Preparing for the 250r - riding technique?

[stevensj13]

Well guys, I have been riding quads for 10 years and dirt bikes for 5, but this is my first trike. I am 16 years old, 5 foot 3 inches tall. I am looking at a 1982 Honda 250r. I have never riden a trike before, so, any pointers? :cool:

[fabiodriven]

Smash the gas.

[stevensj13]

Sounds about right...

[oscarmayer]

lean intot he turn and steer it witht he throttle... you ride it like a dirt bike except you do not put your foot down...

[Nubbinz]

Lean or flip. Trikes dont have suspension as good as quads so i stand up when i jump (although i never get too much air on a 185s) . If you cant already, learn to drive around on the side wheel, the outside wheel is gonna come off the ground every time you turn. Trikes really dont flip backwards as easy as everyone says, just lean forwards when going up hills, Ive noticed the faster you hit a hill the less the front wheel wants to come up. Thats about all I could say, just practice a lot

[stevensj13]

Alright Thanks for the tips on turning, thats what I was worried about. I'm 16, I told my father last night after we picked it up that he can ride it... He said no LOL. When asked why he said "cause you can't steer those things". Oh well, more fun for me. I want him to get into trikes with me, we both ride bikes and quads. He grew up in the 70s and 80s so he has driven em before and had plenty of friends who had them. Oh well, maybe I can convince him to get a 110 LOL

[just ben]

when leaning into a turn keep your weight over the rear and keep your feet on the pegs! it hurts running your own leg over

[stevensj13]

I ride quads the most, and found it easier on the legs if even when im rolling over or something to keep my feet on. I don't thin that will be a problem... but if I am starting to roll I might bail off the trike

[KASEY]

if your azz is planted in the center of the seat you will never be a good trike rider,,, body english is so important in riding a trike,,, and tire selection is another important factor too,,, throw the ballons away ,,

[stevensj13]

I will be using the bike for trail riding, I am 130 pounds give or take. I am short but I guess that gives me a low center of gravity :lol: we shall see. I don't expect to become a good rider overnight, nor do I expect to become a good rider without falling and crashing. I admit this isn't a starter bike but I figure with my years of experience on bikes I should pick up on the tactics fairly quickly. I understand quads aren't really a good comparison so I will leave that alone. First things first, I have to tune it and get it running good before anything else

[250rRoostmaster]

Just lay the hammer down and leeeeannnn with it!!!

[Vealmonkey]

Steven, when you just wrote that you have to tune it and get it running good first, well, that just gave you alot of credit in my book. Making sure the machine doesn't have any problems and that it is properly tuned and lubed and chain adjustments and tire pressures and working brakes are all great starters. Wear your helmet. Start off easy, don't override your abilities, you will pick things up and get better. Any idiot can go fast in a straight line. Learn your machine. Learn the clutch. Learn the brakes. And most of all, learn turning. Slow speed turns and high speed turns are way different. And your terrain dictates certain things as well. You don't have the extra tire of the quad. You can dump a trike fast if you're not careful. And remember, parts are getting harder to find and more expensive. And cheap parts are usually cheap for a reason. LOL The more time you take at first, the more basics you'll learn, and the better and safer you'll be when you start going faster. Have fun, pay attention and remember, a trike is a way different beast then a bike or a quad. Best of luck. Get a friend to take videos, we always like a good laugh! LOL

[stevensj13]

Steven, when you just wrote that you have to tune it and get it running good first, well, that just gave you alot of credit in my book. Making sure the machine doesn't have any problems and that it is properly tuned and lubed and chain adjustments and tire pressures and working brakes are all great starters. Wear your helmet. Start off easy, don't override your abilities, you will pick things up and get better. Any idiot can go fast in a straight line. Learn your machine. Learn the clutch. Learn the brakes. And most of all, learn turning. Slow speed turns and high speed turns are way different. And your terrain dictates certain things as well. You don't have the extra tire of the quad. You can dump a trike fast if you're not careful. And remember, parts are getting harder to find and more expensive. And cheap parts are usually cheap for a reason. LOL The more time you take at first, the more basics you'll learn, and the better and safer you'll be when you start going faster. Have fun, pay attention and remember, a trike is a way different beast then a bike or a quad. Best of luck. Get a friend to take videos, we always like a good laugh! LOL

