How Honda made the Most Insane ATV Ever
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- Опубліковано 6 лют 2025
- Today we're looking at the Honda ATC250R and how it sparked a performance ATV revolution, and perhaps even killed its own kind
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I was a Honda technician for over 30 years, starting in the mid 1970's. It was a wonderful time to be alive and experience the technical advancements that rolled out every year.
I still play at age 64 on my Honda CRF 100 on a track behind my shop. Sometimes old friend's show up, and we have what I like to call the denture nationals.
Hahaha. :) No age group classes. We have the receded hairline class, the arthritis class, and the dementia class. Ohhh- and unfortunately, the cancer class is getting big. :(
I'm 66 and grew up on Hondas. 1969 Honda Mini Trail (blue) was the first bike and I have been through several different ones over the years. I have a 2002 Goldwing, a 1995 Nighthawk and a 2023 CRF300.
...our class only requires you bring an extra pair of undies. ATC'S RULE !
My wife and I still have an 85 and an 86 250R. Both have FMF pipes, Boysen reeds, and CR 250 head gaskets. A little more go for something that was already pretty fast. Super freakin’ fun.
I still have a 200x ,a 250R,& a 350x and still ride them like I stole them and I'm 68 years old !
You're a lucky one, that's the spirit!
Gray hair don't care. 😊
👌 awesome. Keep riding brother.
Sweet!
The point is go fast and lean....it's not a 4 wheeler it's not a dirtbike....it's a sternum snaping Hella fun toy lol
That picture of the 1985 250 still looks bad ass today!
it does! Thought same
Yes I had one it was fun
I went so fast on my 85' 250R...
Bought a new 250R in '84. It was a riot. I went over the handlebars a few times and ran over my own legs with the back tires lots. Luckily I was 20 and invincible.
I still have my 86 250r that I got brand new and yes they were (are) very fast and had tons of power , I had a few times when I'd be in 3rd gear and punch it and it would instantly flip right over , you definitely had to learn how to ride it and give it some respect !! I'm so glad I got to ride mine when I was young and every once in a while I'll get it out and ride it around , I'm 58 now so I don't go full bore on it , these days it would take to long to heal up lol, I enjoyed watching this video , I also have my 1979 rm125 that was a screamer back then too , that's also been alot of fun , both of them warped me on the ground several times , but hey , if ya wanna play hard sometimes ya gotta pay lol
Man im so glad im a boomer got to experience these ATC, XR's, Toyota straight axles 4x4's in real time. At 64 I still ride an ATC, XR600 (When I can start it )and have 2 Landcruisers.
Time is running out 😬
@@Group_Anonymous Enjoy it while you can!
I'm right there with you, we had lots of Dunes here places to ride in North Florida. My first 4 x 4 truck was a 1981 Toyota straight axle what's 36 in Super Swampers on it call my dad bought it for me in 1985. The bed of that truck scene my 1984 250R air cooled, then 1986 250R and also 1986 350X that I picked up practically brand new with a blown engine. A guy had bought the 350X brand new had it for 2 weeks drove it into a lake hydrolocked it literally broke the camshaft, I picked that bike up for $400 we sent the cylinder head off to power roll took 3 months😂 back then you didn't have internet everything was in a magazine and phone call when we got done with that 350 exit was fast! those sure were good days ... now I have a 2008 XR650L, 2013 Jeep yes with straight axle
Every Toyota can be improved with a small block Chevy.
@@randymagnum143 why would you put a boat anchor under the hood, with lock differentials 36 Super Swampers the 22R motor did just fine we had a famous mud hole here in Jacksonville called the peanut butter hole I've done circles around Chevrolets. 22R🏆
As little kids in the 70’s, we had really cool neighbors, he and his wife had no kids but their nephew would stay with them during the summer and they had an ATC90 first generation with the ballon tires. We road that thing all summer back when people weren’t sue happy. We had 2 1963 honda trail 55’s that also that got road hard all day. I’m now 60 and my brother is 55 and we both have Yamaha YXZ 1000’s. Still living like those kids we once were.
