The Mighty Honda ATC 250R

The Honda ATC 250R is remembered today as one of the leading lights of the three-wheeled craze that swept the motorcycle world in the 1970s and 1980s.

Ultimately these three-wheelers would be replaced with quad bikes due to safety concerns, many amateur riders were injured and some were killed when they flipped their three-wheelers, this was particularly common on sand dunes and other hilly terrain.

The Honda ATC 250R was first introduced in 1981 with an air-cooled, two-stroke, single-cylinder engine and one intention – to dominate three-wheeler racing.

All Honda three-wheelers had been four strokes prior to this, the 248cc two-stroke that was used in the ATC 250R was far more suitable for racing, Honda coupled it with front and rear suspension (which unusual on a three-wheeler at the time), and a chassis designed for racing… read more >