85 Big Red 250es quaestion

[scubasteveo]

Hey guys, I finally rode my new wheeler for a decent amount of time this weekend. I noticed I ran through the gears pretty darn quick, and in fifth I would only hold the throttle about half way and the motor sounded like it was at it's red line. I have seen some things on here with people claiming 50 miles an hour for a top speed, but I feel like it alot slower than that. Just trying to get some opnions.

[lincolnolli]

That is original,mine is the same.
The big red shaft drive is very much a farm vehicle,that pulls everything you throw at it.
These days i run 27" bear claws on 12" rims out back,which changes the whole situation a big deal.
50mph is no problem,but as it revs so high your engine needs to be top notch really to survive.
Olli

[scubasteveo]

Thank you sir.

Rim and tire upgrade is next. Which rim did you go with?

[ps2fixer]

50mph should be about right for the top speed, my 250sx topped out at 52mph based on a honda rincon readout.

I might be wrong, but I think 27in will require a lift to fit w\o rubbing. My 25in outlaws rubbed slightly on bumps, but the fenders were trashed and rigged up in the past.

The 250es/sx are geared where first gear is "super low" and 2nd-5th is similar to other machine's 1st-4th.

Tires are purely your preference, if you are wanting to get though mud etc, get large lug tires such as outlaws, silverbacks, etc. For trail riding, it depends a little more on the trail surface, hard dirt, sand, light mud, etc.

[dougspcs]

Hey guys, I finally rode my new wheeler for a decent amount of time this weekend. I noticed I ran through the gears pretty darn quick, and in fifth I would only hold the throttle about half way and the motor sounded like it was at it's red line. I have seen some things on here with people claiming 50 miles an hour for a top speed, but I feel like it alot slower than that. Just trying to get some opnions.

My opinion, it's a 30 year old utility trike. It's geared for power, not speed and its awesome as it is.

95% of my riding is on rocky, muddy trails or pulling an ice hut never getting higher than 30mph. This is where this machine lives, enjoy it!

If the BR doesn't suit your riding style and you want more speed? Don't beat it's brains in, buy a sport quad.

[hublake]

I have hit 50 mph once on my 85 BR, but that was just for a few seconds as I wanted to see how fast it would go. I sure wouldn't go that fast for a long time. As the post above says, the big red is a utility machine. It will haul my trailers through the woods piled with firewood like no other. Use it for what it was intended.

[scubasteveo]

Thats what I figured. Thanks guys!

I am planning on upgrading to 10" or 12" rims eventually. I will have to some experimenting!

On another note, do people just get the rear shock rebuilt? I have looked for a replacement, and it seems no one really knows of one that replaces it.

[ps2fixer]

I don't remember exactly how the 250es rear shock was setup, but the SX shock had a lot of options knowing the length between the two bolt holes and shock travel. I'd think similar could be done with the 250es, but I sort of remember the eyelets being really skinny on that machine, so modifying the mounts might be a requirement.

For the rims, be mindful of the offset (how much the rim pushes the wheel out). Newer machines have the rim set in quite a lot, the older machines were closer to middle of the rim. If you get a rim that is flat on both sides, typically you can mound it backwards to avoid the offset issue. I did this with a set of 25in outlaws on 12in rims, the other way around it would hit the muffler.

Photos are not the best for what I'm talking about but might give a fair idea.

EDIT: Just looked at the photos, Looks like the rims are on the correct way... must have been the other machine with outlaws lol, added photos of that too .

[scubasteveo]

Thanks man!