Tecate Rebuild / KX500 SWAP

[BigGreenMachine]

Began tearing down my T3 this afternoon, got it down to a roller. Have some nice new parts waiting to go on and some that haven't arrived yet. Here are the before pics.

[BigGreenMachine]

More pics. Check out how exposed the engine is through the cradle. :eek: Going to fix this before I ruin my cases. Anyway thats all for now, I'll post more pics as I go.

[Black86tri-z]

what are your plans for it? what are you changing up?

[BigGreenMachine]

Going to lighten is as much as I can, the suspension needs a rebuild and to be setup for MX/freeriding, fresh paint, new crank/rings and some other small stuff that you'll see as I go along.

[scooterroo]

i agree about the underside of the frame james. have been thinking of making a nice skid plate for the bottom of mine. shoudlnt be hard to do at all.

[BigGreenMachine]

I'm going to make a permanent one and weld it in there. Nothing thats going to get bashed to smitherines but it will keep the odd rock from making contact with my cases and help me glide over some obstacles.

[ccdhowell]

Take the air box out............I dare you!:twisted: :twisted:

Good start.

[BigGreenMachine]

Hey ccdhowell, what did you use on Aussie's new airbox lids to seal it against the airbox?

[digity x]

i took my air box out what a chore that was,open k-n filter with outerwares is on it now.

[scooterroo]

no airbox here either!!!! :beer

[ccdhowell]

I put some of the thin home weathersripping from Home Depot, seems to work well.

[BigGreenMachine]

Cool beans!

I'm keeping mine, too dirty here not to use one.

[DixiePlowboy]

I don't have an airbox, and it sounds like I've made the right decision to just clamp on a Uni 2-stage.

It looks and sounds like a pain to remove/replace.

[3Wheelers4Life]

looks good so far, keep up the work and keep us posted. what are you doing with it, anything special?

[Nick_R_23]

Take the air box out............I dare you!

Whats wrong with taking out the airbox?

-Nick :TrikesOwn

[BigGreenMachine]

Finished disassembly before supper. Then cleaned my fork seals out since the wipers didn't do their job at all. The seals are in great shape so a cleaning was all they needed. Also removed the brass bushings from my swingarm pivot. Stuck the swingarm in the freezer for an hour then took it out and proceeded to pound those little buggers out.

[BigGreenMachine]

Couple more of the fork seals.

[brrcuda]

glad to see you kept the bike. I remember you had an ad out for it a while ago. You got one cool tecate. Theres just something about it, reminds me of the old jw racers.

[cr480r]

Its begining to look just like my T3... lol... except I dont have a seat...

http://3wheelerworldforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46257&d=1178223046

[Tecate250]

I have my tecate up and running. My rear end is toast. Im waiting for my sprocket hub to spin on the axel. I advanced my timming this time and seems to have more power. Im so glad someone else in the atlantic provinces has a tecate.

[ccdhowell]

Nick R 23, it's not a running issue. It is that the Tecate airboxes are extremely difficult to pry out of their location in the V of the rear frame. Hard to remove, hard to install. But I'm with BGM, I have too much fine dirt/dust around here, I'm leaving mine in.

[BigGreenMachine]

Some progress made Friday night

Friday I removed all the brackets from the frame I don't use.
Pulled apart my seat and holesawed the pan, shaved the seat down.
Took the top end off the motor and pulled the piston.
Got my brake lever outlined on aluminum ready to be cut out.

Pics tomorrow and more work to follow.

[scooterroo]

keep posting them progress pics james. how hard is it to redo the seals in the forks, say for someone whos never done them?

[BigGreenMachine]

Seals are simple, let me know when your ready to do them and I'll PM you some steps.

[BigGreenMachine]

Some small stuff done. The brake lever is a rough cut and so much lighter already.
Hoping to get my shock rebuilt this week.

[ccdhowell]

Looking good. Tell me, why did you make another brake lever? What did you use to shape the seat? Is that new foam?

[BigGreenMachine]

New lever in aluminum to shave a little weight. If I had my time back and didn't hack my stocker I wouldn't be bothering with it.

The seat I rough cut with a hacksaw blade then used the sanding disc on the mini grinder to smooth it. Still not done with that. The foam is the stock 22 year old stuff.

[RID3R]

New lever in aluminum to shave a little weight.

Another way to get rid of some wieght is the radiator. Do you got a stock radiator? PWR Radiators can make you one that weighs less than stock. When I called them up they said around 500 to make the radiator.

