What makes folks ride (own?) three-wheelers?-

[hang&rattle]

No, really, why do you love it so much? Why? What makes a trike enthusiast choose a trike? I wanted to know after the 'brutal crash in sand' thread, it seems people's reasons are different, which would be cool to see the different reasons. Me, with the help of a buddy, figured out my two reasons- The 1st is the way it makes me feel. A type of high. The concentration to ride a 3-wheeler actually clears my (and my kids) head and relaxes us. And the 2nd is fear. After years of riding bucking bulls and losing my sense of fear (when a large animal tries to kill you every weekend you become numb after a few years), and the Tecate scares me and I enjoy it, it sounds sick, but it's actually healthy to have fear. Is it the build?, or speed?, or the nostalgia? I'd really like to learn the different types. Thanks folks!-

[swampthang]

Im into them because of the rarity. I think of them as like the muscle cars of the atvs. Back in the day muscle cars where not worth much money but now days look at the price some of them are bringing. Its just a matter of time till trike prices go up high. Its nice to have a investment in something you can actually ride and have fun with. Also I get alot of respectfull comments from the older guys that I met on the trails. It brings back memorys for them and they are usually amazed to see one still being riden. Chicks dig them too:naughty: Most people are scared of them and dont ask to ride it. But mostly I love my trikes because they are my hobby. I enjoy looking everyday for new parts and good deals on new projects.

[harryredtrike]

here is a bunch of reasons http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php?117265-Did-us-people-get-into-trikes-because-they-were-cheaper-than-quads-or-other-reasons&highlight=why+we+ride+trikes

[matt86200x]

Im into them because of the rarity. I think of them as like the muscle cars of the atvs. Back in the day muscle cars where not worth much money but now days look at the price some of them are bringing. Its just a matter of time till trike prices go up high. Its nice to have a investment in something you can actually ride and have fun with. Also I get alot of respectfull comments from the older guys that I met on the trails. It brings back memorys for them and they are usually amazed to see one still being riden. Chicks dig them too:naughty: Most people are scared of them and dont ask to ride it. But mostly I love my trikes because they are my hobby. I enjoy looking everyday for new parts and good deals on new projects.

Soo True......

[inv3ctiv3]

What is this brutal crash in sand thread? I can't find it.

[hang&rattle]

Thanks, that what I was looking for. The different personality types, the short explaination. What makes that dude (dudet) tick. inv3ctiv3- it's in open forum.

[ATC-RYDA]

I like the fact that u have to actually put a little more efoort into ridin g on 3 wheels , to meit keeps it exciting . And the on the edge feeling is great , some what of "fear' as stated above .. When riding i like feeling like i "own it " .. If u will

[puggerton03]

I like the way they look. You can throw em around a little easier than a 4-wheeler. And not alot of people have them anymore. If they do have them they dont run.

[thestud25]

Multiple reasons:

1.) They wow factor. A group of us went riding in a prodominently ATV/Dirtbike area and we had so many positive comments about our trikes and lookieloos gawking over the condition and us actually riding them.
2.) The fact that are getting harder and harder to find, and again the wow factor.
3.) I had a 3 wheeler ever before a 4 wheeler and could ride circles around my friends on quads.
4.) I love the look of 3 wheels!!!!!!!

[hang&rattle]

Thanks guys, yeah, all for the same, more or less. I'm not a good mechanic so I don't like repairs, but like to clean-up and paint (build sorta). & yes, I love the looks, that wide rear, and an mx style front fender (R type), and the shrouds and scoops near the tank. I'll jus' park em' in the driveway to look at em' and put em' away when it gets dark.

[Dirtcrasher]

I crash dirt bikes climbing stupid hills a with lips at the top and the front fenders don't turn on quads which throws me off completely, I always over steer them :lol:

[hang&rattle]

^^Ha, ha. I forgot. We got trikes as a family because my kids kept tipping over quads, they are safer for some. And when I ordered my front tire she priced me for two, I said it'a a 3-wheeler, she said 'oh, cool, a 50% discount.' lol, lol!.

