Riding tips..

[Nick762]

Everybody tells me how dangerous my 185s is, and to be honest, a lot of things I own are dangerous so I don't care what they think really.

But I was wondering if there are any tips on riding ATCs?

And how on gods green earth am I able to glide on the water?

[Swinger]

Anything can be dangerous its just how you do it is what defines the danger level! Hell, everyone eats food everyday and if you dont chew your food you will choke...should you stop eating?!?!? Ride on and ride safe, as far as gliding on water.....well Im not gonna touch that one

[Chazz of Blades]

Easiest way to glide over water is to strap a boat to the bottom! :D


It's like a combination of riding a bike and a quad really, just remember that the most important thing is not to stay planted in the seat, lean into your turns, put enough weight on the front so it won't skid the front tire in loose terrain, and take it slow and steady until you get the hang of it!

[dougspcs]

One of the things I have impressed on my kids and others I have taught to ride a trike.

Never, ever, ever put your feet down while trike in is motion..it is a natural reaction while you are learning to ride 3 wheelers. If you start to go off balance you just do this to stop yourself from tipping. But many people have been run over by their own machine because they put their foot to the ground then had it get caught up under the rear wheel!!

Your feet stay on the pegs at all times!!

[Headsup]

LoL, I agree WHen i first rode my First trike, A 185sd, I stuck my foot down all teh time, Now i just learned to Lean, My brother put his foot down ounce and Boom, Rear tire went up over his leg and it pulled him off. Boom ran right up over him, Always wear a helmet..!!! Alwayz!! Idk try not to take turns at 100mph u should be ok, Ride slow t first get the feel for it..

[atc007]

After you've learned the basics,,,,ALOT of your trike control is in your footpegs.. Most pros toss the bike around a lot with their feet.. Much more so on suspended trikes with flattrack tires,steel pegs and suspension,,As opposed to a 185S. But the same principle applies. Take your time,,wear your helmet,,and have fun!!! And BE SAFE !

[fabiodriven]

Smash the gas.

[skidmorejr88]

^^^^hahaha just smash the gas and hold on! I have found that these trikes with no rear suspension are alot easier to get up on two wheels. Very seldom can I throw the rear around on my 200s. So my tip is take it easy around turns until you get a feel for it.

[1984 honda 200s]

Keep your feet on the pegs at all times, sit on your gas tank if you have snow in your area when your turning doing a doughnut or just simple turing, sit on your gas tank when climbing a hill, lean into your corners, i got clocked at 95-100 klms/h with a 13tooth front sproket on my 200s, i hit corners on my road WOT since im used to the bike and roads and i never slide and rear tire doesnt come up.
You will teach yourself how to ride with time, and learn no tricks, JMO- Dont do long cat walks, i ended up seizing the lower rod bearing on mine about 2 months back, i could do 3rd gear wheelies for like 400 yards no problem....its cool yeah but bad for both front bearings and engine. !! ''Oil goes to the back of the motor starving the crank for oil'' This is my first trike a 84 200s, ive just had it over a year now, ive ran about 200 tanks of gas threw the thing, only had one accident and im retarded on it, i once came into my yard to fast with brother on the back, we have pine trees all around the out side of the yard and i went to pass between them on an angle and ended up clipping one of the trees with my brush bar... it threw both of us off the bike and rolled it...Alcohol mite of been involved that night.
WEAR A HELMET

[El Camexican]

Everybody tells me how dangerous my 185s is, and to be honest, a lot of things I own are dangerous so I don't care what they think really.

But I was wondering if there are any tips on riding ATCs?

And how on gods green earth am I able to glide on the water?

I posted this awhile ago, you may get something out of it... As far as doing a Jesus Christ over a body of water, pin it, keep all your weight to the back and be ready to go over the bars at some point :)

Motorcycles moving at riding speeds turn by counter-steering, that is to say you turn away from the direction you wish to go and the gyroscopic forces created by the moving wheels will pull the bike in the direction of the lean you initiated when you “tipped” the bike. If you did not already know this get on your bicycle and “push” on the right side of the bars as you ride and you’ll see the bike goes to the right. Never ceases to amaze me how many people don’t know this yet still feel comfortable going 100mph through a set of curves.

Three Wheelers steer opposite of this as they do not naturally lean when the front wheel is pointed one way or another. There is only one exception to this and that is a full on power slide which I assume the guys here are talking about when they refer to riding it like a dirt bike, but that’s not something you are going to jump on a trike and do in the first 5 minutes, so please try it my way first.