[BigGreenMachine]

Thats a bit much right now. Someday I'll be using a different rad so no need to spend money one something that will get changed.

[scooterroo]

wow, pwr makes radiators for the t3, hmmmmmmmmm. might be needing me a nice new radiator to go with the rest of the look.

[RID3R]

PWR doesnt make the t3 radiators for production but if you call PWR direct ask for Brandon and talk to him about getting one made for a t3. You have to send in a stock radiator for them to make the new radiator out of.

[BigGreenMachine]

Did a little smoothing on the seat foam today and set it all on the frame to get an idea of where I am. Thinking the back needs to be lower and it won't matter because all my weight is on the front/middle of the seat which is thicker.

Taking all my parts to the pay and spray tomorrow to clean them down.

[scooterroo]

so is the seat comfortable james? looks nice, i like it. cool little idea. not to change the subject but did you ever recieve the aussie plate for test fitting yet?

[BigGreenMachine]

No number plate. Tell you the truth I won't be running it long as the white stands out too much against so much green.

[BigGreenMachine]

Pulled the cases apart this morning to take out my crank.

Took apart my kickstart mechanism to replace the ratchet gears with those from an 85 KX250 kickstart assembly I bought. The stock teeth were worn round from slipping..

Still need to powerwash my motor, wish I had someone to sandblast it to bare metal for me.

[cr480r]

Pulled the cases apart this morning to take out my crank.

was a puller needed?

[BigGreenMachine]

Nope! They pull apart real easy. Trick is to do one side at a time if your doing crank seals/bearings.

Tip the engine on its side and pull one half off slowly (after you've got them started seperating) so that the tranny sits in the other case half undisturbed. Change out the crank seals/bearings in the half you removed, then reinstall it on the motor. Flip motor to the other side and repeat. Keeps the tranny and shifter forks from coming out and having to spend extra time getting that stuff back in line.

Real easy, took me all of half hour to pull the crank.

[cheaptecate]

did you need any special tools to put it together. The manual shows a spacer tool. Do you need this or is there a way around it. I just picked up my first T3 and this part confuses me

[BigGreenMachine]

The way it works is to hold the crank. All it says as far as putting the halves together is to put in one bearing/seal then put the other bearing on the crank and put the other half on by tapping them together.

[BigGreenMachine]

:Bounce :Bounce :Bounce :Bounce :Bounce

[cr480r]

Wow.. Your actually gonna do it. I cant wait to see this thing finished..

[BigGreenMachine]

Borrowed my budds sawzall this morning and had at it. I'm just about there.

The front motor mounts and bottom mounts will line up as well as the rear. Pipe will need to be cut and turned some. Airbox is still up in the air, trying to engineer in my head what to do about it.

[BigGreenMachine]

MOTOR IS IN!!!

The frame is tacked together but I want to double check the chain alignment before I weld it all up.

Pipe needs to be done next. Then I want to make it a roller so I know where to place my pegs.

[scooterroo]

awesome james, be watching alot of what you are doing for my project. even though they are different year frames, cant believe how close to a regular 86 fram its looking like. keep up the good work and keep us posted with lots of pics. :beer

[BigGreenMachine]

I'll keep up with the pics don't worry.

[Maico]

I thought you sold that 500 motor?:wondering

[BigGreenMachine]

Long story short, I sold it and now I have it again. :Bounce

Put the 86 Tecate swinger on tonight and checked the sprocket alignment. Perfect! :beer

Shaved a little weight over my Champion with the aluminum 86 and its +2 over stock. :naughty:

Still need to finish welding the frame solid.

[BigGreenMachine]

Thanks again to Maico for the very nice 86/87 swingarm, very pleased with it! :Bounce

This is going great.

Anyone have a good outside swingarm pivot cap for the 86 Tecate and an 85 rear brake lever?

[scooterroo]

the stock 86 swinger is lighter then your champion? what are doing with the champion by the way? :beer

[BigGreenMachine]

Waiting until I have this project all finished and then selling it, the perfect cases, two sleeved cylinders and the 38mm TMX.

[scooterroo]

let me know what your wanting for the swinger, i just migh tbe interested.

[cr480r]

what carrier are you using with the '86 swinger?

[BigGreenMachine]

85 Tecate carrier, 84 will work as well. Bolts on perfectly no mods.

Stoked about using this swinger because of the provisions for a skidplate.

