. Hopefully some aftermarket companies will start making more parts. I would like to see it get like Model A Fords or Mustangs. I bet you can get more parts for them now than you could get 20 years ago.

[LonesomeTriZ]

The biggest problem with parting trikes is the left over parts. A lot of people simply throw them away. I agree some are being saved, but I feel we are losing far more than are being saved.

[dickieg89]

Kind of off the mark, but I'm slow to begin with..........Instead of antiques roadshow where they talk about antique pencil tops and counterfit nutcrackers, I'd love to see an antique roadshow on atcs. But I'm just a redneck who likes atc's.

[smokinp]

in my opinion I would say that for every trike that is being parted out there is a trike that is being rebuilt or running in its prime....:TrikesOwn :TrikesOwn

[thefox]

The biggest problem with parting trikes is the left over parts. A lot of people simply throw them away. I agree some are being saved, but I feel we are losing far more than are being saved.

I agree with you there! Not every part gets sold, even if you sell stuff cheap so I am sure many things get tossed or sit and rust beond use.

[PaulNicklin]

I am attempting to save 2 200x's thats why I joined this forum for all the information that you guys have put together here. I think that a forum as good as this one will help more people restore the old 3 wheelers sittin in the garage. Instead of deciding to scrap it out because its in the way.

[LonesomeTriZ]

The big problem is the fact that they are worth more for parts rather than as a whole unit. Greed is a factor that must be dealt with.

[2strokes4life]

ya gotta remember too, for every trike pieced out there are many more being put together with thoe parts.

exactly. i parted out my old 350X on ebay because the engine case was cracked and the frame bent and cracked.i had it all apart with intentions to restore it but decided against it. i partd out every last piece and made about $2000. i sold to alot of differnt people and probabaly saved many other X's. i also know for a fact that a brought back 1 350X from the 4-wheel conversion hell because thats where my entire front end went.

[2strokes4life]

also, if your parting out popular machines like 350X's and 250R's,every single part will sell unless its complete crap.

[Louis Mielke]

I hafta disagree. Even the popular machines don't Sell every part. There are alot of parts that gets scrapped because they don't sell for enough to justify the shipping.

Thats always been my question. What happens to al the parts that don't sell? Most get scrapped. Another factor is unfortuantly that most people who ride trikes don't have very deep pockets. I'm constantly watching the classified board and see request for parts I know you can blatantly get brand new fairly inexpensively. Why? Pony up the bucks and get the parts.

That and most people never think about retrofitting/interchangability. Obviously its not the same for a 100 point restore, but for your daily rider, just about every part is availible if not in the aftermarket, then from another machine.

My biggest soap box example, Switch clusters.......$200 for switch clusters for 250rs, and 350xs is stupid unless your doing a real restore, (and a real restore in my book is one where money is no object) The new 450r quad switch clusters have all the switches you need, get the freakin side custers and wirer strippers out and a test light and rewire a commonly availible switch! Its not hard!

[2strokes4life]

also, if your parting out popular machines like 350X's and 250R's,every single part will sell unless its complete crap.


this was spoken from experience

[sandpuppi101]

I am reading alot of back and forth on this subject and you all are making a point. I personally don't get a fully functional machine and strip it down to the last bolt and sell it.What I do is buy the machine that is laying in the weeds-that has been there for 5 years ,or the machine that is under a pile of chicken sh*# in the barn.These units are almost always basketcases when I recieve them,so I dismantle them and either sell the items I have an abundance of parts of ,or clean up the parts and stock them so when I get to doing another restoration project I have to go shopping on my own shelves,or if you guys are needing something.I have personally saved dozens of ATC's or more ,by this process and if I was to restore all the parts back to machines ,I could probably save dozens more.You have to look at it that way-sure I want to make a buck-but my love for the ATC and our sport is more important to me than getting a jem of a trike and parting it out for Beer money or something!!! And as cheap as I am -I never throw out anything that is useable for my beloved trikes,only the junk goes in the garbage!!!

