The History of Honda’s ATC 250R From 1981-1986 

It's a shame inexperienced people would blame these machine for injuries.. same thing as saying forks make you fat and pencils make mistakes. Good to see you making some videos for us again tony.

Awesome vid bro...my first ATC was an 82 110, then an 83 185, bumped up to an 84 200x, then on to my 84 250R, which I've still got, it's ported, polished, jetted, has a cobra kit exhaust, and 2" spacers on the axle....I run old school paddle tires at Pismo Beach, and have Buckshot mudders for every other type of terrain...I grew up on 3wheelers, can't see myself ever not owning at least one....✌🏻

Great vid! Still love my '85 . definite lost/dying skill. Throwing around a 2 stroke trike is one of life's simple pleasures 😁

👍My first ATC was a 200M back in 83. I've been looking to find a 350x and 250r recently. There's no other experience like riding 3 wheelers, especially the high performance models. I still ride and have quads and dirt bikes, but nothing can replace the fun I had on 3 wheelers back in the 80s!

Great video. I own a couple of ATC’s. The more dangerous something is, the more fun!

Man I loved riding all those "death machines" in the 80's!!! I agree w/you....that '85 250R is beautiful!

The 80s the last decade when America was America. When kids actually went outside and play and everybody was skinny.

My 1986 was the best thing ever!! DEFINITELY a sweet machine

Can’t believe Kawasaki in 84’ what balls. “Let’s make the Tecate Honda Red!” “Okay!” Glad they went green.

Still have my 1982, she's still a blast!

Enjoyed your history lesson, but the 200x was also part of the battle...thumbs up !

The legend longlivetheATC250R

FYI the tire brand is pronounces "oats." I debated between the 250R and 350X, ultimately chose the 350X. Bought it new in '85. My friend thought he would one-up me and got the 250R. He could easily pull away from me in the open, but in our normal riding areas in the woods he couldn't keep up. He also constantly fouled plugs. Both were excellent machines and a blast to ride.

Great video. My cousin and I both had the 200x. Awesome machines. Love the 250r and all the three wheelers.

Thank you for the great video. This really hits home for me. I star ted on a atc90 when I was 11 years old then a 110 and up to a 185 and 2 200x then ultimately a 1985 atc250R and currently a 87 trx250R with a 330 big bore kit. I love these machines.

Love the video! I'm currently restoring a 1985 and a 1986 from the ground up. Future plans are to squeeze an 85 CR500 engine into a second 1985 frame. Keep up the good work Tony!

I started out with a Honda 90cc, then 110, then 250R. Raced the 250R for 2 years and O' man that was work. Nothing more wild that that 250R. These 3 wheelers were safe as any motorcycle. Just rider lack of practice and understanding caused the rollovers. Thanks again for this video and remembering the yester years.

Love your vids. They sure help pass the workday! The 85/86, they still look so cool I remember all these models & who had what in my town. My one neighbor had a 250r & you'd hear him coming way before you saw the dust wake from our gravel road. We'd run out To watch the spectacle, a few times after a min or two came the sherrif. Not sure if he ever got caught. Happened on a race at waldoch sports & couldn't believe my eyes. Had to race after that & due to timing, did mx racing instead of atc's. Wish I had a bigger garage to fit all the old toys

We had a 200 in 82 on the farm, then my cousin got a 200x in 84, I begged my mom for a 200x so we went to the honda dealer, there were no 200x to be had,....but one traded in that very morning 84 250r. This machine was being traded because in one family two people had broken legs because of this machine. It had mangled plastic, bent handle bars, and a bent axle. Honda put the axle on a press so I could test ride it. The rest is history, I still have it, and ride it, and love it.

Always felt the Tri-Z was most at home in the open desert. Tecate was short track. Honda did both well. The Tecate 4.... oh what a sexy beast!

I owned a '85 250R. Such a fun time for atvs.

Great video super informative and fun reliving the first 3 wheeler days. I had an 82 that I redid. New tail pipe and rejected the carb and new air cleaner paddle tires and different sprockets and geared it for hill climb in the sand. but the best thing I did was put a extended swingarm on it wow what a difference it was. I loved that old bike.

Great video! I miss those days, and those machines.

Just got a mint 1981 ATC 250r. Love it

Really enjoyed this video. Knowing the improvements year to year helped me make a better decision on which model to search for on my next restoration project.

That’s the only one I can’t find. I have a 85 tri-z and a fully restored 85 Tecate that took me 3 years to restore still working on it. One day I will have to me the elusive Honda 250R.