[Maico]

No problem. Glad someone could use it. I have 2 good used outside caps leftover from my '86 when I put new bearings in. All Balls Bearings supplies new ones in the swingarm kits. I can put 'em in a padded envelope and send 'em to ya.

[BigGreenMachine]

Great, figured they were discontinued. I'll get a kit cuz it needs bearings. Thanks Roger.

[Maico]

The kits are nice. 2 sleeves,2 bearings,2 outer cups and 2 of the little inner seals.

[scooterroo]

nice bit of info, looks like i will be getting myself a set as well. hey james what color scheme are you thinking of going with on this project? white with green frame?

[BigGreenMachine]

White frame and green plastics.

[250rulzes]

James,
What suspension linkage are you using? Are you going with the 86/87 offset, Will it fit or modding the swinger connection for the first generation setup?

[BigGreenMachine]

I'm going to mod the swinger mounting point to use the 85 T3 linkage.

The offset 86 linkage will not work due to the bolt hole in the 85 frame being too big for the 86 bolt.

[BigGreenMachine]

Its all solid now, sloppy welds and all. Motor bolts in and the chain is straight. Had my breakfast out there this morning in between letting welds cool. :p

Now I have to trim some parts off the frame and weld on a mount for my coil and CDI then put a brace back from the downtube to the top frame tube.

[BigGreenMachine]

Heres what I started with compared to the above pics. Thats the Champion vs 86 T3 swingarm. I'll have to move that mount back as well to keep the ride height stock. Wish I had my stocker to compare the 86 to.

[BigGreenMachine]

Check out the tiny KX flywheel. The Tecate flywheel is as big as the stator plate.

Didn't accomplish much today. I taught my g/f how to clean a carb, figured out where my jetting is at (way rich) and got an idea of how my carb will sit.

Still need to bolt up my reed spacer and Vforce II cage to get it to sit where it finially will.

[i58829]

Looks like its coming along very well. Just out of curiosity, i have another tech question, why do the 86 frames need to be clearanced for the spark plug and yours has so much gap, did you ad a little to the downtube when welding? or is the top tube routed in a different way? Thanks again, TC...

[BigGreenMachine]

Still have to trim the old top mount off and weld in a new brace. :Bounce

Going to hide the coil/CDI up under the tank like the stock 250 does.

[i58829]

after looking at the latest pics i see a tube is missing in the whole deal, this must be one you're talking about. I should have had a little more patience...

[BigGreenMachine]

Looks like its coming along very well. Just out of curiosity, i have another tech question, why do the 86 frames need to be clearanced for the spark plug and yours has so much gap, did you ad a little to the downtube when welding? or is the top tube routed in a different way? Thanks again, TC...

If you look at the before pic you can see the brace that I cut out to clear the sparkplug/cap. You can see clearly that the brace is on the same level as the spark plug and cap. I may have jumped the gun by cutting it out where I may have gotten away with a notch.

My Tecate is an 85 which is completely different from the 86/87 Tecate also so keep that in mind.

Also I have to agree that there is a TON AND A HALF of space in the 85 Tecate frame once you remove that brace to fit just about any motor you could dream up, fourstroke or two.

[BigGreenMachine]

Don't worry about it, have a good one.

[scooterroo]

the 86/87 frame is similar and needs to be moded as well.
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h315/scooterroo/86t3011.jpg

[BigGreenMachine]

Carb does not line up with the airbox. Guess I'll use a clamp on for now.

Sorting out my mounts for the electrical. Hoping to mount the CDI and coil like stock on a modified frame brace under the tank out of sight.

[BigGreenMachine]

Rant on gearing/top speed.

The KX tire diameter is 27.5 inches....does that seem right?

120/90-19 size tire with 15/38 gearing will net you round 125mph.

In contrast the ratio im running is 18 inch tire with 14/38 which I suspect is a far cry from 125mph.

Not that I want to hit 125 mph on the twitchy Tecate chassis but I want to see at least a 100mph pull to top for the ponds come winter.

So I need to bridge a 9 inch gap between the 27 inch dirtbike tire to the 18 inch Tecate tires.

If I run a 16 tooth front then I'd be up to 22 inch tire status and only have 5 inches to make up. +1 front tooth being +2 inches of tire height.

Then I can only get down to a 34 tooth rear which would put me at a 3 inch difference between the overall dirtbike gearing and overall T3 gearing. - 2 teeth being +1 inches of tire.

Correct me if I'm wrong but thats damn fast.

So I need 16/34 for the ponds and probably good at 14 or 15/38 for all around riding.

Time will tell.

