Baja Warrior engine questions

[Hayrod]

I recently bought a Baja Warrior 200 from my neighbor. It will run but is very sluggish and the throttle likes to stick sometimes. When hitting bumps it cuts out. Now when I get it started, I have to take off immediately or it will die.

To get to the point, the stock engine doesn't seem very powerful or reliable.

From what I've found the stock engine is a honda 200 clone. Is that correct?

I've been looking at performance kits for it. Seems like a fun project to do with the kids.

Is the engine worth spending several hundred dollars to fix it up or would replacing the engine be a better idea?

Thanks in advance, Hayrod

 

[JTSpeedDemon]

Sounds like you have carburetor issues, and possibly low compression.
I don't know if Bajas come with low oil sensors, but if they do, you may want to unplug that.
Or you could just directly bolt in a fresh Predator 212 and be done with it. $100 at Harbor Freight with a coupon!

 

[J.S.@SMS]

You can either rebuild the existing carburetor, or you can replace it. I completely rebuilt the engine on my Baja Warrior for a total of $45. And that was with new piston rings and gaskets with a replacement carb. And the Baja Warrior 200 don’t have low oil sensors. The new carb is $18.50 at arcracing.com

---------- Post added at 10:34 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:17 AM ----------

I forgot to add that if you have the headlight, you’ll want to keep the original engine. The stock 196s have dual coils under the flywheel, that power the light. Predators have the mounts for the coils, but they don’t have the magnets on the flywheel that are necessary to generate power. I have heard that predator 212 non hemis have a similar enough taper that a 196 flywheel can be lapped onto it, but I’ve never tried it myself.

And the Baja 196 is a true clone of a Honda GX200, so Honda parts do fit. The predators are based on the Honda gx200, but with a different bore, stroke, flywheel taper, (head, valve cover, and valve train, in the case of hemis), modified block, and a wider exhaust stud spacing.

Carburetor I used: It’s a bit bigger than stock, so you’ll get a bit more power.
https://www.arcracing.com/dj-1225r-carburetor-stock-ruixing/

The gasket kit I used:
https://www.arcracing.com/dj-1305-bsp-clone-gasket-kit/

And I used these rings:
https://www.arcracing.com/dj-2291-honda-010-over-zot-rings/
They are .010 over rings, so hone the cylinder, and test fit the rings. The ring gap won’t be wide enough, so you’ll have to file the rings. The ring gap should be near .020 in my opinion.

Or you can use these:
https://www.arcracing.com/dj-2290-honda-std-stock-size-zot-rings/
They’re standard rings, so you won’t have to file the end gap, though the gap will be a bit wider than optimal. But they’ll still work.

 

[Hayrod]

Thanks for the replies!

Hayrod

 

[J.S.@SMS]

I hope you get it running good. BTW, could we get a pic or two, I'm curious as to what condition yours is in.

 

[Hayrod]

I'll try to remember to take pics of it when I get home. It looks brand new. Its the camo bike. I bought it from my neighbor, he's an older fella that bought it to drive around his deer lease. It doesn't look like he ever rode it.

Hayrod

 

[J.S.@SMS]

When you get home, look at the front underside of the engine fan shroud, there should be an identification label there that'll tell you the date the engine was manufactured in mm/yy format. That'll give you an approximate age of the bike.

 

[Hayrod]

I looked at it when I got the bike and looked it up for recalls and there were none. I don't remember what year it was though.

Thanks again, Hayrod

 

[txluke]

99% of small engine problems are fuel related. For a chinese engine it is easier and cheaper to just buy a new carb on Amazon or Ebay. Get one that comes with new fuel lines and a fuel filter. Drain all of the old fuel and add fresh. Make sure to take the clutch cover off and oil your clutch regularly. a few drops of 3in1 oil on the bushing should do it. The best upgrade for that bike is a torque converter. They can be found on Ebay and Amazon for around $60. Get the one for #40, #41, #420 chain. Watch some YouTube videos for installation.