Fixing common problems with old quad bikes / motorbikes

I buy old trx quad bikes whenever I see them come up for sale cheap, often they have multiple issues. I'll show you how to fix a few of the more common problems I encounter.

[@Splits-man]

Just a quick tip Marty. If you squeeze some silicone sealant inside the heat shrink then slide it over the soldered joint and heat, it makes a 100% watertight joint that will last forever! Give it a try sometime.

[@thedave7760]

Plumbers vulcanizing tape is great for insulating joints and wires.

[@jdhtyler]

Very late reply -- in the Thorn EMI factory we made domestic appliances and 1980s we had shrink tubing that had glue inside. I still have a bit left.

[@steveswallows8525]

as., the marine heat shrink tubing has a sealer inside that is heat activated and really seals those terminals . I've use it for years in my business with no problems. You can order it on line or most good boat stores have it.

[@davidsnyder2000]

Definitely knows his way around engines thats for sure. Thanks a bunch for the teachings 🙂👍

[@paulvale2985]

Electrical tip when joining pairs of wires; cut each pair different lengths (e.g. Red long, black short, on one pair and black long, red short, on the other pair) so that accidental shorting is eliminated and the cable harness can be more compact. Great video again, love where you live. Envy from the UK.

[@im-that-guy-pal]

I do the same thing but power can still short to ground if it touches chassis without insulation.

[@idiovid]

Fixed our old TRX 450 many times using a very similar Bahco set.

[@curm1778]

You just fixed my daughter's little quad. Just killed its second battery. It wasn't a new battery but it had lots of life left in it, but it only worked for a week now its toast. Thought it might have been older than I reckoned, but, after watching this, I checked it and it was bone dry! All the acid had boiled off. It's the blessed CDI and the rectifier! Thanks, Marty!

[@MartyT]

Thats awesome, Glad I could help

[@neilmurphy845]

Those old Honda's are brilliant bikes they run forever

[@yodawunn6700]

There is heat shrink for marine applications. It has a waterproof glue that melts when you heat it and it seals completely the whole length of the tubing.

[@berryreading4809]

Absolutely 👍 regular heat shrink just seems to suck in water and never dry out, just like dried out tape does on a wire loom.

[@riffraff9000]

Yep. Came here to say that.

[@c0mputer]

There are two kinds of glue in my experience, some cool and dry almost rigid and if you bend it too much it cracks. The other good stuff dries and stays flexible. Sumitube is the best heat shrink I’ve come across. Specifically Sumitube W3B2. I do a lot of electrical stuff for cars and motorcycles like building and repairing custom harnesses. Excellent stuff.

[@berryreading4809]

@@c0mputer good info! I'll try some on my next order if I can source it somewhat easily

[@ianc4901]

You can put some hot melt glue on the wires before you slide the heatshrink over, then when you warm the heatshrink up the glue melts and seals the joint

[@westcoastrippers9862]

Just need to take mine out for a spin now just motivated me

[@FJ80Coop]

Trx300 one of the top 4 Honda off road machines of all time.

[@leatherbarkproductions3061]

Great Video Marty Keep it up!

[@tony66au]

The oldies are the besties I found, I bought an abandoned Kodiak 400 4wd the cows had tried to eat and with a few hours and $50 I had her running. Having passed that test I spent time and added some LED worklights and a new battery and a few more hours tidying the electrical and she became old faithful hauling around the 6x4 fencing trailer and the round bale trailer when needed as I was on steep non tractor friendly pasture. When we moved to town I chucked the other quads (Suzi's) and kept the Kodiak and was actually looking at her today thinking I should give her some love again, and tonight I watch this lol Weird Quaddy Vibes over the Tasman I reckon! BTW, if you buy the expensive heatshrink and hot gun it I found its plenty waterproof/Cowpoo proof/Ram Wee proof but the thicker cheaper ebay stuff not so much.

[@jonmarshall1502]

I’ve learnt more in this short video than I’d have thought possible.