Had a 350X in the late 80's Loved it.
I had access to one and it was a beast.😂❤
I thought my 350X was the best out there. And it was. Till a friend said take this banshee for a ride.
I spent many wonderful winters in Chicago riding a 200x and a 250 Odyssey. I even got a newspaper article about doing a donut around every single tree in our local park. Good times!
😂😂 👊 🇬🇧
Today ya wouldn't make it two feet before a dedicated crime-fighting SWAT team and chopper overhead showed up to ruin the day, right? Sigh.
@@carlsaganlives6086 Yeah sad but true. We used to play with the cops and they didn't go all batshit tactical like they do today. It was a different vibe back then.
I still have my 86 ATC 250r. It's one of the coolest machines ever. I got it new when I was 14.
I really enjoyed the video, thank you! Growing up from the age of 7 I started riding 3-wheelers. Honda ATC 110, 185S, 200S, 200X, 250SX, 250R and the 350X. I've ridden all of them! I put the most miles on the 200X and it was also the last 3-wheeler I'll ever ride. I was riding it on May 21st 2000 and I blacked out from dehydration while I was going 40-50 MPH. When I blacked out I veered off the trail and hit a tree head on! The front tire hit the trunk and then my head hit the trunk and it broke 4 vertebrae in my neck, one of which pinched my spinal cord leaving me paralyzed from the chest down. I also broke 3 ribs on my left side and punctured my lung in 3 places. Yeah, that was a rough day! And it's been a rough going on 25 years of quadriplegia. I would climb on any of my 3-wheelers and go for a ride right now if I could! I really hate when people say "those things were so dangerous!" You just have to know how to ride them. Oh, and don't let yourself get dehydrated! LOL! Thanks again for the great video!
Wow, thanks for sharing and you seem like your love of life wasn't damaged at all, I can take a lesson from you good sir, thanks for showing me how to be a real stand up guy in this shitty world, correction, sometimes shitty world, salute
I've been riding an '85 250R for the last 27 years. I got nine lives 😅
Also have an '82 185s and an '84 200s. Used to have a 350x too.
Still have my 1984 200x that I bought new. Boarded out to 250 still runs like a champ!
Love the old footage, i really do think the 80s and early 90s were the best years and since 2000 been a gradual decline in overall enjoyment of life.
I fully agree
A few of my friends are honda trike cult members. Ive rode one of their 250s, way better than i expected.
Pulled pretty hard and took the bumps quite well. It added up for me.
Grew up with an 85' 200X ATC, it was a blast. Naturally a few of us including myself got hurt on it a few times but it was a blast. Glad it was part of my upbringing!
I had one too! Modified with extended axle, low-pro racing ferring, motocross handlebars, twist throttle, jetted carb, exhaust pipe, low-pro extra wide tires. Too much fun was had on that!!
@PB-jk8bl Sounds like it was a menace, in a good way! Mine was pretty original apart from I ported the head, put a K&N filter inside the airbox, and jetted the carb. I bought it used and I may have had an aftermarket or modded stock exhaust as purchased. It was pretty loud, no complaints from me though! It ran like a scalded cat! Wished I'd have kept it now, it was in pretty good shape.
I would LOVE to have a 350X. I spent a good amount of time in the seventies blasting around on ATC 70s and 90s. In the eighties, I bought a 185S. Had an absolute ball with that bike. Then I got to ride my Brother's 350X out on the Oregon sand dunes. Holy cow, what a torque-monster that thing was compared to my puny 185! Spent a whole weekend chasing my Brother and his buddy (who were both on 250Rs) up and down the dunes and beaches. I thought the 350 was pretty fast in it's own right...but it was a garden tractor compared to the 250Rs! Boy, I miss those days....
