# Another passion of mine: Honda ATC's (3-wheelers) Anyone else into them here?



## RIDE-RED 350r

These are one my main hobbies. 

I currently own:

-'85 ATC250r with ESR 350 big bore kit, ported mid-top, ESR full exhaust, ESR reedblock, Keihin 41.2mm PWK carb, 108 oct minimum, 52" rear wheelbase and many many more upgrades. My educated guess at HP would be conservatively 55hp, and top speed of 80mph+. 

-Another '85 ATC250r. Stock engine with descent bolt-ons, IE: 36mm Keihin PWK carb, Boyesen reedblock, Head gasket mod, full FMF exhaust, widened to 50" rear wheelbase. 

-'85 ATC350x (wife's ride). Mainly stock engine with DG full exhaust, rear wheelbase widened to 50", and soon to get an upgraded 38mm carb with accelerator pump.

-'84 Big Red, a true survivor. All original except rear tires! This is the little trike that could.. It pulls like a tractor and is reliable as anything I own. 

-'85 ATC110. This is the machine I am teaching my younguns how to ride on 3 with. Simple, mild mannered, and cheap to run. 

-'85 ATC70. Just picked this little guy up. Don't have any pics as of yet. It needs a little work to run but is in very good overall shape for a near 30 year old machine.

-'83/'84 ATC350r basket case. This is the Johnny Cash build if ever I had one. I have a chassis, rear end, front end, fuel tank, engine cases, side covers, 2 cylinders and 2 heads..absolutely ZERO engine internals!! 

I do all my own work barring machine shop work. I have done full ground-up rebuilds stating with a bare frame hanging in my shop. 
































Anyway, I figured since you guys like mixing gas for cutting wood, you might like some old school stuff like this too... 

One pic depicts what my daughter and I usually look like after a day riding! LOL!


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## avason

Those things look pretty clean. Bet they are fun to ride.


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## lone wolf

RIDE-RED 350r said:


> These are one my main hobbies.
> 
> I currently own:
> 
> -'85 ATC250r with ESR 350 big bore kit, ported mid-top, ESR full exhaust, ESR reedblock, Keihin 41.2mm PWK carb, 108 oct minimum, 52" rear wheelbase and many many more upgrades. My educated guess at HP would be conservatively 55hp, and top speed of 80mph+.
> 
> -Another '85 ATC250r. Stock engine with descent bolt-ons, IE: 36mm Keihin PWK carb, Boyesen reedblock, Head gasket mod, full FMF exhaust, widened to 50" rear wheelbase.
> 
> -'85 ATC350x (wife's ride). Mainly stock engine with DG full exhaust, rear wheelbase widened to 50", and soon to get an upgraded 38mm carb with accelerator pump.
> 
> -'84 Big Red, a true survivor. All original except rear tires! This is the little trike that could.. It pulls like a tractor and is reliable as anything I own.
> 
> -'85 ATC110. This is the machine I am teaching my younguns how to ride on 3 with. Simple, mild mannered, and cheap to run.
> 
> -'85 ATC70. Just picked this little guy up. Don't have any pics as of yet. It needs a little work to run but is in very good overall shape for a near 30 year old machine.
> 
> -'83/'84 ATC350r basket case. This is the Johnny Cash build if ever I had one. I have a chassis, rear end, front end, fuel tank, engine cases, side covers, 2 cylinders and 2 heads..absolutely ZERO engine internals!!
> 
> I do all my own work barring machine shop work. I have done full ground-up rebuilds stating with a bare frame hanging in my shop. View attachment 366941
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> 
> Anyway, I figured since you guys like mixing gas for cutting wood, you might like some old school stuff like this too...
> 
> One pic depicts what my daughter and I usually look like after a day riding! LOL!


It must be quick as hell!


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## Marshy

Beautiful machines you have there. I've rode some "big red's" as a kid and enjoyed them. The 250R you have is amazing, you just dont see that many of them left anymore. I like your seat cover too, BRAAAP!


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## Toddppm

Do you race them? Those 250 motors sound awesome. A lot of trike guys go http://www.3wheeleraction.com/forum/showthread.php?72-Breezewood-Proving-Grounds-Aug-2-race here. Just a random search I looked up. Great place, going tomorrow, I'm on 2 wheels though
I have an old ATC70 and taught my 2 youngest to ride on it but it won't stay running anymore, haven't spent much time on working on it since it's a bit of work keeping the bikes and equipt, trucks etc. running...need to get it fixed since I have a 6y.o. that's starting to ride now.


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## RIDE-RED 350r

Never got into racing them. I'm just a life-long recreational rider who likes to go fast sometimes. 

