Banned in 1987 according to Wikipedia. What's the story? Banned by Federal law? Banned from manufacture and or import?

Do 3 wheels offer any advantages over quads?

Totally fun when they flip over on you... Of course we probably should not have had 3-4 poeple on it.

this. death waiting to happen. literally

I had a 110,200,200x.They beat the hell out of a quad and I do miss them dearly.

They were squirrely, but the ban was the result of hysteria.

There's still some out there.  They run like champs and their owners love the shit out of 'em.

But yea, I've seen 'em flip when operated poorly.

I spent a whole lot of my youth on one of these

FYI.. American Honda is STILL paying out lawsuits over ATC's

I have a Honda Big Red ATC from 83. It runs fantastic, is an excellent hunting vehicle. I have never rolled it. I have also never rode it after a 12 pack of beer either. YMMV.



It is ghey they are banned, it is like saying guns kill people. It is a tool. you must know its limits and how to safely operate it.

BTDT

Sharp turn, starts to tilt, put foot down for stability, ?, run over foot, profit.

There's company's out there who make new ones completely from aftermarket parts and big four stroke thumpers.

They were awesome for spraying weeds, Dad rigged yup footpegs to steer and a foot throttle.  You drove entirely with your leaving both hands free to spray

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My brother just rebuilt his ATC 250 from the early eighties. The mechanic who helped him commented on how durable the (older) Hondas are.
We had an ATC 90 when I was a kid. They are only dangerous if they are operated foolishly.

I believe it was a ban from importation, I love mine a mint 86 200sx, and a 185s parts bike.  I used to be able to
slide em around a lot more than I can a quad, but I am not sure if that was just being braver, stupider, or just younger.

speed

This....  Everything but the profit part.

I had an ATC250R.





There is no logical reason to have that much power in a wehicle with less that 4 wheels.



Thing was ridiculous.


 

So dirtbikes should be banned?

I had a ATC110.  It is a miracle that I survived that thing.  I can't tell you how many times I rolled it or ran over my leg, but I sure had fun doing it.

Had one myself... completely agree.  That thing could be horrifying.  It was a death trap with the wrong operator.

I'm not advocating banning them...but they were a great vehicle for helping Darwin do his work.

Horrifying fits quite nicely.





IMO it was more the thumb throttle in conjunction with a brutal hit in the power band when it got on the pipe that made it unsafe. For track riding they were great but were seriously Effed up in the woods.





If you had your rear tires set up just right you could steer with the front tire in the air.



Which was good as it was near impossible to keep it planted.





With a different pipe and a twist throttle they could have been more manageable.





 

Well........please don't post us a link or anything.

3 wheelers kicked ass........your ass.  Dumbasses bought them believing they were safe.  Couldn't be further from the truth.  They are a world of hurt when things go south.

There is nothing like a 3 wheeler on the flat and loose, what a blast!  I can only imagine if they continued to develop them how bad ass they would be now.

Just another victim of the safety queers and their political correctness.

I'm just waiting for the ban hammer to drop on the big bore quads.  My Grizzly is scary fast and there are machines that out run me!

Someday I will get my Honda 350x......someday.

Yep... We were trying to climb a really steep hill on our farm.  It was woods with big trees, little trees, and downed limbs all over the place.  There was a razor thin line between keeping it wound out and having the front end come back over the top of you.  Good times.

That should read "...in a vehicle with more than two wheels, but less than four." and should have included something about breakfast cereals and o-rang-u-tans.

 

I had a 250R and thought it was the best thing that ever happened to me... then I got a Banshee... now I have a Arctic Cat M8 mountain sled...

Lately I've noticed a few 250R's on craigslist and have considered picking one up... they run around $1000 on average around here... depending on what shape they are in!

- Clint

http://www.tpctrikes.com/

Here's one done by an individual
http://www.trx450r.org/forum/92-lounge/149026-tpc-450r-3-wheeler.html


And no doubt about some of the 4x4 big bores being nasty. Buddy of mine has a Polaris 800 EFI. It's pretty scary cause of its weight. Now my 450r will still wax dat' ass

They were fun.

My dad had a 250 Kawasaki when I was a kid. He strapped my old car seat to the back racks and drove me around in the woods.

Some of my oldest memories are from the back of that thing. I couldn't have been more than 2 or 3.

I had a Yamaha 225DX shaft drive 3 wheeler.  It was a wheelie machine and fun, but highly unstable and easy to flip.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission played a huge part in getting them banned.

Anyone ever play Lawn Darts with them?

So it was just a import ban? Something the Feds would easily be able to control. Since they are still built domestically? I can't see how you can ban 3 wheelers but not dirt bikes.

My dad had one for 1 day and sold it after rolling it multiple times.

Search for:


ATV "Consent Decree"


The doo-gooders at the CPSC did it.  

pussies

They take a little more skill to operate than a quad does.
Not saying much, 99.9% of the people who drive quads don't have the skills to ride a motorcycle.

Fuck quadtards.  

I want one!!  That is one hell of a sexy machine.

That looks just like a factory machine.  Very cool.  They need to bring these machines back.

a college buddy flipped one by hitting a rock in high grass; he got a big chunk ripped out of his thigh.
he loved the 3 wheelers, though.

The Honda 250R trike was an absolute beast.

I had one.  I had more fun on the 200x.  I've never had a 2 stroke that I liked.

I had a Yamaha 175. Nothing like putting your foot down out of habit, having it crawl up your leg, and pin you underneath.