[@endutubecensorship]

Saved to my repair video file!

[@wesleycardinal8869]

If you ever need to repair a rectifier, Ichi Ban Moto has some great tips. 👍

[@Macthemechanic69]

Another awesome video mate

[@localcrew]

I use that liquid electrical tape to seal wire splices. Then I heat shrink the joint. Seems to work great. And it’s all black. Noir, you might say. Especially if you were French. Or French- speaking.

[@troyrosenbaugh9935]

Those old Honda 4 wheelers were infamous for spark issues.

[@orphandog51410]

Great video showing simple fixes. Thank you.

[@davidfrank2824]

There's no better feeling than taking something that is broke and fixing it. I have gotten some excellent deals on craigslist for different gas powered yard equipment. I would say almost 95% of the things I buy it does not cost me a single penny to fix. Most of the time it's the carburetor and after taking it apart and cleaning everything at normally does the trick. All my neighbors bring their broken lawn mowers and weed wackers over to my house all the time. And for the most part I don't charge them anything unless I have to buy a part. It works out pretty good for me. When it snows I have two different neighbors that will use their snow blowers to clean my sidewalk and driveway. Enjoyed watching your video look forward to seeing more.

[@MartyT]

Thats awesome mate

[@Lighting_Desk]

Probably worth cleaning them up and checking the metalwork.

[@Tahpiks1]

Great info have a 300 that wouldn't fire found the fix with your info cheers👍

[@jusfranx]

The Honda Fourtrax 300 is a true classic, definitely a hard bike to beat. I had a lot of fun a while back showing up my friends on their big fancy Can Ams weaving in and out of tight spaces and going everywhere they could on a 2 wheel drive TRX300 I paid $100 for and fixed up.

[@dougwilson1769]

Another great video

[@Genman510]

Good job 👍 love your videos

[@MrGeroth]

Is there anything you can’t fix? Enjoy your videos, thanks for sharing.

[@billjenkins687]

I wonder if you could put a bit of that sealant around the connections THEN use heat shrink. Just a thought. Great work as always.

[@davydacounsellor]

Yeah the rectifier is a common issue in the old ATVs.

[@40cleco]

Great video. Two things. Inline filter for older machines with metal gas tanks is a must. Proper heat shrink with sealant build into it is waterproof...the cheap stuff don't have it. Nice bikes...bullet proof.

[@arbusantime8314]

Continue your creative guys🇲🇨🇲🇨

[@ezipezy]

very informative, thanks mate

[@CoopMauKona]

I love NZ forests.... thanks for sharing...

[@70806allstars]

Shouldn't be running off the main at idle at all... You never actually checked the pilot circuit either just the jet. You can definitely make it work running it off the main but it's always gonna be a little lean. All in all good job man. That's how I used to fix em before I actually worked at a shop.

[@t.c.bowling1934]

Nice fix!

[@briananthony4044]

The trees behind you, the sound of the birds, the kids playing, what an idealic life.

[@westcoastrippers9862]

Awesome Bikes

[@mikeman230]

Another cheap fix is EBay replacement seat covers

[@stanleyrandolph7968]

Marty love your repair methods I have a Honda that’s doing some sputtering soon as I get out to the farm I’m gonna take that thing apart and take a look at that fuel line and that main jet I’ll bet I have the same problem thanks for the tips you’re great

[@MartyT]

Cool mate, good luck

[@jdhtyler]

1980s my car windscreen wipers going faster and my radio getting louder due to the 17v faulty regulator. The good old days of battery, Lights and distributor and no other "Electronic Trickery" Most stuff from China is marked CE = Caution ElecTrickery. Just learning things from you older videos. In the UK with salt on the roads the kill switch on motorbikes was the the failure. SAD once I thought putting grease on the HT leads of my single cylinder off road bike that I went to work on would stop the spark plug arcing to ground. I could reach the plug while riding the bike and I discovered I could get a shock. Back then you could get a sort of Varnish spray to seal the electrical path, for example the MINI car in the UK had the spark plugs facing the radiator. The best motorbike I had was a Honda XL250 that had a decompressor so I could use the kickstart by hand. My Trial bike a SWM 320 had a side valve induction ROTAX engine that preformed a bit like a 4 stroke. Great videos ? do you watch Captain Kleeman he has been going on YT for 16y, he is also funny like you. My family were Blacksmiths and then welding fabrication. Now the biggest thing I work on is all my sewing machines. Some are Kickstart I just have to be careful I don't fall off the dining room table.

