Hunting the LAST Brand New Honda ATC! 

Just a quick note to say that this ATC250R is actually a 1986 model not 85 .

I rode my 86 ATC 250R just yesterday--had a blast as usual. They aren't any more dangerous than other machines, you just have to know how to ride them. The problem was parents saw the big balloon tires and allowed little Johnny to ride without a helmet unsupervised. They need to be respected just like any other machine.

I have 4 ATCs currently. A 1984 Big Red, two fully suspended ATC 185s and a 1983 atc 250R. The guy to know in this situation is Preston Frasier, his channel is called " This old Trike". He literally has acres of these machines in various conditions mostly survivors. If you want to find a decent 250R he's the guy to ask.

Yep, it's a 1986. I had an 85... Grey engine color(85 was black) Imprinted warning on head light surround, 86 only. Taller seat, 86 only. Tool "box" lid shape,(flat) 86 exclusive.

I still have my 1981 honda atc 250R. My uncle bought it brand new. When he passed I inherited it. It is still in amazing condition and runs like a top to this day.

I had 3or4 of them" two of my buddies had 1986s/and 1987s 250Rs the 87 were awesome...and the thumb throttle is a must for turning and leaning through corners" I luvd the ATCs....and I beat many a dirt bike on one...with good riders riding them! The ban was stupid,the numbers were inflated...but you did have to keep your feet on the pegs, cuz you could crew up the back of your legs! Great video man!

Really excited to see some videos on some three wheelers. I I personally own a trx250r and atc250r. I love these machines. I have alot of fun wrenching,collecting and riding them. Not a whole lot of content on RU-vid for them so I’m really happy that you’re making some awesome channel. Keep it up.

Oh man I had so many atc110 and us90 back in the day. Silly to outlaw them. I rode and always wanted a 250r and also 250sx! Oh man plus the 200 and 350x! All great bikes!

i started on a honda 70 atc dad had a 185 S. I loved tiding ATCs i used to race my 70 at local tracks. I remember walking in cycle shop seeing rows of 250r, 350x, 200sx, 185 and other models

It's a 1986 for sure, I had one back in the day and regret selling it back then, especially with the prices they fetch today. Wheelies On Demand and could Climb any Hill you had the Balls to try. No other ATV could touch it except for a "Built" Banshee.

I had the atc70 as a kid. Shared it with my brothers. We loved it

Thank for updating the 1986 status! Love your channel! Cr500 trx/atc big bore guy! The atc seat rear brake, pj carb and black upper tripple clamp and grey motor all scream 86. I have never personally seen an 86 with black lower triple clamp, and the wear on the front brake rotor, makes me feel it’s restored.

Wheelers were fun in the wintertime. I worked at a dealership then and seemed like EVERYONE had one. They also were the beginning of ruining our local motocross tracks, 3 balloon tires altered the ruts&berms, 4-wheelers even worse with hump left between tires. Diane Feinstein and her Dem chronies put a stop to those 3-wheelers though, and the manufacturers responded with throwing another wheel on the front. The damage was done though. IMO we never sold as many Quads as we did 3-wheelers. And yes the first time I rode one I stuck my leg out into a corner and ran over it😂

In the 80s I used to pick up golf balls at Austerfield Golf course/Doncaster on a Honda 110 trike dragging a contraption behind ,absolutely AWESOME. 🇬🇧

A guy in my neighborhood had one in the early 90 s and it was the baddest thing around.Extended swing arm ,fmf,roost boost ,side winder ,all that.

I'm 40, grew up riding three-wheelers. Still own some and love riding them. Had race machines, woods machines, every type of trike and rode a LOT. Never got one injury. I ride MX, much more than I ride my trikes.....can't count how many times I've crashed. Broke many bones, have many concussions, many scars, and almost died after an MX crash. Basically what I'm saying is, if ya know how to ride trikes, they aren't dangerous......they're fun AF

Speechless and amazed. I grew up riding ATC's. Still have my 200X. I only rode a 250 for one weekend. Regret not getting one when i had the chance. Price ? I'd give $25K for this masterpiece. Awesome story 👍

He calls it a 1985 but... it is an 1986 model. It was likely build in late 85. In 85 the 250R seat had "250R" printed on the side. The 86' had "ATC" on the seat and 250R on the radiator shroud.

I wanted one of these back in the day. Had an 86 ATC 200X which was great but the 250r was indeed the holy grail.