[LonesomeTriZ]

I to drag home the left behind and forgotten. However, if it is a complete trike, I restore it or sell it to some one who will. If 50% of it is missing, I usually try to save it any way. Like the YT125 below. That is how I found it, and now I have acquired enough parts it is worth rebuilding. The 225 is a restoration currently underway. It was 99% complete, but every single part had to be attended to. And it literally was found in a pile of chicken crap.

[crackshot]

There is a junk yard here that this guy has a lot of 3 wheelers. I mean a lot of them.
Problem Is, everytime i go there and price parts, the guy is a joke. Wants 50.00 for a rusted out exhaust system.
He sells bent handlebars for 25.00. What a jerk.

[Howdy]

I am reading alot of back and forth on this subject and you all are making a point. I personally don't get a fully functional machine and strip it down to the last bolt and sell it.What I do is buy the machine that is laying in the weeds-that has been there for 5 years ,or the machine that is under a pile of chicken sh*# in the barn.These units are almost always basketcases when I recieve them,so I dismantle them and either sell the items I have an abundance of parts of ,or clean up the parts and stock them so when I get to doing another restoration project I have to go shopping on my own shelves,or if you guys are needing something.I have personally saved dozens of ATC's or more ,by this process and if I was to restore all the parts back to machines ,I could probably save dozens more.You have to look at it that way-sure I want to make a buck-but my love for the ATC and our sport is more important to me than getting a jem of a trike and parting it out for Beer money or something!!! And as cheap as I am -I never throw out anything that is useable for my beloved trikes,only the junk goes in the garbage!!!

I agree here. Though I must admit that I have parted a few complete machines. This was ONLY done after I couldn't sell them whole and at least break even. Anyone that has seen the parts that we have, knows I Hate to throw parts out ( even some parts that I know we could never sell or use ). But I do throw some stuff out, but VERY seldomly does it happen, and even then the part must be completely junk. A few years ago I was raked over the coals for parting out a POS 86 200x. The motor was toasted ( had been taken apart and found to need MAJOR parts ), the fenders were gone, ect, ect. To fix the machine would have cost at least $800-$1200 in parts alone. For a machine ( at the time ) that would have only been worth $750-$1000, it wasn't worth it. I had offered it to a few people for what I had purchased it for. But all I heard was " It wouldn't be worth the money needed to fix it up". So I parted it out on Ebay. I had a few parts that didn't sell ( @ $.99 ), so I put them on the shelf. About a year later I decided to list them 1 last time, all but 1 or 2 sold.
It was funny because the same people that were giving me crap about parting it out, was some of my bidders. You can bet I pointed this out to them.
No offence to anyone, but if your going to complain about a machine getting parted out then don't buy used parts. Instead go down to your local dealer and buy new ones. You will soon find out that a lot of the parts are No longer available. So now what are you going to do? Part it out or buy parts from someone else who is parting one out? Either way you will be going against what your say or have said: "Don't part a trike". Until all the Trike parts are being made again quality parts at cheap prices we will continue to see them parted out. There is NO way around it.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't like the thought of having so many parted out. But the bottom line is that 1 nicer machine being parted out may save quite a few other from being parted. It used to be that the more parts that was on Ebay the cheaper they sold for, but lately it's been a total hit and miss. Real nice parts for one machine bring good money, while Very nice parts for another don't bring squat.

Now when it comes to quads, I have no problem parting them out. In fact I am trying to find more to buy and part out. lol
Howdy

[LonesomeTriZ]

I think the trikers who are against parting a machine are against perfect running machines that look and run great getting hacked up. We have all seen some cherry machines get parted. That is what I do not like. Some one doing just because they can. A machine that is beyond help is one thing, but a machine that looks abd runs great? That is what makes me sick.

[2strokes4life]

i dont agree with parting out fully functional machines, but if you have a basket case that you want to restore,your most likely going to get parts from someone stripping another machine to restore yours. i still go by the theory, 1 sacrafice will save several machines.

[jbezan]

There are lots of trikes parted out b/c of cosmetic problems. New plastic and seat covers cost very little and can transform a trike into a keeper. Our job is to find these trikes before they decide to part them out and revive them.

