how did it all start???

[200bigredrebel]

hey guys,

i thought of a question and decided to make a thread about it. my question is what got u started in three-wheelers? was it just a great deal and u decided to snag it. or was it something that u grew up on and u decided to pass on the tradition. =) i just thought this would be a be a good thread to post and swap some stories. if u have pics please post. =)

mine starts when i'm 5 or 6 year old and my uncle takes for my first ride in a 250 big red. after a few few visits i notice another three-wheeler sitting under a shed roof overhang. all 3 wheels were flat and looked that it had been sitting there for a long time. i ask him if we can work on it and he says no cause nothing that can be for it. i have none of it. lol i wait for him to go in the house and i sneak in the barn grab a chain i go out to it wrap the chain around the axle and start pulling it from the mud as best a little 5 year old could. i starts to budge and i'm getting excited and my uncle catches me. lol he comes out makes take the chain off and leave it. years pass and i'm 13 and i go to visit my uncle and that junked out three-wheeler is still sitting there. in the same spot. i go up to him and ask him what does he want for it. he says that it don't run and it ain't worth it. i say otherwise. hes thinking that i would eventually give up on it and toss it. he agrees i save up a 100 bucks by working through the summer. the next time i visit i pay him and i take it home. i start working on it. 10 years later i'm at the present and talking with my uncle and he ask about. i told him to come over and see for himself. he comes over looks at it hear it run. looks at me and says he i won't be getting anymore good deals from me and laughs. lol

here is a pic of my Big Red today. =)
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[Akracing]

As a kid I wanted a 4 wheeler cause that's what the neighbors had, I got a three Wheeler cause that's what we could afford... Looking back it was a Ytm 200 I think.... Now that I'm a little older I will take 3 wheels over 4 any day.... I guess its just the sense of owning a machine that started it all and a sense of respect and taking a trike for what it is.. I did not grow up through the three wheeler era but the feel, look, and idea of a three wheeler just does something for me... Knowing its more mechanical then modern ATV that have digital displays and 5 onboard computers... I am a hands on person who would rather fix my own machine not have to drop it off at a dealer....I guess I just have more of an old school way then most my age... I get enjoyment just by looking at my trikes or seeing other peoples projects... Now I own like 6 trikes and don't plan on ever getting rid of um...

[hatc200x1]

So last year at the end of the summer My dad was getting pissed that I kept "wrecking" his 4 wheelers by going in mud and water (lol). So I was looking for 4 wheelers on craigslist, they were incredibly expensive for me, and on one of the ads was for a 3 wheeler, and it was uber cheap. I was thinking I could buy a 3 wheeler, beat the crap out of it, and then scrap it, you know, something disposable. Well at the time I thought the biggest Honda 3 wheeler was a 125m lol. And the biggest yamaha was a 225, because my cousins had them. Well I kept searching craigslist and found out that there were tons of more, bigger models of 3 wheelers. Eventually I found a 200x. Had a fully rebuilt motor and new tires all around and extra rear tires, went and picked it up for $600 dollars, I was used to slow utility 4 wheelers and this 200x had a race cam and heavy duty retainers and valve springs, so it had some power, the second I dropped the clutch when I was test driving it, and got on the throttle, I knew I was going to be in love with 3 wheelers the rest of my life. Now ive owned 5 since last August, and I dont plan on stopping!

First pic is when i got it, second pic is this summer after I rebuilt the thing.

[honda200xguy]

Mine was simple, didn't get trailprotrailprotrailprotrailpro when i was young cause i was a prick to my parents, we didn't ever go to the cabin etc etc.
My dad had a quad thats all i ever rode. When to a friends house one day and rode his honda atc 200x, and the love just happened, it was a perfect match.
From that day on, i only ride trikes.