My buddy had one, bought it used. Very first time he jumped in it we were in a gravel parking lot in front of all our friends. He revvs the piss out of it and dropped the clutch. Well it hit the powerband and spit every rock out from under the tires, then immediately hooked up on the soft ground underneath and did a complete backflip and tossed him 10 feet off the back. Luckily it stalled out when it flipped upside down. We laughed so hard and Luckily it only scraped up the handlebars
So he was stupid, and douches like him is why they got banned !!
OH yeah! My brother and I had one and decided to wash it. Well, we dumbasses put Armor-all on the seat. Bad idea. I was booking it across a field, hit a little hill and slid back on the seat. When I did, I goosed the hand throttle and it literally jumped into the air, landed on me, and proceeded to do somersaults down the field. My brother ran past me sprawled out on the ground to check if the bike was alright. After a new set of plastics and straightening out the forks, it was allright.
Yup, they were fast and fun. I had a 1985 250R and rode in the dunes in Butter Cup east of El Centro in the years when it was like the wild west. The hill to climb was called Oldsmobile hill; for some reason.
My family went to Buttercup every Easter from the time I was 7 until I was 14 (1982-1989). I have pictures of me riding a Honda ATC 110 at the sand dunes in 1982. I remember going to competition hill and at night they would burn Volkswagen engine blocks because they are magnesium I guess. It would light up the whole sand dune with a bright white light! There was so many 3-wheelers, dirt bikes, sand rails and Jeeps with giant paddle tires. It was definitely a spectacle that I will never forget! Oh, the good ol' days!
Yup Olds is still the big race dune! I’ve been there a few times in the 90’s
Yall are describing Glamis. Imperial sand dunes. Or so it seems. Great place out in the dunes.
I’m old enough to remember all of these in dirt wheels magazines.
Hell I miss magazines!!
@@markkunkel7401🫵💯agreed
...and I still have my Dirt Wheels with nothing but ATC's on the covers. 👍
I had an 85 200X and an 84 air cooled 250R. They were both alot of fun, ill never forget those bikes. I recently got into the 450R quads and had 4 of those throughout the years. Raced hare scrambles for 10 years on them.
I owned the 250R at 14 years old. Brand new. Had it 3 days, and we were taking turns seeing how far we could jump. My best friend made a jump, the bike flipped, landed on top of my bud. Luckily he was not seriously injured. The 250R sustained a bent rear axle. $190 to replace the axle. Man we had a lot of fun on that thing.
back in the late '60s and early '70s there was so many dangerous things out there. 72 I flipped a 24 horsepower Alouette snowmobile three times sliding it on ice till the ice ended and I was sideways. I ended up racing 2-stroke go karts 2 stroke Kawasaki 500 triples and so many other dangerous things. but I'm still here LOL
I learned to ride on a Honda 3-wheeler w/ balloon tires. Thing was deadly, but if you can master it, it's very rewarding.
Back around 1981 I raced my GSX750ET in New Zealand. At that time the New Zealand Honda distributor Blue Wing Honda had a race team and for fun they converted 2 ATC bikes. One had the old CB400 four cylinder engine transplanted and the other had the early single cam CB750 4 cylinder engine in it. watching these pit bikes being ridden up and down the pit lane was a hoot!
Well I started my Motorcycle Apprenticeship in 1980’s in my local Honda Shop and we sold a lot of ATC’s to farmers about the district in New Zealand and the most we sold in one week was 15 new ATC250 farm trike models.
We also sold a few ATC 250 R models over the years approximately two per year and I got to ride them a lot.
I also rebuilt one of the very first ATC90’s sold in New Zealand, with fibreglass mudguards the original colour was orange, and a steel pressed frame.
We all felt the ATC185 was the ideal size.
I do remember seeing paperwork for a 1987 ATC 250 R model but can’t remember if any came to NZ because of the stupid USA ban on Trikes.
Now more people are killed and seriously injured riding fourwheelers as they think they are safe!
But Trikes just like three legged barstools are far safer and more stable and uneven ground.