I had a bunch of Hondas over the years from a 1970 ATC90 to a 1985 250R





consent decree....








http://www.cyclepedia.com/atv-consent-decree/




 

I had six of them over the years, a couple of 200S, 185S, 200X, 250R and my favorite the 350X
It's not the bike, it's the rider who sucks that doomed them.
I had a quad and HATED it !!  Give me a motorcycle or an ATC.
I am currently on the hunt for a clean, original 350X because nothing I have had ever came close to the fun I had on that bike.

My dad bought one ^ when I was prolly 11-12, when at the time a 90 or 110 would have been plenty for me. He'd turn me loose on that thing it was so awesome, I had no business on something that powerful. I could not imagine the miles I put on that thing. Loved the standard motor cycle twist throttle! It would sling some serious mud rooster tails too.

I was so disappointed when they quit making them. Although, I will state I turned it over several times and in the wrong hands could be dangerous.

My cousin still has a 250R. He'll never sell it.

He also had a Tecate 3 wheeler with reeds, pipe, carb and some kind of aftermarket suspension. That SOB rode like a Cadillac.

It was also completely insane. We used to call it the screamin green meanie.

It was the undisputed king of any place we ever rode. And I think he's part fly or something because I've seen him defy gravity many times.

I've heard him talk about it but I've never seen him wipe it out. He was amazing to watch.

3 wheelers rock but they will fubar you.

Been on 2 wheels all my life, the few times I rode a 3, kept trying to run over my own foot.  I've never had that problem with a 4 wheeler.

I had a honda 200x

LOVED that machine!!!!

It took skill to operate one right. And that is what killed them. People with no skill getting on it and expecting it to be stable just because it had more than 2 wheels.


As for putting your foot down... smart folks only did that once. Intelligent riders never did it.

Big bore utility quads are a hoot, 4wd gets you anywhere.

I'd take a 3 wheeler over a sport quad any day of the week.

There's a couple real clean 350x on eBay right now.

... used to have one nearly identical to this



Had tons of fun with it






 

They came before the 4-wheel ATVs, we had one and so did some of my friends' families.  I remember me and my friends being freaked out and excited when 4-wheelers came along, they were way cooler (I was like in 3rd or 4th grade).

Algore played a huger part!

Growing up, I noticed the only people who ever seriously hurt themselves were first-time, or inexperienced riders. Everytime I ever heard of someone else getting hurt, it was always an inexperienced rider = not the owner of the machine. I loved them. They were so much lighter & easier to load & manuver in tight quarters than Quads.

Started out with a 185S & ended up with a 250R - that thing was wickedly quick. I've souped up, or wanted to, every vehicle I've ever owned, except that 250R.

<<<<<<<  I still have an '84 200S. Last winter a buddy and I went for a spin and had a little bonfire on a frozen pond:



Out in the gravel pits:



I have an 84 200X that needs rebuilding and enough parts for an auto-X which is a 200X frame with an auto shift 200 motor in it. There are also companies that make performance cams and stroker kits for three wheelers.

There are also a couple of 3 wheeler websites. This is one of the larger ones:
http://www.3wheelerworld.com

A lot of body english involved in riding a three wheeler if you want to have fun, ya can't just plant yer ass on the seat and go.

REAL MEN RIDE TRIKES!!!    

had a 250sx 1985 i believe,, shaft drive, reverse auto,, could stay with a 200x but couldnt pass it,, i was a little heavier than the 200x rider though.

My first was a Kawasaki KLT 200B1.  Still have it.  Kept it because it went anywhere I wanted to go and never broke down.  However, once I got my second 3 wheeler the little 200 just wasn't fun to ride anymore.

My second was a Honda 350X.  Totally awesome.  Still have it.  It has scared the crap out of me a few times.  Every do donuts on a 3 wheeler or 4 wheeler?  Now, have you ever been doing a donut and suddenly get enough traction to pop a wheelie?  That's dog gone scary.  Gave me the same feeling as getting kicked in the nuts.

As to flipping them over, getting hurt, etc.  We (brothers, cousins, friends) rode them all over the hills in WV for 10 years or so and the worst anyone ever got hurt was scratches (briars and branches you know) and an occasional bruise (that darn front kicking kicking kick starter hurts like hell the first time your foot slips off it at the bottom of the stroke and it pops up and hits your shin right above your boot.  One day (just one) it happened 3 times and that last time really hurt (same spot 3 times).

Of course we didn't drink (except soft drinks) and we didn't let little kids use them as baby sitters (several times I've seen up to 4 kids on one four wheeler miles from the nearest hard road).

I'll take my Honda any day over a 4 wheeler.  Loads of torque, light weight, all kinds of suspension travel, brakes second to none and with those Kenda Nomads on the back it went anywhere I wanted to go.

You can keep those 500 and 600 lb. 4 wheel drive 4 wheelers.  If I get stuck I just get off and pick the back end up and set it over a couple of feet, get back on and keep on riding.

One front tire to push throught the mud/snow, not two tires plus the frame and suspension that connects them mean the 3 wheeler goes better in the snow and mud.  Maybe better than some 4 wheel drive 4 wheelers.  Ever slide to the back of the seat on a big 4 wheeler in the snow?  Do the front tires come up out of the snow and ride along the top or does it just keep working the engine hard busting a trail?

Of course, I like M1 Garands and 1911's, too, so by today's standards I guess I'm old fashioned, stuck in my ways and behind the times.  But I do like stuff that works.