Honda dealer offering help for the 1987 quest

[Cave Rider]

My name is Pat,(Cave Rider)
I have been curious to say the least about the quest for the 87's. I currently own a 1987 250ES. Not such a big deal,since 3ww came about..lol
Anyhow,i am about 1.5 hrs from the canadian border,and would love to get some cash and go hunting(1987 250R)or (1987 350X).But i obviously can go into it blind. I also am not computer savy. It took me quite some time just to figure this site out.
I also work at a Honda dealership and have access to quite alot of dealer info.I am willing to use ANY of my resources to help bring resolve to this matter. I have gone to the dealer sites trying tp find anything about them and have had no luck.
Does anyone have ideas or part #'s that they would like me to try ?? I can do dealer locators and search's but it only works in the U.S. Short of tying up my dealer rep. and using him as ransom,im beat !!!
I know there are some crafty/creative members here,so if you have suggestions LMK.

[mymint87]

Ignorance abounds here when it comes to this matter, I for one believe they are out there just from the credibility of the witnesses......but here, they want pics, maybe because they feel nothing is true unless endorsed on these forums.....shallow minded urchins fursure...I wish you the best of luck... and BTW, the 87 ATC250R are blue....... you might broaden your search to Europe too

[jeswinehart]

Bring resolve to what matter ? What are you asking,,, for Honda numbers or where 87 modles are located ?

[Mosh]

At the risk of being bashed to death for my opinion, I simply Believe that the 87 250R and 350X just does not exist. If so, it would be prototype only that never hit the sales slate.

If one did, I would tend to believe it to be the 250R.
Now all this is my opinion, but let me explain.

When Suzuki introduced the first quad racer, all the big 3 companies almost would have instantly dropped any R&D into a 3 wheeler. They knew most trike racers were ditching trikes and jumping on the 4 wheeled wagon. Just look at the 86 Blackwater 100 tapes. It was a literal sea of LT 250R Quadracers. So from a business standpoint, the manufatures would instantly jump on the quad wagon just to keep their heads above water. It is a money thing...That is all. Why would they continue efforts to make a Record, when Cd's were starting to flood the market? (That is a relative business comparison, and quite logical too)

Also the 87 350x would have been abandoned for a 87 year, simply due to the fact that Honda aimed at focus on a sport 4 stroke quad which eventually led to the release of the 87 250x.They only thing in the Brochure on the 87 350X was some different stickers and white tank scoops. Once again a 50 cent option strictly for a early photo brochure realease.

For me, I can honestly say that I am realist and the first thing that makes me skeptical is the sole fact of big business. The big companies knew quads were coming and immediately shifted focus to that market. Then bring in the whole ATC ban decree, which I am sure that inside closed doors, the manufatures knew was coming before it even went public.

There has been much speculation that the 87 R does exist. But aside from 2 photos one being a brochure,The other a pic of a 86 R with white OEM plastics leads me to believe that was all it made it to. A advertisement photo.
Now some will say but wait, that 86 had OEM Honda plastics. Well, it would have cost honda a whole 50 cents to drop some white TRX plastic stock into the ATC molds and blow a few pieces for a prototype picture. If a white set of plastics was sold or made it to a private owner, it almost certainly would have been and inside job from a friend, or leftover stock of a 5 piece run, or employee that carried out a few pieces to sell. That I can believe.
Other than that we have a 87 ATC seat picture floating around. Well let me assure you, that that would and is EASY to replicate. I have done it.
Now if I saw the bottom pic of the seat pic we have seen, then I would succomb to the fact that it was actually a OEM cover as I would be able to tell within seconds. But all we have is top pics.But once again, a 50 cent option to produce one strictly for a photo op for a sales add.

Regardless, it is something of a controversy ,and if one pops up with viable proof I will eat my words.

All we have proof of now, is utility models and the 200x in 87. And I am sure they were on the line unassembled in late 86 and were slightly modified for some last minute sales to clear the factory inventory on the assemebly line.
But good luck in your search.

[SWIGIN]

I think Mosh is a mind reader since thats what I say all the time....lol


Mainly the part about quads taking over and they are the real reason trikes being dead and not solely the ''ban''.

[Dirtcrasher]

Same here guys!!

Not one single part has ever shown up anywhere, aside from the possible seat. Well, MOSH covers seats and could duplicate that "A" too.

I'd love to know that 2,3,4 or 6 got away and are hidden away with a person that has money and could care less about a message board.

But, I have to look at the evidence thus far and it's not looking good..........

[Billy Golightly]

Dean Kirsten has said that he rode an 87 250R Canadian model. I don't doubt that. I know that 87 ATC parts exist because one member here has an 87 ATC250R motor in his TRX (Check the article on teh front page if you haven't read it). We've got the 250R in Japan that has what appears to be the correct plastics and decals. I think there is no doubt they were produced. I guess my hang up is how many (If any) were released to the general public. Tht I'm not so sure about.

[fabiodriven]

I say no more threads on this topic until someone has pictures.

[ShaneNP123]

Wasn't there a thread a while back about someone buying an '87 350x? It had pics I remember

[ShaneNP123]

http://www.3wheelerworldforums.com/s...hat-year-is-it

[Dirtcrasher]

^ someone made the mounts, they most likely wouldn't be black. No holes in them, OEM likes to save weight!

The grommets are just from something else. The year sticker doesn't go there......

No key switch.

Debated years ago...........

[scooterroo]

oh boy here we go AGAIN...

[oldskool83]

I agree with mosh...why because we do the same thing were i work. we release a proto type of somthing we do not make for a next years sales show, even do a brochure and update labels on product....and turns out 1/2 the time we we never end up making it or getting a contract to sell it.

so in the end theres a fake prototype that looks like a new relase but its just a weeks worth of time to try and get a dime.

[Cave Rider]

I completely take your knowledge/thoughts to mind. You have all made valid points.One thing that im curious about is Dean Kirsten.Why would he BS?? I guess im still that 6 yr old still looking for santa,but i cant give up so easy. Another point for them not be in existence,that i personally encounter is that most performance and large displacement models are built last. At least thats the case here at our dealership. The big toys always show up last,so maybe Honda did see the writing on the wall and stop production.
However,the sasquatch and bigfoots have been spotted. WHY NOT THE 87 R AND X .....lol...

MAYBE HONDA KEEPS THEM IN AREA 51 !!!!

[whipit]

I wonder why any leftover 86/87 350x and 250R models did not end up like this 87 200x- with a factory retrofit quad conversion. I believe that is what we have here- unless this TRX200X , which was sold in some markets, notably mexico, was produced along side of the atc 200x and is a separate machine. it sure looks like a retrofit

didn't yamaha sell a bunch of retrofit Tri-Z quads in europe in 87-88??