[M.Pargiello]

I got into a phase of rebuilding older bikes, and the guy who I got my TR200 from also does some of my machine work and porting. He had the polaris sitting there. He told me some stupid cheap price, I can't remember but I hauled it out of there. I think it was about a week later I picked up a 1980 185, and a 200X. I then got rid of the 185 and just worked on the 200X. Others have come and gone, but we have a few that are being finished right now. I keep them stored at my dads shop along with his trikes. He recently got into it as well, he doesn't ride much so it's mainly my brother and I going there and working on them when our wives let us :) we do still manage to get in alot of riding time so no complaints here

[Jwmajic]

I moved to a very muddy place where my 2 wheelers sucked tried riding a quad but it never felt natural I liked the trikes better on the trails here.

[Ghostv2]

I should say it all started for me when my dad and his father bought a couple trikes brand new in 1985. My fathers was a 200s and his was a 200m. They were always garage kept, especially my paps. Super low hours, garage kept, just a cherry to this day. When we were younger he would always take them out and give us rides on them and tractor rides during the picnics. When he died my cousin got it. My father took his years prior to haul deer out of the woods at my paps. Then it came to my house. Where it sat for years. So i drained the gas, cleaned the carb, put some fresh gas in it and it started. Then thats how i started riding and how i grew to love trikes. I bought a quad (blaster) and broke my wrist when i went through a few trees. I Realized quads are too dangerous and traded it for a 200x. :naughty: Since then my trike collection has grew, im trying to get my friends into them since im the only person with a trike in my area. I just love old things and this just happens to be one of my passions. Im just glad those trikes stayed in the family and i have great memories with them. Even the bad ones with a few close calls. :)

[John 4]

It started for me back in the early 80's when my dad always took me to the winter series mud and snow scrambles. Man I loved watching those things go through that gnarly stuff! Each winter I fell more and more in love with them. Then one year there was a 4 wheeler! Well let's just say from that day my love for 3 wheelers changed into an obsession!

[Trike_crazy]

Back in 07 right after my basic training, i was at a festival around where i live at and a guy had a 1979 honda 110 for sale sitting in the yard. I had only owned one other toy (a 73 honda MT250 when i was 16) and had never rode a 3 wheeler. I had money saved from basic so i bought it on impulse. I had so much fun that year rigth before i deployed that i ended up with like 3 more. After coming home from overseas ive ended up with the 11 i have in my sig and a few dirtbikes and other things and i havent looked back lol

[ColtonGG33]

It started, when my dad baught a 85 350x off of a good friend in 86. He had it for about 5-6 years than he ended up selling it for 400! Because he needed the money for bills and other stuff, and he would just tell me stories about him and his friends racing in the middle of town back when you could get away with it, and hill climbing coal mines, and just go on and on. And then he told be again about 2 years ago, and I was like I have to buy one of these! So I searched and searched till I found the right one on Craigslist, bought it, and never regretted a second if it. And that's how it started for me

[deuce228]

I have always been a fan of the odd ball or uncommon stuff. Some of my favorite vehicles are AMC Eagle, woody wagons, Jeep Jtrucks to name a few. I also have a habit of getting fixated on something I want and getting way over my head or way over budget. This year my family moved to a new house. I have wanted an ATV for a while and my wife agreed to let me get one. As I looked I kept adjusting my price range until finally my wife threw her foot down. At that point it was clear to me that I was meant to buy a big red. I have always liked them, they were in my price range and they are uncommon enough to be too cool.

[200bigredrebel]

these are great stories. =D its good to hear our three wheeler passion is still today. =)

[200bigredrebel]

Back in 07 right after my basic training, i was at a festival around where i live at and a guy had a 1979 honda 110 for sale sitting in the yard. I had only owned one other toy (a 73 honda MT250 when i was 16) and had never rode a 3 wheeler. I had money saved from basic so i bought it on impulse. I had so much fun that year rigth before i deployed that i ended up with like 3 more. After coming home from overseas ive ended up with the 11 i have in my sig and a few dirtbikes and other things and i havent looked back lol

thats cool story man. thank u for your service.

