If you're currently staring at a crusty or leaking 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank, you've officially joined a very large and frustrated club of vintage ATC enthusiasts. Let's be real for a second—the 1985 ATC250ES Big Red is arguably one of the coolest, most reliable workhorses Honda ever built. It was the first year they gave us that glorious combination of electric start, reverse, and rear suspension. But as great as the engine is, those original metal gas tanks haven't always aged with the same grace.
After nearly forty years, most of these tanks have seen some things. Whether it's been sitting in a barn with half a gallon of leaded fuel turning into varnish or it's been banged up on a farm for decades, the gas tank is usually the first thing to fail. If you're trying to get your Big Red back on the trail, you're basically looking at three options: cleaning the one you've got, hunting down a used replacement, or going the aftermarket route.
The Struggle with the Original Metal Tank
The big issue with the original 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank is that it's made of steel. Back in the mid-80s, that was the standard, and it felt high-quality. But steel has a mortal enemy: moisture. Over the years, condensation builds up inside the tank, especially if it's stored in a place with temperature swings. That water sinks to the bottom, sits under the gasoline, and slowly eats away at the metal.
If you're lucky, you just have some surface "flash rust" that's clogging up your carburetors. If you're unlucky, you have pinholes. You might not even see them at first until you fill the tank up and notice that tell-tale smell of raw gas and a wet spot forming on your pant leg. Once the metal starts getting paper-thin at the bottom seams, you're in for a project.
Restoration: Can You Save It?
Before you go dropping hundreds of dollars on a replacement, it's worth seeing if your original tank can be salvaged. Most guys start with the "nut and bolt" method. You basically take the tank off, pull the petcock out, and throw a handful of dry deck screws or small nuts inside. Give it a good shake for twenty minutes—it's a workout, believe me—and you'll knock loose the heavy flakes of rust.
After the mechanical cleaning, a lot of people swear by Evapo-Rust or even just plain old white vinegar. If you fill a 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank with vinegar and let it sit for a few days, you'll be amazed at how much junk comes out. However, here's the kicker: once you strip that rust away, you're left with bare metal that wants to rust again immediately.
This is where tank liners come in. Products like Red-Kote or Caswell are popular, but you have to be incredibly meticulous with the prep work. If there's even a hint of oily residue left inside, the liner will peel off in sheets a year later, and then you've got a real nightmare on your hands—pieces of plastic liner floating around and clogging your fuel lines.
The Aftermarket Solution: Going Plastic
If your tank looks like Swiss cheese, you might want to look at a plastic replacement. Companies like Clarke have been making plastic tanks for these three-wheelers for a long time.
There's a bit of a debate in the community about this. On one hand, a plastic 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank will never rust. You can leave it sitting for ten years, and the tank itself will be fine. They're durable, they usually fit pretty well, and they're much cheaper than trying to find a "new old stock" metal tank.
On the other hand, the purists hate them. They don't look exactly like the original. The red color might be a shade off from your fenders, and you can't really paint them because the gas fumes eventually permeate the plastic and cause the paint to bubble. Plus, you lose that "tink" sound of metal. But if you're building a rider rather than a museum piece, plastic is often the most practical way to go.
Hunting for a Used OEM Tank
Finding a clean, used 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank is getting harder every single day. Because the 1985 250ES was a one-year-specific design (the 1986 and 1987 tanks are slightly different in how they mount and how the plastics sit), you can't just grab any old Big Red tank and expect it to be a perfect bolt-on.
When you're scouring eBay or Facebook Marketplace, you have to be careful. Sellers will often say "no leaks," but they haven't actually pressure-tested it. Always look at the bottom seams and the area around the petcock mounting holes. If you see bubbling paint or a lot of heavy pitting, walk away. You don't want to pay $300 for someone else's headache.
If you do find a good one, grab it. They aren't making any more of them, and the value of these 250ES machines is only going up. A clean original tank can easily be the centerpiece of a high-end restoration.
Don't Forget the Petcock and Filters
While we're talking about the 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank, we have to talk about the fuel petcock. This is the valve that lets the gas flow (or stops it). On an old Big Red, the internal rubber seals in the petcock often dry out and crack. This leads to gas leaking onto your engine or, worse, leaking into your crankcase if your carb needle is also worn out.
Whenever you're messing with the tank, just go ahead and replace the petcock or at least rebuild it. And for the love of all things vintage, please run an inline fuel filter. Even if you think your tank is clean, there's always a little bit of sediment waiting to ruin your day by getting stuck in your pilot jet right when you're three miles away from the truck.
Installing the Tank Properly
When you finally get your tank ready to go back on the machine, don't just toss it on there. The 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank relies on rubber dampers to keep it from vibrating against the frame. Over forty years, those rubber pucks get hard or just disappear.
If you bolt a metal tank directly to the frame without those cushions, the vibration will eventually cause the metal to crack. It's a small detail, but it makes a huge difference in how long your "new" old tank lasts. Check your mounting bolts and make sure the "tank ears" aren't being stressed or bent out of shape.
Why We Put Up With It
You might be wondering why anyone would spend this much time and effort on a gas tank for a forty-year-old tricycle. But if you've ever ridden a 250ES, you know why. There's just something about the way that big thumper engine sounds and how it crawls over almost anything. It's the ultimate utility machine.
Fixing the 1985 honda big red 250 gas tank is just part of the price of admission for owning a piece of off-road history. Whether you decide to spend the weekend scrubbing out rust with vinegar or you just bite the bullet and buy a plastic replacement, getting that fuel system sealed up is the best thing you can do for your Big Red.
Once it's done, you can stop worrying about leaks and get back to what these things were meant for—hauling wood, checking fences, or just trail riding through the woods. These machines were built to last, and with a little bit of attention to the fuel system, there's no reason your 1985 Big Red can't keep chugging along for another few decades. Just keep an eye on that gas, use a stabilizer if it's going to sit, and enjoy the ride.