Thanks, that reply was some of the best and most helpful advice I have gotten. One of the previous owners was kind enough to lose the main jet and not tell me so I could figure out the mystery and be creative with the sizes :Dammit: so I went and got myself a 162. I put in the carb and she fired up first kick and idled great but shut off when I hit the throttle. I didn't realise it until afterwards by my air filter is sopping wet from the rain we got before I could unload her from the trailer. Oh well, I will let it dry and try again later. I'll make sure to get some videos. Its funny, because when I went to the Honda dealer and me being 5 foot 3 and 16 and they asked what vehicle my carb came off, they had the most suprised look on their face when I said "1982 Honda ATC 250r 2 stroke three wheeler". They thought I was nuts. The guy next to me in the other line also stopped his conversation and stared at me like I was speaking some dead language. If your interested, Ill include some pics of the trike with this post

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[Vealmonkey]

129296129297I'm always interested in pics. Those rear tires are just a tad bit overinflated! LOL I do love the old style fat tire 250rs'. That trike has alot of potential with a lotta love and some money. And the great thing about the 81/82 250r, is there is a member on here who was making kits to put something like a 480 in those frames! So if you need a little more power, you can have it. Now I hope you have gotten on here and found yourself and already downloaded the Honda Factory Shop Manual. If not, I would highlly recommend it. I'm not sure about how you are planning to ride your trike, meaning under what conditons, but if you are going to do alot of mixed riding, you may want to change to a slightly more modern tire, but I dig the stock style tires just fine. Some people switch to 83 and later front ends, but I like the wide tire. It's just a matter of preference. And as to the answer to your poll, when you run a decent 2 stroke oil, go by what the maker suggests. Different makers suggest different ratios. Best of luck with the new trike. And you can still find aftermarket parts for your trike as well. I'm sure someone on here has a real nice, if not nos aftermarket pipe for you. I know I have a nos cancilla chain tensioner with the polyurethan rollers. Pick yourself up a couple spark plugs until you get your jetting straightened out too.

[stevensj13]

129296129297I'm always interested in pics. Those rear tires are just a tad bit overinflated! LOL I do love the old style fat tire 250rs'. That trike has alot of potential with a lotta love and some money. And the great thing about the 81/82 250r, is there is a member on here who was making kits to put something like a 480 in those frames! So if you need a little more power, you can have it. Now I hope you have gotten on here and found yourself and already downloaded the Honda Factory Shop Manual. If not, I would highlly recommend it. I'm not sure about how you are planning to ride your trike, meaning under what conditons, but if you are going to do alot of mixed riding, you may want to change to a slightly more modern tire, but I dig the stock style tires just fine. Some people switch to 83 and later front ends, but I like the wide tire. It's just a matter of preference. And as to the answer to your poll, when you run a decent 2 stroke oil, go by what the maker suggests. Different makers suggest different ratios. Best of luck with the new trike. And you can still find aftermarket parts for your trike as well. I'm sure someone on here has a real nice, if not nos aftermarket pipe for you. I know I have a nos cancilla chain tensioner with the polyurethan rollers. Pick yourself up a couple spark plugs until you get your jetting straightened out too.

Yeah those tires are 22's brand new on chrome rims. Funny you should mention it, first thing I did on this site was download the shop manual. I was planning on getting a few plugs, any reccomendations? I can find the stock in the manual but I am not sure if I should run a hotter plug or not. The compression on this thing is insane, I can barely kick it over (1 in 2 tries). She gets closer to starting when I hit the throttle, so it needs a bit of tuning and a dry air cleaner. I will mainly do a lot of woods/trail riding and mudding. Also a bit of beach sand (Busco Beach ATV park) but not often. I am gonna run some 25:1 mix in it for now. I usually use synthetic but I am not sure what oil is in the mix now from the previous owner, but he was very meticulous about his bikes so I trust he put some decent oil in there. Can't wait to get this thing running, but I definitaly want to take my time on tuning it right first. I haven't seized a motor or blew a top end prematurely yet, and I don't plan on doing it anytime in the future.

