What happened to three wheelers? Someone please explain to me what part of legislation was enacted to make them unavailable in the United States, the Land of the Free. Will it always be illegal for any company to manufacture them? Are they available in other countries?

I remember quite well how the sale of three-wheeled ATVs was stopped in the mid-eighties. From what I remember, several media types and politicians seeking to raise their status in the world took three wheelers on as creatures dangerous to mankind. They made it their mission to stamp out the evil things and save all humanity from the death and destruction three wheelers introduced to the world.

So, they stood on their soapbox of the airwaves of America. They quoted facts. They spewed statistics. They even had footage of several nefarious machines caught in the act of mutilating their operators. Millions nationwide gasped in horror as these manmade terrors exacted their fury on innocent victims. The experts made their case, and a verdict was reached. The three-wheeled terrorist mutants had to go!

What the talking heads didn’t acknowledge is that their data was based largely on the misuse of three wheelers by riders and operators that didn’t obey the rules of safety and common sense. Footage most often showed crashes involving riders that were either not wearing the proper safety gear, were attempting to do stunts for which the machines were not designed or were just plain being stupid. Some riders, I explicitly remember, weren’t even fully clothed in some of the footage clips that were shown.

The data upon which the experts based their case was not well representative, in my opinion, of actual three wheeler owners and riders. They focused on those people that were careless, reckless and just plain stupid with ATVs and ignored the majority altogether. Instead of pointing out the errors made by these riders, they cited the design of the machines as unsafe. Regardless of how sensible and safe anyone rides and whether they ride with or without safety gear was no longer the issue. The lawmakers concluded that the three-wheeled menaces should be held accountable for the stupidity of their owners and were subsequently banned from this country.

Now, there are two schools of remembrance when it comes to three wheelers, the forerunners of today’s amazing ATVs. These groups are mostly divided by age. Older riders who grew up with three wheelers mostly remember them fondly and disagree with the concerns raised about their design. These riders know that when used properly, three wheelers were not only safe, but wonderfully fun and useful machines. Many sportsmen to this day prefer the maneuverability of an old three wheeler while in the woods to the advancements offered by many of today’s quads.

Younger riders look back on three wheelers differently. Some look upon them with much disdain and judge them according to only what they’ve heard and the fact that they are no longer available. Many of them have never even set foot on a three-wheeled ATV before. In their eyes, whatever advantages three wheelers may have had in terms of performance and maneuverability was severely handicapped by their lack of a fourth wheel and the stability of a quad.

The truth is, in spite of having one less wheel and corner to lean on, three wheelers did not give up much stability to their newer four-wheeled kin. Although riders did have to adjust their weight slightly for the different handling characteristics of the machines, on most terrain three wheelers and quads were usually evenly matched. Only in some special situations, such as on the side of a hill for instance, were quads given a clear advantage when it came to stability.

The tragedy of three wheelers is that they were not given a fair chance. When they were banned, they were just reaching the point of having real suspension. While the sport three wheelers did have good suspension, the majority of other models did not, save for a few of the top of the line utility models such as the Big Red. Most other three wheelers made do with oversized balloon tires and NO SUSPENSION WHATSOEVER to soak up the bumps. This resulted in a bouncing action with no damping effect when bumps and ruts were encountered. If ridden carefully, this bouncing could be managed, but if ridden excessively fast over a series of bumps, the bouncing action would soon overtake the rider’s control causing an accident.

In light of this fact, it is my opinion that had three wheelers possessed adequate suspension instead of relying on tires that were more akin to basketballs, there would have been far fewer accidents to report and we might still have new three wheelers today. In fact, most if not all crash footage that was shown on shows like 60 Minutes involved three-wheeled ATVs with no suspension. That is, according to my memory.

Another thing that contributed to the demise of three wheelers was the lack attention given to safety concerns. It’s not that it wasn’t there, it’s just that attitudes concerning protective equipment and safety were much different then than now. If safety had been marketed like it is now, that might have contributed to the survival of the three-wheeled species of ATVs. Back then, it just wasn’t “cool” to wear a helmet or even a shirt all the time when riding an ATV. Those things were mostly for serious racers or nerds that used pocket protectors.

Four wheelers, or quads, were fortunate to arrive at just the right time when ATV designers were introducing modern suspension systems to ATVs. While many of the very first quads did not have suspension at all and relied on the same balloon tires as their counterparts, it was not long before nearly all quads had at the very least a set of decent shocks and springs as standard fare. Had quads been out a few years prior to their introduction and earned a similar safety reputation as three wheelers, would they have been banned as well? That’s not too far-fetched of a question, if you ask me.

Recently while cruising the web, I ran across a site of interest. It was a site dedicated to old three wheelers and some obscure four wheelers. On that page, I saw a picture of a Honda TRX200X. Knowing that was not a machine that was ever available in the U.S., I decided to look for more information about it on the web. That led me to another site that appeared to be some sort of dealer or distributor down somewhere in Latin America. Mexico, maybe. Because the entire wording is in Spanish and I only know English and Pig Latin, I am not sure what it says. What I do know for sure is that there is a machine pictured there that you can’t get in these United States. It is a Honda TRX200X and there are specifications listed beside it.

If you look closely at the machine in the picture, you notice that the front appears to be a removable piece, similar to the old 3-to-4 wheeler conversions available back in the eighties. An immediate question comes to mind: does this mean that the old 200X is still available in other countries? And, if so, are other three wheelers available as well?

So, what IS the scoop on three wheelers? What does the law that bans them actually say? Can they ever be produced again by any company, even if only in very small quantity?


CONCLUSION

I appreciate you taking the time to read such a long post. I ask these questions because I would like to understand it, and more importantly, I think you should understand it as well. While the issue of the three wheeler ban may not seem that relevant to most nowadays, I think all ATV enthusiasts should try and understand why this came about and take steps to prevent that same thing from happening to quads, if history should try to repeat itself.

In this world of highly public (and sometimes very ignorant) political activists, there are many, many people who wake up each day and decide to take on a cause. Be it ATVs, guns, hunting, SUVs or freedom in general, there are those who would like to make the decision for you about your ownership, use and participation of things they deem as morally unfit. They feel that since you are not wise enough to make your own decisions, they and the government should make it for you.

You are best advised to arm yourself with knowledge, and plenty of it.

Mark Lochala
10/16/02

 

Oh, I almost forgot...

Picture of the Honda TRX200X

See for yourself!

 

dude take a breath!!!!!! information overload here!!!!

 

dude take a breath!!!!!! information overload here!!!!

Dude, you don't have to read it.


For the others...

I also posted this in the Honda forum, as that is the place where most threads seem to get the most attention. If you would like to respond, you can do it there as well.

 

YOU can say that again!! I am getting the freakin spinns from all those words.

800

 

dudes,
think about what its says!that 200x looks just like my old 86 200x w/ a different front end

 

I wonder how old that pic is???

 

To answer youre question: The consent Decree (signed in late 86 apparently ) that went into effect in 1988 banned the sales of 3 wheelers in the USA (Which accounted for something lik 85% of honda's trike sales) for 10 years. So--today it is POSSIBLE (althoguh highly unlikely) for any company to produce a trike. LEM made a kid's one for europeans back in 96 or so but it wasnt realeasd int he USA.

Rob

if you want more info--Ill be updating my website real soon w/ good info

www.TrikeRiders.com