[200bigredrebel]

It started, when my dad baught a 85 350x off of a good friend in 86. He had it for about 5-6 years than he ended up selling it for 400! Because he needed the money for bills and other stuff, and he would just tell me stories about him and his friends racing in the middle of town back when you could get away with it, and hill climbing coal mines, and just go on and on. And then he told be again about 2 years ago, and I was like I have to buy one of these! So I searched and searched till I found the right one on Craigslist, bought it, and never regretted a second if it. And that's how it started for me

the Big Red is my favorite three-wheeler. the 250 and 200 are sweet.

[kb0nly]

I rode around a 90 on the farm years ago, and eventually got to ride a 200 and 250, loved em all! I moved away started my own family but always wanted one of my own again, i fix stuff, i mean i am the guy people bring stuff to when everyone else says it aint worth fixing. I have worked on more trikes then i will ever own, and i worked on dozens before i finally had one to call my own again! A few years ago i started flipping them in my spare time, i bought a dirt cheap 250, fixed it up a bit and had it for about a month before i sold it and went back to finding more. A while back i found a 200ES and made it mine, i couldnt let this one go, it was staying. I got a plow for it, i have build accessories for it, i use it daily to work and to play, and i have been re-addicted ever since.... And now i have two, the 74 ATC90 i just rebuilt, takes me back to my younger years, and isnt that whats it all about sometimes?

I got friends that got trikes, we work on em, we ride em, and we just have fun!

[xela456]

173979173980when i was 18 i got a good deal on my 86 250es and its been trikes ever since. 6 years and its served me well. almost sold it once, almost traded twice but never again! now its a monster 2" rear lift, 4"of spacer, 25x13.50 tires on the rear and some 27 inch executioners are in the mail now cant wait to see it stomp my father in laws 700 4x4 prairie haha he needs 4 wheel drive to make it across the bog and i just laugh my way across!

[CodyRosa]

Well as a kid I had a little "brute" 90 quad, first atv, loved the thing to death! I always saw pics of my dad sitting on trikes, anytime somebody brought up trikes it was always"Those things are so dangerous!" or "your grandpa broke his collar bone on one" and to be honest.. it made me want to ride them that much more haha. Fast forward about 10 years, I asked my grandpa if he had anything with a motor that I could work on.. NEVER touched a motor but was slowly getting into it, learning the basics. He had brought up the 3 wheelers.. he had a yt 125, and a 84 200m. I said YES i would love to take those, with a huge grin on my face.. I had always wanted one. We hauled them home, I tried to fire up the 200m, didn't know why.. found out it was a carb issue( stupid beginner mistakes haha) I took the carb off, cleaned it, fired her right up.. I drove a 3 wheeler for the first time ever, very creeped out lol.. ever sense then I had... an addiction >:)

I ended up finding a steal deal with a 200x and a few motors, sold the 200m and yt125 to fund my new project. I finally finished my 200x after 2 months and just fell in love with trikes even more haha.

[200bigredrebel]

I rode around a 90 on the farm years ago, and eventually got to ride a 200 and 250, loved em all! I moved away started my own family but always wanted one of my own again, i fix stuff, i mean i am the guy people bring stuff to when everyone else says it aint worth fixing. I have worked on more trikes then i will ever own, and i worked on dozens before i finally had one to call my own again! A few years ago i started flipping them in my spare time, i bought a dirt cheap 250, fixed it up a bit and had it for about a month before i sold it and went back to finding more. A while back i found a 200ES and made it mine, i couldnt let this one go, it was staying. I got a plow for it, i have build accessories for it, i use it daily to work and to play, and i have been re-addicted ever since.... And now i have two, the 74 ATC90 i just rebuilt, takes me back to my younger years, and isnt that whats it all about sometimes?