[ATCT]

I agree here. Though I must admit that I have parted a few complete machines. This was ONLY done after I couldn't sell them whole and at least break even. Anyone that has seen the parts that we have, knows I Hate to throw parts out ( even some parts that I know we could never sell or use ). But I do throw some stuff out, but VERY seldomly does it happen, and even then the part must be completely junk. A few years ago I was raked over the coals for parting out a POS 86 200x. The motor was toasted ( had been taken apart and found to need MAJOR parts ), the fenders were gone, ect, ect. To fix the machine would have cost at least $800-$1200 in parts alone. For a machine ( at the time ) that would have only been worth $750-$1000, it wasn't worth it. I had offered it to a few people for what I had purchased it for. But all I heard was " It wouldn't be worth the money needed to fix it up". So I parted it out on Ebay. I had a few parts that didn't sell ( @ $.99 ), so I put them on the shelf. About a year later I decided to list them 1 last time, all but 1 or 2 sold.
It was funny because the same people that were giving me crap about parting it out, was some of my bidders. You can bet I pointed this out to them.
No offence to anyone, but if your going to complain about a machine getting parted out then don't buy used parts. Instead go down to your local dealer and buy new ones. You will soon find out that a lot of the parts are No longer available. So now what are you going to do? Part it out or buy parts from someone else who is parting one out? Either way you will be going against what your say or have said: "Don't part a trike". Until all the Trike parts are being made again quality parts at cheap prices we will continue to see them parted out. There is NO way around it.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't like the thought of having so many parted out. But the bottom line is that 1 nicer machine being parted out may save quite a few other from being parted. It used to be that the more parts that was on Ebay the cheaper they sold for, but lately it's been a total hit and miss. Real nice parts for one machine bring good money, while Very nice parts for another don't bring squat.

Now when it comes to quads, I have no problem parting them out. In fact I am trying to find more to buy and part out. lol
Howdy
I agree Howdy. I purchased what I thought was a complete 200X. Well, when I got it, it turned out to be a complete piece of ****. So, I decided that I was just going to rebuild it. Well, that led to a complete restoration. One that I didn't finish. The trike isn't together, and I'm moving to a place where it's just not reasonable for me to keep it. It's just not cost effective to put it back together--still need some parts repainted, etc, so I'm going to sell each of the parts off, one by one hopefully to members on here, or on eBay. So, even though I don't like seeing a nice machine parted out, I understand it. I just hope to make some of the money back I sunk into it.

[fhportal]

It's like hamburger, most people eat it but don't want to see where it came from. The best way to save these trikes is to treasure the ones you have and to ride them to break the dangerous myth. Maybe one day they'll make trikes again. If is wasnt for ebay there would be two trikes in my back yard not spreading the "word" (being ridden)

[42F67N]

Ive saved a few and parted a few out,if it wasent for guys like myself i wouldnt have been able to save a few of them because i bought used parts.

[scobydokevin]

see, i know people that will part one out to make a little extra, but not me, i saved my yt125, and got it at a really good price, i payed 140, and the person i got it from took decent care of it, and just baught 200 bucks worth of new stuff for it. all i had to do was clean the carb and now it runs like a dream, but no matter how bad it gets, i will not part it out, its in to good of shape to screw it up.

Kevin

[Jim mac]

just got a 200s last friday, It was just sitting behind this guys house, and they werent going to do anything with it. I was told it was a 110 with a bad coil. turns out its a 200s with a bad primary coil. I think its got a 185 rear plastic, and no seat. but I paid 45 bucks for it its got good tires, I ordered and installed a primary coil, and it fires right up. now I need a intake, the rubber seperated from the metal and cracked. I just bolted the carb to the head to test run it. Now if I can find a seat and make a couple of mounts for the plastic, I'll have another trike. So not all of them are getting parted, some are being put back together. Jim

[badasskfx]

it is a sin to part out a perfectly good threewheeler.

[aquapunk]

my friend bought an 85 ytm 200 for 50 bucks, and if it werent for some used parts off ebay, it wouldnt be runnin, which would suck, because it cracks me up every time we go riding and i see his huge 30" balloon tires! lol