The introduction of the ATC250R in 1981 put the rest of the world on official notice that Honda was as serious about winning on three wheels as it was on two.

The first true high-performance ATC was powered by an air-cooled 248cc two-stroke, complete with an engine counterbalancer to reduce vibration.

Designed for experienced riders, the ATC250R won legions of loyal customers with its adjustable front and rear suspension, front disc brake-both ATC firsts-and a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission.

Running unofficially in the 1980 Baja 1000 on pre-production ATC250Rs, a group of Honda associates surprised racing legend Mickey Thompson when they caught and passed him pre-running for the race.

Honda’s first official ATC racing participation came in the SCORE-sanctioned 1981 Parker 400 held in the Arizona desert. An official three-wheel class was sanctioned in the 1981 Baja 1000, thank to 3Wheeling magazines, Tom Chambers, SCORE’s Saul Fish and American Honda’s Bob Dornboss who got together and made that happen.

For the next couple of years, these ‘first generation’ 250R’s dominated 3wheeled racing. Flat track, Drag’s, Desert – you name it. These were the ‘glory days’ and riders such as Dean Sundahl, Mike Coe, Brett Driscoll and many more were the cream of the crop and literally hero’s to their fans. Magazines such as ‘3wheeling’ really gave them much needed exposure and their pictures and posters hung on the walls of many a teens bedroom like rockstars!

In 1983 Honda introduced the newly designed 250R. It was another huge step ahead for the machine. It featured much improved suspension thanks to a prolink swingarm and longer travel shock out back. Up front they offered bigger forks and more travel and also a new, more narrow front tire for improved handling. Suffice to say – these new Airfoolers were a HUGE hit with the racers and general public alike.

In 1984, at the SCORE sanctioned Baja 1000, Honda’s ATC250Rs started just behind the motorcycles rather than from the very back of the starting order, Honda-backed ATC250Rs finished first and second in class, putting them fourth and fifth overall. Nothing on four wheels finished ahead of the ATCs. The three-wheeler was king!

In 1987, out of fear of being sued over what was deemed ‘an unsafe product design’ and pressure from lawmakers, all three wheeler manufactuers agreed to halt the production of all 3 wheeled ATV’s for ten years. The focus and attention shifted to queads. Unfortunatly, even after the ten years passed no new three wheelers were ever made by the big companies. To many, 3wheelers were ‘dead,’ ‘dangerous’ and ‘outdated.’

Today, a small culture has formed – dedicated to restoring and riding these machines. Machines that literally blazed the trails for the modern day quads. These machines and the men who rode them back in the glory days have attained nothing short of ‘living legend’ status amongst all of us who still ride a Trike.

Here at www.airfoolers.com we love all 3wheelers, but we are dedicated to the original, and in our opinion, the best performance 3wheeler – the first and second generation Honda 250R ATC.

For some it’s the fact that they were the first real racing trikes, for others it’s the raw and unrefined look of a first or second generation R – some just find one by chance and maybe don’t realize they are riding a piece of history. Regardless, if you own an aircooled 250R you are a ‘Fooler and you have a home and friends here at airfoolers.com!