Awesome and informative!!! I had a used, but PRISTINE, '86 250R that I eventually sold. Who was to know back then? 😢😡😂 Man I sure wish that I had kept it forever. I would have it on display in my living room right now.... it was literally in that good of condition even though I rode it hard and put it away wet many times!!!! Thanks for the vid.... and memories!!!! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Thanks for video! Love me some Honda atc

In the fall of 82, I had bought an 83 185s. by the spring of 83 I wanted the 250R. It was so much easier to steer without having to do all the weight transfer needed on the less powerful 185. My friend bought the 86 Model, and I really noticed the difference in the Powerband.

Great video, I once had one of these. WOW long ago!

Thanks for these great videos. I’m reminded of all the bikes I owned in the 80’s. An off-road ride down memory lane.

Outstanding video! I had a 1984 ATC 250R that I bought new and I rode that thing everywhere. Thanks for bringing back great memories. Even the brochures brought back memories. Good stuff!

Beautiful work man

I love your videos mate, thanks.

Awesome awesome video loved the 250r.

Great video. I still have my 86 250r .I also picked up 88 250r 4 wheeler

Well done I have a 82,83 and 86 250r love all of them.

Great presentation. I live in Canada and believe a small number of bikes may have been sold here in 1987. The 250R and 350X was not as common here as other places. The 200X was common and the Big-Red was the most common model.

Great video! Love my Honda ATC 200X

Thanks for this vid. Much appreciated.

Great work Tony. Loving these videos.

Well done 👍 Thank you

Awsome vid loved it have a 84 and i have had all the hondas on vid in past wish i never sold them

i just picked up an 86 250SX, i love it.

Shout out to Atc 250r people I got a mint 85 nothing like three wheels long live the outlaw.

Love this vid... owned a few of them. An odyssey 350 cylinder and head will bolt right on if you bore the crankcase and modify the exhaust makes them really scream as long as you jet them right lol love this channel

I went from the 70 to a 125 I actually had 2 of the 125's then I got the beast the 250r . Best machine ever I'm currently looking for one but damn there up their in price . Gotta have one or two though . Would love a 500 motor

I got a Honda 110 3 wheeler at 12 years old, sold my coin collection, then moved on to the 250R at 15 and it was a monster...We were 80s kids, so we went out all day on trails, mud, hills, , wrecked, bled, lied to parents, cracked a beer and listened to ACDC on Summer nights. How much the world has changed, 3 or 4 of us would leave early in morning and get lost in the woods, make a fire, smash some hotdogs/marshmallows we packed and put in the lil carriage on back, and bounce out at sun up... What a time...

damn, i was in high school when these machines were new. i could only afford old trail bikes. sigh.

Superb and informative video. 👍

That you brother!!! I love the old school trike's!!

Great stuff 👏

The 85-86 250r is the all time best looking atc/atv in my opinion.

My Uncle won a ATC 110 from the red owl in a giveaway in the early 1980's. He still has it. Its still running well.

Enjoyed this 🔥

I was in love with my 86r and I used to brag about how fast it was till I went riding with a group of friends and I was introduced to a 500r Honda dirt bike. Lawd the 250r seemed slow.

Quality content 🙌

I still have a couple 250r here in banshee county pa. 1 1984, 1 1985s, 2 banshee killers 1986 250r and 86 big bore 310r.. along with a 85 tecate and a monster of a 86 tri-z pretty much stock Yamaha n it rips hard. Gotta love bb 2stroke, plus 88 trx500r, 86 cr500r, 91 kx500 n my favorite 1978 yz400 on a 85 yz 490 frame

Great vid! Could of mentioned the 350x too. That was also a fun ride too!

Well done!

My brothers bought a new ATC 110 and brought it home leaving it in the bed of one truck wondering if our dad would say no to having one on our dairy farm. My dad was hesitant but slowly accepted it. My brother and I bought a 2nd ATC 110 that was slightly used. I destroyed 2nd gear in one of them when the throttle cable froze and I didn’t time turning it off between shifts. I flipped one going over a snow drift behind the barn and it landed on my left arm which was on frozen tractor tracks and broke both bones in half. The two ATC 110’s helped stress relieve my brothers and I in the last years up to our parents divorcing in 1981 and selling the farm. Having space and freedom to roam free all by yourself on a machine to get away from things is a good thing. I believe that Yamaha’s entry into 3 wheel ATV’s was a 125 which had the engine sitting farther rearward because of one of Honda’s patents. Then Kawasaki had a 200 with a differential rear axle which could be locked.

