2000 Honda Rancher 350ES 4x4 (TRX350FE)
This bike was unexpectedly offered to me in a phone conversation over a week ago, while I was searching for cheap TRX350D parts bikes.
The man said it had been garage-kept since new and is in good condition. The motor ran, no sun/weather damage, never been in a crash, frame, chassis, bumpers, racks, plastics and seat are all good he said... The brakes all work, no cracks, no dents, no rips, no oil leaks, no broken or missing parts, not rusty, etc. He thought the electric shift and everything else electrical might still work on it too, but was beginning to sound (on the phone) more unsure at this point in our conversation, than he was to my previous questions.
"I don't know anything about it", he said... "this belonged to my son... (...) ... it has been parked here in my garage and hasn't been run for over 10 years now. It will need a new battery for sure. It still has the old gas in it. The tires look worn out, but they all still hold air. This is the first my wife and I have thought about selling it. Make me an offer."
What year is it, I asked? "I don't know. How do I find out?" So I asked him to give me an idea how much he wanted for it. He said "I don't know, make me an offer."
I can't make you an offer until I see it, I said.
"How does $350 sound to you? I'll talk to my wife."
Now, I'm not a big fan of ES bikes myself, but I'm guessing my mother might become an ES ATV fan if given an opportunity...?!?!
So, with an idea in mind of what I might do with an ES bike, I made plans to meet with the owner yesterday (Sunday) for a closeup looksee armed with a good battery and lotsa tools. Travel time was about 5.5 hours round trip plus about an hour of time in a dark garage spent on checking it over. More on that later...
This bike was thickly coated with garage grunge after many years in storage when I loaded it. Here are some pics I snapped with my phone about 20 miles into the return trip.... after a lot of the looser grunge had blown off. I power washed it when I got home and its beginning to look pretty darn good already!!!
I intend to disassemble this Creamsicle and freshen it up over the next few months in my spare time as a late winter project. Will post progress updates here... beginning with some better pics in a few days.
This bike was unexpectedly offered to me in a phone conversation over a week ago, while I was searching for cheap TRX350D parts bikes.
The man said it had been garage-kept since new and is in good condition. The motor ran, no sun/weather damage, never been in a crash, frame, chassis, bumpers, racks, plastics and seat are all good he said... The brakes all work, no cracks, no dents, no rips, no oil leaks, no broken or missing parts, not rusty, etc. He thought the electric shift and everything else electrical might still work on it too, but was beginning to sound (on the phone) more unsure at this point in our conversation, than he was to my previous questions.
"I don't know anything about it", he said... "this belonged to my son... (...) ... it has been parked here in my garage and hasn't been run for over 10 years now. It will need a new battery for sure. It still has the old gas in it. The tires look worn out, but they all still hold air. This is the first my wife and I have thought about selling it. Make me an offer."
What year is it, I asked? "I don't know. How do I find out?" So I asked him to give me an idea how much he wanted for it. He said "I don't know, make me an offer."
I can't make you an offer until I see it, I said.
"How does $350 sound to you? I'll talk to my wife."
Now, I'm not a big fan of ES bikes myself, but I'm guessing my mother might become an ES ATV fan if given an opportunity...?!?!
So, with an idea in mind of what I might do with an ES bike, I made plans to meet with the owner yesterday (Sunday) for a closeup looksee armed with a good battery and lotsa tools. Travel time was about 5.5 hours round trip plus about an hour of time in a dark garage spent on checking it over. More on that later...
This bike was thickly coated with garage grunge after many years in storage when I loaded it. Here are some pics I snapped with my phone about 20 miles into the return trip.... after a lot of the looser grunge had blown off. I power washed it when I got home and its beginning to look pretty darn good already!!!
I intend to disassemble this Creamsicle and freshen it up over the next few months in my spare time as a late winter project. Will post progress updates here... beginning with some better pics in a few days.
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