The seller refers to this one as an “awesome ATC,” and I agree. The first-generation Honda Odyssey is easy to tell from the later models, as it was only available in yellow, and the roll bar was just in the back, not continued over to the front, as seen here. That being said, you now know that this 1983 Honda FL250 Odyssey isn’t a first-gen model. This second-generation red-only FL250 Odyssey can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Luxemburg, WI, and they’re asking $2,750. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tip!
What I wouldn’t give for a nice, big garage like this with room for four+ vehicles. Dang, what have I done with my life? We’ve only seen three Honda Odyssey ATVs here on Barn Finds over the years, so they must not come up for sale too often. Only one was a similar second-generation FL250 (1981 through 1984), and two were the later and more powerful FL350 models. Given how nice this example looks compared to the other, dusty, not-perfect FL250 we saw almost a decade ago here, this is an absolute steal.
Honda made the FL-series Odyssey ATVs beginning in 1977, and it’s hard to believe they were made at the same time as the ever-contentious three-wheeled ATCs. With a full roll cage and harness safety belt system, I don’t know how this one could be any safer than it is, or was for the time. Some general rider common sense should also play a role in using these things safely. Don’t set up a plywood ramp and jump this over 17 of your friends lying on the sidewalk, that’s just common sense, isn’t it? Maybe not, since humans are still involved.
The engine is Honda’s 248-cc two-stroke single-cylinder with around 15 horsepower. It sends that power through a V-belt torque-converter-type “transmission” to the rear wheels, and the seller says it runs great, has a newly reupholstered seat, and new motor mounts. At $2,750, this is a steal in today’s dollars. How much would you charge to deliver this, Lothar?! Have any of you owned a Honda Odyssey ATV?
Yarr, matey, tis’ no ATC,( All Terrain Cycle) that was the Honda 3 wheelers, and became the standard term for these types of vehicles, but more accurately, an ATV. More of just a fun ride, and horribly inept for any kind of rough going, and I bet just as many scary stories with these as the 3 wheelers. My nephew got a Farm &Barn Chinese knockoff of one of these, only 2 passenger, side by side for his son. On the maiden voyage, they took off with gust. Time went by, no return,,finally, they both came walking up tears and bloody, took a turn too fast, rolled the thing, and it’s been sitting in my brothers barn ever since. I suspect the same type of story here.
Thanks for catching that, Howard!
A late buddy bought one of these for his son. It was a blast for the kid. But one of his friends came over to play and was drown upside down in a very deep irrigation canal. It ruined him financially from the lawsuit. These look like fun. But I never see one of these without the remembrance run through my head.
This rings me back.. A neighbor kid older than me had one of these. I don’t remember what year it was but it looked a lot like this one. Of course, he never offered anyone else to ride it though. Bu it was always fun to watch him run it. We had trails at the end of our street which is ultimately where he ran it. Kind of forgotten about these until now. Thanks for the memories Scotty. Great write up and finding this rare Honda Lothar.
Classic find, Lothar and great step back into the time that Honda again made fun to play in the dirt. Ahead of their time in many respects but they set idea in place. Polaris went so far as to offer 3 similar type models, the Ace 325 with 32 HP (good for 50MPH!), the Ace 570 and the scary fast Ace 900, all unfortunately discontinued now.
It’d be an interesting tossup between buying this at their asking price and finding an Ace 325 as they usually go for just a little more (avg price $3100)-but anyone that knows a Honda 250 Odyssey will probably have some good offroad tales of old to tell.
Although I’ve never driven one, I would imagine the limited suspension up front and no suspension in the rear, [other than the tires] would make this a pretty gut jarring ride, especially when compared to a modern ATV with travel more like a Baja race car.
Wonder why Honda never forayed into the 4wd suv/truck market. (Ridgeline, while nice, doesn’t count). I mean two speed transfer case, rugged 4wd vehicle.
LS swap.
Actually, now that I think of it (with a less sarcastic state of mind), I believe Rotax swaps are really common in these. I seem to recall a stranger commenting that the Honda engines took a fair amount of maintenance.
2 of my nephews had this same machine 40+ years ago. I can still feel it in my lower back from when I used to take it out and jump road ditches. Wonderfully exciting, but we didn’t realize how we would pay for it decades later!
Had a chum who used to pitch it around in the stubble, roll it on purpose LOL.
I was working in a Honda agency when the yellow 1st generation arrived. It was the middle of January and we had two of them delivered the previous day. I got to the shop as did the shop manager on that very snowy day, nobody else made it in. With 6 inches of snow on the ground (and road) and more coming down next to no traffic was on the roads. The shop manager and I decided it was the perfect time to take the Odysseys for a test run up the road in the snow. It was great fun blasting through the snow on these.
I haven’t really studied the info on this machine like I would if I was a potential buyer but I am pretty sure this is priced REALLY right.
Around the same time frame (early/mid 80s) a coworker had a Honda 350R 3 wheeler. We’d go out on the frozen lake and turn it loose. Drifting is not a new phenomenon, you just better know where the ice heaves and fish houses are!
I restored one of these in the late 90’s and that 250 two stroke was a rocket. Fast and fun with just a little common sense. And robj, you are absolutely correct about the suspension or lack thereof. My biggest dislike with mine was the pull start and I could have fixed that but just never got around to it. And it wasn’t a machine you wanted to turn young kids loose on without some supervision.