Keep up the great videos
Loved rippin on those old 2 stroke 3 wheelers, Honda 250r and kawi tecate!!!
Such a great video, I still have my 86 ATC 250R that I got in 1986. I rode that 3wheeler in the dunes mostly and it was fast. Most people on anything else could not keep up. It really took skill to keep the rubber side down and back then ridding double was a hoot. In the hands of a skilled ridder I don't think it was dangerous,. I'm 74 and still ride it just not very often. I love my CRF450R for the dunes now. That's so fun and so quick. Thanks for putting this Video together with the vintage Honda videos. The dunes is where it shines bright.
we had a big red on our dairy back in the day and I lusted after one of the ATC250R's
We also had a big red. I rode a buddies 250r and was happy to go back to that big red. That 250 powerband scared me too much.
My buddy had one in the 80's and rode the crap out of it and wheelies was a must every time he got on it!
Dude you nailed it!!!! I grew up in this era and it was amazing and terrifying at the same time!!!!
I liked my 1981 atc 185s Honda. Handy to pull a small trailer around the property. And fun to bicycle it when fooling around.
i have a stock 83 air cooled and an 86 bb 310 thats a fkn rocket im 45 i survived the 80s , these are my trophys.
Thanks!
Very useful to know how 3-wheelers were supposed to be ridden and why those did become popular.
As most of the moder videos claim: "those were unstable, too many injuries, bla-bla-bla".
Now we know why it gained a piece of market.
I owned and raced an 85 model. The 85 250R was wayyyy more stable than most other trikes. Even more stable than the Tri-Z and Tecate. It was a dream to ride. But yeah, it had a lot of power and it was not at all safe for novice riders. It was the power specifically that made the 250R dangerous in the wrong hands. But if the lower models had that chassis and suspension, they would have been a lot better handling and probably safer.
Man, brings back memories when I was about 7 or eight, riding the old 90 ATC out in the desert or around the house (mid 80's). Had a couple minor accidents with it, but nothing too serious. Your assessment at the end is spot on, too many things get banned now a days because people don't take the time to learn, train and develop the skills needed. Riding motorcycles, shooting firearms, etc all require this. It's all about risk management, I don't need the government to be my nanny.
Everything has to be made as dumbed down/safe enough for the dumbest person in the area to not die/be offended from, at everyone else's expense, of course.
INSANE indeed. I think anyone who has ridden one will agree.
My first crash as a 10 year kid on a rental Honda in France on holliday, still proud
Great video!! As a 23 year old guy that just got into 3 wheelers really a few years ago, I have a high compression 350x, 250sx, 250 big red and a few others. They’re literally only as dangerous as the rider. I’ve had people tell me I’m gonna get hurt and then they hop on a motorcycle and do 80 down the highway without a helmet. I’ll never understand why people think they’re so dangerous. Literally the most fun you can have for the money in my opinion.
Zündapp would like a word with you about the history of offroad three wheeled vehicles. As well as their presence in the 1930s (also BMW), after WW2 they appeared as the Dnepr and the Ural, and Urals are still in production, with CV joints on the back axle these days.
The three wheeled ATV is just a combination in permanent form with symmetrical layout, superior to a combination in some ways, inferior in others. Before 4 wheel ATVs, Welsh hill farmers used to use trials combos, with the sidecar able to carry the sheepdogs or hay bales.
The weaknesses of the three wheel ATV are the triple track making rock avoidance harder, and the limited tilt angle. The combo has two tracks, but of course completely different tilt angles in the different directions.
If you changed the car for a platform you had a very handy utility vehicle.
Honda did manufacture and sell a production model 1987 ATC250R.
I was a mechanic at the legendary John Burr Cycles Honda / Yamaha in Fontana, California from July of 1984 to October of 1995 and Honda made a 1987 ATC200X sold in the USA 🇺🇸 and they did make and sell 1987 model ATC250R but they were only sold in Canada 🇨🇦, Mexico 🇲🇽 and Australia 🇦🇺 in 1987 so that is where you need to look to find one.