[oldtoys72]

I grew up on a farm, when I was growing up we had nothing but Honda ATC's and Trail 90's. Big Reds were the king of the ranch! The last two that we bought were 87's i was told! My grandpa drove to a little town about an hour over the Canadian/Minnesota boarder to buy them! We had them for roughly 6mos before they were stolen! Of course I was to young to really remember all of this but thats what my grandpa told me awhile back after he was over to my place and saw all the trikes and it brought back some memories for him! I got my first trike when I was 4yrs old, ATC70 it was badass! I still have it to this day. I will never forget on christmas eve after i had opened all my presents and wanted to play with my toys only for my family to tell me I had to go out side and grab some more small pieces of wood for the fire place, I remember when i left the living room thinking where is all of my family? so I walk outside and there is this shiny red 70 with a helmet on the seat and a bow on top of that! Nothing like christmas eve donuts in the snow! I love the feeling i get everytime i get on a trike, it takes skill to properly ride, you have to respect and fear the machine to be a good rider. I also love the hunt, its hard to find parts for some of these machines. Plus i love the look of the trikes and proving to people that i can do anything on a trike they go do on a quad! sorry for the long rant!

[riverbottem]

I've been riding 3wheelers since I was 13, 41 now, raised in Az with acres of dry river bed in my back yard. I can honestly say with the exeption of riding my kids 90cc quads just to tune them up that I have never ridden a quad, 3wheelers is all I know and I have no problem keeping up with the new expensive CanAms and YFZ whatevers, but I do know one thing, Midwest riding sucks ass and I miss the desert big time.

[haggard 2hundie]

i dig trikes because they are not mainstream, and i hate mainstream ive always been a black sheep kind of guy who prefers to go against the grain. i like the looks and not many poeple ask to ride a three wheeler cause there too scared of them.
my older bro had an 85 250R in about 89 or 90 and ever since i seen that beast as a kid ive been infatuated, in my opinion nothing slides corners better/funner than a 3wheeler . but above all why people DONT ride trikes is beyond me.

[portland250r]

i like them because theyre rare and fun to find and bring home
they look better
they are funner to ride and make you a better rider then if you were on a quad.
they are a true legend in history.
you can appriciate them more than quads and a lot of them are a collectors item.
theyre faster than the new quads.

[hang&rattle]

Man, thanks guys, I keep commenting because I'm pretty tickled. Can't say enough. It's cool what everyone is saying, that's what I feel. Riding bulls was this euphoric high, undiscribable. I think there is sort of a high from these 3-wheelers. Good for me because I don't chew, drink, or do drugs, so gotta have some thing, huh? THANKS FOR COMMENTING-

[honda200x1987]

Some other reasons already mentioned is why I like 3 wheelers but for the most part in my opinion is.. Looks.. Take a look at a 1986 HONDA ATC250R and the 1987 ATC200X. These 2 machines alone have a kewl look to them compared to todays 4 wheelers. The fenders are proportioned the way they SHOULD be and the colors and graphics are way ahead of the modern ATV in my opinion. Not to mention a 3wheeler can manuver better in thick wooded areas without constantly having to use reverse, you can turn a 3 wheeler on a dime and they are just plain fun to ride period.

[84honda200s]

i love trikes for many reasons but a few are: its a rush when your in 5th gear pinned and it starts to wonder to one side or the other. its a feeling of having no control that makes me love it. it makes me wanna build a faster more powerful trike. truth be told i bin pondering the idea of putting a rotax 470 sled engine in a trike frame just to go faster. im not careless on them though. another reason i love em is because they do in fact go allot of places a quad cant go. they are just so much fun to ride . plus they are something different.... ive seen sooo many 450R's raptor's blaster's banshee's and so on but i hardly ever see the same 2 looking trikes. everyone has a different looking trike even if its the same model trike.

[cattle-dog]

why do i own and ride three wheelers no long stories here, its very simple. they fit my personality, style, and age. i dont own a quad and probably never will. i did look a at some but then i found another trike to catch my eye. so my answer is they fit.

[bigboy_toy85]

i enjoy the thrill of it, how it takes actual talent to ride them.. its just a certain feeling i get.. and i like the comments i get from people.. like "You ride that!? out here!? your damn crazy" haha.. but really everyones got to be a little crazy to ride them..

[northerntrike]

When I went out looking for a cheaper quad this summer, my BR is what followed me home. I had the option of it or an older yamaha atv that burned oil like crazy. I sat on both, took them both for a short ride, and decided on the trike. Glad nobody was around though at the time. It was just me and the old guy out in field behind his house. Wouldn't have looked to good with me sportin' a stiffy the moment I got on the trike.....lol. Seriously though, I had my heart set on a quad for a few years. I've driven dad's 650 a few times but the thrill just wasn't there. I'd still like one eventually but I thoroughly enjoy the feeling I get when I'm on the trike riding around. I'm not what you would call a thrill seeker or speed deamon. I'm not into taking jumps or going 100mph. This trike will be just what I need for many years to come.

