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Thread: Long Live 3Wheeling Magazine

  1. #166
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    170
    San Diego is where most of the high-performance parts came from. This is where ATC racing began, and with the sand dunes only 1-1/2 hours away, the best riding area in the world was close at hand. Racing created a need for better frames, aluminum wheels, exhaust, big-bore kits, cam, etc. The sand duners needed ice chest racks, chrome goodies, sand tires, and more power. This is where is all began.

    3Wheeling started through the pages of Hot VWs. Our yearly look at sand duning began to include ATCs as pit bikes. Soon, we added a buyer's guide, look at custom ATCs, and the market boomed. In late 1979, we decided to do another magazine, and with Honda's blessing (since no motorcycle book would touch a 3wheeler!), they were more than happy to support us with advertising. I moved over to do 3Wheeling, since I had a pretty good idea of where it was going. And that's how it all started. Dean

  2. #167
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
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    44
    I am stuffing an envelope in the mail box today, thanks!

  3. #168
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Texas
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    2,670
    Dean (oldfart), what can you tell us about Suzuki's pre-quadracer 3wheel race team if they had one??

    Thanks!
    1986 Tecate
    1984 Tecate
    1985 Tri-Z
    1986 ATC350X
    1985 ATC250R (2)
    1985 ATC125M (2)
    1982 ATC70 - Original Owner

    175 TriMoto Frame with Pro-Tec Rear Suspension

    3-Wheelin' since '82

  4. #169
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    170
    Eddie Sanders (Saunders?) was as close to a 3wheeler race team Suzuki ever had. I believe his family owned a Suzuki dealership, or had close ties to one, and that's why he built about the only "race" Suzuki 250cc-powered 3wheeler around. Because Suzuki came into this market rather late, and by that time, legal problems were already begining to show, they decided to enter the performance market with a Quad, rather than with a fast 3wheeler. Too bad, they probably could have built a cool 250cc trike. Dean

  5. #170
    Groundworx's Avatar
    Groundworx is offline At The Back Of The Pack Arm chair racerAt the back of the pack
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Tuttle Oklahoma
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    421
    Sorry to keep bringing up the 87s, but I came accross a guy on the net who lives in the UK. He claims to have an 87 TRI-Z. I seen one pic of it, but immediately blew it off. It has a color scheme a lot like the 85. I noticed in another post you said that European trikes were behind times when it came to the color. Do you think it is possible that an 87 Z could exist in the UK and it be the yellow color? Here is the only pic he will send me of it. It looks a lot like a really clean 85 to me..
    Many quads for sale. 400EXs, Z400, 450s ect.

  6. #171
    Howdy's Avatar
    Howdy is offline Putting Priorities in Order, Busier than ever. Catch me if you can
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Celina, Ohio
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    10,078
    Thank You Oldfart!!!!!! I got a envelope today. I am in sticker Heaven!!
    Thanks Again
    Howdy

  7. #172
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    170
    I really think that Yamaha went to the new color combo (red and white), by that time. I think that it is very possible that a vehicle could be built in one year, then sold in the next. Dealers often change the year on the paperwork, depending on the date of sale. An '86 sold in '87 could very easily be dated a 1987 model. Many old VWs were mid-registered by their dealers for this same reason. Dean

  8. #173
    ATCnut is offline Got The Holeshot Arm chair racerJust too addicted
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Auburn Washington
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    799
    I have seen the same thing that Dean is talking about. The year on the title may not be the same as the year on the frame sticker. They only true test is the VIN number, that does not change.
    ATCnut

    82 185s - sold
    83 200x (hopped up)
    84 200x (stock)
    84 70 (lost this one to the DMV)
    85 70 (soon to have lights, a foot brake, and CDI ignition)
    84 200es (parts trike) - sold
    85 350X (the best)
    85 350X (siezed motor, dream of a poweroll kit someday)
    85 250sx (frame was trash, got parted out)
    86 250sx (the tractor)
    86 250sx (a nicer tractor)
    86 250sx (an even nicer tractor)
    87 200x (parts trike, its really rough, a dog was chewing on it for a while)
    87 250es Big Red (the tank!!)

  9. #174
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    Kirkville, NY
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    3,831
    I came across this pic on www.bikepics.com it is listed as an '87. I figured that it is an '85 but the guy is in france so maybe it is the same deal as the other one. There is another pic. but it is just an '85 pic taken from here .