Among many other enduro and MX bikes I had a two 1985 ATC200x’s one 1983 ATC250R, one 1985 ATC250R and one 1986 ATC250R and raced two 1986 TRX250R’s, one 1988 TRX250R and one 1989 TRX250R.
It was a golden age and I really loved racing quads from 1986 to 1995.
Working at John Burrs was a great fun job and the most fun job of my life so far, but I had to leave and get a real job with real pay and benefits.
Didn't sell any in Canada.. don't think they landed here. Think they scrapped them
@@gregmuck9601
Well
You may not have found any of them, but according to our Honda rep at John Burr’s and adds that we saw in ATV News at the time that I might still have accrual copies of somewhere they were manufactured and since Honda didn’t want to sell them in the US they were shipped to Canada, Mexico and Australia and sold there for sure, I’ve seen the sales adds and at costal resort in Mexico they rented out 1987 ATC250R’s because at SRA beach race in Mexico we saw them there with a 1987 frame tag on them.
They were exactly the same as the 1986 except for white rear fenders and radiator scoops.
So they were nothing special for the most part and quads were so much faster on an MX or GP track there was no advantage in racing a three wheeler.
It was a great time. Had the 85 250R and brother had the 350x. They were fast. Put a Pro Circuit pipe on the 250R and that thing became a scary rocket. When your passing dirt bikes on thy trails you knew you were ripping.
I had an 1986 Honda ATC250R back in the latter mid-80's. Nice aftermarket expansion pipe muffler, re-jetted carbs, DG head, boysen reeds and extended (wider) rear axels and that thing was a wildly fun, fast, insane screaming banshee to run over the South FL sugar sand areas. The only other ATV of that era that could beat these were the Yamaha 350 Banshee 4 wheeler. Good times...
A major early advertisement for the Honda ATC was in the 1971 film Diamonds Are Forever when James Bond went to an Area 51 like place near Las Vegas, went through a hangar where they were fakimg the moon landing stole a moon buggy, was chased by security on ATCs and stole one to eacape.
I think they were 110's.
Growing up we had a 1983 185S. That thing was fast enough and plenty dangerous. It was definitely a full body effort to drive safely. My brother an I wiped out on it a number of times, thankfully never getting hurt. We put thousands of miles on it. It was the funnest thing a teenage boy could get their hands on. I couldn't imagine a 250R.
I worked at JP Racing 92-94 and made parts for them years before. Got to ride a loaner Tecate 4. The 250 R quad was their go to for modeling their frames and suspension parts. Such an even more niche sport now. Got to be in the pits as a team member on the floor of Seattle's Kingdome in 93. I really miss the Mickey Thompson Off-Road Gran Prix! 😢
I started riding in '84. Started on a 200x, then the 250r. Then moved to the trx 250r, which I still own 2. Both '87 trx's. I'll never get rid of them. I still want an '88. That red color scheme was 🔥.
We had everything from a 50? Or maybe a 70 to a 90, 110 and a 185. Then a few quads, one that I still have. My buddy at a 250R. He could ride that on two wheels full blast. Bit him one day when he hit a rock or rut or something with one wheel. He was picking gravel out of his skin for a while. We flipped, rolled and tumbled on them without so much as a scar to show for it. We lived out in the country of western North Dakota, so there was no limit to the areas to ride. Never rode the 250R, but that 185 was the workhorse that every farm needed. We pulled stuff that was delegated to the garden tractor originally, just a lot faster.
I had a customer bring in a Yamaha Tri-Moto 350 three wheeler once for a tune up. Talk about a wheelie pulling beast. Best suspension on a three wheeler I've ever rode. I also used to have and old Honda ATC with the solid front fork, except it had a 550-4 engine. Another wheelie machine.
I had and 86 250R. I dogged it to dad and it never gave up always ran perfectly.
My cousin had a 200x and that thing was a blast. Fast and handled. So much fun.