[pantera1975]

Just look at these things! There just #$$#$$# bad ass! who wouldn't wanna ride them! Its just in my blood. Kinda like people that like Harleys

[hillbilly 200x]

Those are some nice 250r. I love the fact that when I go out there is only a few of use out there and everthing eles is bike and atv. I think I am with ever one eles and say its the looks of a ATC my 83 200x looks ten times better then any new atv out there will look, and it will do evething better then a atv can do, the best thing that I love the most is the power you have, it was all the power of a dirtbike but the ability to not fall over on your side:) ever time i get on an atv i end up braking it or rolling it my atc having broke yet my 85 big red was bought new in 85 and still goes like new.

[NINJA]

I'm a stubborn, opinionated, sentimental, superficial sumbitch, that's why I ride trikes!

[ktmbk]

I heard it was a chroma zone problem

[Mr_RPM]

I ride trikes because i like to be different, i like trikes because i seem to get good deals on them, i like trikes because they normally run like camps with little work or problems. i like trikes because of the passion of the (most of the time) people who ride them. I like trikes because they can be a whole days entertainment. i like trikes because i like to be the under dog that prevails. I like trikes because they seem to go threw alot for what they are. I like trikes because after 1985 the world went to sh!t...lol. i like trikes because tie rods and tires are cheaper. i like trikes because its what i learned on as a kid. i like trikes because i like old things. i like trikes because im an outlaw lol. i like my 110 because of the sentimental value. I LIKE TRIKES! =)

oh and i like turtles

[Xpress]

More fun than quads.

[rdlsz24]

You don't see them every day, and everybody has a story to tell you when they see you own one lol. And they are more affordable than quads.

Rob

[Xpress]

And they are more affordable than quads.

Lol, that could be one reason, but in the long run, you find that you've put more into your trikes than you ave a quad :eek:

[leviblue]

It's what I pushed off the showroom floor in 1985 and it's KICKED ARSE ever sence. My old freinds still love it. My new freinds love it. The chicks,,,,, they love it. The only ones who don't are those who ride on 4 when I pass'em.

[350Kris]

I ride trikes because I've made a life of being different. Riding my ATCs lends itself perfectly to that endeavor.

[tri again]

for instance, i got a golf cart to run around.but it needed hundreds of dollar in parts, batteries, etc to even see if it was worth having.

trikes are cheap, especially if they're dead so
realistically, all it takes is TIME to see if they're worth having

and I usually have more time than $$


sorry to make it sound so simple

oh, and they will go places on the farm that humans canNOT even hope to walk to. and quads get stuck conSIS tently

so there...

[johnspee5]

I ride three wheelers because it's the only thing that I have ever felt comfortable on. I have had one since I was eight and I have always had one since then. I rode my uncles 250R for the first time when I was ten and I was in heaven. I have ridin almost everything that has a motor on it but nothing feels like a 3 wheeler under me. As for four wheelers I don't have any problem with them as long as they move the f outa the way when I come blowin by em'

[STLTrike]

I ride Three Wheelers because four wheelers are no good in the woods, and Three Wheelers are more fun in the Winter then Dirtbikes. My first bike was a 84 ATC 125m when I was 11. It flied through the woods. Then I got a Blaster in 88. It sucked in the woods. I was always hitting a tree trying to go fast through our tight trails. And that sucked. Crusing along and bam! Your stoped. Only had that bike for a few years.

[mooseknuckle]

Bringing a good thread back to life. I like trike because...
Trikes bring me back to my childhood
They are awesome looking
Are more agile then a quad
They can go anyway
And finally I like trike because you have to use alot of "body english" to control them
Riding a trike is like sex on wheels...three wheels!

:TrikesOwn

[kormos_93]

I'm with haggard, I like to be different. Everyone else has a bike or quad, but 3 wheelers are more fun (not that I dislike bikes, I've got 3 of those as well) but trikes are smaller than quads, lighter, some float & if you get a flat tire it's pretty easy to get home on the 2 good ones (especially with a yamaha). Ever since I was 5 & tried out a Big Red for the first time I've never wanted to get a quad. I also think it's neat that you can ride something that was banned from production, makes you feel like a rebel.

[Badbmwbrad]

I never owned a trike in the 70s or 80s. My experience with trikes dates back to Christmas 2012 but my experience with motorcycles dates back to 1970.

I shopped around and test-drove a quad. It felt nothing like a motorcycle. There was no leaning in turns and body English inputs had little affect on directional control. The quad felt kind of lame and produced no sense of risk or danger. The quad felt no more thrilling to me than operating a battery-powered mobility scooter!

The 3-wheeler feels/handles more like a motorcycle; especially when it's leaned up on two wheels. Body English inputs have a much greater affect on directional control. Shifting my body weight to the outside footpeg in a sharp turn is completely opposite to motorcycle riding but I like the challenge of mastering this technique.