Three wheelers are more like snowmobiles than anything else I know of which might explain why there was a lot less talk of lawsuits in Canada during the 80’s, God knows we all had one and the only guy I know that got hurt (and not that bad) was getting 5 feet of air under a Big Red a few moments prior to the crash.

So here’s the deal. Get on your trike, ride slowly and straight on some safe path and gently push the bars one way and the other and get a feel for what it does. You’ll find it reacts very slowly and unless you are on damp clay or pavement it may even push the front wheel at low speeds. You will learn to deal with this by leaning into the turn and “bouncing” the chassis with the clutch which will load weight onto the front wheel and help you turn, but be careful. Sudden throttle chops in mid-corner at speeds over 15mph will likely result in a high-side crash, another wonderful thing about traditional three wheelers (the new CanAm style trikes don’t have this problem). There are no low-side three wheeler crashes and when you do high-side the shape of your three wheeler usually causes it to come tumbling after you foot pegs, handle bars and all. Still wanna join the club? Read on.

Your worst enemy the first few hours you are on your trike is what I call visual fixation which is what cause people (mostly women, lets be honest here) to drive straight into poles, trees and other deadly objects. This is what happens when you look at what you want to avoid instead of looking where you want to go. Trikes make it worse because in a fear situation your brain and body will automatically default to what you learned on your bicycle and motorcycle causing you to do the opposite off what you should do on a trike. You must override your instincts with calm cool thinking until three wheeling becomes second nature.

All the comments about leaning into corners are 100% true, you have to lean because the geometry of a three wheeler makes it want to track straight at all times and the solid, two wheeled rear axle prohibits the front wheel from having much influence on the direction they are traveling in. Remember Newton’s theory of inertia from school? “An object in motion will remain in motion unless affected by an outside force”? I think dear Newt had just gone for a trike ride before he came to that conclusion. You are that force on a trike. They are extremely “needy” when it come to requiring driver input. There are some great videos out there, watch them and look at the body language.

The comments about keeping you feet up are right next to “Don’t point a loaded pistol into your face and pull the trigger” in terms of importance. Your sever your calves and break your ankles. If you must maneuver your steed in some way with your feet, get off and do it from the rear.

Now that you have a basic idea of how this all works in theory you can start having some fun. I recommend snow and ice if possible, but sand and mud are fun, safe places to start too. Start screwing around doing doughnuts, power slides and wheelies. Stand up and try to ride the trike on two wheels (front and one rear) Practice using your rear brake and your throttle to initiate a slide. Get used to every possible moving stance short of upside down, because at some point along the way you’ll experience it again when you least expect it and you’ll have to react. It will all come to you with time, just use your head and be sure to wear full MX gear at all times as you WILL crash at some point and it will be a lot worse if you’re in shorts and a t-shirt.

Be safe, gave fun, start slow, get fast.

[Nubbinz]

to start, you need to lean. If you hit hills it might seem scary but the faster you hit them the less likely you are to flip backwards, Ive ridden trikes up vertical hills because i slam into them in 3rd gear. the pegs play a lot in it too. I can steer a hard tail trike with the pegs no joke. Just get going about 30 and put all of your weight on either peg it will pull to that side, also you can throw the rear end around with crazy precision because you just kick the inside peg out of your drift. I can see the danger in putting your foot down but... The way i see it, is broken parts on me heal, trikes don't. Ive put my foot down countless times, even when drifting and never wrecked. I would say don't do it, I'm not that smart :D. Ive always done it with worn out shoes and touched my heal down so nothing really bit into the ground causing the trike to drive up my leg. In the end you decide what you do. Don't let a bunch of people who don't know what there talking about ruin the fun of trike riding because they saw a show 25 years ago that told them trikes are dangerous and it must be true because they've never ridden one.

[El Camexican]

I can see the danger in putting your foot down but... The way i see it, is broken parts on me heal, trikes don't. Ive put my foot down countless times, even when drifting and never wrecked. I would say don't do it, I'm not that smart :D. Ive always done it with worn out shoes and touched my heal down so nothing really bit into the ground causing the trike to drive up my leg.

Yo Nub! Can you please, please, pleeeeeease post a video of you doing this? I for one would just love to see you (or anyone else who can do this) drift a trike with your foot on the ground and I'm sure many others here would too. Oh, and can you please tell me which foot you have on the ground when say drifting into a left turn? I just want to get a mental image so I can start practicing. POST THAT VID!!!