Awesome video. Lots of nostalgia and memories came flooding back watching this. Learned to ride 3 wheelers on a Honda 90. Almost killed myself taking a corner and it went straight 😅. I quickly learned you had to actively drive these things and after time they were an absolute blast to ride. Rode the 200 and later the 350 x both impressive atc’s and so much fun to ride. Then I had my first experience with a 250r, around 86 or so…. And man that thing was a beast compared to everything I rode before it. I recall it scaring me and that was a first for me on an atc. I also recall riding a four wheeler atv for the first time and recall not having fun at all riding it. It was a bore compared to the three wheelers. Thanks for sharing this video.
My neighbor had one. I think a pro link one. That thing flew. I knew it was the kind of fast that would always be fast. This was in the mid 90’s. Before all the crazy quads and side by sides we have now. He was a skinny little farm kid and that Honda three wheeler was faster than any bike we ever had.
Edit- wasn’t there a kit you could put on to make it a quad?
Yeah there was a kit. There were multiple kits. I recall as a teen in the 80's having a copy of Dirt Wheels mag that showed 3 kits, one for the Honda, one for the Yammies and another for the Kawasakis to convert from 3 wheeler to 4 wheeler.
Great video. I never got the chance to ride a three wheeler but when those 250s came out I wanted to so bad. That 85 was amazing, plus it looked just like the other Honda CRs which that year might have been some of the best looking dirt bikes ever made.
These things were crazy fast. My boss had the 250R 3, and 4 wheeler, and my manager had the Suzuki 500. He could leave the Suzuki 500 Quadzilla off the line due to the weight difference, but it would catch you on the top end. Doing donuts in 3”-5” inches of snow was a blast also.
Man, this brings back alot of great memories! Learned on a 84 Big Red dad bought new (I was in 2nd grade). Sometime in the mid 90's I bought a 85 or 86 250R wish I had both of those machines today.
Not only do I remember those, I used to sell those. Absolutely deadly. Unride-able for most people. Sold quite well, as I recall. But zero repeat customers.
Became wheelchair customers.
I restored one of these to like factory-new back in the 90s. My regular ride was 200Xs but I'm glad to have had that 250R. Yes it was fast. I never really leaned on it though, I was a little scared of it actually. I didn't know what I had at the time. Thanks for the great video!
I rocked a '86 250R from 89 to 93. It came with all the bragging rights.
I had a 1985 I believe 250 Hondamadic three wheeler with a reverse.loved it did everything imaginable, from dirt riding to being chased on a snow storm freezing night by cop cars on the street. Never cought me.🤠🇺🇸
i had all of em.. 70, 110, 185, 200x and 350x. im a four stroke guy all the way. these were my childhood and it was amazing
i purchased a 250 SX in 1986 , i was 20 mom had to cosine , at a dealer in Des Planes IL .i loved when it snowed (back then it did a lot) so much fun! it just loved the snow man un stoppable . we put a innertube on a rope towed friends behind it .. HANG ON ON THE CORNERS!! whew we had big fun back then ! no helmet required shit im still here with those great memories .
back in the early 70s, after riding flat track for a number of years I got on my first 3 wheeler. All though I wasn't going very fast by two wheeler standards I went into a turn and the thing started to tip over. Being the motorcycle rider that I was I put my foot down, bad idea! The back wheel ran up my right leg and pinned me down and there I stayed. After squirming around a while my friends showed up and lifted it off of me and I haven't ridden one since. I'm not really afraid of them I just like motorcycle better.
Oh shit the put your feet down phenomenon, yeah those nets saved a lot of us dirt bikes kids a lot of hospital time
rode my 86 250r for 15 years..loved that bike.
I had the aircooled 250 two stroke , it smoked the tyres on the road if you hung over the fromt wheel on full steering lock ! I leaned a bit back once doing it and it threw me like a wild horse !
I have a 82 ATC 250R It has a 300 kit on it and still scares me!!