I got friends that got trikes, we work on em, we ride em, and we just have fun!

that is it exactly and more. =) everyone can ride a 4 wheeler which is great. but only a few choose to ride 3 wheelers and continue to pass on the heritage and passion of the sport

[GunsShooting]

When I was a teenager, our friend who owned the place where we camped during deer season had a 1980 Honda ATC185. It was pretty good sized, and had NO suspension except for the balloon tires. Our friend is a kind soul, and let me ride it quite a bit. A 185 may not sound powerful, but that little machine took me places many people wouldn't believe, and had power to spare.

One day he announced that he wanted to sell it, so I bought it from him at age 17 in 1987 for $300 (which was a pile of cash for a brand-new blue collar high school graduate). I ran it for a long time, and eventually bought the old deer camp from my friend and it became my home. Along the way, I also rode a 1982 ATC 185S that my wife's parents owned, plus a couple souped-up Honda racing ATCs that her brother had. Those were all sold off sometime in the 1990s.

Then I got older and bigger and had more bouncy body parts, and the lack of suspension on my old '80 was un-good. It was still fun and I loved the old gal, but it was time to move on. In 2006 I got a large 4wd utility ATV for hunting, and sold the old Honda. In 2011 I got a Polaris Ranger, and in 2012 I sold the ATV. Over the years I'd become a fairly decent shade tree mechanic and learned to enjoy tinkering with small engines and machinery.

Then I became the owner of a jet ski in 2012... and I'm not a jet ski guy. Had a hard time finding a buyer with cash, so I traded it for a couple machines and some other stuff - and one of the machines was a 1984 Yamaha YTM 225DX Shaft, black and gold with rear rack. One quick trip around my back lot reminded me of all that I missed about the old 3-wheelers that were closer to the earth, simpler, and easier to manhandle than the big ATVs and UTVs. Manhandle a Ranger out of a hangup? Not likely... but I can drag this 3-wheeler around without too much grunting.

Oh, I still love my Ranger, but at 44 I have rediscovered the fun of 3-wheeling - this time with full suspension. Only time will tell how long it lasts...

[tri again]

Grew up in the country and whatever we wanted, we had to get from the dump
or build it from scrap (scratch).
Learned a lot from being surrounded by stuff that rarely worked.

ffwd after 20 years, city living / working and traffic.

Honestly traded a 1963 single wide trailer in Calif for
acreage.
.... ran into a real estate lady who said I NEEDed some 3 wheelers for the property and
directed me to a guy with 4 for 300$.
I think it was 2 x 90, 1x 110 and a 185.

Life became fun, work became even more fun dragging roads and driveways
with chainlink, pallets and eventually, my favorite, a spike tooth harrow.
The trike would do stuff in 20 minutes that took me an hour on the tractor.

The little 90's at the dunes was like a dream and finally got the 185 going and
my daughter could not stop laughing doing donuts on 2 wheels in the
wet sand.
Obviously hooked, I got a few more, one with a hand clutch that just
doesn't work for farm work. (200x)
Some guy drove about 3 hrs wanting me to trade the 200x for a 250es.

He showed up, rolled it off the truck and I let him 'try to break' the 200x.
As he rolled off the hill, I leaned on the big red rack and it sunk down.
I had NO idea they had suspension.

The I realized that 2 sx's will fit in the truck so I needed some of those.
I did sell one sx with racks to a farmer who had a coyote problem so he had to get the
sheep out of the far field and aside from good kharma, I wish I still had that one.

Now?
I have a few pretty ones I don't ride but they're fun to look at and going through
the mental anguish of wondering if my addiction is gone a little too far.

These things will fly / float where quads fear to tread.
If they were better, I'd surely have too many of those too.

