Who knows anything about this quad? I was looking in the trader and I found this quad for $3400. is this a good deal? What was the reliability of these quads. this quad is super clean, am I passing up a good deal. please help me with this.
also my riding consists of all recreational, no racing, I just like to go fast.
thanks

 

I do not know much about them but they sure look cool... found this picture on the internet
http://www.geocities.com/yamahabanshee96/tecate1.jpg
dont know who's quad it is but it sure is nice!

 

i have owned and raced my tecate for ten years so i guess that sounds like relable to me ....as far as fast stock tecate was faster than a stock 250r as in the old dirtwheels mag. is concerned !

 

I own an '87 and an '88 Tecate-4, and love 'em both. I ride mostly dunes, and they've got plenty of power (the '88 motor is bone stock, with the exception of a Klemm Research pipe and DG silencer). As far as reliability, they are just as reliable as any other quad or bike. They were essentially built around the same year KX250, with the addition of a crank driven counterbalancer to reduce vibration. I posted this in another thread, but here's a link to a site (not mine) devoted to Tecates. If the quad you're looking at isn't as clean as the one at the top of the main page, keep looking. (It's my '88, and I paid $3800 for it and a pallet full of spare wheels, tires, and original parts!)

http://www.geocities.com/Baja/Dunes/6243/

 

I have spoken to many Tecate owners and all of them praised it for its reliability, that pic of the Tecate posted here, I spoke to the guy that owns it, it has a 300 big bore kit on it and runs on alcohol, and he said, day in day out, it runs perfect, he said it goes 3 years on a top end! This is all contrary to what i've heard about Tecates (FAST but fall apart) but they seem to just as reliable as a 250R and as far as speed they are the fastest 250 and properly set up/no snorkle/ vented airbox, good pipe and sil, will beat Banshees, they are VERY fast.If it is real clean and in good overall mechanical condition, I would say go for it! you would have a quad that will beat the $7000 dollar quads of today.

 

I just bought an 87 tecate and am glad to hear that they are reliable. I can't wait to pick it up this weekend. I have been away from riding for too long, but just recently bought some land. I always wanted one and just found a real clean one for $2400. In my opinion they are the sweetest looking of the old 250s, and from what I hear they are the fastest stock. Anyone know of any good places to find parts?

 

Thanks for all your input, I dont think Im going to let this one slip through my fingers.

 

About the best I can tell you is to scour the internet (e-bay, this site, and other atv sites) for used parts. There isn't much to be had in the way of new parts, especially plastics. There are some aftermarket companies that still manufacture plastics for the Tecate, but from what I've seen and heard, the fit and finish is less than desireable. However, the scarcity of parts wouldn't prevent me from owning one of the best quads ever made!

 

I have been looking for plastic for quite a while. do you know of anyone that still makes the fron plastic? Maier makes the rear plastic, but not the front, sides, and headlight cover. If you know of someone that does, please post it or e-mail me.

Thank you

James

 

James,
Not too long ago (approx. 6 months), I purchased a new set of front fenders and the headlight cover from Kawasaki. They were the only pieces still available from the factory. I'd get on the phone right away to see if your local dealer can still get them. They were pretty reasonably priced, too.