[@MoosesValley]

Nice one Marty. Fixing my old quad bike at the moment. Appreciate your hints and tips and the fact that you are saving so many old machines still with so much life in them iwhen they get a bit of maintenance. Repair what you can, recycle what you can't repair, use less resources, produce less waste, tread more lightly on the planet. You are living proof that others can do it as well.

[@MartyT]

My thoughts exactly. Cheers

[@craigmahan5185]

And I'm not a "Rockefeller", I even recycled my old dog. You don't want to know...

[@thedave7760]

@@MartyTPlumbers vulcanizing tape is great for insulating joints and wires.

[@olireukids970]

cannot beat the old TRX, ive got an 84 model trx250 it is such a great work horse

[@travismatthews7314]

Didn’t make a trx250 in 84

[@officialweldingfarmingarch2041]

You can make something good useful and reliable from effectively nothing. I love learning how you do it, especially as we head into a recession; those skills will be very valuable to have.

[@SonOfAdolf]

Ayyyy buddy ;)

[@justinwiechmann34]

The trx300 is one of the simplest bikes you could ever work on the ATV is basically Bulletproof and any repairs that are required 99% of the time are simple Parts swaps carburetor fueling issues and Spark aka cop problems and the rear ends tend to explode when larger than stock tires with aggressive tread are installed besides replacing the front drum brakes with disc brakes and standard maintenance. the 4 300 hondas i owned rarely required any wrenching two of them were 2wd and 2 were 4wd

[@keeganfoster1792]

Yeah ive used sekiflex haha no water will ever get in that haha an you will never get it off if it gets on ya. You seem extremely knowledgable with engines and electrical! Awesome

[@TheCitroenman1]

hear is a good tip never use a wire brush on a spark plug it causes the spark to arc wrong use a blow lamp heat up the plug till it glows red it removes the carbon proply

[@johnnymelendez4836]

Love your process of skills and logic while fixing all kinds of machines of any size. Thanks Marty for a all the knowledge.👍😇🗽🇺🇸

[@chadsimmons6347]

Ive fixed up stuff i got for cheap, then put it in a charity auction, its fun to see people bidding on something that was considered junk until I worked it over and helping the needy just feels good.

[@RadioReprised]

Hondas are keepers......worth throwing parts at as long as you can to keep them going.

[@DumbSkippy]

Common Fuxes, Kiwi style. Booyah !

[@craigmahan5185]

Hey Mr. T!! Sorry buddy I didn't even realize that this was your channel until I watched it.. I should have gone to you first, you being a WIZARD WITH MOJO! Thanks mate from Montana. C

[@tsar01]

Fuel Filter Buddy. :-)

[@jordankarauna7945]

Bro you are the man 👌👌

[@njmvermont]

With the sticker fade it's now a trx 800!

[@gallopingg1]

BRILLIANT.

[@kenknight4560]

Marty, when you find the crashed alien Star Ship in the bush we looked forward to seeing how you fix and fly it! :)

[@blackdoublezero]

broken space ship in the paddock ....Marty & the 'lil green men on the tools

[@robvanza]

Just order a part or two from China, they work just as well!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@blackdoublezero]

@@robvanza parts are going to take a couple of days to arrive ...let me show you around

[@larrywhitaker4667]

I bet he can fix it.

[@davida.p.9911]

The warranty is for 4 light years or 4 Trillion kilometers, whichever comes first😄

[@neildriedger637]

GREAT Toy's Marty..LOVE the video!!!

