[Killeratc]

I know three wheeler are band and stuff but im seeing all these 600cc 500cc 350cc Kawasaki and honda three wheelers are these people making a dirt bike into a three wheeler they look new and look a lot like a three wheeler just wondering idk

 

[wheelsquad]

3 wheelers were never "banned". In 1988 the manufacturers simply agreed to not produce for 10 years, though the market was already changing to 4 wheel ATV's by that time. Now the market is being dominated by SXS. Manufacturers could produce 3 wheelers now if they wanted to, but there isn't a big enough market for them to invest into starting up production again. That's why you are seeing the one-off and conversion kits you referred to.

 

[UnkleRaRa]

Yeah there was never a ban, just a halt to the production of them because of all the injury claims.

 

[Killeratc]

Ok well my bad i thought there was a ban but thank you

 

[mac102004]

They were literally BANNED from being sold in the US, the mfg’s never wanted to stop making them. Truth was the trikes were fading out and by 1998 when the BAN expired they never got back into making them.

However there are several companies out there that sell and modify frames for sport ATV’s like the 450R for example to turn them into trikes, for those diehard trike guys.


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[mrbb]

I agree with Mac I do think they got banned, due to injuries and law suits brought against them
the MFG's halted making and selling them at one point and even pulled them off show room floors up my way!
there one day ALL gone the next
liability issue's were loosing too many law suits when folks got hurt on them, so BAN or not, the legal side of things is what stopped them
I have never seen anyone selling any kits up my way, nor do I really know anyone that would want a 3 wheeler again period
more con's to them that pro's to go backwards on things?
collectors that buy them and restore them, I see them buying older one's, but have no clue why a person would want a new one, or convert something to one?
never mind a BIG bore 600 cc deal? just sounds like an accident waiting to happen to me LOL

 

[UnkleRaRa]

"Manufacturing of the three-wheeler was banned in 1988, and when the decrees expired in 1998, manufacturers agreed to an ATV Action Plan in which they agreed not to market or sell three-wheeled ATV’s"

"Nevertheless, on April 28, 1988, the U.S. ATV distributors entered into an unprecedented 10-year agreement with the CPSC called the Final Consent Decree. Under the agreement, the ATV industry made a $100 million commitment to expand existing safety programs. Among the many components of this agreement, free training and training incentives were offered to owners and purchasers of new ATVs. Additionally, distributors would no longer market three-wheeled ATVs, repurchasing any unsold three-wheel models from dealer inventory."

There was never a ban on the sale, purchase, or use of 3-wheeled ATV's.

There was however a ban on the manufacturing of new models, and dealers agreed not to pursue the sale of existing 3-wheeled ATV's to customers.

 

[fishfiles]

Missile Engineering was one of the companies that built kits to transform bikes, the company was up for sale last year , I got a notification from them and they put a lot of their prints on the net , they made kits to change a 3 wheeler to a 4 wheeler , 3 wheeler to a 2 wheeler , 2 wheeler to a 3 wheeler and put big mud tires on a Enduro bike , like this pic of my XL250 with a Missile Kit , this kit was put on this XL250 by the original owner 10 years before Honda released the Fat Cat ,

 

[wheelsquad]

For anyone that cares to read the cpsc doc themselves:

https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/pdfs/foia_atv2006_3.pdf it reads that the 5 manufacturers settled the lawsuit to not produce/distribute for 10 years, plus some other terms.

top of pg 3: "The Consent Decrees prohibited the distribution of new three-wheel ATVs, but also provided that the marketing and sale of such vehicles would be permitted to the extent they meet mandatory standards promulgated by CPSC or voluntary standards satisfactory to the Commission. " The Consent Decree only applied to the parties in the settlement.

Essentially this made it a "sales ban". A sales ban is very different from an outright banning, in which people who already owned them wouldn't even be allowed to ride them, trade, sell used, etc. But we all know you've always been able to ride them and buy and sell used ones.

There are lots of places in the doc that discuss how an actual ban was pursued, but gave reasons to why an actual ban wouldn't have been any more effective than the settlement. Result was the same for us consumers, no new 3 wheelers being produced by all the major manufacturers.

 

[SlammedRanger]

There is a 07 trx450r trike on my local craigslist although i cant seem to find it anymore? Maybe it sold? But it looked like a factory clean conversion. If i had a death wish and a deeper pocket i would have looked at it more. Instead i went right passed it like im sure many many others did. Just flat out insane to put that much power down and almost flip every single time you turn. Cant fathom not being able to lean and slide like a quad. I would be in trouble for sure lol

 

[fishfiles]

...being a heavy equipment mechanic I find this story interesting , after WWII , Japan needed cheap transportation , a guy named Takeuchi was putting small gas engines on bicycles , Honda wanted to win the Baja 500 on a ATC bad , so they hired him to head research and development of a off road racing bike for Baja , which he did so well that Honda ruled Baja for many years on ATC's , Takeuchi opened an equipment company and produced the first track skid loader while Bobcat was still on tires for many years , Takeuchi equipment is very reliable

 

[mac102004]

There is a 07 trx450r trike on my local craigslist although i cant seem to find it anymore? Maybe it sold? But it looked like a factory clean conversion. If i had a death wish and a deeper pocket i would have looked at it more. Instead i went right passed it like im sure many many others did. Just flat out insane to put that much power down and almost flip every single time you turn. Cant fathom not being able to lean and slide like a quad. I would be in trouble for sure lol

The 450R’s wouldn’t make much more power than the old 250R’s did would they? Not sure how much power the 450 actually has. Wonder how the weight would compare as well.


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[ATC4ever]

Canadian Gov't still wont let Cdns' import them used for some reason....
If you think about it, the original smaller 3 wheeler wasnt too bad, it was only when they got bigger & faster they were really a bad idea. Yes anyone can get used to riding one with enough time on them, but the rational wasnt really there to make such a vehicle. The 4 wheeler is more logical & is why that is what is still selling today. Like i said to my buddy i go wheeling with... if this was 40-50 years or more ago, we wouldnt be able to go in the wooded spots we do that we can on a 4 wheeler (or a 3 wheeler for that matter). They were a good invention, just got too big & "moderned" up IMO.

 

[SlammedRanger]

They probably would be similar in hp numbers. But the torque and instant response would in my opinion have to make it almost impossible to keep the front wheel on the ground. You would have to be sitting on the handlebars and it still would be a wheelie machine. The 250r would be alot more winding out and alot less torque i would think.

 

[SlammedRanger]

https://goo.gl/images/wty7Ke

Found it i think. Or one that looks exactly like it.

 

[fishfiles]

Chip Foose = paraphrasing " I feel so privileged to get paid for doing things that are unnecessary "

 

[fishfiles]

3 into 2

 

[alloutdoors]

Chip Foose = paraphrasing " I feel so privileged to get paid for doing things that are unnecessary "

That is a great position to be in and sounds like fun.

I recently heard a statement on one of those very high end car shows where the host said something like, "people come here for what they want not for what they need".....

 

[fishfiles]

alloutdoors , I think that was from the same speech , same guy at a SEMA Show

 

[UnkleRaRa]

https://goo.gl/images/wty7Ke

Found it i think. Or one that looks exactly like it.

Oh man that thing looks like a blast!!.... for about 15 minutes haha.

I don't think it would be long before that thing went ass over tea kettle!