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Are Trikes Really Illegal?
What's the real story? Are trikes really illegal? Were they ever actually against the law to own? These legendary recreational machines have developed a history that isn't exactly true but it's not exactly false either. Let's take a look.
Where Do We Begin?
It all began with Honda when they introduced the US90 back in 1970, making it the world's first mass-produced three-wheeler. It was originally sold as the US90 because it was developed primarily for sale in the United States. A few years later, it was renamed the ATC 90, with the moregeneral abbreviation "ATC". The All Terrain Cycle was here and the "trike" was making an impact almost immediately.
Honda would add to the lineup throughout that decade a series of models ranging in size and purpose. Rival Yamaha entered the trike market in 1980 with the Tri-Moto, followed by Kawasaki in 1981, and finally Suzuki on 1982. By this time Honda had already introduced their high-performance model featuring a two-stroke engines. And let's face it, high performance and the three wheel design may have not been the best idea when it came to overall rider safety.
The safety concerns surrounding three-wheel ATC's didn't appear all at once, it was a slow grind, but they really became a major issue beginning around 1983. At this point the two-stroke versions of ATC's were becoming popular. The big four manufacturers sold millions of three-wheelers including those marketed for weekend recreation, farming, utility work, and just plain trail riding. It started small, and even though crashes with bodily injury were occurring, they weren't yet viewed as an industry wide safety problem yet.
As the mid-eighties arrived, the sales of the three wheel machines exploded. The number of physical injuries increased in line with the rocketing sales figures. Hospital emergency rooms were reporting far more cases of trauma as more inexperienced riders, including children, rode the trikes.
And then came the alarming statistics. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission documented approximately 161 deaths from 1982 to 1985 as a result of trike accidents. In 1984 alone, there were an estimated 67,000+ ATC-related emergency room cases due to off road trike accidents and mishaps. Investigations were launched the following year after the death toll surpasses 100 adults and children. The results were in, and common accident patterns involved rollovers and flips backward due to excessive torque combined with the light weight of the front end.
Making the Trike Illegal
Talk of making the trike illegal had begun. In 1987, The U.S. Department of Justice filed suit against all the major ATC and ATV manufacturers. The suit alleged that the trikes posed an imminent hazard due to the unstable design of a rigid axle in the rear combined with only one front wheel. The talk of legality began to dissipate, and the suit took hold in a different way. With full cooperation for the big four manufacturers, the result was an agreement to stop selling new brand three-wheel trikes in the U.S.. The big four manufacturers also agreed to improve safety training and warnings for existing trike owners, and promote rider education for anyone considering the purchase of a used model.
So are trikes illegal? The answer is no. Ownership is perfectly legal, ridership is perfectly legal as well. Today, the three wheel ATC is still restored, collected, and actively ridden. Today's vintage trike enthusiasts have no problem arguing that experienced and well trained riders can operate the three-wheelers safely and enjoyably on the farm, track, or trail. And they can enjoy their ATC's without the pursuit of the local police.
Search for new and used parts for all vintage trikes. This may be the best option to track down rare, used items or obsolete ATC parts.
It's the place to browse if you're looking for a specific part for your vintage ATC or you need to find a universal part to redesign or modify an older trike. From a collectability standpoint, sometimes you can stumble on an old magazine, vintage ATC brochures, or a service manual as well.
They have added some useful features to the system including local marketplace-style classifieds if you need to sell, and an email notification system which emails you when a certain part becomes available. These are just some of the improvements to their already popular setup. For some models, it may be easier to search by engine size.
You'll find ATV magazines in a variety of price ranges. These are the most current titles from the 4 wheeler industry.
Print mags like Dirt Wheels cost a little more, but there are some very inexpensive magazine subscriptions like ATV Sport and ATV Action. The reason we posted this along with the Yamoto parts, is simply because today's media has become very electronic. A print magazine requires no batteries and you can actually find some great reading material about the entire ATV industry, maybe even a mention of Yamoto 4 wheelers.
Subscribe today and stay up to date with today's hottest products and industry news plus some vintage trike pics.
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Did you know?
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