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ATV HISTORY:

The ATV (all-terrain vehicle), also known as three and four-wheelers, was created in Japan as a farm-to-town vehicle in rugged mountainous areas. The three-wheeled ATV proved to be a good way to travel off-roads and soon became a recreational vehicle, providing transportation to areas that cars and SUVs can`t access. Japanese manufacturers soon realized that America was a good market for the ATV.

The ATV first appeared in America in the early 70`s, it was promoted and sold as a recreational vehicle designed to provide "thrills" for the rider. This is still its primary use today. People quickly found that the ATV was a useful machine to move through places not accessible with trucks, four-wheel drives, or other vehicles. The ATV has become a popular hunting and fishing vehicle.

Honda`s US 90 was the first ATV made specifically for off-road recreation. Honda`s line of ATVs was quickly growing in usefulness and technology. Ironically, it was the ATV owners who found and invented creative new applications for the ATVs, and helped shape their growth and design over the years.

The ATV owners found that ATVs offered a wide variety of uses that even Honda engineers never fathomed. ATVs are less expensive to operate then pickup trucks or tractors, smaller and more maneuverable than either one, and possess a remarkably lighter footprint (with their low-pressure tires) that is easy on sensitive terrain. ATVs soon became vital tools in farming, ranching, industry, agriculture, fishing, hunting and means of mobility for the disabled. In many cases, ATVs do jobs that are impossible for other vehicles and 4x4s.

The 1960s: Prototyping the ATC

In 1967, American Honda asked Honda R&D Ltd. for a new product that dealers could sell when motorcycle sales were slow in the winter. The project was headed by a small group of engineers that eventually developed Honda`s first ATV, the US 90.

Two, three, four, five and even six-wheeled configurations were examined, but the three-wheel concept delivered the best results. It can deal well with snow, mud and many slippery conditions a two-wheeler can`t, while providing more maneuverability than other concepts.

The 1970s: The World`s First ATC

In1970, the US 90 sent its 7 horsepower through a dual-range four-speed gearbox with automatic clutch, and sold for $595. It was renamed the ATC90 later that year when Honda trademarked the ATC name. Honda showcased three models of ATVs with the ATC monogram on them through the `70s. The ATC70 was perfect for young riders and beginners. By the end of the decade, requests for more power turned the original ATC90 into the ATC110 in 1979.

Though the ATC was mainly a recreational vehicle through the `70s, farmers and ranchers were beginning to use the ATC as a tool to make their lives easier. Engineers followed their machines into the field, gathering data to guide the machine`s natural adaptation to a rapidly growing market.

Utility and racing were the two largest arenas for ATVs in the `80s. The popularity of utility usage was easy to understand. On the farm, a tractor cost much more to purchase and maintain, and an ATV uses 8 percent of the fuel necessary to fuel a tractor. Utility usage exploded in the `80s and ATVs became multi-purpose machines, serving both utility and recreation purposes.

The ATC185 was introduced in 1980 and became extremely popular among utility users. Rolling on larger, 25-inch tires that improved traction, the 185 featured a five-speed transmission, automatic clutch and a 180cc four-stroke single-cylinder engine that was considerably more powerful as well. In 1982 the 185 became Honda`s first utility ATV on the market.

The 1982 ATC200E, a.k.a. "Big Red", had more of everything necessary to get a host of jobs done. Its 192cc engine and five-speed dual-range gearbox cranked out more power to make chores such as hauling, towing, spraying, seeding and fertilizing easier. An electric starter made starting the day as easy as pushing a button. Dual racks and a 9.2-liter storage box made carrying equipment, tools, bales of hay and other agricultural chores quicker and easier. In 1984 Big Red added a reverse gear and its drive chain was replaced with shaft drive for extra durability and less maintenance.

In `83 the ATC200X proved that four-strokes could run with the best of them. The 200X combined a high-performance 192cc engine, five-speed gearbox and manual, motorcycle-style clutch with long-travel suspension and sporty chassis geometry that was used for racing rather than ranching.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, building ATVs to endure the stress of utility use put Honda R&D on a steep learning curve. Approaching the mid-80s, ATVs were inspected, dissected and exhaustively scrutinized with more data acquisition equipment than any other Honda product. Machines were run hour after hour, day after day for weeks, with riders wearing 50-pound instrument packs that recorded information on every aspect of the machine`s operation. As the market for utility ATVs grew, Honda`s research made it clear that the next step for ATV`s was another wheel. Then in 1984 Honda introduced the first four-wheel ATV, the TRXª200.

The market responded immediately, making 1984 Honda`s biggest sales year for ATVs. The 370,000 units delivered in 1984 remain the high water mark for Honda ATV sales, making up a full 69 percent of total ATV sales in the U.S. that year. The upswing in utility use and the introduction of the four-wheeled TRX200 was the end of three-wheeled ATVs. Four-wheelers were considered more useful by customers compared to three-wheelers.

By 1986 the money was all on four wheels in the ATV world. The Honda TRX250R made an un-matched four-wheel performance statement with a liquid-cooled 246cc two-stroke engine similar to the ATC250R`s. It was no surprise when Honda unveiled the first four-wheel-drive ATV that same year, the FourTraxª 350 4x4. Market forces were rapidly working to replace three wheels with four.

In 1984, increasing ATV sales led to an increase in ATV accidents, followed by a thorough investigation by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In 1986, CPSC statistics suggested that most ATV accidents were due to improper rider behavior that ignored the distributor`s warnings. No flaws were found in the ATVs themselves.

Honda`s owner`s manuals and product warning labels stressed the importance of proper ATV operation to its customers. Through a national industry safety campaign, there was a 33 percent decline in recorded CPSC injury statistics between 1984 and 1988.

Then 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 ATV safety programs. Free training and training incentives were offered to owners and purchasers of new ATVs. Distributors also agreed that they would no longer market three-wheeled ATVs or repurchase any unsold three-wheel models from dealer inventory.

In 1988 Honda introduced the FourTrax 300 and FourTrax 300 4x4, said to be a “revolutionary” pair of hard working Hondas that would ultimately become the most useful, most popular ATVs in history. The perfect combination of size, weight, power and capacity made the 300s sell more than 530,000 units over the next 12 years. Powered by a 282cc air-cooled, four-stroke single-cylinder engine, the FourTrax 300 sent its 20 horsepower through a five-speed transmission, automatic clutch and maintenance-free shaft drive. An ultra-low first gear helped it tow up to 850 pounds. Tough steel racks allowed it to carry up to 66 pounds in front and 132 pounds in back.

From golf courses to hog farms, hunting to hauling, nothing on wheels had ever been as useful, durable, efficient and affordable, on the job or on the weekend, as the ATV.

When asked what products had the greatest impact on their farming operations since 1967, the readers of Farm Industry News ranked the Honda ATV up there with Dekalb Biotype E Sorghum, A3127 Hybrid Soybeans and the Miller Electric Mig Welder as a landmark product of the last 25 years.

In America, having an ATV on the job makes things more efficient. In countries without our infrastructure, manpower and financial resources, ATV`s reliability and efficiency handle jobs that simply couldn`t be done before. Folks on other parts of the planet have now been discovering what American`s had discovered, and began using ATVs to perform all manners of work that is impossible, impractical or both. Honda ATVs are currently working in more than 35 different countries worldwide.

Source: ATV Connection.com