Three Wheeler racing?

[Fixitguy74]

Does anybody race old 3 wheelers, like they do with vintage bikes or are they just too unsafe. I have seen a few hopped up for sand dune drags and grass drags, but thats it. I have a 1985 Kawasaki Tecate 250 just sitting around at my parents place waiting for a resto job and thought maybe if I could use for something other than trail riding or as a show piece I might get to working on it sooner.

[zig06]

I haven't heard of anyone racing one of these in a very long time. I imagine that there's a reason for that...

Restore it if you want to, but if your wanting to race, stick with bikes or quads. The old 3 wheelers are just too unpredictable to really race. The new Can-Am Spyder is built the way a 3 wheeler should be built and I wouldn't be surprised to see these racing. I did test drive one and I was very impressed. With slicks I bet that it could give a lot of crotch rockets all they could handle ~ and then some.

.

[scooter-mike]

Let's see some pictures of this can-am spyder.

[gialinn]

People rag on three wheelers. Personally, I think it just takes a more experienced rider. LIke most people drive cars, but youneed experience to drag one at 150+mph on a strip.

Lots of fanatics out there for them.

[zig06]

Let's see some pictures of this can-am spyder.

Here I am, on the Spyder that I test drove last summer. Overall, I was impressed!

Yes, I do admit that it does take more skill to race a 3 wheeler. The biggest deal is that you have to constantly account for all 3 wheels, and what they are about to run through. Also, body english is even more important that it is on a quad.

So yes, the learning curve is steep, possibly too steep for many.

[scooter-mike]

Pictures did not come out.

[zig06]

Pictures did not come out.

Just fixed them. ?

Sorry about that.

[Fixitguy74]

I've seen the Spyder before, but I am not looking for a street trike. I am looking for off road trike racing. I will agree with it taking more skill and/or practice to ride a three wheeler to its full potential, but I feel that a vintage bike requires the same. I have been riding a 1981 YZ 250 on MX tracks and in the trails for a few years now and I can keep up with most of my buddies on their modern bikes. It takes a lot of effort and skill to ride it fast and make it go where you point it and it too can sometimes be unpredictable with its old school mono shock, much like a trike. I maybe alone here, but I would be willing to try MX or off road racing of some sort with my old wheeler.

[dave5036]

i just bougth one for 200 dollors from a friend it runs great and it starts in one kick i am only have 700 dollors saved up after i buying it i am going to to saved up like 1500 i am only 15 what do you think i should buy next

[Fixitguy74]

i just bougth one for 200 dollors from a friend it runs great and it starts in one kick i am only have 700 dollors saved up after i buying it i am going to to saved up like 1500 i am only 15 what do you think i should buy next

Huh? ?

[XRDEZRAT]

I raced many miles in the desert on 3 Wheelers in the early-mid 1980's, I don't think they are any more dangerous than racing anything else.

They were harder to ride over rough terrain than a 2 wheeler and they had 30% less suspension travel than bikes. They did teach you to keep your feet on the pegs though.

They quit racing them because of the comsumer products safety commission and all the cry babies who sued Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha because they were riding like idiots and crashed on them. The claim was that they tipped over easy, 2 wheelers tip over if you don't balance them too.

Because of the cspc and the fear of lawsuits, no one would sell insurance to promoters who put on races for them.

That put an end to a short chapter of racing that only lasted about 10 years.

And just for the record, Dean Sundahl was the best 3 wheeler racer of all time. Period.

[zbnutcase]

Having owned a 200x back in the eighties, they do require more skill to ride but i love em. Just cant get into quads, they feel so tankish in comparason, gave up ATVs and went back to bikes after the ban. Once again a few tards have to ruin it for everybody. 'nutcase

[MMC250R]

How much for one of those Spyders?

[mazdarado]

My uncle has a '84 or 85' Honda 250r. Never has done anything to it and it still starts 2nd or 3rd kick and he's rode it's nuts off. There's a guy in my town that has one in his barn. It's a Yamaha and it's crazy looking. Has a really long frame and the engine sits right at the rear axle. The sprockets are only about an inch or two apart. Here's what my uncle's looks like

http://atc250rlen.homestead.com/files/atc250_4erics.jpg

Here's what the Yamaha looks like:

http://www.files.3wheelerworld.com/Sads/sYam1984yam125A.jpg

[zig06]

How much for one of those Spyders?

Last I heard they were going to list for about $15k.