    Dean - Sent out my sticker envelopes today, can't wait!
    1984 Yamaha YT 60 Tri Zinger(current project)
    1983 Yamaha YTM 200 (rear suspension kit)..... long term project
    2004 BMW R1150R
    1972 Honda CT 70
    2007 Lifan 110

  10. #175
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
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    29
    Dean, I am so sorry, I sent you some money for the 3Wheeling stickers (I'm Bryan Fraedrich), but missed the part of your post that mentioned the Self-addressed/Stamped Envelope that I was supposed to send with the money. Do you want me to mail you a SASE in another envelope?

  11. #176
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    170
    No, just the buck will do, thanks, Dean

  12. #177
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
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    144

    atv glory days

    Hi Dean
    I was reading some of my old 3 wheeling magazines and I came across a article that your did on "thrashmoblies" from the may 86 issue of 3 wheeling and I was hoping you could answer a few of my questions. I understand that you probably don't remember this particular article but I would like your view on the following questions.
    When you guys at 3 wheeling received your test bikes (e.g. 86atc250r vs 86tri-z vs 86tecate 3) from the respectful manufactures were the test bikes a bit hotter or faster then compared to the same model year bike off the dealers showroom floor? Did you ever shootout your test bikes vs normal off the dealer showroom floor bikes? You stated in the article that you received a 200x and it flat out screemed compared to other 200x s. It out pulled other 200x bikes by 3 bike length on a straight drag. Was this typical of all the test bikes you received from all the manufactuers?
    When it came time to give back the test bikes to Honda or which ever company supplied you with a test bike did you have to repair it back to normal operating condition if you totally trashed the bike beyond normal running condition?
    Did you guys ever get a test bike and absolutely not like it and give it back to the manufacture and tell them not to produce it. If so, did the manufacture listen and not produce the bike for sale to the public? Did you influence any changes to pre production bike that companys revamped before putting it on the market? I read another article that said the 85 atc350x was a bike that was late to hit the market because it had alot of revamping done to it before it was released and that's why they called it an 85 1/2 in that article. Do you know if that was true?
    My last question to you is tied into the past conversations on the board about the 87atc250r and 87atc350x that were not released in the U.S. but possible sold in Canada and Europe in that who at Honda would know how many of these bikes were produce and where they were sold. Also, I remember seeing and I acutally have it on video(1998) honda's tv commerical about all of honda's atv that they have produced during the last 25+ years and saw a 86 atc250r and 86 atc350x in it. Does honda have a museum with 1 model of each bike they produced over the years or did they go out and find owners that had these bikes for the commerical? And would they have a 87 atc250r or 350x in there?
    Sorry, for the novel but it's very unique and interesting to be able to ask someone questions who had intimate access/knowledge of all the behind the scene events that scripted the glory days(1979-87) of the 3 wheeler scene.
    Thanks 350xman
    No- Point in standing around and just watching! Get out and ride!

  13. #178
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
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    170
    We often got test units that were hand-assembled or cherry-picked, and not from the normal assembly line. These were perfect, buffed paint, bolts that all lined up, blueprinted engines and hand-tuned suspension. Fair huh? I remember one of the early 250Rs that when we looked at the rear shock, it had no numbers on it.... Hmmm. I do remember that ATC200X that was really fast right out of the box. Why? We never could figure that one out. Does Honda have an ATC museum? Maybe, but I never got close to Japan (although I tried several times to put a trip together)! I do recall a Kawaski 160 that we hated. It was too expensive, wasn't as fast as the ATC185S... so why build it? A one year wonder... Many of the test units were available for sale, after the model year was up. We bought a number of them for our own use, as the press would get killer deals on used test units. However, some test models were so thrashed that no one wanted them. Here's a good one.....

    Team Honda ATC once had a Big Red for a test unit and pit bike. At the end of the season, they had to give it back, but they also knew it was going to be crushed into scrap. Knowing that, the gang decided to give that Big R one last ride for its life! Going about 80 miles an hour in a box truck, they pitched the Big R out the back on some desert highway! The bike went airborne at the first impact. Parts were flying every which way, tires were torn off, the fenders exploded. There was nothing left of that test bike to crush. Sorry if you Big Red owners are teary eyed with that one. Dean

  14. #179
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    --
    170
    Guys, I just realized that I had private messages stacking up, as I never knew about them existing. I really don't have THAT much time to answer all of them, so try to keep your ideas and ?s on this end of the forum. Thanks for all of the kind words about our old magazine. Dean

  15. #180
    mad_max is offline Just Too Addicted Arm chair racerJust too addicted
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    Kansas
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    462
    Dean, In your opinion, where was the 3 wheeler sport headed if the consent decree had not happened?

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