Honda 3CON - Modern Big Red

[keister]

I also recently got some awesome new bar stools off E-Bay. Check 'em out.

And no matter what, the 250R and 350X stools are always occupied and I have to end up riding the slow stool.

[atctim]

And no matter what, the 250R and 350X stools are always occupied and I have to end up riding the slow stool.

And what do you want to bet the 200X stool is the first to break too?

[Eric250R]

Super nice digs man, I'm jealous...

[atctim]

OK guys, so I really put the 3Con through it's paces here the last couple weeks. In preparation for my trip to the Hatfield McCoy trails, Rockhouse trail system, I had been taking out the 3Con every weekend on rides (6 weekends in a row). Everything was good, and no problems / glitches found with the exception of the front tire leaking air. I normally would never ever tube a tire, but I figured since it was on the front tire and is not a drive tire, I would be OK. I installed a tube in the front and it is holding air great now. As I was preparing for my trip, I took one last ride with friends on Saturday night. When we got done riding I loaded the 3Con into my truck bed. The next morning, as I went to unload I noticed a bunch of oil in my truck bed. Somehow the starter motor bolts backed out / broke the mounting ears off the starter. Keep in mind, this was Sunday and I was set to leave for West Virginia on Wednesday morning. My local Honda dealer had a starter motor in stock, and saved the day for me. As I arrived at Hatfield, I was very "skeptical" as I had a real run of bad luck. As I mentioned, Monday morning I was scrambling for a starter motor for my Hatfield ride, then out of the grey afternoon sky came a tornado. This not only ripped off part of my garage roof and threw it 100+ yards into my neighbors back yard, but it also created a ton of work for me at work. I work for a telephone company and it had ripped down lines and poles all over the place. Long story short, I was not able to leave for Hatfield until Thursday afternoon, a day and a half after I was supposed to leave. Darn the luck.

Friday morning, I was finally out on the trails with a smile ear to ear. The very first thing I noticed about the 3Con was the unbeatable ride. The 4SNOW tires offer an awesome ride at 2.2psi. I was able to pick semi-high speed lines in the roughest and toughest rocky spots on the trail. The tires just soaked it up and left me smiling. Then on to some hill climbing. The 3Con does great being a bit longer wheelbase. It never feel light up front. The 4SNOW tires however are not great on hard pack, and a couple of the hills I climbed were just that. I was still able to make it, but I am so used to the tires gripping so well that they don't spin, that was not the case on these hill climbs, but I still made it without too much BH puckering. Overall the 3Con did not skip a beat! It performed so very well. I also was able to get a top speed verified. 44MPH on the road, and apparently, the 4SNOW tires "balloon" out like a top fuel dragster while running (legally by the way) down the pavement roads between Man and Gilbert WV. Along on the ride was Kintore on a 1983 ATC185S, Keister on a 350X, 250SXWheeliePop on a KFX700, some random quads, and some random side by sides. Never once did I feel "outmatched" on any of the trails or roads. In summary, the 3Con is everything I want in a trail bike / cruiser. The comfort level is unmatched by any trike I've ever ridden. The power is OK, and ample, but it is far from a race bike. The handling is descent, but could be very improved by ditching the Roundy Poundy tires for some stiff side wall tires, however, it's a trade-off, and I will take some "tipsiness" over a harsh ride with my 3 wheeling experience. Couple pictures: one is at the actual "Rockhouse" rock formation at the top of one of the mountains. the other is the "Auger Holes" where the coal miners auger deep holes in the mountains for exploration of coal. With so many bikes being busted up and broken at Hatifeld McCoy from the roughness of the terrain, I am happy to report, this trike took it all in stride, and left me smiling the entire time.

[joesouth]

Did you get very many people asking what you were riding?

[atctim]

Did you get very many people asking what you were riding?

Not really, but then again, the trails did not have very many people on them. I did get a few thumbs ups and lots of double takes though.

[keister]

For the one year anniversary of this build, it received a snow plow. The plow had been used on this machine when it was in kwad form. Jake and Tim modified it to make it 3-wheeler friendly. Here are some shots from the first 1-2 hours of the 3-Con plow fab black Friday party.

[keister]

Next up: Adapt some sort of chili-dog warmer / cooker in the cradle at the front of the motor. Trail-side snacking level 10!

[swampthang]

I've been thinking about how cool it would be to use the 2wd Foreman 500 for a trike conversion. Thats the biggest air cooled 2wd utility atv Honda had made so far. There kind of a rare quad though they didnt make them very long. A guy could prolly use the 4wd foreman and use the 2wd parts to eliminate the front output shaft, Oh dreams.

[El Camexican]

Are you planning to stud a set of tires for it?

[fabiodriven]

Chains are for ploughing.

[atctim]

yup, chains. I already have them from when it was a quad, but I am thinking with the correct weight distribution, and 3-SNOW tires, I might not need anything. I will weight down the rear carrier with a few cement blocks and see how it does before I go chaining her up. I was able to push dirt without any chains and with some weight on the rear carrier rack. We shall see. this entire project has pretty much been R&D through trial and error. We thought we had it so we could use the handle and not have a winch, but we just couldn't get the desired effect with the time and resources we had, so a winch it is for now. The winch is mounted on a large rotating plate, so when the plow is up, you can turn and not be pulling on the blade. That idea came from Crazy70Man - credit goes there! Thanks Mandy! It works pretty darn well. Hopefully I won;t have to use it (no snow this year). Time will tell. An intersting fact, this might be the longest 3 wheeler ever, with the plow and the rear carrier, it measure just over 11 feet long!

[Zach]

This build is superb, I would love to a pic of it next to a 250ES. Those 4Snows are great, I have been telling people for years my favorite ATC tire I have ever rode on is the ProWedge, (just like the 4Snows) fine work, i love it

[atctim]

Zach, You are indeed in luck. Here are some side by side comparison photos for you