A friend of mine had a 250R and another buddy of mine had the Kawasaki two-stroke 250

From Australia love that you have a chad reed jersey he is from just up the road from me

The red one with the gold rims the 250 Ducati that's the best bike ever have three wheeler is so beautiful I wish I was back in the day I'm 32 years or 37 years old and I'm dreaming for one right now can't find one

Great Chanel !! 👍 I still don’t think the 86 z gets enough credit though and i got one in good condition owned it for 25 years ‘ I’m Honda all the way two wheels mind ‘ and my personal best which i owned was the 1992 cr 250 had the slightly improved 1996 but i just loved the delivery of the 92 u just gotta ride hard ‘ back off n she beat u up 😂

I took a atc90 rolling frame and stuffed a ke175 motor and front frame section. fast but scary LOL bought a 81 250R and raced it until I went to Germany and sold it. (mistake) great memory's. thanks.

Great stuff very knowlegable and you cover all brands awesome !

The 86 had a six speed trans that was capable of pushing the top speed into the 80 mph range on a stock machine. Nothing on the sand could beat it. Even the banshee was slow by comparison

That Yamaha TriZ is cool...never seen one before

Yeah crazy 85/86 atc250. Nothing but a powerful trike. Even the 200x was a bad ass

Great video thanks for posting I am now a subscriber

Awesome 😁😁😁👍👍memories ❤

Lovely bikes Honda my favorite brand.

Fabulous 👌 👏 👍🏻 😍

I think they brought out the 87 in nz, I see some of the bikes with white and red around 😊 certainly a unicorn 🦄

All great info except the 185s mix up' 185 came out followed by later 185 (S) the 185s was the same motor installed in a smaller chassis 😎

Awesome! Subbed!

It seemed like Marty Hart won every race back then

Also I have a Yamaha trimoto 175 would love to see a vid on the history of the Yamaha trikes

El mejor todoterreno mezcla en la historia de los quads 2 tiempos

Great history video. My first trike was the Honda 90, my brother and I rode it hard and couldn’t kill it. We than bought a pair of 1983 Honda 250 Odyssey. Fun but just not that great. My friend had went out and bought the 1983 250r trike. I took it for a ride and said I had to have one. I purchased the 1986 250r. I have to say that the 86 eat the 83 with the 6 speed transmission and being liquid cooled. I owned this bike for about four years. Awesome trike, you got putt around on the trails when you wanted or you could drive the gutts out of it and it just kept on going. Finally sold it before I killed myself. Bad mistake would still like to own one. However getting too old for that crazy life. 57

Love the 250r

What you are leaving out is what started the down fall of the 3 wheeler. I've always watched the news even as a kid. And at this time I owned a CR 200 4 stroke Honda, a blast to ride, but I remember the news cast that actually started it down fall. A news executive son was out on one and I'm sure he wasn't shown by his dad how to ride it and the kid broke his arm. That is when all hell broke loose. All because an executive kid broke his arm.

Awesome video.

The 85-86 ATC250R is my all time favorite off-road machine, I have owned many of them and loved every one. The greatest aspect, besides looking totally bitchin', was the engine, that machine is capable of putting along with my kids on their 90's as well as keeping up (kinda - a little scary, but worth the glory) with the modern four strokes out at the dunes. If Honda produced a modern version I'd buy one in a heart beat. Great video, Liked and Sub'd, keep up the good work.

I've got an 86'Atc250r!!!

I have a bunch of tri motos but really want an 80s model 2 stroke 3 wheeler or even a trx250r

I realy want a 250r now

Still have my 85 bought it and 92

I am Lucky enough to own 2 85 ATC 250Rs My personal ride is 52+ HP and Scary Fast my second is not as Beefy but an arm puller too I Ride at least 2 times a month

In the 1983 ad there was a 300cc kit sold as an accessory, wonder how rare those are now

Nice NoFear jersey man

I have a 82 ATC 250R and a 1985 TRI-Z 250 I am looking to sell I had a slip and fall accident back in Sept 22 so I need to sell them both but my youth was super fun

Do you have a video on the 2001 XR650 are you could send me a link to

Osamoo tay coochie... You killed me brother! Good video!

The 250 r was awesome.

86 limited edition 6-speed 250R with a 310 jug and hot rod crank ride a wheelie all six gears would be going so fast that when you wanted to slow down you'd hit the brake and let go of the throttle and you wouldn't hear anything for a few seconds until the tires hit the ground again extremely fast machine

Please continue by doing a follow up with the AWESOME Fourtrax 250r.

What about the 70's Honda kick- n - go that little kids trike was the 1st 3 wheeler & should be mentioned.thanks.Trev New Zealand

Wasnt there ATC 500 aswell ? I rode a Suzuki quadracer 500 once ..