[zig06]

My uncle has a '84 or 85' Honda 250r. Never has done anything to it and it still starts 2nd or 3rd kick and he's rode it's nuts off. There's a guy in my town that has one in his barn. It's a Yamaha and it's crazy looking. Has a really long frame and the engine sits right at the rear axle. The sprockets are only about an inch or two apart. Here's what my uncle's looks like

http://atc250rlen.homestead.com/files/atc250_4erics.jpg

Here's what the Yamaha looks like:

http://www.files.3wheelerworld.com/Sads/sYam1984yam125A.jpg

The Yamaha actually looked that way because of Honda, really! Honda had spent so much time an effort on 3 wheelers that they felt that the had finally come up the the perfect set up. So they actually patented the engine location and a number of other items, that way no one could copy the basic design. That's why Yamaha built their's with the engine so far back. They had no other choice.

That's also why Suzuki "invented" the Quad. Now don't anyone get their panties in a bunch, but Suzuki did in fact build the first "modern" Quad. And they did it only because Yamaha and Honda had locked up all of the possible (or reasonable) design options.

So we can thank Honda for forcing Suzuki into coming up with the Quad as we know it today.

Strange ~ but true.

[Fixitguy74]

The Yamaha actually looked that way because of Honda, really! Honda had spent so much time an effort on 3 wheelers that they felt that the had finally come up the the perfect set up. So they actually patented the engine location and a number of other items, that way no one could copy the basic design. That's why Yamaha built their's with the engine so far back. They had no other choice.

That's also why Suzuki "invented" the Quad. Now don't anyone get their panties in a bunch, but Suzuki did in fact build the first "modern" Quad. And they did it only because Yamaha and Honda had locked up all of the possible (or reasonable) design options.

So we can thank Honda for forcing Suzuki into coming up with the Quad as we know it today.

Strange ~ but true.

If this whole patent thing is true, then why did Suzuki also offer a three wheel version of their first few wheelers, like the LT 125 and ALT 125. Also in my opinion Rupp beat Suzuki to the punch on the whole "First on four wheels" bit. http://www.ruppbikes.com/GoJoe.htm The Rupp Go Jo is a little funny looking compared to todays quads, but still is a four wheeler.

[zig06]

If this whole patent thing is true, then why did Suzuki also offer a three wheel version of their first few wheelers, like the LT 125 and ALT 125. Also in my opinion Rupp beat Suzuki to the punch on the whole "First on four wheels" bit. http://www.ruppbikes.com/GoJoe.htm The Rupp Go Jo is a little funny looking compared to todays quads, but still is a four wheeler.

I'm not talking about 3 wheels and an engine, like the ALT series.

I'm talking about competition recreational vehicles ~ i.e. racing 3 and 4 wheelers. The Rupp, while fun in it's day, could never be considered a fast anything. Even todays mopeds would smoke them - really!

But in 1985 when Suzuki released the LT-250, it totally turned the industry around. For awhile there were arguments about what was better, 3 or 4 wheels. 3 wheelers are lighter, 4 wheelers are more stable and corner better (and so it goes).

And it was that model that actually saved that industry.

[Sunny Socal]

I raced many miles in the desert on 3 Wheelers in the early-mid 1980's, I don't think they are any more dangerous than racing anything else.

They were harder to ride over rough terrain than a 2 wheeler and they had 30% less suspension travel than bikes. They did teach you to keep your feet on the pegs though.

They quit racing them because of the comsumer products safety commission and all the cry babies who sued Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha because they were riding like idiots and crashed on them. The claim was that they tipped over easy, 2 wheelers tip over if you don't balance them too.

Because of the cspc and the fear of lawsuits, no one would sell insurance to promoters who put on races for them.

That put an end to a short chapter of racing that only lasted about 10 years.

And just for the record, Dean Sundahl was the best 3 wheeler racer of all time. Period.

You are right on all counts.

Lawsuits and stupid jurors killed three-wheelers. Quads are easier to ride, but there was nothing inherently wrong with 3-wheeler design. But the organizations that sanction races aren't interested in lawsuits...so no classes for three-wheelers.

If three-wheelers were so unstable, HOW COME THEY BEAT MOST OF THE BIKES, AND ALL OF THE TRUCKS AND BUGGIES in many Baja races? (If I was a conspiracy theorist, I'd say that SCORE itself was responsible for the lawsuits against three-wheelers...because admit it, it's pretty embarrassing to spend two million dollars on your off-road truck, then get SMOKED by some crazy kid on an ATC.)

SS

[zbnutcase]

Duh????? 'nutcase