My 86 Tecate Restoration

[brrcuda]

Well, I figured I would post my pics of my 86 tecate restoration and update as I go. This will take a while since I still need to finish my showroom atc250r first and I am also building a 70s mopar on the side - thus my screen name.

The first round of work on the tecate included assessment of the issues and missing parts:
-broken main exhaust hanger
-a few snapped bolts in the triple tree - fender bolts - 3 of the 4 rusted solid
-needs new grab bar
-needs fork boots - ordered aftermarket
-bearings in front are trashed
-rad overflow bottle - eliminated - not worth looking for
-fenders are faded and sun cracked
-sounds like some piston slap - i will check out top end and replace. Compression feels more than my tri-z and 250r. I am hoping to still have a good plated cylinder
-rear shock needs rebuild - spongy but not pogo-ing like I have seen before.

First Ride impressions:

-I took the bike for a spin around my yard and could not get out of first gear - too fast. This bike already feels really fast - lifts the front tire without effort. checked all gears and all is well. Reminds me of the old KXs from the 80s with the way the tank and shrouds are at your knees. I like it. I think I like it better than my 250r, but i have not opened it up in 5th yet - so we'll see.

Oh and the twist throttle actually feels right on this bike - on my 250r it was a disaster waiting to happen.

The tear down starts:

-I can not stand rust - i have a real problem with rusty parts and frames - call me anal. So, the restoration starts. I pulled all plastics and polished each piece including the airbox cover, the tank ,the shrouds, and headlight guard.

-removed all stickers and ordered repro kit from yamatopdog.

- removed all vanity bolts - ordered new nos bolts for shroud,headlight and airbox to dress it up nice.

- removed exhaust and getting ready to repaint - might save the muffler for future since they are rare. Its in great condition - best I have seen on all my bikes.

- Tank - spend at least 3 hours restoring the tank - its green again - :w00t: Its faded to a light color but no brown seepage stains at all. Took a razor blade to scrap oxidation off, then sandpaper and Novus plactic scratch remover. Looks much better. If it doesnt look good I will put a cover on it.

here are some pic of the restore so far - i will update as I make progress.

Paul

[brrcuda]

I also need a rear brake Disc - has anyone used the T4 discs offered by tecate connection on ebay? Or any other options?

$240 for a new one is not appealing to me.

One more pic

[scooterroo]

nice to see another tecate getting the tlc it deserves. bet its going to be nice when doone. the 86-87 model is always been one of my favorite trikes. very intimidating just sitting still. when i can find one thats affordable, i will be having one. goodluck on your project. not sure if the rear discs will fit, email the guy from tecate connection and find out.

[jsimonh]

Looks like a great project. I think the 86-87 Tecate are some of the sweetest looking trikes made.

Good luck and keep us updated.

[OZQUAD44]

have you got a shot of your tank after you finished it?

How much was your sticker kit? Does he do them for the 87 Models?

Good luck on the Resto, can't wait to see it done.

[Orangecnty250r]

You'll have fun with the restore!!!!

OZ He does make a decal kit for the 87....We made them from the plastics on mine....look real nice to. Make sure its yamatopdogs...they are more accurate than the other guy that does tecate decals....I think they go for about 70 bucks...The only one I want him to redo is the fork decal....I wasnt there for that one.:( I havent talked to Jared in a long time....going to have to plan another trip down there

[scooterroo]

what about 85 t3 decals? does he make them as well orange? i had a set i paid 85 bucks for but wouldnt you know it, when my garage got cleaned out they disappeared. cant find them for the life of me, and the guy i bought them off of hasnt returned any of my emails, so i am in the market for a nice set of 85 decals, complete set if possible.

[brrcuda]

$79 is what I paid for the decal kit and he had the 87 kit as well. Bought them from his ebay store. Search for "tecate decal" and his store comes up. I always look in the ebay stores incase there is something there - ever since I got an OEM Tri-z seat cover there (ebay stores section) for $15.

OCnty- There is also a KXT front fork and neck decal from yamatopdog on ebay also. Seems to only offer them separate? If you want them , get em - I will wait for the next round.