[Auto_Demon]

ya i am 15 and i got my 83 250r last year and it didnt take me long to get used to riding it, just like every one says lean alot when drifting or making sharp turns and to get really used to how easy it is to flip, try riding on two wheels by leaning to one side and turning a bit to pop up the outer wheel(depends what side u do it on) and try to ride in a straight line and keep it balanced. have fun!

[Sparkplugkid]

Wheres the vids steven!! Its Yamaharules here nice trike you didnt even tell me you were getting one lol.

[stevensj13]

DUDE I had no idea you were on the site!!! I got a vid ready, I have to upload it. The sucker is loud man, I love the thing. Video promised tonight

[El Camexican]

lean intot he turn and steer it witht he throttle... you ride it like a dirt bike except you do not put your foot down...

I have to argue that "ride it like a bike" part. People riding trikes like bikes is what got a lot of them hurt and caused the ban. Lets not turn this kid into another statistic. 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.

[stevensj13]

I have to argue that "ride it like a bike" part. People riding trikes like bikes is what got a lot of them hurt and caused the ban. Lets not turn this kid into another statistic. 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.

Great advice once again. I believe you also helped me on another thread I have started about fuel mixtures and carburator tuning if I am remembering the username right. I don't know if your on the east cost, but theres a place about 50 miles from me called Busco Beach, maybe you read about it on the forum? Either way, its a really nice place with 1400 acres of sand, mud, trails, tracks, lakes, water crossings, hill climbs, ect ect. I figure theres no better place to spend a weekend learning than there, as long as you don't account for the drunken fools that think their invincible on their quads. I am planning a trip up there with a kid a bit older than me who has been riding trikes (250r, 350x) for years so I will have someone there to notice my mistakes and correct me before they turn into bad habits. I assume you guys wanna hear the beast run and get a good view of it so I will go get some video and pictures

[Sparkplugkid]

Great advice once again. I believe you also helped me on another thread I have started about fuel mixtures and carburator tuning if I am remembering the username right. I don't know if your on the east cost, but theres a place about 50 miles from me called Busco Beach, maybe you read about it on the forum? Either way, its a really nice place with 1400 acres of sand, mud, trails, tracks, lakes, water crossings, hill climbs, ect ect. I figure theres no better place to spend a weekend learning than there, as long as you don't account for the drunken fools that think their invincible on their quads. I am planning a trip up there with a kid a bit older than me who has been riding trikes (250r, 350x) for years so I will have someone there to notice my mistakes and correct me before they turn into bad habits. I assume you guys wanna hear the beast run and get a good view of it so I will go get some video and pictures

do you have ownership didnt catch it if you do or dont

[El Camexican]

Great advice once again. I believe you also helped me on another thread I have started about fuel mixtures and carburator tuning if I am remembering the username right. I don't know if your on the east cost, but theres a place about 50 miles from me called Busco Beach, maybe you read about it on the forum? Either way, its a really nice place with 1400 acres of sand, mud, trails, tracks, lakes, water crossings, hill climbs, ect ect. I figure theres no better place to spend a weekend learning than there, as long as you don't account for the drunken fools that think their invincible on their quads. I am planning a trip up there with a kid a bit older than me who has been riding trikes (250r, 350x) for years so I will have someone there to notice my mistakes and correct me before they turn into bad habits. I assume you guys wanna hear the beast run and get a good view of it so I will go get some video and pictures

Love to join you, sounds nice. I'm in Monterrey Mexico, AKA the recently recognized as the most dangerous city in the world (yea #1 Baby!) So I don't think I'll be able to make it this time. I sure would like to trailer my babies up to Trikefest some day and party with all other in denial rednecks like myself. Maybe I'll get to me you there some day. Have fun!

[stevensj13]

Love to join you, sounds nice. I'm in Monterrey Mexico, AKA the recently recognized as the most dangerous city in the world (yea #1 Baby!) So I don't think I'll be able to make it this time. I sure would like to trailer my babies up to Trikefest some day and party with all other in denial rednecks like myself. Maybe I'll get to me you there some day. Have fun!

Haha it would be a blast if we could get like 30 guys on trikes to just tear through Busco Beach

[dudethatssick]

after spending some time on a 84 atc250r and a 1985 tri-z 250 as my first trikes, it took about a week to realize the simple fact that riding a trike is just like riding a quad. the movements and techniques are pretty much exactly the same , just on the trike everything is MORE EXAGERATED