Honda quad question

[handirifle]

Not sure if this is the right place, but here goes.

My neighbor and I were chattin over the fence yesterday, discussing my brand new, that morning, Husqvarna Garden Tractor, which I LOVE, by the way. Any way, he asked me if I was interested in his old Honda quad. It has sat for a couple years and was giving carb issues before he moved on to a golf cart to do his chores with.

He gave it to me!!!!!

Soo, my question, is how do I tell what model this thing is. I don't know the year, but according to him, it's a 250cc, and it's a 2WD. It's green and looks just like the 4WD models, sans the front diff of course. It's manual shift, but no clutch.

I want to get a manual for it, but would like to know how to tell what year/model it is so I can get the right manual. Any suggestions on where to look? I don't see any name plates, it just says Honda, made in USA.

Any helpful hints appreciated. Also ideas of what to expect carb wise, or tuning?

 

[handirifle]

Thanks

 

[HHR]

Should be a vin number stamped into the frame. There is also a sticker which is usually on the front frame rails between the left and right suspension arms.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I would hook the quad up to another vehicle with a set of booster cables and then try to start it. Make sure you check the oil first! I have an old Windex bottle in the shop that I use to squirt some gas into the carburetor throat. If the spark is good you will be able to get the quad running for a short time by keeping on squirting gas. I do this to sort out the question of whether the no starting problem is gas or spark. If the quad starts then obviously the problem is gas and not spark.

If you are just even a bit handy I wouldn't be scared to take the carb apart to clean it. Your local Honda shop should have service manuals that explain now to do it. They usually even have nice parts diagrams to help.

 

[wawajake]

try here someone will help

Honda Foreman Forums : Rubicon, Rincon, Rancher and Recon Forum

 

[MESSMAKER]

Take your time. Get to know it well. I can't tell you how many people who thought that a quad was a ton safer than a dirt bike, and ended up hurt. A 4 wheeler is heavy and can do damage. I am not saying they are not fun. They can be a ball, but you have to respect them.

 

[dusty3030]

Green, 250 and a 2wd it is a Recon. TRX 250
The year of manufacture will be on that sticker as well.

Owners manual can be gotten here.
Helm Incorporated: Product Search Engine

 

[BKBoiss]

Most Hondas have a vin tag on the steering column below the handlebars under the plastic. Also a good idea to hook up to a charger or other vehicle. I've personally had all of my trikes and my quad crank over fine but not start and then you give them one kick or a pull on the cord and they fire right up. It's almost as if the starter draws so much power that it doesn't have enough to make a spark.

 

[handirifle]

Wow you guys give a ton of info right off the bat. Thanks.

I found the sticker I needed to find, on the frame rail in front. It is a 1998 TRX 250, so I will go from there, to do the clean up and restore.

Here's a shot of it. Pretty decent for a 98 that's sat outside for years.

We have ridden quads before, and yes they can give a false sense of security.

 

[MoKelly]

Green, 250 and a 2wd it is a Recon. TRX 250
The year of manufacture will be on that sticker as well.

Owners manual can be gotten here.
Helm Incorporated: Product Search Engine

Agreed. We have the same quad and its a tank. Great machine. We have had success putting some Sea Foam in with every tank full of gas.

Good luck. Good deal.

MoKelly

 

[dusty3030]

Cool - trend for utility quads seems to be bigger and bigger (800 and 1000cc monsters).

Thats cool and all but I prefer a smaller, lighter machine for just me to get to some wooly place and back.
My primary use for a quad is game retrieval and riding a fence line. I prefer a side by side for hauling stuff or people around. Deer tend to like to run off into the thickest thicket they can when wounded and I prefer a small quad to negotiate between trees and whatnot to get to it.

I have rolled them and dropped a tire off in a wash or hole or whatever more times than I can count. I prefer a smaller lighter bike to do stuff like that I can get out of a jam by myself and not need a tractor to pull the thing out.

 

[deerefan]

Wow you guys give a ton of info right off the bat. Thanks.

I found the sticker I needed to find, on the frame rail in front. It is a 1998 TRX 250, so I will go from there, to do the clean up and restore.

Here's a shot of it. Pretty decent for a 98 that's sat outside for years.

We have ridden quads before, and yes they can give a false sense of security.

I had that exact bike, year and color. It was pretty good. For some reason, would go through spark plugs, 2 a year. Other than that, good bike. Check your rear bearings and rear gear fluid, the bearings weren't the best on these bikes. Also, brakes are a weak link. For occasional use, you can't beat it. I currently have a 97 Honda 300 4x4, use it everyday, twice a day, to feed horses. Other than a complete rear end rebuild and a couple starters, it has been dead reliable for 17 years.

 

[dusty3030]

FWIW my current "knock around" quad is a 2009 Yamaha Big Bear 400 - Air / Oil cooled single cylinder, simple manual transmission 4wd.

I have a flat basket on the back rack to stick a deer on and a winch on the front. Otherwise stock. I can't think of anything else I need or would want on one.

 

[3930dave]

A steal of a deal ! :thumbsup:

Pull the sparkplug if you haven't already. Doesn't sound like it got much maintenance.... it could be the original plug, and it won't hurt to start with a fresh one. I've fallen into the trap of somebody saying "I've got a problem with ____________", and it turns out to be something else.

If you can get it sputtering on it's own, I'll add another vote for dosing the tank with Seafoam. Better yet, drain what's in the tank first, if not already done. Start off with fresh gas+Seafoam. Esp. if the tank is cruddy, closely check the outlet and petcock for obstructions. (Those are general small-engine commments, I haven't worked on that Honda).

If the carb is plugged totally solid, you'll have to tear it down, but Seafoam is easy to try.

Rgds, D.

 

[dodge man]

Its not a bad looking machine and the price was right. Good luck getting it going.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Also I forgot to mention that there are aftermarket plastic tanks available if your is either so rusty that it's unusable or rusted through.

 

[handirifle]

Thanks for the good info/advice. It will be a week or so before I get to it, but will give a progress report when I do.

 

[jejeosborne]

I would pull the carb and clean it. About an hour job start to finish. Put in fresh fuel, new plug and oil and all is good. Sitting is the worse thing for these small carbs. I only run ethanol free fuel in my quad and motorcycles.

 

[handirifle]

We cannot even get ethanol free gas anywhere in this state, so 10% is the lowest we can get. I just saw one pump at a local station that's selling E85 now. 80% ethanol. Not in my vehicles.

 

[Code54]

Also before starting it pull the air filter. Mice love them and leave a nice pile of junk in the air box to be sucked into the motor.

If you run the VIN on an online ATV vin check (Google and you will see some) you can get some more info on the machine. Also if you hit the major parts places they have the parts diagrams on line (Rockymountain atv for example) so that helps with the repairs.

Seat covers are about $30 on Ebay and really nice (bought one recently for another machine I was doing)

Overall they are a very good machine (had one for our family and taught several classes where the entire class was on Recon's)- solid and reliable. Throw a little 2500lbs winch on it and go pretty much anywhere you want within reason.