I dont know about the 85 since I am not focusing on that model. There is a set of 84 tank decals also on ebay from a different vendor taht i say though?

OZ - I'll get pics of the tank when I get home - I am in Denver CO on Business today - so it won't be til this weekend for an update. The tank is still very light colored compared to a new set of kawi shrouds, but better than the mold, gas spill and oxidation that came on it. I think I really lucked out with gas stains though, I am thinking the bike was stored outside without gas in it.

Paul

[Orangecnty250r]

OCnty- There is also a KXT front fork and neck decal from yamatopdog on ebay also. Seems to only offer them separate? If you want them , get em - I will wait for the next round.



Paul

Yes I already have those....he made those for me as well but the front fork decal is the one I want him to fix....doesnt have the black border like stock so I am holding off until they are fixed

[brrcuda]

Well work has been crazy the last few weeks but i got some parts in this week. Figured I would update this thread with some pics.

I spent alot of money on items that I am still waiting for, but my fenders came in and I managed to give the frame a quick re-paint.

So heres the deal - I decided to restore this bike as a rider for now, with the intention of a showroom bike later. That means i put a cheap paint job on the frame to just protect it from the elements - powdercoat it next year. I have a new set of plastics all around except the headlight shell. I will also have a set of rider plastic so i don't feel guilty riding it. Everytime I look at this bike, its calling me to ride it.

Heres what i have done so far:

-striped bike to frame - this was the easiest bike to tear down - every bolt except the front fender bolts came out without effort - those 3 bolts froze and i need to drill them out after snapping them. even the swiinger bolt slide right out and was dry as a bone.
- Repaint the frame - for bikes i ride - i do this - i painted the frame with grey rustoleum. This way when it chips which it will. I can go back and touch up with a quick brush. Next year I will spend the money on powder - not now though.
-new fenders -I looked everywhere for fenders for the best deal - no such thing. I went to my local kawi dealer and got the best deal - retail price with no shipping charge and no sales tax (NH). Don't buy those 86 tecate fenders on ebay - what a rip off on shipping. And bikebandit will not ship fenders.
- new blue fork boots- I am still sanding and polishing the fork bottoms. the seals were fine, so no need to replace.
- new parts from a fellow tecate friend I met online - I am awaiting my golden parts to be in this week. Near new oem shrouds and tank (R+L). The tank is in excellent conditon as well as shrouds. New rad. overflow bottle in package, new intake rubber in package and a rare Bills rev pipe/silencer. I paid nearly 800 for all this stuff, but where else am i going to find these without fighting for them on ebay - so i figured i scored on these. Some of you guys have deep pockets on ebay.
-replaced many rusty bolts and cleaned up electrical harness.
-sanded and polished tank from a black moldy/oxided to a light green color -this will be my rider tank anyways and use the other tank for show.

Next items to do:

finish polishing forks, needs new front wheel bearings, needs new front tire - i have a brand new dunlop for it from my 250r project.

go through brakes, paint handlebars, new gasket set on engine, new piston and rings - if nothing else is needed on motor when opened up. Then paint motor and finish assembly

Here some pics - enjoy

[brrcuda]

a few more pics

I forgot to mention, the rear brake rotor will be replaced (bent from rock damage)with a new/used one and the rear carrier needs paint. Also, I am going to replace the rear shock when I have some extra money. But until then its getting put back together

the third pic is when i brought it home last month.

Thanks

[brrcuda]

After looking at my own pics I had to reply:Bounce

I am thinking of going with a set of hoosiers flat track on the rear and keep the original tires for riding. They are dry rotted a bit. I think that will look amazing when finished,

I have to say - the 86/87 or any tecate has always been like my white whale. I never could find one around here and when i did, i didnt have the money or it was overpriced. When is the last time you saw one on ebay. I only remember 1 86 this year so far and usually need as much work as this one cosmetically.

I even had a deal with a *Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited**Edited**E dited* at my job last year - he had an 85 tecate in his shed he was going to give me for cleaning out his shed to get to it. Then he started seeing how interested i was and decided to see what it was worth - nonetheless he bagged me when i wanted to go get it. He's a loser and chronic bullshiter though - so i don't talk to him anymore.