[@toyota218921]

Excellent info cheers 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@MurrayC]

I added an inline filter to my SS50 for just that reason!

[@Billythekiddnz]

Thanks bud. Alway the shiz to watch

[@daos3300]

try the heatshrink with glue, works a treat stopping moisture

[@radracer2033]

Those Honda motors are damn near imdestructible. Only problem I've ever had aside from junk in the carbs is those NGK spark plugs. I haven't been riding Hondas very long, maybe 3 or 4 years but I must have had 6 plugs go bad between 3 machines with no obvious reason

[@RussellBooth1977]

Glue lined heatshrink tubing (Raychem) will waterproof & insulate the soldered joints !

[@MartyT]

So does marine sealant and its a 10th of the price

[@xaydemeyers3344]

Great video mate, liked seeing those four wheelers fire up again👍

[@1425race]

Marty, if you buy heatshrink with adhesive in it, when you heat it the adhesive melts around the joint shrinks and gives you a totally waterproof joint - lot less messy than Sikaflex

[@dean6708]

That's a really nice quad. I definitely want a Honda quad. Once I get one I'll need to find a friend with allot of land to ride it or go to Texas and help farmers get rid of hogs

[@populous8232]

Hey Marty, love watching your logic. Cheers

[@MartyT]

Thanks man

[@fouracrefamily9801]

It's Kiwi logic. No fuss, we just get stuff done.

[@whitacrebespoke]

Farm I worked on as a kid had a big red 300 replaced with a foreman 400 when the 300 got nicked. Then a foreman 450es when the 400 got nicked. All were reliable machines the 400&450 went so well though.

[@lynneperg6853]

Always a good day when I see one of your videos online. Thanks for reaching and teaching so many of us. My grown kids term the type of critical thinking you use as "sidewise thinking." To them that means staying totally outside of the box to create new solutions. They use to drive their teachers crazy. Not only did they problem solve in unique ways, what they did worked. Raising them to be creative paid off. Now they work in high tech fields. Stay safe and healthy. Living in lockdown in Michigan.

[@roguenz9848]

Of all the beautiful places on our little islands you've got one of the most amazing slices of paradise there.

[@MartyT]

We are lucky to live here, Marlborough Sounds is my favorite place in NZ

[@Jake-tw8qr]

Man, a Honda Big Red 3-wheeler broke my collar bone about 4 years ago. Cool to see a quad version of that death machine.

[@MartyT]

3 wheelers can be lethal if you're not used to them

[@Torqu3d]

youre all around knowledge of vehicles is incredible

[@tomkirk6942]

Man, I very much appreciate and admire your abilities and craftsmanship. I have come across so many dodgy mechanics over the years and wish I could pay you my hard-earned dollars to work on my truck and my wife’s car. It’d be money and trust well spent. Bravo and cheers from Northern Utah, USA.

[@TaralgaBushAdventure]

Hey Marty, great video thank you. On that first quad, you can check the filter in the bottom of the tank tap without removing it. There's a hex head shape on the bottom of the tap (can see it at 4:37 ), so just undo that, and the small bottom reservoir comes off - there should be a small metal gauze inside that stopping crud from the fuel tank. Mine was blocked completely - yours might be missing the gauze. Ether way, another simple thing to check on these.

[@walker2508]

Is that time stamp correct? That is at the end of the video

[@TaralgaBushAdventure]

Hey @@walker2508 you're right, went back and fixed it.

[@countrycartier]

Love your ingenuity Marty. Great channel.

[@ronniesulsh8603]

I have a big red 350

[@jpallen719]

Having lived in the Pacific Northwest and in Hawaii for many years that quad trail looks like a blend of both of those what a cool trail Marty! Love your videos, learning more than my dad ever taught me!

[@silvergrizzly316]

I love watching how you take a dead machine and give it life again. Awesome work Marty 👏 Take care brother!! Jay.

