7 January 2003
I've decided to start a new adventure. I've bought
a salvage ATV (= all terrain
vehicle) called Honda Odyssey, short Oddy, on Ebay. Got a good deal considering
the fact these ATV have been discontinued in 1984 and aren't easy to
find. People start to collect them. My new Oddy has been manufactured in 1980.
The overall condition wasn't mint at all, see picture on the right. Looks better
than the real one, though. Tires wrecked, lights malfunction,
corrosion, missing rear fender, leaking exhaust and most
importantly: engine won't start. Same month I've started rebuilding the Oddy.
Check out the links on the
left side.
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(January 2003) |
March 2003
(March 2003) |
The vehicle's frame, steering and suspension is FL250 style. Welded on
the frame is a FL350 like cage. The engine wasn't original, removed from a John Deere
snowmobile. Manufacturer Canadian Curtiss Wright, type KEC 400ccm, 2 cylinder 2
stroke, 33 HP. Very powerful, twice the output of the Honda stock engine.
Fuel tank was an 'abused' beer keg. No kidding.
In March of 2003 I was
riding the Odyssey in my backyard for the first time. She still isn't finished, all fenders were missing and the
carburetor wasn't adjusted. But at least the engine
runs and the brakes work. Check out some pictures.
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10 October 2003
After completing most of the restoration, I could test drive the Odyssey. Check it out.
Throughout the project (2003 ~ 2004) I pretty much had to
replace most of the parts. Starting with the tires, the
fenders, the head
and tail lights, the fuel tank, carburetor, battery and so on. Most of the
parts could be obtained from ebay auctions or internet ATV store such as
denniskirk.com. In addition to the grand I spent when buying the Oddy, I
had to invest ca. $ 1,5k for new parts. The endless hours aside, I had a
heck lot of fun rebuilding her.
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(October 2003)
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29 May 2004
(May 2004) |
Well well well .... it
was about time, wasn't it ? We had a pretty cold winter season, too
cold for working on the Oddy. Project was on hold till March
'04. Unfinished business was taken up
and here we go. First "real" test
drive in the back yard. After the finding have been repaired,
let's get the party started. We are ready to race ! Jens,
Midland Park, NJ, USA.
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I will continue to add more stuff and pictures here as I go along, stay tuned.
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