86 was last year in US making the 86s more desirable than 85s. The "holy grail" would be an 87 that someway somehow made its way to existence.

I have several atc 250rs 81-86 .This is a nice restored not brand new the tires are replaced these came with Pro Vector tires the replacement tire have P/V like this atc has .86 250r. The front disc has wear on it the brake pedal has wear marks. The front brake line is faded when new the outer coating is clear.The engine looks darker Grey then Oem gray.The rear silencer has chipped paint plus the exhaust is to glossy the oem paint is more of Flat black.The forks are pitted the brake hose guide is pitted. The 85-86 differences are top triple clamp is black on 86,tires and rims are different 85 has Dunlop on Hirata rims 86 has Provector tires on Enkei rims.The whole rear swingarm ,bearing carrier, axle,brake mount, skid plate, rear sprocket and hub are different. Front brakes were different. Plastics on 86 were more payable than 85.Seat and logo and decals.Gas cap.Kill-light switch, throttle housing, carb, engine color,Inner front fork springs 85 2 piece 86 one piece. Fork rake 86 has more than 85.Tool boxes are different.

I used to have an '83 and an '85. What a blast they were to ride year round, mud, snow, trails, track, it was always fun and a totally bulletproof machine. No issues ever.

My father bought me a new HONDA ATC70 in 1982 , I was only 8 years ,god I love that thing .

85-86 Honda 250R best looking ATC ..

I love it, had one, it's cool. But it has been ridden. Those rotors don't lie!!

The ATC 250R is the most beautiful all-terrain machine ever made!

The 1986 was and still is the most desirable. It’s the last year, they didn’t release as many, and there were a couple differences not found on the 1985. 1986 was also the year that Honda made both the quad and trike 250R, and with the explosion in the quad market they just didn’t sell as many of the 1986 model. That one there that you’re sitting in is a 1986 I believe, one of the giveaways was the fork clamps and engine color. Also, the thumb throttle works better for quads and trikes because it’s hard to twist the throttle when you’re hanging off the side of the machine, which is the proper way to corner them. Making a left hand turn your but is shifted off the seat and you’re hanging off the left side of the machine. That means your right arm is stretched out just to hold onto the grip, and that is what makes it harder to twist a throttle. It can be done, and the Kawasaki came stock with a twist throttle, but it’s not ideal for most trail riders. MX and and dune riders didn’t mind a twist throttle, and the Kawasaki was specifically designed for motocross and dune riding which is why it was equipped with a twist throttle. Having the thumb throttle suited most riders because the vast majority of riders would buy them and ride them in the woods, and their machines never even saw a race track at all. Overall it was a cool video topic, I’d love to see more trike and quad videos because I’m not much of a dirt bike guy.

I really miss my '86 250R. It was such a hoot. Like them better than quads! RUGER

I have 1985 250r ATC and live only 30 min from where you were filming and you could have popped in and smelt the 2 stroke smoke and even started it up and then felt the vibes going through your soul 🥰.

My Covid project was an '83 200X that I ride all winter at the Imperial Sand Dunes. They are so much fun and they aren't THAT sketchy if you know how to ride them. This video was amazing. Can't wait to see your future 3 Wheeler content.

That is, as others have said, an '86, not '85. There actually is an '85 that is still in the crate, unassembled, that shows up on eBay every couple of years. Last time I saw it I believe it sold for $25K.

I so wanted one of these crazy bikes in my teens.

My brother had the '85 model (yours is actually an '86) and it was beyond fast. The motor was an absolute beast and it smoked my '85 Suzuki QuadRacer 250 EASILY.

DA Restorations in the US has had a lot of Tigers come through his shop, including a 500 or two. He's got a channel on youtube. MacWorth Vintage ATVs does top-notch restorations--he also has a channel--but I think they are mostly Hondas. Lastly, if you want to visit the largest ATC/quad collection in the world, go to Binky's Forever ATC Museum in Virginia.

The 85 were all air cooled. The 86 was the first year they made a water cooled bike.

2, 3, 4 wheels can all put you in a cast or a casket just the same. I love my 1986 250r !

I know someone in southern california that has an entire warehouse full of these. Literal hundreds of them in beautiful pristine condition

That’s an 86 machine not an 85 machine. This is because of the style of seat cover, black top triple clamp and grey engine. The 85 had a black engine, aluminum top clamp. And had 250R on the seat cover and the seat was slightly shorter.

