Riding in the 80's

[swampthang]

This is for you more experienced riders from back in the day! I was born in 86 so i coming in as trikes were heading out. Ive always wonder what it was like to be a trike rider when quads first hit the scene. Im sure there was some unreal rivalry between diehards. If you have any funny crazy stories to share about you first quad incounter while 3wheelin post them up! as always pictures are awesome!!

[dcreel]

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Riding%20pics/ATC500.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Riding%20pics/comp.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Tecate/Glamis1.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Riding%20pics/blowsand.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Tecate/OcotilloWells2.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Tecate/Glamis3.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w182/dcreel/Tecate/Glamis2.jpg

I remember sitting at the base of Comp Hill at Glamis when 2 new Quadracers pulled up to the hill. I have a video of it on vhs :-). Anyways, everybody stopped what they were doing and stared. You could hear whispers "Are those Quadracers?" Myself included.. I was pretty impressed when they both beat feet up the hill at a rapid pace. It's funny though, all the people we camped with at Glamis (even up until 92 when I moved to Kansas) still bought and rode 3 wheelers. No quads. Personally I have never felt the pull in that direction. I rode a new trx250R sometime in 86 and needless to say I wasn't all that impressed. It pushed instead of turned. It was definitely a lesson in futility trying to get it to carve. The only other quads I have ridden is my dads Honda 500 4x4 quad and our hopped up lt80. I will say the lt80 is a blast to ride.

I also saw a rail making a u turn at the top of Comp Hill get T boned by a quadracer, the rider had no helmet. He went flying over the rail. They had to lifeflight him out. I remember someone in the crowd saying "And they say those quads are safer"

[code200k]

sweeet helmet in the 2nd picture

[leviblue]

Ahhh those were the days..Doug's right on the turns it was like you were plowing away and I still can't get use to that. Great pis's Doug and thanks for the memories now I gotta get mine out and scan them...

[cr480r]

that blue 500 is sawwweeett!!!!!

[dcreel]

As you can tell by the guy in the rail, everyone just sat around waiting for him to make a run up Comp Hill. Those guys were definitely "outlaws" pushing the envelope of the sport at the time.

[hang&rattle]

I had a honda 4-trax 4x4, the first. It was a gas guzzler. Buddy's had 200 fourtrax and other had a 200 moto 4-wheeler with no suspension. Remember seeing a kid at a keg with a brand new 87' banshee, thinkin' he should be buying a car in highschool and it was loud and obnoxious, but we really thought the quadsport and quadracer was tits. We still rode rm's, kdx's and older dirtbikes (short season for those in MT). Not many sport trikes, mostly BR's and balloon tire trikes rode by farmers or fat nerdy kids. The 3-wheelers just didn't get around as well in snow like the 4-wheelers. I like them now (3) because nobody does have em'. I liked the look of the 250r's in the show room, but the new 4x4 in deep snow and packing deer and elk out was the ticket. Good thread, bet it's completely different responses in different parts of the country.

[brapp]

i completly agree my first 4 wheeler experiance was at a pig roast i was i think 3-4 at the time i ha dmy atc 70 and make a long story short i rember beign yelled at for askign where the shiifter was in the only way i knew how go fast daddy go fast!!!!!

[swampthang]

wow! Great pics and storys! I would love to have been around to ride the trails back then. It sux to have to fight ruts cut by a $10000 quad with irs and 12+ inches of ground clearance when your on a trike or even a sport quad. I remember when i first started riding with the big boys my uncle was the first guy around to have a raptor and people was blown away by it. I couldnt image the first quad to battle it out with the trike guys.

[dcreel]

I can tell you that back in the old days of hill shooting at Glamis, the quads were spanked by the 3 wheelers. Until the Banshee was released and improved upon, and then things changed in a big way. My Klemm Tecate will pull a piped Banshee at Comp hill. Or should I say could.. back in 1991

[250rAL]

I remember the first '85 Quad Racer I saw. It was on the ice at the snowmobile drags. It gave me the impression of a big spider because it was so spread out compared to a trike. A friend had an '83 Suzuki 125( the first quad) but he got rid of it before I got my first machine so I never rode with it.