Why Honda never did it? TRX 350X

[Yamada]

Why Honda never made a quad using the 350x engine?
Is it because the racer at this time were using 250R and there would not have a class for this type of quad?
What do you all think?

[blue27]

At that time all the rage was 2 strokes, and fourstrokes were just coming in, the power was with the 2 strokes. Honda release the 250X in 87-88 and then discontuied it due to lack of sales (brought it back in 91). Everyone wanted the 250R. The 4stroke class and the the true horsepower was really just an up and coming thing, then most of the manufactures kinda left the sport industry due to to many lawsuits and entered inti utility market until now.

[scrawny]

they did: http://www.vf750fd.com/blurbs/brochures/honda/Trx350d.jpg

the motors in the first trx350 4x4's were nearly identical.

[Bryan Raffa]

thoe's were a nice 4 wheeler back in 87!

[Yamada]

At that time all the rage was 2 strokes, and fourstrokes were just coming in, the power was with the 2 strokes. Honda release the 250X in 87-88 and then discontuied it due to lack of sales (brought it back in 91). Everyone wanted the 250R. The 4stroke class and the the true horsepower was really just an up and coming thing, then most of the manufactures kinda left the sport industry due to to many lawsuits and entered inti utility market until now.

Thank you for the info blue27. As for the 250x, Honda might thought that a sport 250 machine had enough oomph for the average consumer...?

So scrawny, you say that the engine in the fourtrax 350 were nearly identical. They were surely semi-automatic and shaft driven? I'll have to make some research on this particular machine. did the engine got 4 valve per cylinder?

And Raffa you're right, I think the 350 would like very good if it sit near any new utility quad.

[brapp]

i have a trx 350 head on a 350x i had caus ei couldnt find a 350x hea dfor the right price. but its only a 2 valve headbut worked fine. just didnt rev out as fast as the 350x.

[scrawny]

i didnt know they were only 2 valve, i suppose less maintainence.. with a little help to the upper rear motor mount, a 350x motor is a DIRECT bolt in on a 250x/300ex frame.

heres mine circa '99 leading about 6 2 strokes:w00t:

[joshdragon]

here is my trx350x



http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/joshdragonn/IMG_2508.jpg


http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/joshdragonn/IMG_2507.jpg


http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/joshdragonn/IMG_2510.jpg



here is the decals i have on it now
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s289/joshdragonn/trx350x.jpg

[SWIGIN]

thats why back in the day we racers built hybrids.

the most popular hybrids were the 250rx and 350rx... a pic of my 350rx

[SWIGIN]

i think honda would of made a 350rx type bike (4 stroke racer) but as you all remember with the ban of trikes honda prety mutch stoped all sport atv. yes they made the 250x for 2 years .... off for 2 years and on for another 2 and the 300ex came into the picture. but it took till 04 to get a thumper racer from honda.

quads were comming anyway i bet it was on its way.

[Jason T]

The transmission in the Fourtrax 350 was a 5 speed semi auto clutch, with shaft drive to front and rear axles. The engine (head/cylinder/piston) is pretty much identical to the 350x from what I can tell, that includes the 4 valve head;)

[Yamada]

Nice quad guy. So I assume if the factory did not do it right the first time, you got to do it...

[SWIGIN]

that's right trike guy :naughty:

[300X]

I had a trx 250x with the 350x motor it worked really good since then I got rid of that and got myself an actual 350x and I don't think I'll ever get rid of it

[hang&rattle]

they did: http://www.vf750fd.com/blurbs/brochures/honda/Trx350d.jpg

the motors in the first trx350 4x4's were nearly identical.

We had a brand new 86' model.....I totalled it. But yeah, those headlights and stylish fenders looked pretty cool back then. That thing would climb a tree, but got terrible gas milage.

[250r_doverdemon]

so now im pretty sure if i ever blow my crank and piston i might just get a 300ex motor with reverse and all and put it in my x till i can afford to rebuild

[baycitysteve]

here's a 4trax with a 350x and a quad sport with one !!! both big bore strokers !!

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Yep, I remember back in the days before the 400ex came out, putting a 350x engine in a 250x was the thing to do. I have even heard of a couple of guys near where I live putting 350x engines in 250r chassis'! Oh the humanity!