I had a 1985 250r . With some mild motor mods and a 3” stretch rear swing arm it wheeled over upshifting to 3rd gear going down the face of a steep dune . It could cruise 65 mph on pavement . I liked it better than my trx250r with cr500 swap better because it was smoother running with the balance shaft motor .

Probably about 5 years ago there was a video of a guy having a ATC 250r still in the crate. And put it on eBay. It was up to $60,000 USD last time I seen it on eBay

Please get your hands on its 4 wheeled counterpart (shares all the same engine components) but specifically an 88 or 89 TRX250R. Those things were so good they raced em til 03-04 when the 450s hit the market

What an awesome find! Great video as always max.

i just kept running my leg over on the one i rode i can't imagine riding the 250r two stroke one very unsafe

The only question I got is if it’s never ran how does the front disk brake look like it has had some use is it dragging like crazy or? Just looks like pads have started there break in on the disk.

Bad ass video Wish i could find some thing like that

11:34 it didnt share a lot with the 2 wheeler it was inspired by the 2 wheeler

It may be the first two stroke three-wheeler designed specifically for racing but it was not the first two stroke three wheeler

What about doing a build series with BVC Trikes? Maybe use a Maico 700 as a donor?

My cousin Paul came to my house on this same yr model 3 wheeler and i had the trx250r..He said lets go for a ride..next thing i know im hanging on for dear life and hes running through the gears while riding a wheelie..We get bak to the house and he said all you gotta do is find the pivot point abd that thing will ride a wheelie forever..My experiences with 3 wheelers was for the most part ok except the time i ran over my leg because my foot came off the peg on the brake side..that hurt like hell...damn i miss my childhood...lol

I had a 82 cr250r back in 2000 and beep beep Yamaha banshees up the dunes at Dumont.. those were good time's 😊

Please do a show on the 1975 yz360b as the first big bore two stroke motocross bike with the monoshock I think you would love it!!! They are almost unobtainium now but they are a real important piece of motocross history!!!

Something really sad about that thing never getting to go for a ride !

Around 1988-90 my dad had the 250cc and I had a 90cc. Our backyard was miles of desert trails so we road quiet often. I thought my dad was the baddist man out there on that 250 haha. Then I upgraded to a YZ80 and realized those 3 wheelers were death traps. Good memories.

All three wheelers and quads have thumb throttles and still do to this day. It does not make them harder to ride although it may take some getting used too coming off a twist throttle.

Nice video Max, it's certainty an odd one this time, what a strange beast the ATV was , thank god they moved on to quad bikes.

That bike did not need a power valve it already had plenty of power. I owned the 83 air cooled version and it was so sick only 5 gears to but it was so fast and it didnt feel like it need another gear like the 3rd gen is insane its crazy honda took this thing to that level. They wanted to blow out the competition. All bike came with them stickers I thought. But not all bikes had it imprinted in the plastics so yeah I agree with that.

Only rode the ATC70 as a mate ran a Honda dealership.Needless to say,Great Fun but 3 wheels and The TIP FACTOR is huge.A 2stroke Honda Odyssey was stacks of FUN.Love this Channel.

I was actually just wondering what the story was behind the ban. After seeing an amateur arena cross with them. Quite spectacular!

Sweet trike!

Yes I know where two of these 1986 models are brand new still in the shipping crate in box in Palestine Tx. I also loan a 1986 Honda 250r I purchased brand new in November 1986. It has about 10 hours on it since new. The gentleman that has the two new ones in the crate never assembled has five or six others one is a 200 X, a 1987 big red and I think a 185 he owned Palestine back in the days and kept them for investments thinking he was gonna be able to sell them after the 10 year ban but never did. He sold a 350x new in the crate just before Covid hit to a gentleman just outside of Tyler Texas for $20,000. He has been offered $40,000 apiece for those 250r's and turned them down.

The '86 250R is the more desirable machine not the '85

I rode a million miles on an ATC 110. Big enough to haul ass and carry you and some gear, Small enough to get unstuck by yourself, and can float across a river.

Great video once again my friend. Big fan since day one. Hopefully change the world. Kids riding are not robbing. With less and less land to ride. Sadly I'm scared of our future.

Having the original tool packs is rare.

Mate had one back in 85/86 , crashed it once and never rode it again 🤣🤣🤣

Ah, the old tib/fib snapper😂

How many people are injured on motorcycles?,cars ? Trampolines? Quads!! That said the 250r’s were really crazy to tame ! Take a 350x with torque for days and decent suspension and go for a rip . You would love it !!!!