[@MartyT]

Thanks mate

[@sgmartin3008]

Marty, Have you ever tied marine grade heat shrink? It has a sort of glue inside that when heated it seals much better than normal heat shrink. SG

[@jamesread11]

Mechanical genius... you should watch mustie youtuber

[@absenteeatom]

To make a watertight seal with heatshrink, use hot glue on the soldered terminals, put the HS over the top and use a heat gun. The heat gun will re-melt the glue and shrink down the HS, forcing the glue out of the ends, you will then have a watertight seal.

[@MartyT]

Yep you can do that, I always forget to put the heatshrink on first though haha. I find the marine sealant works very well, I use it on boat wiring and never had an issue with joint corrosion

[@typgamer]

I got a set of heat shrink tubes with water tight hot glue already integrated on amazon for cheap, saves a lot of work and works great

[@absenteeatom]

@@jules5811 Shouldn’t be too difficult, just re-heat and cut away the heat shrink, then clean up the hot glue while soft or allow it to go brittle and remove.

[@chrisrea7347]

You make these issues seem very simple - love watching your channel. I am a Kiwi but overseas at present.

[@nealvaughn2340]

This video and your entire channel is a WEALTH of knowledge. Love watching you and Andrew Camarata fix stuff and teach me how it all works. ZERO mechanical background but you guys have showed me what to do on a few fixes I’ve stumbled upon. Cheers and fix on!

[@patring620]

Check the fluids, mate.

[@OutsideoftheGrid]

You have me out here making Amazon orders for lanolin…

[@cbplays3436]

I have a 1991 model TRX300FW, nice to see you working on one! Probably need to replace the starter on mine

[@timshelton4041]

I do like the way that you explain what you are doing and the reasons why.👍

[@henrymichaelwilson8107]

Hello Marty. I have a Yamaha iqivalent to that. They hold there money here in the UK. Farmers really run them in the ground.

[@muchmuchmore]

Thanks for sharing. Always enjoy your videos. A squirt bottle applying fuel direct into the cylinder or intake is a good quick check effectively bypassing the carb.

[@brothertyler]

Last wiring fix: heat shrink crimp butt splices are inexpensive and make waterproof connections, and also they won't fatigue and break like a solder joint will in a high vibration environment. - Aircraftier wiring guy

[@arcticrunning8370]

Why do I love this channel so much?

[@kevinchamberlain7928]

Superb machine The Big Red, excellent ride quality and surprisingly fast!

[@Scrapy-ih7ob]

Love when you watch Random Video, and learn something new , that explains why your project took the extreme way to fix it.. thanks for the info on diag. CDI fail issue now i know what to look for how to check what made it fail...

[@rstephe]

Thanks for sharing with us. Makes me want to look for a cheap quad.

[@NickyNiclas]

There is heat shrink tube with hotmelt glue in it that seals well. There is also a type with a ring of solder in it that both solders and seals, really good stuff!

[@jabbalechat7910]

Glue lined heat shrink deals with that wire joint sealing problem... 👍

[@licencetoswill]

solder splices man, changes the game.

[@jabbalechat7910]

@@licencetoswill When you've finished soldering seal the joint with glue lined heat shrink...

[@dfross87]

@@jabbalechat7910 They make all in one solder and heat shrink tubes these days. Shove the wires in, heat and it does all the work for you.

[@jabbalechat7910]

@@dfross87 I like to make my solder joint, inspect it and only then put some glue lined heat shrink over it...

[@kirkmarrie8060]

Nice!

[@haydenlindsey6481]

You’re such a knowledgeable and cool guy, so many skills. Please keep up the awesome content!

[@anthonysimonhough9691]

Great video thanks

[@deaks25]

With pretty much every Honda motorcycle, even modern ones, if you're having a battery/charging issue, it's pretty much guaranteed to be a janky reg/rec so I had a good chuckle at a Honda quad doing the exact same thing.

[@willmacleod1742]

Well done,