[neverdone]

My story isn't near as interesting..... as some anyway

Growing up I always wanted one. There had always been a big red sitting in the barn at this house that my buddy and his parents rented. Hadn't ran in years. When I was 14 I spent a few nights over there and messed around and got it running. Talked to the land lord that owned it and he sold it to me (not knowing the work I did) for next to nothing. I rode it home as soon as I pulled in the driveway dad told me to take it back and get my money back. Instead I sold it to my buddies parents and made $50 bucks. Never got to enjoy it, nothing. 6 months later my buddy blew it up and his parents took it to the scrap.

After I moved out I had always kept my eye open for a fixer upper project. Finally got one. Not letting go.

[MattDragontamer]

Rode my first trike in 1988 when I was 2... bought my own in 2009... expanded ever sense. :)

[ngunter2]

Well, back in the good ol' days (2009). My uncle got a free 1984 200m. Of course it had seen better days but it was free from the rv park owner. One rear fender ( which came off, so none until I found it in my uncles attic) And electrical problems. He went through ALL of the wiring, cleaned carbs, new gas and drug it down to El Paso, tx for thanksgiving. By then I was 11 and had been pulling my dads arm for ANYTHING that moves. I rode two 50 dirt bikes and wanted more. I searched Craigslist everyday for go karts and mini bikes, dirt bikes and ATVs. I rode it and I loved it. I was kinda terrified of it because I wasn't really... Well it just threw me around like nothin and I just liked to go fast :lol:. After that it kinda sat in the back of my mind. I went and visited him the next year and didn't see it. Then next year, we got it out and cleaned the carbs and put some more gas in it. It fired right up and we went to the off road park. By then I had some guts and threw it around. I mudded (without the rear fenders :D) and rode around. Greatest time of my life. The next year I came down and picked up the smokiest auto-x for 250$. It ran... I was happy. We mudded again and by the end of that trip they told me they were both mine. I went home... 1700 miles away from my babies. (Uncle parked em storage unit) So then I came home looked for three wheelers everyday on Craigslist. 2 months down the road a mint 250sx for 650$ and another 5 months and hello to the tri-z. I could proudly say I will never ride anything else ( and be happy, family has toys too, I like toys :lol: ) and in the end, this year my uncle got the other half of the rear fenders.

[ericmreimer]

My buddy in high school had a beat up '83 ATC110 that we rode all over the place on. It had VW wheels on back and got stuck at the drop of a dime! Rode that thing everywhere! Flipped it, sunk it, raced it jumped it. you know, ragged it for the most part. He's since passed away but I remember it like it was yesterday....good times!

A week ago a neighbor remarried and started moving up to her property. She's a widow and doesn't even know whats all in her barn. I went to help him clear stuff out and there were two three wheeler's in their barn. One '84 200ES that he gave me and and one that is still barrier under junk, hay and random stuff.....don't know what it it but the big red has some 250R parts so I'm hoping for a cool find under there. Anyway I registered for this forum a week ago and am waiting for a new carb and CDI parts and i'm hoping to get the big red fired up.

I'm relatively young in this community(34) so I don't remember the prime trike years but it's nothing I'm unaccustomed to. Had an old sears suburban and my '69 mustang I've had since high school.

This is how I got it last Thursday(Aug 1,2013)........
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and where it is today......ready to fire up, waiting for parts to show up, have a hand full of stuff i need and plans to eventually strip it down and get the frame coated, re-chrome all the misc stuff , new fasteners etc. Pretty much a full blown restoration(dreams lol). We'll see how that turns out once I see how it runs and start riding it. Might just ride it instead.
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[brd812]

Trashed my acl and mcl on a dirt bike and mom said never again on the bike. Sold it for 200 bucks and my dad kicked in the rest for a 84 alt185. I think it was 699 brand new. I had a bunch on trikes and quads since, but I still have old orange sitting in the corner. 27 years of memories

[Davidcz75]

Well there were no 4 wheelers yet when i started riding three wheelers lol ... my friends dad bought him one and his mom wouldnt let him ride it and it sat in a shed. I traded him an atari 2600 and a couple games for it . I dont even remember what it was but i think it was a 200s, I rode the heck out of that trike. Years later I got the bug for another one and now im addicted lol.

