Your First Trike Experience

[Amater45]

Well, it all had to start somewhere, and I like to hear and see peoples stories!

My first trike experience was with my dad back when I was little, my dad just traded his 85 BR for an 86 350x. My dad wouldn't let me get on with him until I could hold onto the foam pad on the bars and put my feet on the pegs, which I could finally do with the 350x. He'd let me sit in front of him, right behind the gas tank. It was mid winter, lakes were frozen hard, so it was time to go for a ride! He had his friends go with us with their quads, and one atc250r:Bounce, and he took me for a spin in his 350x. I had so much fun! After a little while, my dad said "Here, steer where you want to go!" He left it in 1st gear and let me drive around. It had such a freeing feeling, I couldn't get enough. After a while longer, he decided to ride one of his friends quads, and I joined in. (I recall a warrior). I just couldn't find it as fun, neither did he. My dad's been one to trikes, never owned a quad. So, after, we got back on the 350x and my dad said, "Get ready to climb!" Climbed up a hill near a dam (nothing big) and I was screaming the whole way up. Once we hit the top, I had a smile from ear to ear. Then, from there, I had trike in my blood. :D

(wish i could get pics, but they're all burried :rolleyes:)

[RIDE-RED 250r]

First trike I threw a leg over was my best friend's '86 200x back in 1991. I didn't want to admit it at the time (I was 13 and very competitive) but I found the 200x alot more fun than my Quadsport I had at that time. Wasn't but about 3 or 4 years later I got my first trike, an '85 250r.

[Lil Earl]

went over my Uncle's as a kid even younger than i already am, haha. but i rode the 225 dx that i now acquired around the yard and after watching my dad have a hard time handling it i knew that i just had to get good at riding it haha. some father son rivalry, but now i ride the trikes and he sticks with his 4 wheels

[pantera1975]

My buddy had a 84 110 we rode that thing all over then I bought it from him when he got a 84 200x I then got a 85 200s sold them then a 86 250R all with in 6 months when I was 15 (1990) Sold the R like a dummy missed it ever since when I got my license. Then is 95 I got a 85 R all repainted a horrible light blue color with white plastic had that for a year got engaged a then 2 years ago got a 86 200x that just didnt cut it. Found my 85 and 86 R a month apart and will never sell them. Never owned a square til I got a scrambler 50 and a sportsman 90 for my kids. Yes the older ones with a 2 stroke motor. LOL!!

[ATCcountryboy]

My first trike experience was about a year ago. My dad was the one that convinced me to get a big red instead of a quad, he had a honda 90 back in the day. He said he used to ride that thing everywhere with his friend. I am so glad I went with the trike, it sure turns heads. Especially with the old farmers.

[Amater45]

another experience i had with trikes was when i was 8 and rode a bike by myself, rode a atc 70 and rolled it within a few seconds :D nothing bad, just a little scrape. just all the more fun-factor!

[El Camexican]

My friend took me for a ride on the back of his brand new 185S at night with another buddy of ours on a 175 Tri-Moto in 1981. It was spring time in Manitoba and the smell of the two stroke along with the thawing mud burning on the headpipes and making vapor float up past the headlights was heavenly. Headlights!!! They added unlimited hours to my riding time that my YZ80 couldn't.

[kristofrogers]

I had always known about "those illegal 3 wheelers" growing up but I had always thought that they were like farm equipment/utility vehicles until I saw a picture of a guy completely sliding out on a Tecate. INSTANTLY fell in love and had my own within a couple weeks. Up until I got my hands on my Tecate I was only ridin' around on 2 wheelers but now I love trikes. I love the motorcycle style frame/weight with the rear end stability of a quad. I never had that "tipping sensation" everyone who hates trikes talks about because I was already used to the whole balancing thing with bikes. Love trikes and I'll probably start my kids on em too. Gotta love the head turns too.

What the heck was green thing that just hauled-buttocks passed me????

[f4istunna]

when i was 8 or 9 my dad bought me a lt80, id always go riding with a friend that had a 110 if i remember right we'd always swap rides for the day. After we outgrew those it was quite awhile before i got on another one, but then the collecting began ;)

[Amater45]

Thats how it always goes, you get your first one, then "ooh look, a good deal!" then repeat about 10 times before you notice how many you have :lol:

[three_wheelin45]

First trike I mounted was a 84 200s, I was 12 or 13 at the time. I hit a hole and the front end jerked one way and me and the trike went to flipping! I been hooked since!