[200x Basket]

LOL. i bet you never get it above 70 mph.

[Maico]

Have you taken in account for the actual trans gear ratios??

[Darius1502]

Great project! That thing will be a rocket!!

[BigGreenMachine]

Beginning to build it up and get everything the way it needs to be then tear it down for paint. Going well. :D

Waiting on my shock to be rebuilt and my tires to arrive. Hoping the carb levels out when the trike is on the ground. :wondering

The small things are holding me up now. :Bounce

If anyone has a good KX500 silencer let me know because I need one.

[BigGreenMachine]

Anyone have some good ideas for a paint scheme?

Waiting until I can roll this around before I work on my pipe/pegs.

[ccdhowell]

James that thing is really coming together nicely. Since I'm fresh back from TF remembering how my 300 Tecate did in the drags, your bike will be truely sick, that thing is gonna fly. My 300 is truely scary fast, can't imagine the power your bike is gonna have and the top end speed is going to be mostly unuseable. At Haspin for 5 days, I never got mine into 5th gear, wasn't enough room to open it up. Hope you have some runways nearby in Newfoundland so you can open it up and let it run.

As far a paint, I tend to stay away from traditional trike colors, as seen on my trike. I'd say go flat black on frame, triples, tank and radiator shrouds, if you use them. Leave the rear fenders green. Make the swingarm and all the stuff on the rear green to match the fenders. That way the front is black and the rear is green. Maybe do a seat of half black and half green. Just my humble opinion.

My bike is black, green with silver touches and it looks good to me, but it's not the traditional atv look.

Keep us posted on the build and it would be cool to see that thing at TF08. You've got a year to work out the logistics to make it happen. Chris

[BigGreenMachine]

It will be similar to that Chris, with silver motor and swingarm.

I've got loads of room to open it up, especially come winter when the ponds freeze.

[BigGreenMachine]

KX500 gas tank sitting on there.

Dropped down off the wooden box to give me some idea of ride height. It dropped the steep carb angle down some too.

Very impatiently waiting for my shock and tires. :Bounce

[cr480r]

Dood the KX tank is sweet... Your project is coming together very nicely... I need to keep working on mine... A cute red-head has halted all progress...lol... So will an '84 carrier bolt to the '86 swinger? My riding skills have improved drastically since I last rode my trike... I am considering a shorter swinger... Wheelies are great...

[ccdhowell]

Are you gonna use the KX500 tank? What about the radiator? I say leave it up on the triples, different is good, easy to ID a Tecate 1st gen from a distance by it.

[BigGreenMachine]

Nah not using that tank. Going to use the stock tank and rad will stay where it is.
The 84 carrier will bolt right up like the 85. Its a sweet setup. :cool:


Got my temp airbox done and installed.

[BigGreenMachine]

Also got the coil mount/frame brace tacked in place. Pretty sure I'll have enough room for my coil and CDI in there and its all hidden under the tank. Have to pull the motor tomorrow to make sure it doesn't get in the way.

[nd4speed]

Awe, I'm gettin jealous. I remember when you were selling that motor. What year is it? I thought it was like an 87-88 but it looks newer.

I like the Green/Silver color scheme.

I don't really care the stock filter setup. The TRX clamp style sounded like a good idea. Support for that valuable carb boot would probably be a good idea.

As for the carb angle it doesn't look too bad. Just check out the one one my Tecate.

Oh and I just noticed....Are you going to use head stay motor mounts?

[Black86tri-z]

as for the paint sceame i would do any thing except a white frame,i think it would look kool black and green but that's just my 2 cents

[scooterroo]

green frame with white plastics james!!! :beer

[BigGreenMachine]

Awe, I'm gettin jealous. I remember when you were selling that motor. What year is it? I thought it was like an 87-88 but it looks newer.

I like the Green/Silver color scheme.

I don't really care the stock filter setup. The TRX clamp style sounded like a good idea. Support for that valuable carb boot would probably be a good idea.

As for the carb angle it doesn't look too bad. Just check out the one one my Tecate.

Oh and I just noticed....Are you going to use head stay motor mounts?



The motor is an 88. The carb angle had me worried for a while but I see it will come down when the rear is let down to ride height. Not bad at all, little higher then yours if at all.

The stock airbox and filter of the 84/85 is total crap, an afterthought on Kawi's behalf. Going to build a tidy airbox out of sheet aluminum as soon as I can track some down locally and get the measurements of the TRX-R filter.

