How old or rare is that US90 or that ATC110

[HairyJR]

“coolpool” thanks for pic’s, as for picture of optional parts I’ve seen the carrier before and air pump both had been listed on ebay in the last year, but never seen the pictured step guards. The rear axle shaft break down diagram looks very similar to one of my early axle assembly distance pipes items 3-1, 4 and washers 5-1. Item 3 looks like the later version right side distance pipe/tube. Because I’m a manual machinist by trade spent too much time in my mind trying to determine if “oldcodger’s” and my rear axles are early or not, they are early! Wheel hub splines are separate machined stub shafts and pressed into the axle shaft ends, pinned then rosette welded. Honda must have determined they where poor weak design and revised.

left side right side

"HJ"

[coolpool]

HJ thanks for the clarification, that make total sense and explains a lot. Wonder if they were replaced with the one piece axles under warranty after failing like the plastic thumb throttles were with aluminum ones.

[HairyJR]

The very early US90 I purchased had no balloon tires, weld repaired bent rear axle, aftermarket adapters and wheels. Never intended to restore just wanted a Aquarius Blue survivor to put my 3 bolt aluminum Ohtsu Chevron 8” tires onto so installed ’77 front and rear axle assemblies just like the vintage racer tribute “Pink Trike” posted on ebay last night. That is a sweeeeeeeeet looking trike.

"HJ"

[oldcodger]

I have tried to digest all the information provided by our limited number of posters and bring this thread to a conclusion. Here is a reposting of the developed list as it stands today 12/8/2014.

* Lets start by saying there is no such thing as a 1969 US90. All that is known so far is that Honda started selling their 1970 model year in late 1969 through to the end of 1970.
Starting with frame serial Number US90-100,122 and ending theroletly with frame NumberUS90- 200,000, which was probably never used. Original motors schould bear numbers within
100 digits of their frame numbers. Later units have same frame and engine numbers starting when?
* The first year color was Aquarius blue. At some serial number they added a red? a green? and a yellow?
* The gas tank has screw on chrome "honda" tank badges.
* The gas tank has a rectangular relief to the rear of the cap where the "off road only" decal is applied into.
* The kill switch has two positions "on" or "off" and points to left. Not the three position of later units, "off" "on" "off" and pointing foward.
* The handle bars have a locking lever that allows the bars to be turned for transport.
* No ears on fork tubes to carry a headlight, only chrome accesorie brackets avaliable for optional headlight, although all units posses wiring for front and rear lights, but not stop light.
* Front fender made of steel, not moulded plastic.
* Rear fender assembly made of fiberglass, not moulded plastic.
* Rear axle made to be removable for transport by removing right wheel and spacer and sliding axle with drive plate clear out left side of sprocket/drive assembly. No spacer used on
left side.
* Front engine mount is part of the frame sheet metal, not removable.
* Color paint ends in area of gas tank mounts, does not extend to include front engine mount.
* first variation of footpegs have steel hoop heal protectors and no rubber heal protectors on fender.
* 2nd variation in first year have rubber heal protectors attached to rear fender with pull through rubber rivits, eight total, not screws and nuts.
* Foot pegs fold in horizontally when latch mechanism is triggered, does not use wing nuts and studs.
* Small end of foot peg is chrome plated.
* Carburetor gas inlets are parallel and float cover screws enter from top.
* Carburetor has push/pull altitude control and unprotected choke lever.
* Carburetor fuel bowl drain is to front.
* Front and rear tires are difficult to come by, but were made for at least a ten year period, so may or may not be original and/or not nearly as old as the trike they are on.
* Tires mount to hubs using small triangular three bolt pattern, later units used larger triangular pattern.
* Brake handle on bars has wire clip to "set" rear brake, and white plastic plug in mirror mount. Hand brake control unit was used on other Honda motorcycle models using rear view
mirrors at the time.
* Rope start handle has Honda's stylized "H", large flange, and rubber plug, in contrast to later smaller flange design.
* Grab rail allows for wider optional tail light assembly, won't accept later narower tailight assembly without modification.
* Grab rail structure is of slightly "beafer" construction.
* Throttle controll was made of plastic, waranty replacement was metal.
* No tool box, and no provision (threaded holes) in frame for one, only bracket for tire pump (rare).
* Gas cap had "on off" position so gas did not leak out with bike laying on side during transport. Probably "optional" rather than "standard".
* Air filter connector tube uses wire spring clip on front and screw band on rear.
* Gas valve lever "points" to position, "off, run, res" instead of lever itself becoming "pointer" as later.
* No decals used on front or rear fender.

