![]() The ATC185 changed the face of three wheelers as we know them. Despite the controversy the three-wheel vehicle caused in the 1980s, it was the Honda® ATC that made 3-wheelers a household name and opened the door for today's ATV.For as much as the Honda US90 started it all, the ATC185 could be considered the first milestone in Honda's development of the ATC model line of off road vehicles. The ban was only a 10-year agreement, but by the time the ban was over the four-wheel ATV were rising in popularity so manufactures never looked back. Justice Department banned future sales of three-wheeled ATVs and ATV distributors made an agreement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to finance a $100 million safety campaign and to purchase all unsold three-wheeled ATVs from dealers' inventories. In 1987, the production of three-wheel vehicles came to an end due to “safety concerns.” Due to the high number of accidents, the U.S. According to an article written in 1988, nearly 7,000 people were being injured in ATV accidents each month and an estimated nine hundred people had been killed over the past five years. With the massive popularity of the three-wheel ATC’s also caused an increase in accidents and injuries mostly among adolescents and children. Big Red matures in 1984 with the addition of reverse gear, a virtually maintenance-free shaft drive, and a 700-pound towing capacity.Honda®'s reputation for performance and durability made the ATC200X one of the industry's most successful sports ATVs ever. In 1983, sales began to skyrocket when Honda® introduced the XR-type high-performance single-cylinder four-stroke with full suspension and lightweight aluminum wheels.In 1982, Honda® released the ATC 200E “Big Red,” a landscape changing model featuring suspension and racks giving it the distinction as the first utility three-wheeled ATC.This ATC is considered the first high-performance three-wheeler with full suspension and a five-speed transmission. Honda® did not stop there because one year later they released the ATC250R. ![]() Equipped with a five-speed semiautomatic transmission with an ultra-low First gear, the ATC185 could be equipped with optional Honda® line front and rear racks and a trailer hitch to convert it into a workhorse. This ATC had a 180cc engine 180cc engine that cranked out twice the muscle of an ATC110.
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