The motor is in there solid, no need for the top mounts but if something breaks then I'll be making some.

My to do list is getting short, soon be time to break it down for paint.

Black86Tri-Z, here is my T3 back when I first built it. I think the white frame looks great but its time for a change now.

Scott, I'm still waiting to see what they look like on yours. lol

[BigGreenMachine]

My shock will be here Friday night. Got my mud tires taken off the aluminum rims, hoping my trekkers get here this week but its not looking good.

Things left to do are mainly tying up loose ends like radiator hoses and the swingarm bracket. The tank needs to be spaced back and forks need new preload spacers cut. (having a devil of a time finding 1" diameter PVC) The pipe is the biggest thing left and I still have not gotten a silencer for it.

Thats how projects go I suppose.

[ccdhowell]

Do they not use 1" PVC in Newfoundland? How long of a piece are you wanting? I think I have some in the backyard, I'll check it. Chris

[BigGreenMachine]

Check to see what you have Chris and I'll PM you later tonight with how much I need, that ok?

James

[RID3R]

Looking good, As for the paint, I always wanted to do something purple n black, A purple frame with black plastics should look awesome IMO :beer

[BigGreenMachine]

I may have found some 1" aluminum tubing to use instead Chris. I will let you know.

[BigGreenMachine]

Well the petcock sits right on the pipe. Seen this coming. The pipe fits the frame and exits out the rear very nicely. This is the way it will sit. Something has to change. :)

[nd4speed]

Fiery Hell! Or at least it could be....



Or wait can you turn the whole petcock around backwards on the tank so it faces the other way?

[nd4speed]

I seem to remember it being symmetrical.

[BigGreenMachine]

The pipe fits extremely well. The petcock interferes no matter what. I don't like it that close, I've seen burned down bikes/sleds before and its a waste over something stupid. Won't be happeing here.

[nd4speed]

I'm lazy and always look for the EZ way.

[ccdhowell]

I used a percock off a '83 KX500. It is made different, I'll get a pic if you want, or search on ebay, that's where I got mine.

[BigGreenMachine]

Well I said I wouldn't do it but I had no other "good" choices left. It fits on there pretty well with the KX5 pipe bolted on. The petcock clears fine. Need some new shrouds and the best part is the colour of that tank, so green as compared to the old stocker.

Its an 87 KX500 gas tank btw.

[Bryan Raffa]

couldnt you have raised the rear of the stock tank a half inch?

[BigGreenMachine]

Heres how I made the new upper mount. Simple is always best. Still have to fab the rear mount.

[BigGreenMachine]

Raising the stocker would look goofy IMO and the fuel line would still be in close contact with the pipe. Feel better doing this.

I need some of that stick on heat sheild for the fenders and bottom of the tank in the rear.

[250rulzes]

James,

Tank looks good. Could you lower the front some and run the front mounting bolt through the frame? Or better yet tack a nut on each side of the frame and attach tank via bolts?

[BigGreenMachine]

Yes but the petcock wouldnt be able to be turned off then. This way it clears and you get a considerable amount of lock to lock movement with the bars.

Its tacked on there now. When I set the trike on the ground and get to see how the angle looks I may change it some but thats about how it will stay.

[Mike_Ham_250R]

The KX tank looks better IMO. Great job so far.

[nd4speed]

I thought about getting exhaust wrap for protecting things like the plastic from melting.

[ccdhowell]

Are you gonna leave the shrouds on the tank?

[BigGreenMachine]

Hopefully going to get some nice new Maier shrouds for it when money allows.

Thanks for the comments guys.

[the tecate kid]

Run the tank and dont look back. Different is always better!

[BigGreenMachine]

Well today I made some good progress, very easy going compared to what I thought I was in store for.

Ran my coolant lines, still have some final changes to make but its looking good.

[BigGreenMachine]

Heres the easiest way to add two inches EVAR!!!

Swingarm bolts on, carrier bolts on, then the dogbone is pushed to the far left on the top mount so it lines up with the stock mount on the swingarm. VERY SIMPLE.

:Bounce

[BigGreenMachine]

That adjustable dogbone is awsome!! :D It'll get the trike down low for ice/lake riding this winter.

Very pleased with how it sits. The tank is a little big (tall!) for my liking. I have a replacement in mind that isn't so tall.
:Bounce

Silencer, exhaust mounts and some other nic nacs are all thats left. FUN!!! :w00t:

[nd4speed]

Is that the Raptor rear shock?

[BigGreenMachine]

That is a 2001 Rap 660 shock. Works great.