You guys do a lot of really cool custom builds it would be awesome to see you guys find an act 250 that was suitable to convert to a 500 with the CR engine

Take a look over in Egypt. In the early 90s, they had a bunch of the 250Rs that we took around the desert and never had any roll over problems, but after a few hours of playing we soon learned that with 3 wheels you could ride them on 2 easily for quite a distance, and I don't mean the 2 rear wheels, they were great fun trikes

I use to ride one all the time when I was just 12 or 13 had a blast

Awesome had one in the 90s it nearly killed me 😊 awesome machine Holly Grail 😊

Great video as always. Rode one of these back in 1981 next to the Honda shop I was working at. Tried jumping a small ditch and crashed, nothing hurt only my pride! lol Last time I ever rode one. Very fast but didn't handle very well. Cheers!

I always wanted one in my back in the day and still would love to have one. 💨💨

Having owned many 3 wheelers I will say the R was one of the safest. At least it had fairly decent suspension. That's said and knowing a few owners of my 85R, it was responsible for about a quarter million in medical bills. Not mine, I learned respect at a young age.

Now your speaking my language lol love atcs

Although I owned many CR 250s through the years and still have one,I’ve wanted an ATC250 R since 1985!! If eBay had been around back in the day I would have gotten one! Now in my 50s I guess it’s not going to happen.

The front brake disk shows evidence of being burnished in which requires the vehicle to be started and run, either on a Dyno or on the ground, at a relatively fast speed. This would indicate that it has been started at least once and driven.

13:20 as of now no one to date has come forward with an 87 model year, although some magazine test riders rode them in late 86 , allegedly

The two lads racing each other in the clip you posted are Dean Sundahl, and Mark Weixeldorfer. They were Honda Factory riders. Two of the best. Ask me how I know.

it has been started and driven, you can see on the front disc brake that there are signs of wear... I have held many new disc brakes in my hand and I can say with 100% certainty that disc brake is not new

have and ride a 86 250r, great shape and fun as hell to ride. have and ride a mint 84 big red 200 shaft, high low and reverse, and a second mint 200 chain drive, going after a nice 70 tomorrow I hope. there's rumored to be one in a crate in my town, but I expected to see out and about when his father passed and it never showed. I'm curious what the guy would have to have for that if he was to sell it. I'd guess 50 grand but wouldn't be surprised if it could fetch a quarter million.

$20k minimum. Sucky part about never being started though, I bet the cylinder and bearings all have a ton of rust in them. Same with rhe carb. (Aluminum oxidation) You guys should buy one of those CRF ATC conversions. Pretty sure someone made a CR500 one too

😎🤑🤑🤑🤑I’ve watched a video of a guy with a warehouse full of them,if I remember rightly they used to hire the little 70 or 90s down at my beach but I was too young to go on 👍🏻

Theres a guy who has one still in the box unassembled 250R out there.

Well all i can say is it was worth skipping the p hub and watching this lol that is one nice machine.

You need to do a video on the 350x tri-z and the Tecate t3 and I have 2 of them but no Tecate

Bike aka bicycle: noun a vehicle composed of two wheels held in a frame one behind the other, propelled by pedals and steered with handlebars attached to the front wheel. Motorcycle: noun a two-wheeled vehicle that is powered by a motor and has no pedals.

The Banshee was just sooo good!!!

My mates dad has a try z 250 still got the stringy bits on the tyres

Three wheelers were sold in Canada, Mexico and Australia in 1987

Thats what my friend rode. I had a 250 tecate. The tecate was the better motor . I was at least 50lbs heavier then he was. And riding a quad not a trike. Could beat him in a drag race. Hill climbs not so much😅. I had done some porting on the exhaust side though so don't know how they would compare stock.

Amazing find. Coolest machine ever.

Also the ban of three wheelers was only towards the sale of new vehicles not the sale of used trikes

Any piece of Machinery is dangerous they need to bring the three-wheeler back

That’s because the 250 R actually came out with a front kit that could turn it into a four wheeler instead of a three wheeler no one else ever done that

There was one in the crate nevrr assembled around 2014 that sold for $50k on eBay

There is a brand new one in a crate in the usa .last I heard it's in Michigan and a tabel built around it.

I would love to see you do a video on the lt500 quadracer (quadzilla)

I used to own a 1984 ATC 250. I loved it. All people say is “oh they were so unsafe “ which is bs. You need to know how to ride one!

The Big Red was the 250cc sir