Most fun you could have with your clothes on. They may bounce like a b*&%h going up a steep hill, but they’d go up. As for coming back down, she’d slide down on locked up wheels right up to the point where she starts tumbling as$ over teakettle. But the roll bars are fully functional. If I could climb in and out of one, I’d buy this. No, it’s not a serious ORV, it’s just serious fun.
I remember when these came out. It’s really more of an off-road go-cart than an ATV/ATC, although I think this was the precursor to the whole category. I had a go-cart at the time, and I REALLY wanted one of these because grassy meadows and such were the only places I had to ride.
When i was a kid my dad listened to buy, swap and sell on the radio. One day he popped on an ad and took me to look at a yellow version that was for sale. When we arrived at the fellas house , there it was siting in the driveway , about 30 feet from the house and nose facing the house. Although his intent was to buy for my pleasure , he appeared to be just as excited. So we got out of the truck all calm n cool , and proceeded to ask questions and kick a few tires. Then my dad asked to hear it run . So the fella fired it up . As we all know , these have a rope pull to spin the rotating group to fire up. Unless your pull starting for somebody thats already sitting in the seat , then theres nobody sitting at the controls as it fires up. So there it was sitting there idling without a pilot. My dad says he thinks its idling a bit high , as hes reaching for the carburetor. Well he had no clue these have a centrifugal clutch , until he pulled on the throttle cable in top of carburetor. That thing lurched forward as he still had ahold of that throttle cable , which then took it to full throttle , straight towards the guys house growling spitting gravel at us as it slammed head on into the house and proceeded to try to climb the wall , leaving black burnout tire marks all over still trying to climb the wall , until it fell over on its side . WOW, what a show ! The fella turns and looks at my dad with that wtf look on his face . Well my dad really was a calm cool n collected type of guy , he looked at the fella and said… “hell ya we’ll take “!
Retired from Army in ’89 and went back to college. Some neightbor kid was riding a yellow one and stopped in my yard as had a Honda 350 for sale. Long story short, He couldn’t get his started so had to get folks come get him. $300 later (he paid me) I owned an original. Single tall rollbar. Neighbor behind my apt had a 3 acre lot, and said we could use it. My son was 9 years old and to say he loved it is an understatement. My son, a friend in next apt, and I would take a cooler of adult beverages and go and take turns running the race course we set up. As was expected, we all had it on 2 wheels more than once, but my son pushed the limit. We watched him lay it over on the side, as the roll bar was VERY high to keep from doing barrel rolls. We walked down and there he was. The biggest grin I ever saw him do. Then said “Roll me over, want to do it again”. We moved to PA to be close to my ex and her family for him, and I’d take it down to there farmette to play. Eventually the frame was rusting out and the recoil was shot, so sold it for $200. Years later we bought one of the Jap jobs w/side by side seats. Able to get a reverse kit so we had a ball going up state to the coal mine area that had alot of trails. He was in his 30’s and me north of 60, but we still had fun.
My mates and I all had one of these Oddysseys back in the day, we had an absolute ball in them – they were a little bit fragile but they had a HARD life … There were quite a few broken hands and wrists because when you roll one the natural instinct is to put your hand out to stop yourself and you would then get it squished by the roll bar. We put wrist restraints in them to counteract this. If I knew how to post pics on here I could show you a couple of things NOT to do in these :-)
I bought one of the yellow ones brand new for $2,100, when I picked it the salesman told me point blank this will hurt you if you’re not careful. If it rolls keep your feet inside and hands on the steering wheel otherwise if you put your hand down the rear wheel will drag it back. this was mine and I off roaded a lot so I knew the dangers of hill climbing and rock crawling. My bots were too young to ride themselves but I took them on rides with me. my wife’s brother rolled it end over end about 4 times down a hill and surprisingly he was laughing and standing up when we got to him. No one else was aloud to ride it. I always wanted one of the Pilot ones with the 35occ and a full roll cage with safety net.
Nice write-up, as usual, Scotty. Thank you for featuring this cool, old Honda off roader.
One point of order: When I click on the embedded link for “the other, dusty, not-perfect FL250 we saw almost a decade ago here”, this is what I see:
“Sorry, you are not allowed to preview drafts.” I don’t know if that is the same for everyone or if that is one way I’m special.
Keep up the good work.
~Lothar
Thanks, Lothar! And thanks for the heads up on that weird link. I got the same message just now, but the second time I clicked on it, it worked. Do you still get that message?
Scotty-
You’re welcome.
Now when I click on that embedded link, it works and I CAN read about the other FL250 you wrote about so long ago. I like the reference you made to Homer and his famous Odyssey but alas, it is all Greek to me.
~Lothar
Waaaaait a minute, you mean there actually IS a Lothar? Of all the posts I don’t think we’ve ever heard from you.
So, how does a non-member get so many posts featured. Curious minds want to know,,,
I had one of those when I was much younger. I used to drive it on the street around my development and chased by the police many times but I was never caught. I cut between houses and into my garage and hit the close button on my remote.Those things did not have a lot of torque to go uphill, but they did fly on the road.