It's a blast to race around my large, snow/ice-covered, figure-8 driveway and I can only imagine how much fun sand dunes would be (but there are no sand dunes here :( ).
I also enjoy rehabilitating my trike; gaining satisfaction from restoring its performance. Shopping for repair parts (including the hunt for parts on EBay) is not unenjoyable.


I like trike because... Trikes bring me back to my childhood

They are awesome looking
Are more agile then a quad
They can go anyway
And finally I like trike because you have to use alot of "body english" to control them
Riding a trike is like sex on wheels...three wheels!

:TrikesOwn

[mooseknuckle]

Brad, welcome to boards. I wish we had dunes here in new england!

[The_Steve_Man]

I ride 3 wheelers because they are just way more fun than quads.
A plus about that is I don't have an extra wheel to get in the way in trails.
The wow factor and the comments of "he is going to have a hard time going where we go" and showing them I can. I have met more people because of my 3 wheeler than I would have on 4.

[ONEBAD350X]

One reason it doesn't take an hour to find the engine.. new quads are so complicated u might aswell drive a 4x4 truck..

[Gripit'n'ripit]

My reason? It's the fault of 'CivicStomper'. One goofy red neck meeting another goofy red neck who just happened to be a 3 wheeler nut.

We ride 3 wheels because not many others can/will!

[christph]

You drive quads, you ride 3 wheelers. Nuff said. Wait, I also like quads--but not as much as 3 wheelers. When it comes down to it I like the adrenalin rush of going fast and roosting dirt...and sand.

[kebby28]

I like how I can just head out in the woods here in NH with no trail and fit and manuver anywhere. Its also handy that they are some what light. I love the looks of them. And I would much rather a 3 wheeler landing on top of me than a 4-. I have crashed a few times in my teens with my 200s, and I have a "3-wheelin knee" but I'm much more careful here at 32. And the antique part is nice. They get allot of looks and comments.

[69HemiGTX]

I own and appreciate both three and four wheelers. I hold no animosity towards anyone who chooses a four wheeler. When I started riding, the switch to four wheelers was less than five years away. I learned to ride on a Suzuki JR50 and a Yamaha YT60, and the similarites between the two helped speed the process. I love the looks of three wheelers, and I feel that they do help create better riders if they learn on them. I have a long-travel Laeger's 250R as well as a pair of 200Xs, and I'll soon have an 87 T3. The nostalgia of them is what draws me in. It takes me back to my youth, something I've realized I no longer have. When my three-year-old gets a little bigger, he's getting one of the 200Xs. I want him to start out on three wheels so he learns how to properly ride and respect any type of ATV.

[hogmuffin]

For me its mostly nostalgia. I grew up riding 3 wheelers. got a brand new 85 Tri zinger for Xmas when i was 3. My dad and brother and uncles all had them too. rode them all throughout my childhood. Then i went to college and forgot about them. After a ten year hiatus from 3 wheelers, i almost forgot that they had ever existed. then i saw my dads old KLT 160 rotting away behind a barn during a visit home and decided to try and bring it back to life. I did so successfully, and that first ride after ten plus years brought the memories flooding back of all of the fun I had on that machine. Now i'm completely addicted, I own 7 trikes now and i love the challenge of bringing them back to their former glory. I also agree with a lot of the other people on here that they just look a LOT cooler than quads.

164731164732

[ps2fixer]

Love all the replies to this :D.

My reasons...

My first three wheeler was because my dad found 5 for $2200 on ebay (close to 2500 after gas cost etc). I got 2 machines for $1000, which is super cheap for ridable machines. Having a OLD honda 200es vs a 99 350 warrior was interesting... I rode the 3 wheeler MORE! I think it had something to do with the fact It has a backup way to start it besides electric.

Anyway, my current reasons..

#1 They give me a great thrill, power to weight ratio really makes things interesting (350x)
#2 The skill required... my cuz has been riding a few years now, and he still can't throw a machine around much, I have around 3 extra years on him for riding 3 wheelers and it really does take skill. Good example is angled trails, when I first started, I had to slow down, lean etc, now I just fly over it, no problem at all. The "tippy" feeling when I first started is completely gone now, probably the brain washing from the 80s effecting me back then.
#3 They are still cheap vs most quads. You don't need a 500cc trike to keep up with them too :)

As for that 99 yamaha quad... it sits not being used, I'm probably going to part it out, or swap another engine into it... problems and issues all the time, none of my hondas have given me any issues at all and are 10+ years older!