I've got an old Quadsport 230 that I was the second owner of. My parents purchased it for me in 1989/1990. I can't remember the exact year.

Anyway, it still runs, and has only had one engine overhaul in all this time, which to me is unbelievable considering that I rode the crap out of this thing when I was a teenager.

I am thinking about getting my family (me, my wife and my son) into some trail riding and I'm trying to decide if I should rebuild my old quad or sell it and get a newer Quadsport 400cc for myself.

I know the newer quad is superior to my old bike in just about every way, but to say that I have an emotional attachment to this thing would be a huge understatement.

If I were to keep it, I would need to repair/replace the following parts at a minimum:
- front end bushings: They are all shot, I mean seriously shot
- steering components: Also shot.
- front and rear shocks were blown a LONG LONG time ago, when I didn't have money to replace them
- Front and Rear tires (the rear tires may actually be okay. My father has kept this thing in a garage so they have no signs of dry rot)
- Front and Rear brakes.
- I should probably go through the brake hydraulics just to be safe.

Once all that is done, I would also like to bump up the power a bit. The case of my engine was damaged when the chain came off once and it has had a small oil leak ever since. Is there a company that sells "crate" engines for bikes this old? IIRC, there used to be a big-bore kit that bumped the size of the engine up a lot. Is that still available? I can bolt-on parts and re-paint the frame. I just don't really want to get into rebuilding an engine with all of the other projects that I have going on.

Has anyone done similar work recently, and if so, do you mind posting some of your sources and how much the project ended up costing you? Are parts still readily available for this thing?

BTW, it's funny that just about every time I go "back home" to visit my parents, someone mentions my old suzuki and the reputation it had for being one of the most solid and fast bikes in the area... That always brings a smile to my face.

 

Google pointed me to this website. Looks like I need to break out a spreadsheet and start adding up the costs of parts.

New Suzuki LT230S Quad Sport Parts at Vince's Cycle

Does anyone know if this guy will do a complete engine build?

 

He no longer sells parts. He just does crank rebuilds, but he is the best at it. There is a good amount of parts avaible. Many people have rebuilt theres. Google the 230 vault. There is tons of great info on there.

Now some questions.

1. What comp does it have?
2. Is it elec start or kick?

 

Ohhhh, thank you for the link to the vault. That's excellent info!

By "Comp", do you mean compression ratio? I don't know. It should be the same as factory. I never did any internal engine mods to it. The only mods I did were different sprockets, air filter, DG Pipe, that little ignition timing module, and carb rejetting.

It's a kick start.

 

Where is the crack in the engine? The inside cases or the outside? There is a set of inside cases on ebay, and there are some outside magneto cases on ebay. You can find all your bushings and ball joints and bearings one ebay too. You could replace every single bearing, bushing, ball joint for about $160 on the whole quad if you get all your kits off ebay. You could get front shocks for about $40 off ebay, or you could go with lt250r front shocks, they bolt right up in the front, and it will cost you about the same price. What you really need to look for when buying parts, is go to cheapcycle and look at parts diagrams between different bikes like the lt230e, lt230s, lt230ge, and all the different models they made and see what parts interchange, this saves tons of money when you are buying from ebay and sometimes when you cant find the part you need, you might just need to search a different suzuki quad altogether for the part.

 

How to do a compression test, but instead of holding down the starter button you are going to use the kick starter.
How to Perform an Engine Compresion Test on a PWC, ATV or MOTORCYCLE | How to Guides

 

Oh a compression test. I could do that next time I head to my parents house. I never considered it since it still runs strong. Once you get the thing started.

The crack is on the inner case.

 

Here is a set of center cases. They are the only ones on ebay that will actually fit an lt230s. I was gonna get them for spares, but I decided to make a really nice case saver instead:
LT230s LT250s 1985-1990 Quadsport Center Engine Cases | eBay

Also, when you go to your parents house, really check the a-arms bushings and the ball-joints. They probably are fine, they probably just need a regreasing. The wheel bearings are probably bad though and those are only like $26 for the front and $20 for the rear axle. I would also recommend a good carb cleaning before you start it so you don't get gunk in your engine and I would also clean the petcock and the gas tank out and clean the air filter and change the oil and oil filter, that should bring the old sport back to life.

 

Also, for hard starting, your valves might need an adjustment, so I would make sure they are in spec, it only takes a couple minutes and it makes a big difference.

 

I have a substantial amount of play in the front arms where they connect to the chassis.

You can shake the front and watch the play in those joints. Is there a paint that closely matches the oe blue paint on the chassis?

Will the lt250s engine bolt in and is it a better engine to build?