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By: Jason Giacchino
Email: offthepegs @ atvsource.com
August 2009 - Off The Pegs
Of Summer Projects
Past and Present
The LTR-450 kicked off a long string of
customization projects. |
The other day I got an email out of the blue
from my cousin Mike with the title, “You’ll
never guess my latest project.” Of all the
emails that make up my Inbox in a given week,
these are perhaps the most anticipated. Not only
is Mike a fellow rider and diehard ATV
enthusiast, he shares the odd genetic
dysfunction that afflicts yours truly: The
desire to fill every square inch of his living
area with machines (running and non-running
alike). The key words “latest project” hint
toward the latter, but with Mike you really
never know.
His last two projects took running quads and
simply improved upon the stock performance.
First was the task of getting his bone stock
2006 LTR-450 ready for the arduous task of
motocross racing. The project began with the
power output (Cherry Bomb, intake, custom fuel
map, Dasa pipe and silencer), the ergonomics
(readjusted shifter, Pro Taper higher rise bars)
and finally the cosmetics (graphics kit, seat
cover, and so on). The end result, as
illustrated by the accompanying photographs, was
quite impressive both from a performance
standpoint and in the looks department. However,
being related to me, Mike already had his sights
set on the next mission before the final bolts
were tightened on his Suzuki.
At least the frame's still stock. Note
that even that is a custom color. |
As fate would have it, some guy happened to have
a 1993 Yamaha Blaster for sale directly across
the street from our favorite coffee
house/hangout. Naturally, he and I were drawn to
the seller’s yard like ants to a picnic once we
finished sipping our coffee on a chilly Saturday
afternoon. Long story short, he picked up the
Blaster for a cool $600 and got to work this
past spring with updating/replacing just about
everything.
I would love to detail the specifics of his
Blaster reconstruction, but it would be a list
so long that the remainder of my column would
read like a parts inventory. Instead, it would
be much easier to tell you what wasn’t changed
in the process, and that is simply the frame
itself (which was sanded and coated as well).
Mike estimates that, thanks to some slick deals
on eBay and Craigslist and doing all of his own
labor, the grand total of his full Blaster
restoration probably comes in at around $3,000
(including the original cost of the machine).
But again in the event that you haven’t been
sensing a theme here, the proverbial wheels were
turning even before he tightened the last bolt
on the Blaster. As it turns out, he had been
monitoring Craigslist the past few weeks with
the hopes of locating his next ATV project to
park alongside his pristine LTR and Blaster.
That’s where this latest email comes into play.
The latest project arrived short a
wheel- from the factory. |
Sure enough, attached with a few paragraphs of
description were a package of photos of one 1985
Honda 200X that he paid an unbelievably
reasonable $300 for. Yes, kids, this takes us
back to a period in history when ATVs sat on
three wheels rather than four. The 200X was the
precursor to a long line of X-branded Honda
sport ATVs; a line that would go on to include
the 250X, 300EX, and 400EX that’s still
available today. Featuring a manual
clutch/5-speed gearbox and kick start-only
configuration, the 200X was a sporty option for
riders all over the world between the years 1983
and 1986. Interestingly enough, Honda made a
whole host of improvements for the 1986 model
year that included a 6-speed transmission,
better suspension components, and improved
ergonomics. Unfortunately, this came right at
the time where 3-wheelers were under the gun and
thanks to a nation-wide ban that would follow
shortly thereafter, the updated 200X lived only
for a single model year.
Mike’s own ambitions in picking up the 1985
certainly had to do with the fact that he
learned to use a clutch on a very similar 1984
200X in his youth. As is the case with so many
of our purchasing decisions, this project would
be a labor of love that can only be complete
with a healthy dose of nostalgia.
Despite the fact that it ran when he picked it
up, I’ve already been sent a list of what’s to
come: Immediate valve adjustment, full tear
down, good cleaning, and then some paint, new
shock, rebuild of the front forks, fresh brake
pads/calipers front and rear, Razrs for the
rear, bearings all around, 300EX hubs (to widen
the rear roughly 4 inches), full Cobra exhaust,
grab bar, plastics, and maybe a high compression
piston and cam.
Yup, some things never change around here. The
next few months will be filled with the familiar
sounds of a garage busy with ATV restoration. In
keeping with the pattern all I can wonder is
what’s next? I better keep watch on my Inbox.
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