[the tecate kid]

Did you have to make any adustments to fit that raptor shock? I tried to put my yfz 450 shock on mine, but it was about 2 1/2" too long. The raptor must be shorter? Also the gas reservoir on my shock is connected to the shock, not seperate like the raptor, and created some severe clearance problems. I would not be able to run an airbox, Do you happen to know of the part number for a K&N filter that would just clamp onto the rear of the carb?

[BigGreenMachine]

Well I drilled my top mount out to fit the bigger bolt and that was it really.

As for that solid mounted reservoir, turn the shock upside down and run it. The 2 inch difference will definately frig up your ride height though.

Look for a Honda 300EX rear shock or any year 660 Raptor shock.

James

[BigGreenMachine]

Lowering the tank so it will look better and have some other misc stuff that are being a pain.

James

[i58829]

Hey BGM, i was wondering (i hope you didn't answer this already) where you got the adjustable link from? Did you have someone fab it up or is it off a late model machine? I really like that idea so i can make mine look cool when its in the garage and lift it up a little for trail riding. Oh yea everything is a go for our move to Pa, so in no time at all i'll be picking up/workin on the 86 project, TC...

[BigGreenMachine]

Hey man great to hear! Your picking up Preddy's 86? The adjustable dogbone comes from the 86/87 Tecate and really works great!

[BigGreenMachine]

Need another tank and a silencer..

[BigGreenMachine]

It vibrates.

It scares me.

I want to ride it!

Need to score a silencer, shrouds and some other small parts and then break it down for paint. Have another tank on the way as well as some carb parts.
Got a feeling I'll be swapping to a 86 T3 front end to get the rubber bar mounts.

[BigGreenMachine]

Filled the carb bowl and let it have it. Take a look at the peg/brake lever...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/th_d426a486.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v514/BigGreenMachine/?action=view&current=d426a486.flv)

[iowarotax]

Thats nice!! Reminds me of my KTM 500. The big bores have alot of juice. The first time I started my KTM, I was kinda in awe of the sound and power..62 hp... Keep up the good work.

[BigGreenMachine]

Thank you. I was very surprised, startled when it fired up...no silencer just yet and the thing vibrates so much. Really makes you think about how much juice it will have..

[ccdhowell]

Holly cow James, you need to be careful first time out on that monster. I know you're excited about riding it, but patience now will pay dividends later. Chris

[BigGreenMachine]

Chris, I'm taking my time with the build and doing things right the first time. I suspect I'll be another two weeks doing the initial buildup/testing/getting parts and then its time for paint.

[BigGreenMachine]

Cut off the stock lower motor mounts today which are weak weak weak..Going to remake them tomorrow

Cleaned out my forks and filled them to spec with 5 weight oil. Setup my shock to match the fork's rebound. Welded the pegs back on.

Think I may have a silencer found. Tomorrow I make motor mounts and start on some gussets.

[BigGreenMachine]

Rode it tonight. Wild.

[RedRider_AK]

HOW WILD?!? We need pics of you shooting a 50 foot roost, pics of you wheelieing past topped out Raptor 700's (maybe Random-Strike will volunteer :lol:)

[cr480r]

BGM it appears as if you have created a monster... I wanna see a picture of the back tires on fire.... with the nose in the air...lol...

[BigGreenMachine]

Short ride around the driveway, enough to sling some gravel. I can tell you, this thing has so much bottom end compared to my 250. Throws more roost at 1/4 then my 250 did at 3/4.

Waiting on parts.

[BigGreenMachine]

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/1336/img1362ef1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[84honda200s]

sounds like a blast.

[Kintore]

WOW well done BGM!

I can beleive the vibration on that thing, Dale let me ride his tiger 500 at the drags, I tried but after about 10 runs my hands went numb along with my feet. I couldnt work the clutch or gas, so I gave it back to him! Im used to my little 2 fiddy that purrrrsss..


Well done, that thing is a beast of beasts

[ccdhowell]

That's funny, it looks like a crop circle. You got aliens up there James or are you just testing the 500 again?:lol:

[Black86tri-z]

what color sceam did u decied on?

[BigGreenMachine]

Silver/black/green/carbon.