Everyone? seems to be in agreement with most everything on our developed list except for a few points. The locking (on and off lever) gas cap may or may not have been a "standard" option but was available as an "optional" one for the purpose of transporting the US90. The decal "ATC 90" was NOT used on the very first US90 units. A posture was assumed by some posters because of the mention of an "atc 90" decal in a "parts" manual dated 1971, although throughout that publication the unit is referred too as an ATC90 and NOT a US90. They completely disregard the fact that the book was printed in 1971! The situation is very much like the popular line that has someone asking President Lincoln's wife "well except for that, how did you like the show?". I choose to believe that the1970 "shop" manual supplied by one poster supports the belief that the first unit was called a US90, and refers to that title numerous times throughout the manual and does at no time call it a ATC 90. Although Honda would ultimately change the designation to "ATC 90" in the following years, I believe it was first introduced as the US90 and did not carry an "ATC 90" decal on its right rear fender until sometime later.

[HairyJR]

"oldcodger" very good synopsis of the opinions and facts shared so far on the subject. Since this started I too have purchased a "Honda Model ATC90 parts list" manual like "coolpools", revision 2 with only a date stating printed 1971, really no different than his being revision 3. Page 6 shows two views of the early what we call "US90" with NO options installed.

WOW....over 4,000 views and not another knowledgeable member sharing any additional facts.

oh, did you sell yours?

"HJ"

[oldcodger]

"HairyJR" thanks for all your postings and encouragement.

Since I'm relativly new I don't know what to make from the massive 4,000 views and limited inputs, but hopefully we have some"thinking" going on.

No, I have not sold either of the two units, the US90 or the ATC110, but would like too. Not sure how too proceed and keep the complications to a minimum.

[Joseph Farrow]

Here is an original bike......

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-honda-a...181401&pt=ATVs

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NDgwWDY0MA==/z/mdUAAOSwQJhUicQq/$_12.JPG

[oldcodger]

Not sure what you mean "Joseph Farrow"? The posted frame number in that eBay add makes this a 1972 Honda US90! It certainly is NOT an early US90, unless you mean early to include the third year of manufacture!


OK, lets have a closer look at that alleged 1969 atc/us90. The first line should start the eye brows to go up! "It appears to not have been ridden at all or very little" and then goes on too say the front fender has a small split!! Fenders (sheet metal) can split from prolonged exposure to vibration which probably indicates it has been run a long time at high RPM or it was used "once" to run the Baha California race! It obviously looks to be well taken care of, but does not mean it hasn't been used or that parts and/or pieces haven't been replaced. The amount of rust on the under carriage also indicates more use, except that the individual foot pegs are in such good condition they suggest that the assembly may have been replaced with the earlier type. The "fresh" bolts mounting the foot peg assembly to the bottom of the engine indicate that it has been recently replaced. If the spark system is easy to fix, you would think an experienced individual would fix it before he offered it so he could demonstrate that its up and running and theoretically get more for it.

An observation that pleases me is that the blue paint does stop at the tank mounts! The "ATC90" decal is probably correct for that later year (1972)

[oldcodger]

Hi again, close to a year has passed without any new information submitted! Bummer!! Anyone interested in purchasing either or both of the trikes described? Drop me a line @ jonickgiandomenico@att.net. Thanks

[oldcodger]

Hi again, close to a year has passed without any new information submitted! Bummer!! Anyone interested in purchasing either or both of the trikes described? Drop me a line @ jonickgiandomenico@att.net. Thanks

*Just stopping by with an update. It's now 9-1-2018 and I am being pressed to clear the barn, so to speak. A lot of empty nonsense circulating about these units having any value because of their age and rarity. It would seem you just need to acquire a later model lookalike, add some retro tires if you please, and then brag about it being the first US90. Nobody is interested or cares whether it's the truth, so why bother doing it right! If your keeping track, no additional information has been added in over 4 years, and no one (none) have emailed with an inquiry of any kind regarding acquiring these two first year (respectively) units. A special thanks goes out to those that did try to make meaningful inputs and shed some light on a "smoke and mirrors" subject. This is, I would suppose, the "end". Thanks