[atc007]

1981 Honda ATC 110. I was 11. Didn't ride it till we got it home from the dealer. We bought it new : ) Broke it in,and rode the wheels off it. We are farmers,That was May. July 3rd we went and got a 185S for my brother.{ Now I'm sitting here 2nd guessing myself!,,I VIVIDLY remember the full size ATC 200 sitting next to my 110 on the showroom floor,and BEGGING Dad to just get that one!!} So,,had to be 82! My 110 must have been a leftover!,,,Anyhow! Guess which one I wanted to ride ALL the time! Then the 82 Big Reds came out,we traded up for a pair of them,then 84 saw Reverse,,Dad had to have that!. Then my 200X ! So,we all had one. Then 2 85 Big Reds. Then a 85 R. Traded that even up to my buddy for his new TRX 250R :( . The rest is history.. I've owned a few since then..

[95PurpleHaze]

My first "real" experience didn't happen until last summer when I bought my 200es because I couldn't afford a 4x4 four wheeler. I loved it even more than a quad and my friends fell in love with it as well and were shocked. My cousin loved it so much he just bought a couple 110s to have fun on instead of his Honda Foreman.

[rodeofan5656]

my first experience- my stepbrother's dad gave him an EARLY 80's ATC90 with a camo seat cover, no brakes :lol: i was probly 11 or 12. i had ridden my stepdad's Yamaha Big Bear 350 quad around all the time, so i thought i was gonna be invincible on the little trike. the first hour i was ridin the 90, i ran it into the shed, then the side of the house :lol: my dad almost fell over laughin. i still have no idea why i didnt turn to miss them. after me, my sister, and stepbrother rode it almost nonstop for 3 hours, it started runnin funny and idlin high. we sold it for $350 about 3 years ago. the first time i sat on a trike after the day of runnin into things, was when i traded my Dodge truck for my '86 200x. i still love quads more, but love the trike. cant stand dirt bikes though, but love road bikes haha

[rdlsz24]

I'm actually a trike newb compared to many on here. I grew up with snowmobiles, mini bikes and quads and hardly ever even saw trikes in my neighborhood so I didn't think much of them.

Summer 2006 I was looking in the local free classified ads (this was before I had ever logged on to CraigsList) and saw an ad for an 82 185s a few towns over. I went to check it out. It was beat to hell, didn't have an airbox or filter attached to the carb, and smoked like a 2-stroke. I bought it on the spot.

Here's a little website page I made for it in honor of it being my first trike:
http://www.honda-atc185s-rebuild.webs.com

Rob

[jb2wheels]

The details are fuzzy so I might not have the order right:

In the early 80's Santa brought us a '79 Odyssey.
Shortly after, my best friend got a brand spanking new 81 ATC 185s.
I bought a new 82 185s within a year with years of saved paper route and birthday $$.

However, my first time was at Pismo Beach. We rented a KLT200 and an ATC185 (big tires, not "s") for 1/2 a day. This was before we had our own 3 wheelers but we had the Ody there at the time for some riding. This was before Pismo was so restricted. What a fantastic place to ride. Beautiful. Cool. Great sand. Really excellent!

Hooked for life despite the 20 year hiatus.

[JasonB]

First actual experience was when I was in the 5th grade; our new neighbors where we lived when we moved away from St Louis into rural MO had a 250sx. My brother eric and I were dying to ride it but mom had given their entire family strict instructions not to let us because they were dangerous. ATV's in general. Either way over 4 years we managed to BARELY putt around on them. They even had a pair of atc 70's they wanted 50$ each for that my mom wouldnt let us buy!!! AHHHH! From the time I could afford to buy my own atv I have had one and been trying to ride non stop since!

[Amater45]

100$ for two! ahh, kills me now! haha, but parents are parents!