[BigGreenMachine]

Dealer sent me the wrong shrouds so I'm waiting on those before I fully mount the tank. :rolleyes: It fits so nice though and its way slimmer then stock and holds just as much gas. Hope the tripples clear the shrouds, all that steering lock is something I'd like to keep! :naughty:

Needs a new plate and the 250R front fender, going to look sweet I think. :D

Updated the jetting in the carb to the team green specs, d'oh....just realized I didn't take the reed spacer off. Back to the shed, enjoy the pics. :TrikesOwn :beer

[scooterroo]

damn james thats awesome looking. :beer sweet job. what kinda tank is that again?

[BigGreenMachine]

89 KX250 tank. 88-04 KX500 skidplate by Moose. Lots of little details left yet, that silencer needs to be cut way down and I need to fab pipe mounts.

[jeffatc250r]

Lookin good!

[cr480r]

Are you going to run the kx radiators? You are making some sweet progress on this beast... Its getting me motivated to work on my own project again... keep up the good work..

[scooterroo]

i like the skid plate, bolt right up to the craddle you morphed in? gonna try fabbing one up for the 85, that gives me a few ideas. cant wait to see it in paint and full color...friggin sweeeeeet! hows that seat feeling?

[scooterroo]

texas? whatcha goin ta texas fur?

[ccdhowell]

Didn't you say your brother lived in Dallas? I'm not too far from Dallas, are you moving there? We could get together and ride.

[BigGreenMachine]

Shortened my silencer. I think it looks very nice and its only a little shorter then my 250's old DG.

Also recieved these hubs from ebay. They are Honda 4/110 bolt pattern. Probably going to sit in my closet until I find an 84/85 extended axle or they go on ebay again.

Anyhow enjoy this small update. Working on the pipe mounts tomorrow and possibly mounting the tank so I can get a ride.

[cr480r]

very nice hubs!!! I wish I had some like that...I was considering redrilling the stock hubs to 110mm, but I kinda like the 1/2" studs... and I would hate to drill out brand new wheels...

[BigGreenMachine]

Done! Wild. Wild wild wild.

Some misc stuff left but its done. Going to ride it for the week then tear it back down to paint.

[Black86tri-z]

That thing look's evil!! how does she go?

[NINJA]

heh heh heh, don't let the dogs in that garage with all that antifreeze on the floor. mine would be all over that. I didn't read every post in this thread, so excuse my asking, is that an A2 front end on that thing? The reason I ask is because I'm helping a friend build up a recently purchased 84 and he wants to put a 2nd gen front end on it. I don't really care for that idea of his because then we're gonna have to mount the radiator somehow. Even if we accomplish this task I think the machine is gonna look odd.

[BigGreenMachine]

Tri-z, the thing is fast.

NINJA, this bike is an 85 Tecate with a KX500 frame section in it. The forks are original.

The 84 had drums and the 85 had a disc. Very easy to swap.

[Billy Golightly]

I dig the way that came out! Short, kinda chunky with the big front tire, and a huge ass motor stuffed in it. Looks like pure badness.

[NINJA]

Tri-z, the thing is fast.

NINJA, this bike is an 85 Tecate with a KX500 frame section in it. The forks are original.

The 84 had drums and the 85 had a disc. Very easy to swap.

AWWWW, i see
that thing is friggin shweet!
yeah we were planning on putting on an 85 front end originally but then he wanted to put an 86 on instead after looking at other wheelers on this site. i know the steering stem bearings are the same between the tecates but i don't have a 2nd gen on hand to measure the stem. he really hates the fat front end on his tecate. he wants to convert it over. i still think it's a bad idea. why wreck a complete machine that currently looks proportional. he's outta control, he stole my tank and rear fenders off my 86 200x (the one in my avatar) to see how they'd look on that tecate. if you're wondering there's no motor in my x right now cause i'm rebuilding her topend. that high comp wiseco finally took a crap after 3 years.

[NINJA]

Man do I feel dumb for not catching that that was a KX500 tank and shrouds on that beast. I was thinkin it was just the motor. My bad

[BigGreenMachine]

Thanks Billy. I do plan on getting an 86 250R front end for it though. The T3 forks/tripples are too wide to use the shrouds. Without the shrouds I'm getting some serious lock to lock movement which is going to be awsome for the ponds this winter.

Stoked. Gettin up early tomorrow to tune this sucker. Its a real pig to start. Not sure if its the filter choking it up, the timing or maybe the carb???

[ccdhowell]

That's a baaaaaaaad boy James. Tough looking. I love the stance. Built to run without question. Can't wait to see it in new paint. Chris

[3Razors]

Looking great! That carb is sitting at a nasty angle? Could be a source of hard starting.