PS. Totaly agree on the your theory about the body healing faster than the trike Dude. I still can't understand why I have to use a helmet when I race when the money would would be like waaaay better spent on say a bigger carb, or (in your case) new shoes. Plus you can like get new ligaments and stuff from pigs and plastic bones now, but try finding OEM plastic for a Tri-Z! Peace Bro!

[Nubbinz]

Be glad but my 185s is dead, and I'm trying to sell it. I know someone putting together 2 110s into a running one, and I've been offered to ride it when its finished. I also know someone with a Yamaha 200, and I might go hunting at their place in a month or two. So if i go either place ill bring my camera. I havnt ridden a trike in a year though so itll probably take me a few attempts before i can pull a real drift. Oh, also, try getting on a tiny dirtbike, and putting both feet on the ground, and ski around on wet grass being pulled by the bike. Next time i go to my friends place if his beater dirtbike will start ill try and get a vid. Im only really comfortable with my right leg touching the ground, i put it down for sharp right drift or gradual left drifts, so I cant hang a 90 degree left drift with the strategy. If you try this wear a helmet... please

[Chazz of Blades]

I REALLY want to see this. REALLY REALLY.

Makes me wonder if all these people with 30+ years in trikes are lying when they say to never put feet down, or you my good sir are simply a god on wheels.

[Nubbinz]

All of those guys with 30 years of xp have gotten hurt enough times to know better, being 14 theres not much I wont try on a trike.

[El Camexican]

All of those guys with 30 years of xp have gotten hurt enough times to know better, being 14 theres not much I wont try on a trike.

If you are only 14 I am obligated to tell you I was making fun of you as it seemed you were an over 18 idiot . NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER!!! put you feet on the ground while operating a three wheeler and always wear a helmet. Also, healing after you are 40 is a very slow process, parts are cheap. Be safe, watch vids of the pros, no feet on the ground...EVER!

[Nubbinz]

Ive seen 8 guys in shorts and nothing else piled on a 400cc quad in west Virginia, and Ive seen some atv wrecks up close. I ride trikes because you can feel when there ready to fall to pieces, which, keeps me from doing so. The fact I longboard is probably why I'm not scared of anything while riding atvs. 30+ mph on pavement with no brakes makes the most stupid thing you can do while riding seem brilliant. Anyways I feel like Ive unintentionally stolen this thread at this point so... I'm always up for a thread that goes something along the lines of this is why you don't put your feet down and some pictures of shattered ankle bones shredded legs etc. if your ever up for it. Over and out chief.

[Chazz of Blades]

Ive seen 8 guys in shorts and nothing else piled on a 400cc quad in west Virginia, and Ive seen some atv wrecks up close. I ride trikes because you can feel when there ready to fall to pieces, which, keeps me from doing so. The fact I longboard is probably why I'm not scared of anything while riding atvs. 30+ mph on pavement with no brakes makes the most stupid thing you can do while riding seem brilliant. Anyways I feel like Ive unintentionally stolen this thread at this point so... I'm always up for a thread that goes something along the lines of this is why you don't put your feet down and some pictures of shattered ankle bones shredded legs etc. if your ever up for it. Over and out chief.



I really, really, really feel sorry for anybody who shares roads with you in a few years.


Kid, your balls aint made of gold, and nobody is believing your stories of riding mastery.

[350xx]

The main problem i see in this thread is that you guys are riding machines that are not meant for what you are using them for.
IF IT IS NOT A 200X, 350X, 250R, TECATE, OR OTHER SPORT MACHINE, SLOW DOWN.

You guys try dumb stuff on crappy little trikes made for bouncing along the prairie.
Not trying to be mean or anything.

If you want to learn how to ride a three wheeler, get on it, ride it and learn.
There are exceptions to the foot down theory.
If you tip too much, widen your rear end or get rid of those dang BUBBLE TIRES!
Just get comfortable with your machine.
Remember, "Push it to the edge to find your limit, not over it."-StevenE.
Just get on, ride, protect your noggin, and dont forget to have fun!
P.S. Slow down. Thanks!

[EarlyBronocGuy]

Lean.

Your body, not the trike. Trikes don't lean.

At low speeds, on surfaces with lots of grip (like pavement), when turning, the front tire will want to "push" - i.e., it won't affect the direction of the trike much, because it has to fight the traction of 2 rear tires locked together by a solid axle. You can either lean forward to put a little more weight on the front tire and open the throttle a little to get the rear tires to scrub, or you can VERY carefully shift enough body weight to slightly lift the inside tire.

