- Location
- cheshire
Our quad has a very rotten frame but most of the rest is serviceable, question is, is it worth getting a secondhand frame and swapping everything over.
Any thoughts?
Any thoughts?
Is it worth it?
- Thread starter organic antares
- Start date
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
If you enjoy working on the quad and have the time to do it then yes, if you want to do it just to save money and don’t enjoy it then no.
Something is going to go wrong and it will take longer than expected, wiring will be slightly short or damaged, etc. All these things can make this a job you will regret or love.
Something is going to go wrong and it will take longer than expected, wiring will be slightly short or damaged, etc. All these things can make this a job you will regret or love.
- Location
- cheshire
It's an oldish honda 350, it suits us for the bit of work we have and struggling to find or justify a different machine.
I haven't done much work on it but I do enjoy tinkering with machines
I haven't done much work on it but I do enjoy tinkering with machines
smcapstick
Member
- Location
- Kirkby Lonsdale
It's never just the frame. If that is very rusty then the nuts, bolts and other fastenings will be corroded, too - what outwardly looks like a simple component swap soon turns in to a real headache when studs are snapping and electrical connectors are necking off, too.
Old wiring harnesses can be a bit fussy, too, as the conduit goes brittle and cracks when you move it. It may work perfectly on the rebuilt bike... but a few months down the line, stuff might stop working!
Unless you actively enjoy doing jobs like this (and to an extent, I'm one of those people), don't bother. Stick it in an auction and get another. They're common as muck, so it's a buyer's market.
Old wiring harnesses can be a bit fussy, too, as the conduit goes brittle and cracks when you move it. It may work perfectly on the rebuilt bike... but a few months down the line, stuff might stop working!
Unless you actively enjoy doing jobs like this (and to an extent, I'm one of those people), don't bother. Stick it in an auction and get another. They're common as muck, so it's a buyer's market.
- Location
- Isle of Skye
Ah, I've also got an old honda 350 with a rusty frame, which I've rebuilt as much as was economical, as already said, it's not the frame that's the problem but all the rotten fastenings. There's maybe something else to consider too though...
Two or three years back I stripped my yamaha grizzly down to the frame, cleaned it up, repainted, waxoyled and rebuilt quad. The frame looked in very good condition with no rust but sadly for me has since broken in two, -pure metal fatigue I guess as just clean breaks across the tube near the engine mounts with no corrosion present. It's currently stripped back to the frame again...
I hope to get an extra year or two out of the bike, My welding is poor but I've welded it up best I can and added some extra gussets, however I expect it will just fail somewhere else before too long. If possible then a reasonably priced new frame would be the answer, after my experience with my old but very healthy looking frame I don't think I'd waste time or money on an old second hand frame.
I have to add I quite enjoy working on a quad compared to a car or pick-up. It's all pretty straightforward and not strenuous.
Two or three years back I stripped my yamaha grizzly down to the frame, cleaned it up, repainted, waxoyled and rebuilt quad. The frame looked in very good condition with no rust but sadly for me has since broken in two, -pure metal fatigue I guess as just clean breaks across the tube near the engine mounts with no corrosion present. It's currently stripped back to the frame again...
I hope to get an extra year or two out of the bike, My welding is poor but I've welded it up best I can and added some extra gussets, however I expect it will just fail somewhere else before too long. If possible then a reasonably priced new frame would be the answer, after my experience with my old but very healthy looking frame I don't think I'd waste time or money on an old second hand frame.
I have to add I quite enjoy working on a quad compared to a car or pick-up. It's all pretty straightforward and not strenuous.
- Location
- South Wales UK
Can't you weld frame up?
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
The trouble is, have you seen the price of new? It's going to be "improved", all electronic, and the manual is going to be two inches thick, printed in tiny type, and written by someone from India with supplements in every other language - except English. Well, that's my experience of new anyway. I always try to buy obsolete now. At least some of it will work and not be designed to be out of date in a few months.
smcapstick
Member
- Location
- Kirkby Lonsdale
People have been saying that since the 1950's!
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
Still true though, isn't it? Bought anything from Apple lately? I have three Mac's on my desk. All work, but not with everything so all needed!People have been saying that since the 1950's!
I have a 1992 MF390, a 1970 MF135, and a 2005 Land Rover. All work, all appreciating in value and all start first time.
Scholsey
Member
- Location
- Herefordshire
Just straight swapped a knackered Honda 2009 420TRX that keep frying its ECUs, needed a complete new back axle for a 1998ish sweet ad a nut 300 big red, why something as simple as a quad bike needs such complicated electronics is beyond me, the loom on the 420 was a inch thick!
- Location
- The North
i had a 350 swapped it for a 420,
the 420 has so far been much more reliable, no carb cold/hot start crap like with the 350, the 420 always starts perfect and runs sweet as its injection. aslo has power steering which is nice! and no stupid electric shift
Im really pleased i swapped it and got a cr5acking px on the 350 at the time.
the 420 has so far been much more reliable, no carb cold/hot start crap like with the 350, the 420 always starts perfect and runs sweet as its injection. aslo has power steering which is nice! and no stupid electric shift
Im really pleased i swapped it and got a cr5acking px on the 350 at the time.