[firefirefire90]

I think it looks sweet with the fat front end! I think you should keep it that way! I wish I Had your trike. It looks a LOT better than a 250R IMO

[cr480r]

That thing looks mean... I love the stocky stance... I really like the low-profile seat...and the aluminum swingarm.... Is it a good a length for the 500? I think I may want to try out a +2"... I am starting to wonder if a +4" may be a bit overkill as my riding skills have significantly improved since I last rode my tecate...


The T3 forks/tripples are too wide to use the shrouds.

Could the shrouds be spaced out far enough to clear with some struts going from the lower mounting hole to the frame?


Without the shrouds I'm getting some serious lock to lock movement which is going to be awsome for the ponds this winter...

Do your radiator hoses pinch while turning hard? I think mine do... I was just curious if you noticed a problem or had a solution...



Looking great! That carb is sitting at a nasty angle? Could be a source of hard starting.

I am running the carb on my quadracer at a similar angle with no serious problems... although I had to raise my floats all the way up to get an accceptable fuel level in the bowl... Is that the T3 boot? I modded the frame on my project so I could use the angled boot... Could the angled boot work on yours?

[scooterroo]

wow james, that is gonna be an awesome lookng beast when everythings said and done. gotta hand it to you, looking like some quality work, cant wait to see it in paint. like the way the 86 swinger looks on there, might be having to go get me another to put on my 85.

[digity x]

yeah no doubt its a beast james lake riding will be fun with that monster. its a mean green shredding machine.

[BigGreenMachine]

Guys let me first say thanks for the awsome response about my trike!!! Appreciate it.

3Razors, I definately think it is part of the problem.

Fire, I'd gladly trade.

CR, the swingarm is too short. Going to extend it +2 so it'll be +4 total on the 85 T3 chassis. I'm definately going to try the strut idea for the shrouds, they look too sweet not to use. The one hose going to the left side of the motor binds a little but it doesn't close off at all.

[Bryan Raffa]

verry nice....I have acquired a 84 red tecate and have been thinking of a new kx motor in it...bacicly as new as i can get my hands on..Im a old school meets new school kind of guy..:naughty:

[BigGreenMachine]

Raffa! Yes! LOL Do it! Any year KX motor should fit. 04-07 will have the headstay located in the rear. When you get the motor get the same year KX frame. Use the KX engine cradle and it should go the way that you can use the stock motor mounts for the front/bottom and the T3 pivot mount.

cheers

[Bryan Raffa]

thats great news...

[BigGreenMachine]

You seem somewhat unexcited Raffa.

[Xowner]

I dig the way she came out! Short, kinda chunky with the big front rack, and a huge ass stuffed in it. Looks like pure badness.



omg billy why??\


btw sick looking bike

[hadar]

Very impressive, I suspect she hauls pretty good too. Can’t wait to see it finished.

[Black86tri-z]

u tear it down and pain it yet??????

[BigGreenMachine]

Its torn down, stripping paint and the motor is being gone through. Crank seals were bad.

[Black86tri-z]

how's your project going?

[BigGreenMachine]

So slowly. All the small parts are primered and ready for topcoat. Frame is ready for primer and paint.

Got a 2001 KX250 that is taking the 500 motor from the trike.

Plans are to swap an 01 KX250 motor in place of the 500 but now I'm not so sure what I want to do with it.

[Black86tri-z]

yea those 500 vibrate too much imho and gett sickning to drive after a while, i had a cr 500 and that tecate mutt i had

[BigGreenMachine]

Its not the vibration that I don't like. The motor is going into a KX250 chassis to be a daily rider. Its the fact that the trike is all custom and no parts are available to buy new or will fit without modding.

A new KX250 based trike would be easier to buy parts for and be just as fast as this 500 monster can be in the trails.

Anyways, I'll be sure to post some vids of this thing ripping around but it'll likely end up parted or sold as a roller locally around December/spring.

[OZQUAD44]

Done! Wild. Wild wild wild.

Some misc stuff left but its done. Going to ride it for the week then tear it back down to paint.

BGM
I think that what you've done with that Tecate is Awsome. Tell us about the 89KX fuel tank a bit more. I see that you have got 86/87 rear guards on it and that tank matches it real well.

Do you think that that tank would fit an 86/7 Tecate as well as it does yours? What would I have to do to make one fit?

[BigGreenMachine]

Hey OZ, thank you. I honestly do not know what it would take to mount one on your 86 but it fits the T3 frame real nice. I only had to build mounts. I suspect that would be all required on the 86 as well.