One of my recent projects is fitting a 200M front end on a 1984 200ES BIG RED. Working on this project spiked my interest. I really like how the BIG REDS were designed but like almost everything it has some flaws. In my opinion the early BIG REDS had a terrible front fork design. The non-rebuildable damper that can be exposed to water and mud for extended periods of time is a bad idea. It must have been a cost thing because Honda had access to fully rebuildable hydraulic fork

I drove by it for 3 years on my way to work. It was sitting next to a trailer with three flat tires. It was all there and there was no mistaken that it was a 1984 Honda 200ES that was located in my hometown. I stopped shortly after I saw it for the first time but it was not for sale. "Right now it does not work since it has no spark but I will get her running soon". That was what the owner told me . I was persistent and after a few years he decided to sell it to me. This was

Dealing with BIG REDS that are over 30 years old is challenging. One of the challenges is removing those nuts and bolts that are rusty and may have not been removed since new. I employ a few strategies to handle this – penetrating oils, impact wrenches, and heat. I typically start with penetrating oils and escalate from there. Recently I ran low on one of my favorite penetrating oils Kroil. I have good results using this oil but it is expensive. I have used other cheaper pene

I am currently parting out a 1982 BIG RED and for the foreseeable future it will be the last 1982-83 BIG RED I plan on doing. I like the looks of the early BIG REDS but without reverse and rear suspension they are not my favorite. We are currently in fall but winter is fast approaching and I am looking forward to it. A hot cup of coffee, the woodstove going, a good podcast on the stereo, and a BIG RED on the lift. I get most of my work done on the BIG REDS in the winter time.

There is some interchangeability between parts from the 1982 through 1984 BIG REDS. Note that there are some big differences between these models. The 1982 and 1983 200E models were chain driven with no reverse. The 1984 200ES models were shaft driven and have reverse. This article will only cover the main components that are interchangeable. Note this information is based on my research and my experience. Keep in mind that I am assuming that the parts are all OEM. I say this

There are a few differences between the two 200E models that Honda made in 1982 and 1983. This may not be a complete list as I am using Honda literature and Honda 200E atc’s that I have owned for sources of information. I will start with the most noticeable differences first and then go on from there. Here we go: Decals – The fuel tank and fender decals changed between the 1982 and 1983 models. The decals on the 1982 were different than all the rest while the decals used on t

This is just a quick post of the parts I found missing or worn on while restoring a 1982 and a 1983 Honda BIG RED 200E. I am not going to get into some the common worn parts like brake shoes or drive chain in this article. I did not have complete machines to start with so to make complete restorations I needed to scavenge some parts off of a few different 1982 - 1984 BIG REDS I have sitting around. If you didn’t already know the 1982 and 1983 BIG REDS share a lot of parts and

New clean and painted parts all waiting to be assembled. That's what I have ahead of me for the restoration of the 1983 200E BIG RED and I am happy. The assembly always takes me longer than I planned due to the attention to detail. For me a great restoration can be affected by taking shortcuts or not putting in a complete effort. If 100 parts look good and 1 looks bad the bad part will stick and get all the attention. The extra time spent is being careful during assembly so y

The Mid-Ohio AMA Vintage Days experience. It’s difficult to explain but I will try. I heard about this place for years but my wife and I decided that this year we need to see it for ourselves. We decided to ride our motorcycles there since it is around 300 miles away from our house. The ride there was great – all back roads and no super slab. I actually saw an 85 BIG RED in the back of a truck on the way. So when we get to the event grounds I couldn’t believe it. There were h

I was really looking forward to this past weekend. I was going to see a friend that I haven't seen for over ten years. We grew up together and rode dirt bikes, ATC's, snowmobiles and quads together. After high school he moved out to Las Vegas. I went out there a few times when I was younger but I just got busy and we lost touch. He was coming back into Buffalo, NY which is about 100 miles away from me and had the time to come down and check out my house and property. He like