On low-traction surfaces, or at higher speeds, you can steer as much with the throttle and pressure on the footpegs as you do with the handlebars. If I'm flying along a pretty good clip and need to suddenly make a turn, I'll let off the throttle, hit the REAR brake, and lean towards the inside of the corner, putting pressure on the outside footpeg - this will get weight and traction to the front tire, the rear end will come drifting around, and I can hold it in whatever attitude needed to make the corner. Slow, tight corners I usually lock the rear brakes, get the rear end sliding around, downshift while coming into the corner, then about halfway through the corner, once the trike is pointed towards the exit, get back on the gas and go. High speed corners usually call for more body lean to the inisde (like butt over the inside rear tire), get the rear drifting, and nail the gas.

Do NOT look at things you don't want to hit, or run over. You'll fixate on them and hit them anyway. Look for where you DO want to go - particually where you want your front tire to go. Most of the trails I ride on are made by and for 4 wheelers, so the front tire of my trikes ends up either in the middle of 2 ruts or down in one - which means that at least one of the back tires will be doing the exact opposite. For tight corners on trails with deep ruts, I usually put my front up on the "berm" between the ruts, it keeps the weight further back and less likely to do an endo if I come up on an obstacle suddenly.

Going uphill? Get your butt off the seat, lean forward over the tank, adjust according to steepness and traction needs. If you come to a stop on a steep hill going up, use your FRONT brake to hold you - if you hit your rear brake, the front wheel will lift off the ground and could just keep right going.

Going downhill? Get your butt as far back as you can - like bouncing off the grab bar. Don't even THINK about using the front brake.

If you get too far out of shape and know you're going to crash, BAIL. Jump off the trike and try to stay away from it, roll when you hit the ground. If you try and save it, you'll end up with 300 lbs of hot metal squashing you while handlebars and footpegs are doing their best to poke holes in you.

[Chazz of Blades]

Seconded on the bailing part, one less trike is better than one less triker.

[Vealmonkey]

Yep, riding trikes faster than they were ever meant to go and riding on the wrong trike. Let's see, the first production suspension trike was the 1981 atc250r, right? So people never raced hard tail trikes before then right? People never built 180cc + atc90s that ran on alcohol either, right? So all those guys and girls that raced before 1981 never exceeded 30 mph or so, since those trikes were never meant to go that fast, right? Don't tell that to Tommy Gaian, or Nicholson, or Wax or any of those other guys that got their pictures in the early 3wheeling or DirtWheels magazines! LOL It never ceases to amaze me the things people write on here. At least it's free entertainment!!!!! LOL Hey Fabio, get aload of what these guys are writing on here.

[Nubbinz]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-POdl4f1r8 .... yep, if it wasnt meant to go that fast, it never did.

[El Camexican]

There are exceptions to the foot down theory.

Can you elaborate on that comment??? And please don't leave out any details!

[350xx]

Can you elaborate on that comment??? And please don't leave out any details!

What i mean, is there are times when you must put your foot down.

I was riding my 350x at Capitol forest orv in washington.
When quads ride trails, they tend to leave massive ruts.
Your front tire gets sucked into the rut and the rears stay in the opposite rut.
Then, if you hit a bump with your rears, you can easily be tipped over. Follow me?
So you put your foot down and keep the trike from flipping and falling down a 100 foot cliff to your death.
Low speeds only.

DRIFT at high speeds obviously =]
Hope that cleared things up.

[350xx]

Yep, riding trikes faster than they were ever meant to go and riding on the wrong trike. Let's see, the first production suspension trike was the 1981 atc250r, right? So people never raced hard tail trikes before then right? People never built 180cc + atc90s that ran on alcohol either, right? So all those guys and girls that raced before 1981 never exceeded 30 mph or so, since those trikes were never meant to go that fast, right? Don't tell that to Tommy Gaian, or Nicholson, or Wax or any of those other guys that got their pictures in the early 3wheeling or DirtWheels magazines! LOL It never ceases to amaze me the things people write on here. At least it's free entertainment!!!!! LOL Hey Fabio, get aload of what these guys are writing on here.


Those atc70s are the bomb!!
However, the atc90s 110s and 185s and 200s are just toys with stupid oversized balloon tires.
Im talking stock and no susp.
And we arent living in the 80s anymore. sorry.

Modified trikes are a completely different story.

Anyway, what i really want to get by, is that ride a stock trike how it is meant to be ridden DONT PUSH THEM PAST THEIR LIMIT, if you mod it to suit your riding style then go for it and go hard!!! (susp, engine mods, etc.)

Clear anything up?

