By: Jason Giacchino
Email: offthepegs@atvsource.com

Real World Issues Over Coffee

The scene was, just as it always is on Saturday mornings, my cousin Mike and I tackling real world issues over steaming java at our local trendy donut/ coffee house. By real world issues, I of course am not referring to politics, economics, or foreign policy. No, we prefer discussion of the 4-wheel variety: Race results, magazine tests, pipe dreams, that sort of thing. So it came as no surprise when my cousin said “You know, I’ve been considering getting another quad.”
What was surprising however, was the end of the sentence: “I’m looking at a well used 1993 Honda TRX 300EX”.

Having successfully campaigned a 1992 TRX250X throughout most of the early to mid 1990's myself, mere mention of the old Fourtrax family tree never fails to strike up nostalgia in the form of many maintenance-free seasons of sheer riding bliss. Of course, at the time any serious racer would have told you 4 strokes were synonymous with trail rides while racing machines required a high revving, smoke puffing, 2 stroke mill.

Today the tides are turning, and Mike has come close on several occasions to placing a healthy down payment on the Polaris Predator with intention of splitting up the remaining balance into a payment book. This, coupled with the fact that the 300EX wasn’t considered cutting edge (even in it’s prime) combined into a pretty surprised look on my mug from across the table.

“I didn’t even know the 300EX was one of your top choices,” I said amidst a swirl of grin-inducing memories.

“Well it wasn’t at first,” he responded, “it’s just that there’s one for sale down the street from my house and it looks pretty beat up physically.”

“Wait, can you repeat that, it sounded like you said you wanted it because it was pretty beat up physically?”

“I did. See, the motor sounded good, felt tight fired right up. The bearings were okay and the chain and tires were good. Kid just put a new battery in it. But what I really liked was the fact that the plastic was faded and dull, riveted together across the front. The seat cover was wrinkled and had some tears.”

I sipped my coffee wondering if we hadn’t slipped into some kind of parallel dimension where everything was opposite, you know the kind of material from which every episode of the Twilight Zone was based.

“Quads like those make the perfect project bikes,” he continued, “because they are reliable and can be ridden, even as is. But because they’re ugly you don’t have to worry about everyone on the block pushing and shoving over it, plus the guy getting rid of it doesn’t think anyone will pay much for a vehicle that looks so, well rough.”

“Ah ha,” I said relieved to know that we were still in the same old wacky dimension where I once raced a bone stock 250X over picnic-table sized whoops, “now you’re starting to make sense.”

“But there is one other thing about it that makes it most appealing of all,” he whispered, “it’s the fact that with a machine like this, I’ll actually do the mods I fantasize about. It’s tough to drop $7000 on a new rig only to get home and start ordering aftermarket parts to replace the brand new stock pieces you just paid premium dollar for.”

I shrugged then nodded, taking a final gulp of cream and sugar that had settled to the bottom of my cup. He really did make a good point.

“With a $1200 TRX300EX that runs fine, I can definitely justify ordering all new plastic to replace the riveted stock stuff and a gripper seat cover, perhaps a new lighter exhaust over the rust stained stocker. And as the motor begins to require maintenance, I could spring for upgrades and performance parts along the way. In the end I’ll have a pretty tricked out quad for a fraction of the cost of a new stock one.”

“Well I’m convinced,” I said feeling the enthusiasm he brought to the table, “lets head down to take a look at this TRX before someone else picks up on your logic and drives away with it.”

“Oh I can’t today, I’m going down to the Polaris dealer to sit on the Predator again.”