This Sunday was great. I went trout fishing with my dad at a local river. We went out to breakfast at the modern diner in Wellsville and started fishing after that. The water was high and fast but the weather was sunny and warm. I hooked into one but could not land it. I didn't really matter to me it was nice to be outside and enjoy the day. What does this have to do with BIG REDS? Nothing directly. My last blog post mentioned small bites out of the elephant which I believe i

Crawfish etouffe, red beans and rice, and frozen daiquiris. I got to spend the week in the "BIG EASY" this week. It wasn't vacation it was for work. I was visiting refineries in the New Orleans area. The weather and the food were great but I was feeling a little stir crazy. After work I was having fun checking things out like the national WWII museum and the great seafood restaurants but I was missing working in my shop and on the property. I am finding that I am changing as

I was planning on prepping the frame for the 83 BIG RED restoration today but I didn't. I just could not take it anymore. I looked around my shop and saw clutter all over the place and piles of dirt on the floor. I put everything on hold and started to clean the shop. This happens to me about every three months or so. I stop everything and clean the shop. I can only handle clutter for so long and then it really starts to bother me. Especially when you can't find things and ne

I stepped out of the shop and looked up at the stars this past S aturday night. I could not believe it. Here it was February and I was media blasting a BIG RED frame in my big shop with the 10' X 10' bay door wide open. It was over 50 degrees and it felt great. No torpedo heater and no large amounts of condensation in the compressed air lines. I had to take advantage of this and stayed up late into the night getting further ahead on the restoration of the 83 BIG RED. The mild

I finished the 1982 Honda BIG RED 200E restoration and moved it out of the shop this week. I thought the shop would be a little cleaner but not so. I started the restoration of the 1983 BIG RED and now I have 3 BIG REDS in different points of disassembly. I have been spending most of the week picking parts from all three BIG REDS and assembling them on the one 83 that I will restore. This is kind of a fun. It is like having your own parts shop. In the past I would write a lis

I stepped back from the Handy lift and looked at the finished 1982 Honda 200E Big Red. I am happy. All of the hard work has paid off - it turned out great. It looks and runs the way I planned. There is no substitute in my mind to "doing the work". For me doing is the best experience and it just keeps on building on itself. I have started the restoration on the 1983 Honda Big Red and I am confident that this restoration will be easier and quicker than the 82. I am looking for

I was just about to finish up installing the chaincase on the 1982 BIG RED 200E when I noticed that one of the 6mm screws was actually a battery terminal bolt. The one with the hex and the phillips head . I'm a bit of a perfectionist so 2 out of 3 correct is not acceptable. What do do? Simple just walk over to the other 1982 BIG RED sitting in the shop and see if I can find one. I bend down and yep I'm in luck. I did not have this luxury in the past since I did not duplicates

I wiped the last coat of plastic renew on the rear fender and steeped back. They look good I thought to myself. Almost done just need to clearcoat the fenders. I looked at my watch - 9:30PM damn I should be in bed now getting ready for work tomorrow morning. I thought about calling it quits but stopped and thought to myself. If I finish the fenders tonight they will dry overnight and then I can move them and prime the fuel tank, front forks and headlight housing tomorrow nigh

I climbed over the last of the four BIG REDS in the shop. I pulled up on the left rear fender and sighed in disappointment. Not one of these BIG REDS had the chaincase clips and rubber plugs for the access ports in the chaincase. This does not surprise me since in my opinion putting the chaincase on the 1982 and 1983 BIG REDS was a mistake. Why cover a part that needs to be regularly maintained? Honda tried to add access plugs to check the chain tension and lube the chain. Th

I took a sip of the hot coffee and walked into my shop. I turned the stereo on and put some kindling in the wood stove. I stepped back and thought man I wish I could do this every morning. I am on vacation this week for christmas and new years and it has been great. Since there is not enough snow to use the snow machines I am using the time to get caught up on the restoration of the 1982 200E BIG RED. I hardly ever have a week off and I am using it to my advantage. I have alm