It IS an interesting question posed by the OP though. Obviously the thumpers werent out there to be the fastest, most powerful machines out there...well other than the 350x. Really, the 350x was in a category all its own, even long after its demise, untill the 400ex came out. Yeah,there was Yammi's Warrior, but that thing was nothing to write home to mom about with its 2 valve head, I have personally witnessed a near stock 2nd gen 200x smoking Warriors. 300ex? Please...a 350x would eat it for lunch. Suzukis Quadsport 230 and later 250? No dice, not even close. And I dont know of a really sporty Kawi from that era. Really if you think about it, in a way Honda was waaay ahead of the curve with the mighty 350x. No other thumper came close untill 1998! So, I too wonder, why DIDNT Honda move the 350x engine onto a sport/race quad platform? I dont think it was due to them axing all performance models due to lawsuits. They continued production of the 250r till '89. Honda made some dumb moves IMHO in those years. They were the first to kill off their 250 race quad. 'Zuki carried on till '92, Kawi let the Tecate go after '88, but I think it was more or less poor sales with Honda and Zuki gobbling up most of that market corner. Yammi kept the Banshee alive till what, '02??

I scratch my head about this stuff to this day

[SWIGIN]

Yep, I remember back in the days before the 400ex came out, putting a 350x engine in a 250x was the thing to do. I have even heard of a couple of guys near where I live putting 350x engines in 250r chassis'! Oh the humanity!

It IS an interesting question posed by the OP though. Obviously the thumpers werent out there to be the fastest, most powerful machines out there...well other than the 350x. Really, the 350x was in a category all its own, even long after its demise, untill the 400ex came out. Yeah,there was Yammi's Warrior, but that thing was nothing to write home to mom about with its 2 valve head, I have personally witnessed a near stock 2nd gen 200x smoking Warriors. 300ex? Please...a 350x would eat it for lunch. Suzukis Quadsport 230 and later 250? No dice, not even close. And I dont know of a really sporty Kawi from that era. Really if you think about it, in a way Honda was waaay ahead of the curve with the mighty 350x. No other thumper came close untill 1998! So, I too wonder, why DIDNT Honda move the 350x engine onto a sport/race quad platform? I dont think it was due to them axing all performance models due to lawsuits. They continued production of the 250r till '89. Honda made some dumb moves IMHO in those years. They were the first to kill off their 250 race quad. 'Zuki carried on till '92, Kawi let the Tecate go after '88, but I think it was more or less poor sales with Honda and Zuki gobbling up most of that market corner. Yammi kept the Banshee alive till what, '02??

I scratch my head about this stuff to this day

I tired to explain the reason poorly early in this thread.

You guys seem to think trikes and quads were flying out off the dealers floors till the mean old factory's stopped making them...this is not true.

Trikes were dying off because of the new ''cool'' thing (quads) were out and they were "safer". But because of all the bad press the ATV scene got from ATCs they all took a hit in sales. Plus, I think they just wanted to get out of sport/race ATVs till the heat died down.

Combine the bad press with bad sales and you are wondering why they didn't keep making new racey ATVs?

[RIDE-RED 250r]

I get what you are saying Swigin, but I just dont recall the witch hunt against sport race models being nearly as vigorous as it was against the trikes. Admittedly, I was just a youngster back in '86. It just has puzzled me why Honda abandoned such a successful model in the 250r so early as compared to 'Zuki and Yammi. But, it sounds like you may have been a little older than I was at the time, so I'll take your word on it.

FTR: I was 8 years old in '86 and even at that age I remember all the BS going around about the trikes. Im sure a less vigorous campaign against all sport/race model quads could have easily slipped under my radar at that time. Much less would I have been in the know about sales at that time as well....:beer

[GeoD]

Yammi kept the Banshee alive till what, '02??

Yamaha is actually still making the Banshee. Just not in the USA for some reason:

(2012 Banshee) http://www.yamaha-motor.eu/eu/products/atv/sport/yfz350.aspx

BikePics has Banshee pics up to 2010:
http://www.bikepics.com/yamaha/banshee/

[Jason125m]

As far as i know, 2 stroke atv's will not be made any more in canada / us.

[GeoD]

I've noticed this trend over the past few years. I was totally taken back a few years ago when I watched a MX race and I didn't hear the ring ding ding ding sound coming from the bikes. It was very VERY odd. I guess all in all it's a good thing to help the environment. The irony...snowmobiles are still being produced. As well as two cycle weed wackers, chain saws, and generators. Im sensing a conspiracy. Could the CPSC be at it again? http://serve.mysmiley.net/confused/confused0006.gif (http://www.blueislandsdiving.com)