Hair Bear Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 Hi, Came across this picture a while ago on an American trike enthusiasts website (3WW) and wondered if anyone here could throw any light these ever being in service? The machine is a Honda ATC250es and would have been built from 1985-8. I've seen several that have been done in a slightly tacky retro-camo (Hmm...) but there's something about this pic which suggests to me it just could be authentic ex-military, but from where? Rob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted December 6, 2011 Share Posted December 6, 2011 not a clue mate...but they were cracking fun...they sort of came to fame in a Bond movie where the bad guys chased our man James.not sure of the film but was around mid to late 70s I'd guess......as I recall they fell out of favour due to their uncanny ability to be tipped over relatively easily..which... I suppose if you cornered them whilst forgetting you were on a trike I guess they were easy enough to fetch over :cool2:... ..Heath and Safety and Construction and Use Regs and all that sort of nonsense got involved and after a while Honda stopped importing them to the UK..... .....they were popular on farms and estates until Quads started to appear and you can still find a few around the odd farm sale but I'd guess they're getting thin on the ground nowadays........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted December 7, 2011 Share Posted December 7, 2011 The film was Diamonds are Forever. These bikes are one of the most lethal things ever produced. There were so many farm acidents with them. They have a nasty tendency to climb over the back wheels at the slightest excuse. Someone I know was killed when the trike hit a stone going up hill and flicked straight over on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 The majority of problems with these bikes can be put down to operator error and lack of training. They are amazingly capable machines, when treated with care and respect and driven sensibly. Any machine/situation has the possibility to be lethal!! Rant over :-D I believe the US army did use the 250es (shaft drive with bullet proof engine and uprated brakes) for runabouts but they were used for little more than toys. Same spec as the 250 Big Red in this country. They were produced up until autumn 87, when the big three manufacturers (honda, yamaha, kawasaki) signed a pact not to produce the bikes for a period of 10 years. Remaining complete bikes were sold off (thats why there are a few 88 year frame numbers out there), but the stock of new frames were chopped. :-( They were never banned as some say, they were pulled in the face of public opinion. Production was never re-started. Shame. I've played with and used these bikes for most of my life on the farm/in quarrys/dune blasting etc, towing trailors and carrying passengers and never had a problem! My current little beast (and the one i'll be keeping and restoring on a californian frame shortly), is a 84 Honda 200ES Big Red that i've had 6 years. Dead lucky as it's road registered!! The Ambulance will be towing a little trailor behind it in the near future...... :cool2: My tuppenceworth anyway, I feel very strongly about these much maligned vehicles! Alec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 The majority of problems with these bikes can be put down to operator error and lack of training. They are amazingly capable machines, when treated with care and respect and driven sensibly.Any machine/situation has the possibility to be lethal!! Rant over :-D I believe the US army did use the 250es (shaft drive with bullet proof engine and uprated brakes) for runabouts but they were used for little more than toys. Same spec as the 250 Big Red in this country. They were produced up until autumn 87, when the big three manufacturers (honda, yamaha, kawasaki) signed a pact not to produce the bikes for a period of 10 years. Remaining complete bikes were sold off (thats why there are a few 88 year frame numbers out there), but the stock of new frames were chopped. :-( They were never banned as some say, they were pulled in the face of public opinion. Production was never re-started. Shame. I've played with and used these bikes for most of my life on the farm/in quarrys/dune blasting etc, towing trailors and carrying passengers and never had a problem! My current little beast (and the one i'll be keeping and restoring on a californian frame shortly), is a 84 Honda 200ES Big Red that i've had 6 years. Dead lucky as it's road registered!! The Ambulance will be towing a little trailor behind it in the near future...... :cool2: My tuppenceworth anyway, I feel very strongly about these much maligned vehicles! Alec. Agree entirely with all the above I too rode about on them a bit many years ago and never hurt myself........ ..saying they are 'lethal' reminds me of the knee jerk reaction a few years back to Suzuki SJ and LJ Jeeps... ....everyone seemed ready to repeat the mantra " oh they're dangerous!!! they fall over in corners!!!!! " well yes...they could be made to fall over occasionally whilst cornering... but only if you drove them in a manner that paid no attention to what you were doing or what you were driving /riding........Suzuki Jeeps and these kind of trikes are / were no more dangerous than any modern Quad or ordinary motorcycle or any other vehicle for that matter ....as long as it driven with due care and attention and awareness of it's capabilities and limitations...Y Yes accidents can and do happen to the absolute best of drivers out there but simply labelling a vehicle as 'dangerous' isn't a really a sensible attitude to take. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hair Bear Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 Sorry, didn't mean to start a debate! If you're doing a restore then if you've not been there before the 3 wheeler world website ( http://www.3wheelerworld.com/forum.php ) should have some useful info for you. I've got two of the little critters, an '85 70, and an '86 250es. The 250 is looking a bit tired and after I saw this pic I was wondering about the authenticity of it as a project for something different. I'm not going to be drawn on the safety issue, suffice to say although field and trail riding don't appear to be a problem I've found mine to be very skittish to the point of being a real handfull cornering on tarmac, maybe the 200 being a hardtail will be better in this respect? I'm told I should be able to get 55mph but I'm quite happy let that be unproven theory. As for the 70, how much fun can you have in public with your knees around your ears?! Design-wise the 'three points of contact' idea is quite sound as an engineering plan, as is the effect of each wheel using a differnt track to reduce soil compaction. But unless I'm on level ground I do find I spend a lot of time standing on it rather than sitting to keep the weight where you want it. It has to be said though, wherever you take it it'll always bring interest and be prepared for at least one 'Aren't those things illegal?' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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