I hang out on 3wheelerworld.com and a couple or 250r forums alot. And yes, I now some of the folks who helped get 3 wheelers racing at Breezewood. Pretty tight knit community. 

Thanks for the compliments guys.. I have put alot into keeping my old hot rods alive. You would be surprised how many other trikes are out there way nicer than mine.


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## D44

ATCs are awesome! I have a '84 Big Red as well - best year in my book...10 forward speeds, shaft drive and reverse!


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## hanniedog

I have a 200ES Big Red. Should charge the battery up and ride it some.


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## D44

Heck, just up the pull starter...


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## hanniedog

Much easier to just push a button. Plus gotta save my shoulders for starting saws.


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## blk05crew

Nice man, cool hobby for sure!


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## brenndatomu

What, no pics of the 350x?! Tease!
I have a 86 350x with 85 plastic, I haven't fired it in years. Last time I was gonna ride 'er, I found my previously repainted showroom new looking gas tank empty, and paint bubbled off the bottom. I figure the tank condensated, water sat on the bottom, rotted 'er out!  PIZZ ME OFF! 
Also, mice moved into the air filter. I know, nothing new, except, I had a well oiled foam sleeve over the KN filter. And I mean that sticky air filter oil, what the heck a mouse wanna chew on and move into that mess for?! Blech!

Started out on a 82 185s, when I was 12-13, no suspension, 4 ply tires!, and back problems still today!
Was gonna buy a 86 200x(87? first year for the white ones) But found a killer deal on a used 85 350x. Pretty major upgrade from a 185s eh?! 14-15 YO running around on a 350x back then...yeah, I thought I was pretty hot stuff!  Every body wanted to ride it, I'd tell 'em they could ride it if they could start it, nobody knew how to kickstart a big bore 4 stroke back then, all but one person went limping back to their own bikes without a ride


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## Time's Standing Stihl

Nice machines man! I used to ride a few big reds back in the day. Not many around anymore...


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## RIDE-RED 350r

I only have a couple pics of the wife's 350x at the moment.... And yes, the ol 350 can be a bear to kick over. My brother has a 350x with a 10.25:1 piston and his auto decomp no longer functions! You should try to kick that thing over! You need to know the secret handshake, a special dance, rub it's belly a certain way and whisper sweet nothings into its ear or it will HURT you. LOL!

But here is a couple of her and her 350x. I still have a bit of work to do to finish it.. But it is rideable now...


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## Bounty Hunter

Hey Ride-Red,
Nice herd of ATC's ya got there...and in such great shape! You just don't see too many that sweet around any more.
We have long used ATC's around our ranch...we have two 1985 200Ms that are like mini tractors, we fab'd up trailer hitches for them and they easily haul a cool all terrain dump trailer (from Tractor Supply Co.).
They make moving firewood, bales, rocks, even kids around the ranch easy and cheap. I even fabricated a home-made box scraper that drags behind them to smooth the roads and keep the weeds from getting a foothold. It works surprisingly well and can go where a larger machine couldn't even think about. The ATC's are a blast to ride, we just keep the speeds way down cuz it's not real hard to flip one over. 
We have a 1985 110 and a 1984 90 as well, for kids to putt around on. 
We bought them cheap on CL over the years...we spent less the $1,000.00 on all four if we added them up. What's the cost of a Quad these days?


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## RIDE-RED 350r

Oh good Lord new quads are crazy money nowadays. And crazy heavy too if we are talking utility type machines. Given the choice I would much rather flop any of my trikes than a modern utility quad.

But, there is a fair bit of money and time invested in my old trikes. Most have had alot of work done on them to get them to where they are now.

My 250r's and the wifes 350x are widened right out nice, 50-52" rear wheelbase.. you can pretty much push them through a turn just about as hard as any comparable quad. They are planted... The way they should have made them in the first place...

But my others, (the Big Red, ATC110 and ATC70) I have left as-is. They are just every day riders for going out in the back forty for a leisurely ride with the family. The X and R's are mainly ridden in a place called Tug Hill NY. Lost of fast gravel roads with long straights and fun sweeping turns. BRAAAAAP! 

Here is a pic the wife got of me when we were riding up there a few years back. This was one of the last rides on that R before I big bored it to a 350cc.It makes the other R with an OEM cylinder with the usual carb/exhaust/reed mods feel slow.


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## Cpjlube

Nice rides!
I bought a decent '86 200x about eight years ago. Used it around the farm. I also had an old Honda four wheeler that didn't run. One day we decided to make a franken-Honda.


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## RIDE-RED 350r

OMG you quadified a 2nd gen 200x!!! HERESY! LOL! 

But seriously, a 2nd gen 200x (86-87) is on my short list of additions to the stable. One of the first 3 wheelers I ever rode back in about 1991. To this day I still say there isn't a machine made past or present with a bigger all round fun factor for the trails than a 2nd gen 200x.


