Long Live 3Wheeling Magazine

[trailboss]

hi dean!! thanx for the tiger info! can you tell us any stories about dean sundahl or mike coe, those guy's rocked!!! i was 16 in 85 and used to drool over the race machines but never got to know the riders well.

[82atc110]

Dean, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. I was too young to really be crazy into the ATC scene so much of the testing information you have provided is new to me. My first exposure to trikes came from some A-hole neigbor kids who liked to tear up our yard. However the experience remained seared into my fragil little and I grew to become a trike freak myself. I look forward to your posts and I can't wait to hear any new information you have.

Mark

[jason200x]

Hey dean, did you ever think of getting back into threewheelers? Whated you sell yours for? Did you get soem kind of discounte when you bough yours?

I wana hear a story abotu the 200r's, was there any other trikes thats would ahve been a differen class cc, other then the 200,250,350? like was there ever a 300cc thre wheeler?

[3WW Star-oldfart]

Jason, if you rememeber, the Honda 250R air-cooled engines had an optional Hondaline 300cc kit. When Team Honda wanted to race in the open class, at AATVA events, and SCORE, they sometimes used these kits to up the engine size (Dean Sundahl, Wes Arnold and Mark Wiexeldorer rode with them). There was also the Mugen kit as well, but I don't think anyone on Team Honda ever raced with one (other than guys like Brett Driscoll).

The ATC 200R was built for one purpose and one purpose only, to compete with the Tecate small stroke 200cc engines in AATVA races. They, Team Honda, couldn't compete against the faster Tecates with the ATC 200X (four-stroke), so they had Japan built a handful of these cool trikes. IF things hadn't got so bad with the CPSC, I really think that Honda would have put this ATC into production. Dean

[Billy Golightly]

Dean,

Can you give us any insight on the 87 350Xs and 250Rs? Its probably the oldest debate here on the forum. Some believe that they were infact produced and sold at dealerships but just in very small quanities. And others believe they never made it from the factory before Honda decided to stop them. Personally I find the later rather odd because there are plenty of 87 200Xs, Big Reds, 250SXs, and 125Ms.

I've also heard that Yamaha had decided to stop the Tri-Z after 86 even before things started going sour. Any truth to that?


Billy

[3WW Star-oldfart]

It is my firm belief that the '87 ATC 350X and 250R ARE out there, but in very, very small numbers. Mostly in Canada, and Europe. I seem to recall a rider who lived in South Dakota, who wanted a '87 R, so he drove up to Canada, bought one, and brought it back to ride. There was a published story that came out in the paper, that manufacturers like Honda, did in fact, ship 3-wheelers to Europe to find a home for unsellable units. That shook up a lot of people at the time, saying they were selling "dangerous" ATCs to unknowning buyers in foreign countries.

I also know that manufacturers such as Honda, will scrap hundreds of units for whatever reason. I have seen some awesome preproduction ATVs crushed, just to make sure they never get out in circulation. Some did anyway.... wink We had BW200 #3 for the longest time. Bassini, has the earliest known ATC250R in existance (priviately owned). We had a very, very early Tri-Z. And so on. Dean

[jason200x]

do you have any old phottos of any trikes? was there any ever talk about a 400cc or 300 cc trike? iv heard tlak that sthey were thiking of a 50cc trike to any of this true?

[Trikeaholic]

[quote="oldfart"]Sor. I think Craig Corda did most of the test riding in Plaster City, CA quote]

Craig is the man! I talked to him on the phone, he gave me a factory front fender for mine, and an autographed photo of the 500 he used to race, also a copy of the mag article, and a few NOS Tiger decals for my restorartion. A super nice guy. HRC200X found him for me, so props go to him for his net detective work.

[Billy Golightly]

It is my firm belief that the '87 ATC 350X and 250R ARE out there, but in very, very small numbers. Mostly in Canada, and Europe. I seem to recall a rider who lived in South Dakota, who wanted a '87 R, so he drove up to Canada, bought one, and brought it back to ride. There was a published story that came out in the paper, that manufacturers like Honda, did in fact, ship 3-wheelers to Europe to find a home for unsellable units. That shook up a lot of people at the time, saying they were selling "dangerous" ATCs to unknowning buyers in foreign countries.

I also know that manufacturers such as Honda, will scrap hundreds of units for whatever reason. I have seen some awesome preproduction ATVs crushed, just to make sure they never get out in circulation. Some did anyway.... We had BW200 #3 for the longest time. Bassini, has the earliest known ATC250R in existance (priviately owned). We had a very, very early Tri-Z. And so on. Dean

Dean,

Thats good to know that you believe the 87 250R and 350X are out there. A user of the forum a while back found some part #'s for the 87 plastics, and had called Honda of America and gotten stalled from the get go. If my mind serves me right I believe he finally got ahold of someone who said they could sell him the plastics only if they had a coresponding VIN for that year because they didn't want parts for that year getting out to people who didn't own one. Interesting way of patrolling things.


Any chance that real early Tri-Z had a YPVS (Yamaha Powervalve System) on it?

Billy

[hrc200x]

oldfart: Where did you hear about this person from south dakota finding a '87 R? Back when the Internet was new I remember seeing an ad on www.traderonline.com, know known as www.atvtraderonline.com that said Wanted: '87 Canadian model 250r, but can't remember where the guy was from. Possibly the same guy?

[3WW Star-oldfart]

Yes, very possibly the same rider. There could only be so many ATC riders in South Dakota who were looking for an '87 R in Canada? His name was Dave Andahl.....

[jason200x]

So Dean, Have you ever hought of gettign back in to trike rideing?

[metal mulisha]

dean what bike did you own personaly and if you could possibly choose one what was your favorite bike ever? also do you know if any 87' 250rs where actualy sold from a u.s dealer in 86' or 87? thanx for your time. i know your getting alot of questions!

[3WW Star-oldfart]

Metal, over the course of ten years or so, I had just about every ATVs ever made available to us for testing.... At one time, we had over 35 ATVs in our backroom! Most of them, on loan. But, we always would fight over the Rs, and leave the wimpy ones back at the ranch. I personally owned; US90, ATC 90, ATC 185S, 200X (many), 250R (many), 350X, Tri-Z, and a number of Quads (boo, hiss). I think I rode the 200X and 350X the most, followed up by the Tri-Z. Throw in a 550 Jet Ski as well.

No on U.S. Honda dealers selling any '87 Rs, sorry.


Best Honda P.R. trip ever, was the Honda Fourtrax 4x4, on the Rubican Trail. I'll save that story for later. Dean

[jason200x]

Dean, ever thought of gettign back in to atving?