I was born in 1975 and grew up riding all sorts of motorized off road vehicles. My dad got me and my younger brother a brand new Honda 110 ATC in 1985 from an old lady that won it in a raffle and had no use for it. Dad got it for $800 and surprised me and my brother with it on Easter morning. He got us both helmets and I immediately got to work learning how to drive it. If I hadn't got that kind of riding experience at such a young age I'd probably be dead by now trying to ride faster bigger machines in my future.
Fell in love with my 10 year older brothers bike when I was 6. Now that bike is mine and still think it's one of the sexiest machines around (and a handful with an esr 330 kit) Honestly in Zen every time I ride and usually day dreaming about riding it 😁
Ah, the ol' leg eating ball crusher driving you straight ahead into the blackberry filled ravine when you really just wanted to turn
That was how you learned not to put the foot down. lol
Yes
First thing they teach you is you don't turn the wheel you lean instead, had several atc's over the past 30 years never once had a problem turning
I have owned my 250R over thirty five years we have been thru many miles of rocky, sandy and snowy adventures thru the years. I know it has this widow maker reputation, but with any high performance machine beginners and novice riders need not apply it is far less forgiving than most other trikes but thats the trade off made with any competition machine... 😮
As a kid from the 80's, it kind of blows my mind now that we had stuff like this growing up.
I flipped my 81 250R way less than my 200m. Rear suspension was huge.. you could do crazy things with that beast. Clocked the R at 72 mph. The 200m at 53 mph. Honda would double their off road sales with a throwback 250R. I’d love to see over turned stats of SxS versus 3 wheelers owners.
Bought an 85, raced and survived it too. I ended up purchasing an HRC flat track racing tank and triple clamp setup I used for ice racing in the winter. I have a few old videos on my channel with one having a wild accident.
Ah, the good old days. That sound of the engine in the beginning of the video really stirred some memories. I had one in the early 90's. Not only that, but as if it needed it, it was hopped up. With its extended swingarm, it was a legend at the Oceano dunes in California before I got it. That thing was dangerous! I'm surprised it didn't kill me, and believe me, it tried! What were my parents thinking?
Used to ride one in the mid 80’s, so much fun.
We were the 1984 East Coast Champions in Elizabeth City N. C. in the 225 and 250 stock class . We took the 225 class on an 84 Honda 200XR and the 250 class on an 84 Honda 250R . LOL It was a good day at the track !😁😎❤
My best friend had an 84 250R....What a beast. I always rode YZ 250s.......Good times.
I always thought it would be a blast to swap out the 250R's 248cc 2 stroke for the 497cc 2 stroke off a CR-500.
It has been done.
Great idea! 🏁
We're extremely fortunate to have an atv racing scene here in the pacific northwest that hosts a 3 wheeler class. I race a highly modified 84 200x.
With the alleged 87 250r (if someone knows more than I do please chime in) they were virtually unchanged from the 86 model, except for the plastics, graphics, and tires. They began production and even made it to one of hondas distribution warehouses when the ban hit. They were all disassembled and frames up and scrapped with supervision from the cpsc. The only parts that have ever been confirmed to have been for an 87 are some engine cases and a set of factory white plastics. All parts that were identical to previous years, forks, swingarms, shocks, were saved and sold.
Yup yup i had 86 Cr250 trike awesome fun 🇦🇺... felt better going sideways than it did going forward ... great video man ❤🙏 as a ride up you have to be the swinger as if on a sidecar and never back off similar to sprint cars when they doughnut them 360 in order to stay on the wheels ... they will Highside you to the moon otherwise😮
I never comment but I have to on this. I loved the 1986 250 R 3wheeler. I had 2 of them. They were the best machines ever made and they were only for people that really knew how to ride but wow were they amazing I really appreciate your video that was fun to watch.
I only had 1, but it was fantastic!
Man, those were good times! I recall when that ban went into effect (the fun police strike again). A friend had an '87 ATC 250R and I'll admit it scared me, even being an experienced rider.
