15 years after Honda’s first ATC, the ATC90, things were shaking in the three-wheeler world. We’ve seen quite a few of them, and it usually comes down to two things: if you ride them sanely, they’re fun, but if you don’t ride them sanely, you’re in big trouble. This 1985 Honda ATC250SX is listed here on Facebook Marketplace in Appleton, Wisconsin, and they’re asking $2,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Lothar… of the Hill People for the tri-tire-tip!
A 1985 Honda ATC250SX brochure says the 250SX is the “ultimate recreational machine.” I think those who own ATVs or other four-wheelers would beg to differ with that, but hey, marketing is marketing. This model shared its engine with Honda’s ATC250ES “Big Red,” but the SX has 22″ wheels rather than 25″ wheels, which is one reason the 250SX had taller gearing. It could be more of a work-and-play ATC, so maybe a bit easier to live with. At 350 pounds, it isn’t a lightweight, so bring your A-game if you only have one friend to help you load it into your pickup.
Honda offered the 250SX from 1985 until 1987, and it was one of the four Honda three-wheelers made in their final year of producing three-wheeled ATCs. Safety concerns forced manufacturers to stop making three-wheelers, and Honda got out after 1987. The company’s first four-wheel ATV was made in 1984, the TRX200, so they already had a few models in production and clearly saw how the pendulum was swinging as far as the doomed three-wheeler market was going.
I’ve mentioned my weirdo “Commuter Industries TE-380” before, the only three-wheeler that I’ve ever owned. A couple of neighborhood friends had Honda ATCs back in the 70s, but I’ve never ridden an ATC until I got my TE-380 a couple of years ago. The seller says this example was purchased from the original owner and had been sitting inside a building for several years. They say that the tires are old, but they have tubes in them, so that shouldn’t be an issue for sane riders. At least until they can get new tires. This ATC would have been around $1,928 new in 1985, an eye-watering $5,800 in 2025 dollars!
The engine is Honda’s 246-cc four-stroke air-cooled OHC single-cylinder with around 18 horsepower. It’s backed by a five-speed automatic-clutch transmission, with reverse (!), that sends power to the rear wheels via a drive shaft. This one has both electric start and kick-start, my favorite combo. They say it runs, drives, and shifts as it should, and everything works, and it has new oil, a new spark plug, and a new air filter. I’m not in for a $2,500 ATC, but maybe one of you would be? Let’s hear those three-wheeler stories!
Cool find …makes me think of the ATC/moon buggy chase scene in “Diamonds Are Forever”…best Bond movie for “tongue in cheek” humor.
Excellent reference, Sam61! I forgot about that one. How could I forget about that movie, with Jimmy Dean as Howard Hughes, I mean, Willard Whyte, not to mention Jill St. John…
Sean Connery was paid what was at the time a crazy $1,250,000 to come back as Bond. That’s $10,000,000 in 2025 dollars, barely a drop in the bucket now for a high-paid actor.
Interesting backstory on the non-actor who played Mr Kidd….jazz musician from a local club.
Three wheelers kept ER’s very busy and worse things back in the day.
Continued upgrades couldn’t improve the off-road trike’s sketchy safety record, unfortunately. By 1986, high accident reports and resulting litigation forced the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to strike a deal with manufacturers to cease production and sales of three-wheeled ATVs—including Honda
Good luck with sale but I hope inexperienced riders avoid incidents.
You had to remember to not have your feet on the ground when you gave it gas those back tires would suck your feet right up.
Come on out from under the table and tell us your 3 wheeler stories, enough time has passed. As mentioned, the 3 wheelers days were numbered here. The 3 wheelers had morphed into more of a play thing than a utilitarian vehicle, as originally intended. You can see, there are no leg guards by the rear tires. I suppose Honda figured by then people who rode these knew what could happen. Believe it or not, these were actually intended for hooligans to “push it”, and were a lot of fun. Reverse, suspension( previous rigid) a huge plus. I read, in 1984, Honda sold an amazing 370,000 ATCs shipped, many to the US, almost 70% of the market. ’85 was down a bit, and the handwriting was on the wall, ’87 was the last 3 wheeler, making this an amazing find, and I’d love to have it. I think I’d find enough places to ride it, getting to them is another issue.
This may not be a bad buy? Some of these Honda 3 Wheelers are back in demand again and a few have generated some serious bidding on Auctions.
only comment offered, “BUT –
do Not loan to neighbor (unless enemy).”
We DID hafta have these to develop the Side-B-Side tho…
I called them killer three wheelers. If a person could master the balance it took to ride one, that is an accomplishment. If a person like me couldn’t master operating these, you were headed for doctor or hospital bill – like me. I was SO glad that Suzuki and Yamaha came out with four wheel quad ATVs. They were much less deadly unless in the wrong hands. I ended up riding sport quads for 40 years.
Wow, a 1985 Honda three-wheeler with reverse, and what I did with one of two brand new ones, in 1985, that my buddy bought. He lived in Long Pond, PA, think Pocono Raceway, at the beginning of the state game lands that run all the way down to Camelback Resort. He called and asked me to join him in “breaking them in” on the trails, and of course I said YES! We packed up some alcoholic refreshments (I know, please, no preachers here) and with our girlfriends clinging on for dear life, took off. As we were nearing the upper property lines of Camelback on the trail, my buddy shot ahead and suddenly skidded haphazardly to a stop, turning around and waiving me to STOP! Well, I panicked and yanked that front tire as hard as I could to the left and we immediately barrel-flipped over and over sideways, and at the very last second, I let go of the handlebars and proceeded to watch the trike disappear before our eyes. What the hell? My girl and I got ourselves together with our bumps and bruises, nothing serious, walked towards where we last saw the trike, and lo & behold, there it was, roughly 60 ft. down over a rock cliff, wedged between a tree and the rock face. That, my friends, was the most expensive one-way trail ride I have ever taken.
Cool story, reminds me of a time in the UP of Mich( der hey), one night riding our snowmobiles, like 5 of us, near L. Superior, we took this trail, noticed it was going up, but didn’t think much, came to a HUGE clearing, almost looked like a frozen lake, but way too high. So we rode all around this place, there was so much snow, we finally noticed a top of a street light. What the heck is this place? A friend was way on the other end waving a flashlight, we all took off, turns out, he was on the edge of a massive cliff, this area was an airport during the summer. If we’d have gone off the edge, I wouldn’t be typing this right now.
I’d prefer a Morgan or a Liberty Ace.
Here you go! https://barnfinds.com/bf-exclusive-2013-morgan-3-wheeler/
You had to remember to not have your feet on the ground when you gave it gas those back tires would suck your feet right up.
It’s funny but in the late 80’s the Independent Insurance Agency I managed obtained a contract to represent Continental Insurance Company with the hopes that we could place our upscale customers’ Homeowners policy with them. Three wheelers were owned by most of our customers because a large portion of the Parish’s population. Continental would not insure any customer that owned one because of the severe injuries caused by operation of these vehicles.
Ultimate? Please.
In 1985, Honda used that line in their marketing; there’s a link in the second paragraph.
If you ride on of these with any kind of vigor, at some point you will high side and your instinct will have you put out a leg. The rear tire will grab it and hurt you. Bad. And with a passenger they became a injury making machine.
I “think” at this time most people know this, but it has been a lot of years and it is a lesson some may not have learned.
Quads rock.
Sold, sold, sold! Which one of you bought it?