[Vealmonkey]

I'm talking no suspension, no cushy tires, jump over various sizes of bumps and such and flat track racing. People were doing such things before modern day production suspension trikes. Going way faster than they were ever meant to. People racing non suspension trikes nowadays as well. ATC70s with 150cc engines and bigger. Where will it end? Oh the insanity! But way back when there were stock classes as well with no mods and those god awful bouncy tires and they were still being ridden way too fast.

[1984 honda 200s]

I dont see a posted speed limit on hard tail trikes with balloon tires...... my 200s is not fast enough yet ! Hell all i do is climb hills, mudd bogg and road run. If i want it to go faster than it was intended to go then i'll make it go faster... The limitations on your trike is YOU !

[350xx]

I dont see a posted speed limit on hard tail trikes with balloon tires...... my 200s is not fast enough yet ! Hell all i do is climb hills, mudd bogg and road run. If i want it to go faster than it was intended to go then i'll make it go faster... The limitations on your trike is YOU !

200s, that is the Best advice yet!!

[350xx]

I would love an atc70. I would have that, and my 350x. =] perfect match!

[Nubbinz]

Im with honda 200s, when my 185s ran it topped out at 45, it would rev up more and get louder but not go faster, but i still wanted and felt i could handle another 15 mph. Its all with the rider, I was neck and neck with my friends 400 suzuki till I topped out my trike and he was only in 4th out of 6th gear. Not just race wise, but off road capability is limited by the rider a good ammount. I went to a family friends place in 2 feet of snow and he was going through creeks hill climbs etc on a broken down yamaha 200 trike, and on a 400 4wd four wheeler i was coming up on two wheels and getting stuck so much i just gave up. If you feel comfortable keeping up with your friends on suspended 200+ trikes on a 110 and can stay on your vehicle, then go for it.

[1984 honda 200s]

I dont need a full suspension bike to be happy, thats why i own 2 hard tails. Yes there kidney killers on a good day but still, there quick enough. They get me around just fine.
At Nubbinz: you only got 45 out of your 185? Well im not sure but when i changed that front sproket on my 200 to a 13t stock top end , keeping brothers stock with an 11t but rebuilt top end, he was lets say 1 cars length behind and i was clocked between 95-100klm... :bounce :bounce :bounce :bounce

[Nubbinz]

I like hard tails due to simplicity, theres nothing to go wrong with the rear end unless u snap trailprotrailpro axle, the only advantage to suspension is if you hit jumps a lot , or if you dont know how to lift an inch off your seat to save your spine. I dont really care too much about speed, its fun and all but as long as im going 30 im happy. Im more into offroading then speed, ive got a few decent hill climbs, a creek, and a mud pit that gets up to 5 feet deep in the early summer.

[sweetip2000]

Ride over dry river beds with large smooth rocks , stand on the pegs.
This will really test your coordination, I have been riding motocross from the age of 13 to about mid 30's. I got into ATC long after they were banned but shared the trails with them back in the days. I have been riding ATC for about 10 years now. I am 50. I ride a harley on the street and raced the 250cc harley 2 strokers in the dirt. Riding off road make you a beter rider. Always wear a helmet gloves boots and eye protection. If you hit your head on a rock its your own fault, if you fall its most likely because of your judgement, always walk down unknown trails before you ride them. You never know where trails may lead you to like the edge of a cliff. Again use your common sense. If you are sharing trails with other riders dont speed in the center of the trail before a blind hill. Lots of accidents happen when bikers crash into each other, use your common sense, be carful of low hanging branches. They can whip your eyes and face, If you are climbing steep hils and cant make it up dont panic and never turn around on a steep hill or try to get off the ATC. Roll backwards and lean forwards. If your tires are muddy and wet and you are climbing dry rocks your rear tires will spin until they are dry and once they are dry the bike will flip over due to the tires gaining traction again. Keep in mind the changes of wet to dry rocky terrain. If the bike flips backward jump off the side or throw the bike off you. Never ride with shorts on. Always wear long pants and dont wear flip flops or sandals. The reason why these trikes were banned was because of passengers getting hurt and riders using poor judgment. Your not supposed to ride passengers.
Riders were not responsible so the lawyers took advantage of the riders ignorance of safety and sued the motor companies, the lawyers destroyed the sport due to riders not being responsible, and one more thing anyone who litters in a riding area should be hung upside down by their onions. I have seen too many riding areas destroyed and closed due to riders abusing nature, it says it right in the owners manual. read it. preserve nature and ride responsibly. You are responsible for your own actions. Bikes are not dangerous.People who dont use common sense ans good judgment are dangerous.