I also started working a deal with an old kawasaki dealer that had a factory 3-wheeler race team back in the 80s. I actually worked with his star rider at a car dealership when i was a kid.Supposedly he had some crate bikes, but when it was time to drive out to get them - 3 hours - had the cash in hand. He calls and said he sold them for 8k a piece. We even had his lawyer involved so he could not be responsible when selling them to me. I am not kidding - if you go look for the old factory race teams in the 80s, the bikes might be still around. You would be surpised what he told me he had - but i will not indulge in those details - you probably won't believe me anyways. I even know where a tiger dealer was in the 80s - there was a huge 3 wheeler race following in my area that i grew up in - i remember seeing a tiger 250 in the show room when i was a kid.

back to the point - there is just something about these tecates that gets me going. The flashy green flared plastics. The race breed look and feel, and the illustrious name TECATE is awesome. I just love saying that word. The notorious hi-strung powervalved motor, what else could you want.

Sorry for rambling - its early AM.

[DeePa]

is this the tecate you were thinking about picking up when we were riding?

Mike

[Jeb]

Congrats! It's nice to see another 86 being resurrected! Lookin' great! :beer

I need to get one of Jared's '86 Sticker Kits. I bought some from another guy before Jared was offering his. They are nice, but Jared's look fantastic in the pics I've seen.

I've been wondering for a long time about dying Tecate tanks back to green. There's got to be some way to do that.

[85ytz250nj]

very nice job!!! bike looks amazing, i hope to accuire a tecate in the future to add to my collection. i will be doing the same process on my 85 250sx, and ill be copying your guidlines on how you did your rebuild because i have the same views when it comes down to things being "spotless" and "flawless". anyways, good luck and keep us updated.

[edog]

Looking great.

[brrcuda]

Its a roller!! - put the front tire on it to move it around and put it away in the porta-garage. Also scuffed and painted the rear carrier silver. Front bearing are next when they arrive.

Good news though - pulled the head and the nikisil is in perfect shape - not a scratch on it. I was worried as to what I would find in there.

I store the plastics in my house to keep them fresh and not to bring attention to the flashy green ride in my yard. Thats why theres only 1 bolt holding each piece.

few more pics... more to come

[Red Rider]

The bike is looking good except for those fork boots. You need to toss those. They're too wimpy looking for a set of 41mm fork legs.

[jason 32]

i want one damnit!!
scooteroo yours still looks great

[brrcuda]

I received my latest round of parts. I wanted to post pics of what a tecate bill's pipe looks like as well as document my "restification". I have been searching for info here on bills pipe and there are too many conflicting "i thinks" out there on this board. here are some pics of the bills pipe i picked up. Notice the old school sectional areas throughout the pipe - hand made. Notice the natural gold bronze color. And the the Bills tag in the fat part of the expansion chamber.

This is with matching silencer. The guy I bought it from said that he only knew of 2 others that had this pipe for the tecate? He said he scoured US for parts.

[brrcuda]

more pics after resizing

[scooterroo]

damn nice pics there, bike is gonna be sweet.

[Jeb]

My Z has a bill's pipe. Wonder how many were made for the Z?

[nd4speed]

Very cool pipe for sure.

I picked up a used 86 KX250 Pro Circuit pipe to see if it would fit and it I believe definately it will. But pipe bend where the stinger is has an opposite angle (cut or bend? depending on silencer picked). And the pipe I got was bent/dented a little from somethin wedging between it and the front tire. Couldn't tell from the picture but what the hell for $0.99 plus S&H to find out. I just had suspicions about rare pipes for the T3 just being KX pipes. Not anymore.

Next thing I am tryin is Suzuki LT250 hubs on the rear.

Save the T3s!

[brrcuda]

got the latest round of parts including:

-new/used rear tecate shock
-90% new tank - no paint here
-intake boot in package
-overflow bottle in package
- new front hub after I destroyed the original one getting the bearings out.


I brought the bike into my basement so I can work on it in a good place. Popped the cylinder and found that it must have been bored at somepoint cause it is a bigger than stock piston. wierd because the piston states made in Japan on the inside- not a wiseco. but the standard bore kit i bought didnt fit - my mistake for not specing it out and trusting the previous owners info. But anyways i put it back together and is ready to be re-installed.