[rizz1135]

First started with a ride by my dad when I was about four on my uncle's Big Red back in 1988. Rode that on my own for the first time when I was six. We had a family friend who brought up a 2nd gen 250R that I first rode at 11 years old. After that came a never ending pursuit of faster race trikes. Gone through many MX bikes over the years and my brother and I have had a tri-z, a 250r, and a 350x at one point or another over the years. The 350x didn't last too long and I've been thinking about getting another to add to my collection of Honda's. We have always had the Big Red ('85) and a 250SX ('85) in the family. After riding and racing MX for a few years during college I finally had enough money after I graduated to get back to the 3 wheelers. Bought my '84 in 2009 and bought the '85 in 2012. Now I look forward to riding my trikes just as much as going to the motocross track. Different kind of fun and memories associated with the trikes and it's something that I doubt will ever go away. The motocross tracks will start to throw some fear through my brain as I get older and wiser but the trikes have been there for too long to ever let go now.

[AGilder55]

Actually been only a few years for me... bought one that someone customized and it was love.. wasnt really into them in the 80's though.. tiss tiss

[yammerhammer88]

I got into them when I was old enough to remember, my dad raced Honda and Yamaha trikes and bikes in the 70's-80's, but we kids come along put a stop to that lol as he says , but he couldn't afford to buy us 4 wheels instead had a little atc 70 he used as a pitbike in the day and it was the bomb my brother has it now and its still a thrill at 25 years old the same as it was at 5 years old EVERY KID IN AMERICA SHOULD OWN ONE! we still have some parts bikes but parts are getting harder to find and more expensive everyday, too bad the manufacture's dnt get the picture.

[jensenracing77]

Started for me in 1977. I was 3 years old and watched my Uncle jump an ATC90 down a 15-20 foot down hill double. I was hooked for life. That Christmas I got an electric police 3 wheeler. When I was 5 I got my uncles 74 ATC 70 given to me. I was jumping it a foot off the ground at 5 years old. Every year I was jumping higher and farther. By the time I was 14 I was jumping an ATC 200S over 65 feet.

[hippie-89]

my story started when i first saw my dads three wheelers and really liked them. The one i liked the most was the 185s but there was nothing on it other than a motor and forks i tried just piecing it together but i
only had a couple of peaces for it couldn't put it together.A few years past and i was 10 i started going on craigslist i was actually looking for a dirt bike but i saw a 110 on there but i couldn't afford it so i waited until i could afford it so once i got some money i went back on there and it was gone so i kept looking for a three wheeler and eventually i found a 110 and a 90 for sale and talked him down to forty dollars. Once we got it home i had to wate until the next morning to work on it but it was compleatly apart so i had to put a motor together and that led to this.

this is my first three wheeler:175689
this is the three wheeler that i have now:175690

[GunsShooting]

The rear tire is backwards on the red one.

[hippie-89]

i have never noticed that

[RDH/86200X]

Hey little bro are those my old tires on the 110. Also im so glad your into 3 wheelers now. Just take your time on that 225.

[Bird76Mojo]

My first motorized anything was a ATC 110. I've had a soft spot in my heart for 3 wheelers ever since. I wish I never would've sold any of them. Especially my old Tecate.

[Bren_downe]

When I was about 14 my buddy had a 230 Suzuki quadsport, it sat in his barn for about two years with a broken case. His father found a new one and we rode the hell out of it. So I set out on my quest to find a toy. I talked about it non stop, and got a lead from someone on the bus that a guy in the neighborhood had a three wheeler he wanted to sell. Bought it for 3 bills! My first trike! An 84 200s in great shape. It would keep up with anything on the trails around here. My interests changed directions two years later and I sold it and always regretted it. But 14 years later I'm back. Here's the only pic I have of it( had to edit in a helmet)
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