[rg97]

my first experience was about +/- 9 years ago when i was 5 yrs old. my dad had 2 200x's, both mildly modified, and he had a 200x with a air cooled 350cc banshee engine. i barely remember riding on the back of his 200x before it was stolen in 2003. now im 14 and i have a 83 200x with a rare supertrapp, my dad has an 86 200x, and my sister, 16, has a crappy 83 185s. :)

[honda200x1987]

Back in the mid eighties I was riding dirtbikes, then one day around 1986 a friend of mine sold me a 1984 ATC110 and it was like brand new, i gave 300 for it back then .He had bought it from an old man who rode it only once, the old man said he flipped it over then parked it in the barn and never rode it again. This was the first 3 wheeler I have ever rode, it was super quiet and with a a small tug of the pull rope it would fire right up. I put it in gear and it took some getting use to, it seemed very difficult to turn the handlebars, then i learned quickly that I had to lean in the direction i was steering to. Man those 110's are wheelie kings! I could ride one forever in low gear but it would beat you to death on the trails,lol. One thing is for sure Honda built them to be reliable, I never had one problem with it. OHHH,, those where the days riding anywhere I wanted without any worries, when I was a kid I would ride from daylight to dark. I still would if I didn't have to work for a living!

[oscarmayer]

the neighbor girl was ridin half naked (no top and thong bikini bottoms) on a 70 the first time i saw a trike and i was too busy watchin her (12 at the time and she was 13) i can;t remember what kind or color that bike was, but i still can remember her! ;)

[falloutboy]

Back when I was about 6, probably, I was at a friends house. Well they had this old 70 laying around that didnt run, so we would push each other around on it. Well one day we decided we should put water in the gas tank to make it run. :D



Hey, give us a break, we were 5 and 6 years old :D

[Amater45]

the neighbor girl was ridin half naked (no top and thong bikini bottoms) on a 70 the first time i saw a trike and i was too busy watchin her (12 at the time and she was 13) i can;t remember what kind or color that bike was, but i still can remember her! ;)

Haha, what a great way to see a trike for the first time! Maybe something else too?? ;)

[Grahm]

First one I seen was an Yamaha 225 in the 90's and wanted one ever since.First one I bought was a 85 Big Red and dropped nearly a grand into completely restoring it LOL and my addiction has gotten worse since then.

[GTO]

I only started my trike addication 2 years ago, we were visiting a family friends farm and when we were leaving they mentioned they wanted to sell there 200ES Big Red. I wasn't really interested as I have always been a 2 wheeler man(I still have never ridden a quad) but then when I got home I Googled the Big Red and that changed my mind fast when I saw it had Hi/Low range and it could tow it was perfect for our holiday farm. So I bought it, and I can't seem to stop aquiring more!

[Twittle]

My first experience was when I was really young and my uncle would give me and my cousins rides on his 85 250r up and down the driveway. Also about the same time my granpa got himself a three wheeler of sorts to putt around on the farm with, it was one that had a bench seat and utility box on the back and we would all load into the back and he would drive us around. Good times!!

[oldskool83]

december 2006. a member on here let me ride his autox because i was dead set on a 200x for years. i was 23, must fun i had in 2 mins of riding ever! was hooked. i was a dirtbike riding before and seemed to pick it up fine.

[Jon Boy]

it was 1982 and i was 9. went with my oldest brother to his buddy's cabin at a local lake. they had an 80-81 ATC90. they asked if i wanted to take it for a spin and i jumped on. it was my first time on a 3wheeler, so needless to say i was used to my bike and forgot it had 2 rear tires. i promtly rode right into their riding mower catching my leg between the 3wheeler tire and the rear mower tire. funny even though i was bleeding from the blackie on the back of my leg i didn't notice because i was having too much fun to feel it. :lol:

[YAMAHA_Jim]

85-86 I was 9 or 10, my dads friend stored his new Bigred at our house.I rode as a passenger a few times but I was more into my minibike w/ a 5 hp tecumseh engine :) I wasnt allowed to ride it solo b/c dad said 3wheelers were dangerous :)
He sold the bigred around 87-88.That was the last time I was on a 3wheeler until I bought an 85 200x in early 98,later that yr I sold it and bought the red/blk tri-z that I have now.I raced hare scrambles on motorcycles(kdx200-kx250) through the 90's and wasnt interested in atv's too much.

[Amater45]

Wow, this thread became popular! haha, great to hear stories!

[MonkOFox]

My friends brother had 2 three wheeler's lying around in his backyard. Said they didn't run, but that he'd sell them both to me for $150. I had never even seen a three wheeler in person, but I figured what the heck. Plus my friend was all, "Yeah man, we'll clean the carbs and they should start right up!". So I bought them and turns out he was right. Was an 84 and 85 ATC200s.

Took em both to my parents house and me and my dad worked on getting them running. Got the 84 running good and eventually sold it to a friend and have slowly been spending that money towards the 85.
Man, do I miss working on the three wheeler with the old man...