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## Cpjlube

Honestly, it was in decent shape but needed a lot of work to get to your collection. Plastics were badly damaged. All parts were dented and had some damage. It runs well, though. 
The frames were similar enough that it wasn't that hard to mate the two together. 
Still have the complete front fork assy. If you need it, just couldn't throw it away. Lol


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## LegDeLimber

brenndatomu said:


> I have a 86 350x with 85 plastic, I haven't fired it in years.
> 
> ....found a killer deal on a used 85 350x. Pretty major upgrade from a 185s eh?! 14-15 YO running around on a 350x back then...yeah, I thought I was pretty hot stuff!  Every body wanted to ride it, I'd tell 'em they could ride it if they could start it, nobody knew how to kickstart a big bore 4 stroke back then, all but one person went limping back to their own bikes without a ride


Not a three wheeler but just another big single anecdote.
Many moons ago when I was still running around on my Yamathumper ('78 xt500e)
Stopped at a spot that was somewhat of a trailhead, people just seemed to hang out
there at times for various reasons.
There was a cluster of kids on bicycles milling around on this late afternoon.
I sat and talked about dirt bikes with them for prob 20 mins or so.
Normally, A stranger asking to ride your bike just got a simple No.
Somehow, I guess it was something in this one kids conversation made me give him that
"If you can start it" answer.
And not with it leaning on the damn kickstand either! 
( Care for a hole torn in your frame, anyone??)
Heck, Our area Husqvarna dealer (bike not saws) missed a summer of races from getting kicked by one. 
Anyhow, the kid checked shifter for neutral, put a couple fingers on the compression release lever (just under the clutch lever)
and eased 'er over and seemed to find that lumpy spot you feel from the cam lobes
and reset the starter lever** and kicked 'er to life.
He road off for a well behaved lap around the area, pulled up, shut 'er off
and said a polite thanks.
I said "Where tha #### did you learn start a thumper??"
as I hadn't told him a thing about it.
Kid just Grinned at me and He and buddies proceed to pedal off into fading sunlight.
As I watched, I think I muttered something to myself about there being a "ringer" in that bunch.

Never saw any of them again.....

**damned Yamaha reduced the kick gears ratio in them 
from what the earlier models came with.
So if you didn't let the lever return to the top and sorta find that very first notch in the ratchet, You wouldn't get a good spin through of the engine and they were really nasty for spitting back when you didn't do it right.
Don't know why I never tore into it and either swapped for older model gears
or maybe tried a bit of touch up on the kick shaft stop and perhaps the ratchet.


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## jomoco

Wheelers, particularly the water cooled two strokes, require tremendous amounts of body English to ride competitively on at high speeds without breaking yourself to bits!

Yours look suspiciously pristine and too clean.

Having raced two stroke 250 motorcycles at Saddle Back, and an open class 85 YZ490 in the desert, it never ceased to amaze me that my buddy's hopped up 85 250R wheeler could accelerate past me out of the hole with far less HP than I had on my 490. It's because he had over twice as much rubber on the ground than I did!


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## RIDE-RED 350r

jomoco said:


> Yours look suspiciously pristine and too clean.



Why do you say that?? 

Trust me, I ride em! Those are just my better pics I get every now and then after a good washing.


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## jomoco

Jealousy mate, nothing more. None of my bikes ever looked that good for very long!

Nice pics n thread Red.

jomoco


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## Kevin in Ohio

Always loved them. here are mine.






From left to right:
1985 350x Bought used in 1988

1984 200x Bought new

1986 250r Bought used in 1989

1986 350x Bought new






The '86 350x is stock other than rear rims and tires, headlight guard, MC guard and tank cover











Here's a couple old pics taken at Silver Lake sand dunes in Michigan. This was in '88

To the OP, those are some nice ones you have there. The 1985 - 1987 250r's were the best ever made. I actually rode a 1987 250r ATC. When we were at Silver Lake a guy from Canada was there with one. It was mint and the factory plastic was white with a layout like the 1986 350x. Sweet looking trike. The only 4 wheeler I really liked backed then was the 1988 250r. Buddies had them and they made scary hills a piece of cake.


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## brenndatomu

Kevin in Ohio said:


> Here's a couple old pics taken at Silver Lake sand dunes in Michigan.



I knew it as soon as I seen that first pic, I thought to myself, that _has_ to be Silver lake. Those two Silver lake pics look like something right out of my own photo album. Nice bikes Kevin!


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## RIDE-RED 350r

I just LOVE seeing the old trikes come out of the woodwork!!

Any of you fellows members on 3wheelerworld.com??


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