I have owned and still own a lot of the bikes and three wheelers in this video. I still have my cr250m Elsinore that my dad bought me at 14 years old. I started riding three wheelers on the atc 90. Since then I have owned a 125, 185, 200s, 250sx,250r,and still own my 350x. I also had a 225 Yamaha. I have my own ideas about what killed the three wheelers and I think it was the 250sx Honda and the 225 Yamaha. Both were great because of reverse but both were top heavy and would turn over more easily than previous models. I know more of my friends got hurt on those than all the others combined. I have thousands of hours on all kinds of atc bikes, from just trail riding to racing them and that’s my opinion.
My buddy still has his 86 ATC250R (owned since new). That thing was scary. Quadzilla is the only thing that was equally scary.
Some of the best times I remember was riding my 250SX and 200X
My dad raced a 250r 3 wheeler when i was in diapers. Some of my first memories are riding with him around the yard. Been addicted to dirt bikes and other off road toys 35 years now.
Got to borrow a 250R for a long weekend of mountain riding. Absolutely bonkers fun, so long as you respect the machine.
I bought one new in 81 for $1700. Fast, but had a real overheating problem in the desert around Palm Springs. The fat front tire blocked air from cooling the engine. The partial solution was to drill a bunch of 2" holes in the front fender. Topped out at about 70 mph and climbed sand dunes like nobody's business. These also had a problem with the rear axles bending.
The bigger they were the easier they were to ride.
You had to get the rear tires spinning and you could turn them anywhere. I loved them.
Never road one i was too young, but i did see them in action.
The Honda 250r atc and even the trx250r were among the best engineered three wheelers and quads made but the Yamaha Banshee deserves the title of insane just for the idea of putting a twin cylinder streetbike engine in an off road vehichle in the 80s.
There had to be many naysayers at yamaha to even follow through with the idea .
Everything with a motor in this video is would ride today without hesitation .
I have a 2nd gen 83 250r and it’s a blast. Would love to have a 3rd gen but never found a deal on one and now they have skyrocketed in value. Also have a 200x, 250sx, Tri-Zinger and a atc70 I’m currently building. Almost had a free 350x 10yrs ago but it got snatched out from under me. Trikes are so much more fun to ride than quads but you have to respect them and learn the body English necessary to ride competently.
the most fun ive had with or without pants!!. grew up on atc's and finally got a 250r after my '85 200x got to slow. put pipe, sprocket reeds and holeshots on it. it got stolen out of a family friends garage. the police recovered it for me the pick up the following day and some prick stole it from the police lot. at that time the fourtrax 250r had come out so i opted for that but the atc 250r was the coolest offroad performance machine ever made. great memories thanks
I had a 200s with the automatic clutch. Good machine! Friend of mine had a 250R that was a death machine!
Friend had a Tecate. As a bike rider, that thing was freakin terrifying at speed. Especially over uneven terrain.
My neighbor had a 83 I believe boy we had some fun with that thing. We are from south Florida we used to play in the dirt and mud on the edge of the Everglades
I had a ATC 250R I put a lot of money in speed parts, I was forced to bail off at 70 mph on a frozen lake one time, I slid for over a quarter mile, as soon as i realized I wasn't going to get hurt, it was the most enjoyable accident I ever been in, witness who heard me laughing thought I was crazy🤪
I also had an atc 250r. I grew up riding dirt bikes in the early 80s, every time I crashed I would always laugh when I looked at that stupid 3 wheeler. Good thing I wore a lid.😊
I wanna go out on a limb and say that the super cub that got turned into the first trail cub was the seed that grew into dirt bikes
I had a Honda 70 when I was a kid anc i absolutely loved it at the time, it was my first atc , my aunt bought it for me when I was a kid and that sparkeed a love for dirt bikes and and motorcycles in general, god bless my aunt Delores 😢, yeah the 3 Wheeler was a machine that needed a bit of finesse to ride they were unstable and needed a bit of experience to control