Honda 125 ATCM, My first 3 wheeler, might need some help.

[f4tty]

Hey all,

I just picked up 2 Honda ATCm's, 1985's I believe, my first trikes. One for me, one for the girlfriend.

I've only got one of them at the moment, the other is still in the garage, this one is missing it's ignition (it's in the post) so am using the pull start.

Got a few things maybe someone can help me with -

It's slipping out of gear sometimes, not any one gear either but usally 2nd/3rd. Sometime it'll slip out after it's been in for a bit, other times i'll change gear and it won't actually change, just drops into neutral and I have to kick the lever again to actually get it IN gear... any ideas?

The headlight isn't working, the bulb is fine, do you need the electric ignition in for the headlight to work? Or shall I start looking for another problem? Any fuses anywhere?

If I press the throttle too far, it starts to choke and die, so I can only depress the throttle maybe 3/4's of it's full way. Is this normal or pointing towards some other problem that needs adjusting? I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of these awesome little things :)

I went to start her up last night, after the temperature had dropped and the water on my seat had frozen, and I couldn't pull start her, even with the choke on full. Possible that with the Electric start she'll start easier?

Any other little things anyone can tell me about these would be much appreciated, I've only had this bike for a day and love the thing.. no idea why they stopped making 3 wheelers! (Well that's not true.. but still.)

Thanks all, I think there were a few more things but I can't think of them right now,

[hublake]

How are the polar bears doing? Welcome to the site. There is a wealth of information here.

[f4tty]

Hey there,

Haha, the Polar Bears are doing just fine, a few are filtering back through town now. Another reason I need these working as they should, you never know when you might run into one and I don't want my 3 wheeler to choke and die on me when I'm trying to get away while out on the tundra somewhere!

[f4tty]

Hey all, another quick thing.

I've noticed sometimes even when not pushing the throttle all the way as per my problem up top of this post, it's choking a bit, power dropping out and coming back. After it's been running for a bit it seems to stop.

[edog]

Welcome to the board!!!!!!!!!!

Water looks warm.

[f4tty]

Thank you, and yeah.. those icebergs don't stand a chance.

Another quick question, how easy should it be to drown one of these? I just went through a longish puddle, only probably 5 inches/6inches deep and it died on me. Had to wait 5 or so before she'd start again.

By the way... I promise to stop asking questions eventually. It's that "I have a new thing and want to know all about it" phase at the moment.

[Bulldozer]

i had mine in water almost up to the seat and it never died

[userj8670]

Hey man welcome to the forum!! I am about two days new myself. As to your choking out problem i think it would be the carb. I have a similar prob on my 250sx..its my first and only trike at the moment. I can (at idle) only push the throttle 3/4 of the way other wise it chokes and boggs out.. if i going at a nice clip its fine. Also at an idle it will be just puttttin and then it like almost chokes out (kinda with a pop type sound) then bounces right back. i know for a fact my carb is in dire need of a rebuild so i just using it as is and dealing with it. ..then when i have the money i going to do a restoration. as to not starting in the winter...tis normal esp. if its been sitting...or for my trike it is. I recently got the electric start to work so prior to i had to kick start it. In the winter i would be sitting there for 10 min fully choked waiting for it to even sputter. The electric start works great and she fires right up...i would def. get that fixed..in my case it was the brushes that just needed repairing. Hope this helps!
Jim

[SYKO]

RIDE TRIKES OR DIE!





http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e306/southgacustoms/three-wheel-jock-strap.jpg

[f4tty]

Bulldozer - Crazy, I thought up to the wheel would have been ok so that's good to know, and bad to know. I wonder if it was just a lucky (unlucky) splash, or if the water got in somewhere else instead that it shouldn't have.

Jim - Thanks heaps, I thought it was probably the carby too. I've seen rebuild kits for them for as little as $40 and new ones for $70ish in Ebay, so maybe I'll just buy one and see how it goes. On that note, does anyone else know if these prices are reasonable, and for someone who has never rebuilt an engine/carby anything like that whether these ones are easy enough to do without screwing them up?

Cheers again, glad I found this place.

[f4tty]

Actually, just found carby rebuild kits for $26.95

[userj8670]

Three wheeler carbs are not hard to rebuild, just alot of small parts that you need to keep track of and remember where they go. If need be label them all with a piece of tape and marker...it takes a minute but sure helps out. You mentioned you dont have any lights? It could be the stator inside the motor or could be shorting out somewhere...check your wiring to and from the headlight. The problem with buying a worn three wheeler is you put more money in and its spends alot of time in the garage. But i dont mind, i do it for the love...look at it like this, its one less thing you have to worry about fixing.


Later,
Jim

[f4tty]

Good to know, I'll give it a go then. And if I wreck it somehow then it's not that much to try again :)

One thing, how precise do I need to be with all the screws and bolts etc in terms of tightness. Is the old hand tight rule good enough or do I need to get exact torque numbers from the repair manual and stick to them? I have limited tools over here as I just moved, I can probably borrow some from somewhere but with such a simple designed engine etc I didn't know how much of an issue it would be.

[userj8670]

Usually i go hand tight since i dont have the manual...i am working on a getting one though as they provide so much info. I would get one to for your trike if you plan on keeping it and restoring it some day like i do mine.

[f4tty]

I bought mine online, just a pdf version, means I can print it as many times as I need it.

http://store.payloadz.com/str-asp-i.136497-n.Honda_ATC_250SX_85-87_Workshop_Manual_ATC250SX_250_SX_eBooks_-end-detail.html

That may be of help to you, pretty cheap way to buy one.

or this -

http://www.3wheeler.org/tech/250sxManual/Contents.htm

But that's a bit of an annoying way to read a manual.

[UlsterATCFan]

:welcome: to the board and to the most addictive freakin machines on the planet :)

[y2kane]

Welcome to the board there is a lot of people here to help... Yes it will start better with the electric start more constant revolutions than the pull starter. Good luck with the ebay thing but i just saw a bunch of 125 parts on there.
I couldn't get my 110 started and had to pull start it for about 100 yards or so before it worked out its issues. Now it starts on 3rd pull. The carb sounds like it may need rebuilt this will help with starting issues also. good luck and have fun!!