Check out the tank - picked it up for 225. rad overflow cost 150 and intake - 100. pricey but necessities to keep this running for many more years.

[Red Rider]

It's looking good! Ya gotta love that unblemished lime green! Be careful when you ride it out of your basement. :D

[brrcuda]

Ok - nearing completion on this one. Latest additons are the front hub has new bearings and are installed. The motor has been installed into the frame. The bottom end was painted with high temp low gloss for now.

Painted the foot pegs with POR15 to test for durability.

Need to clean up the motor mounts and install carb and a few otherodds and ends. Fit the pipe, etc.

some more pics. Not bad for a one month to find parts and to be this complete. This one totaled 2700 so far to get to this point. I like it:beer

[ATC-Eric]

Three words:

Wow, and good job!

[OZQUAD44]

Where did you get the tank and intakes from?

[brrcuda]

Where did you get the tank and intakes from?

I actually lucked out and found a guy in Nevada that was parting his tecate restoration out. He had everything I could need. He just ran out of money to complete it. The intake, overflow tank, 90% tank, shrouds and bills pipe. He had no pictures so i took a gamble on the first transaction - but every part was near perfect condition.

He contacted me about the intake originally from ebay (from another intake i was bidding on) and it went from there. Sent him alot of money but came through each time with what he promised. I figured i wouldn't have another offer like that -ever.

Thanks - Paul

[edog]

ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hurry to you local gas station and get yourself a Powerball ticket.Looking sweet dude.

[RacerRichie]

86-87 Tecates rule.....
I wish I had the cash to finish mine.....slow but sure someday...

[theonlyjosh]

wow sick dude, i am still waiting to sell my yamaha 200n before i go and buy a nicer trike.

[86waterpumper]

Very nice looking t3 you have built yourself there. Wow I didn't know the overflow resevoirs were worth so much now. Makes it tempting to sell my nos one LOL at any rate, looks top notch they are fun bikes to ride, you will have a blast on it.

[brrcuda]

Thanks for the comments guys. I really appreciate it.

This bike was the worst so far for finding parts at a reasonable price. The tri-z and 250r were alot easier to find resources for parts. Even though Kawi has most of the parts still available from the factory - they are an arm and a leg in costs.

And I cut some corners on the restore to just get it done. I could easily spend another 1000 to 1500 on getting everything perfect, but thats too much for now.

I am dying to ride it. Maybe I can finish all the odds and ends and get it started this weekend. If thats the case - I will pull the axle/carrier off and pull the bike out of the basement and go for a first rip/tune ride. You should see me do it - its a definetly a site to be seen - pulling a 250lb bike out of the basement hatch stairwell by myself :lol:

By the way the 250r pictured will never see dirt again - this is because the prices for Honda ATCs are the best and expected to rise the most in the future. The kawi and yami 250s are not holding value as much - I really don't understand it since they a rarer bikes and better looking imo?

Paul

[Hornetpowerspor]

Nice looking trike! Here is a suggestion if you are going to ride it, those transparent green gas tanks will turn brown or faded if you leave gas in them. They are worse if hit by sunlight. I would suggest either swapping with the one you have or draining out all the gas after every ride. A Tecate tank in that condition is almost impossible to find. I have been looking for 5 years and only come across 2. One I own, and the other I was out bid on on e-bay. Good luck and good job!

[brrcuda]

"Nice looking trike! Here is a suggestion if you are going to ride it, those transparent green gas tanks will turn brown or faded if you leave gas in them. They are worse if hit by sunlight. I would suggest either swapping with the one you have or draining out all the gas after every ride. A Tecate tank in that condition is almost impossible to find. I have been looking for 5 years and only come across 2. One I own, and the other I was out bid on on e-bay. Good luck and good job!"

I agree Hornet - the tank on there is for show only and will never see gas or UV rays again - I have another one with a ceet cover that was the original one that came on it - see the early thread pictures. I also actually have a complete set of beater plastics to ride in. Won't look great but I won't scratch the new plastics.

Hey are you the guy that repos the Headlight shell? If you are let me know how much.I might be interested.

Paul