Whoever engineered Honda 110 - 250cc 4 strokes in the 80's needed to design cars. These things are bullet proof.

Over the years I've had several variations of them and all have been easy to work on.


About 6 years ago I snagged an '86 Honda ATC 200s and an '85 125M. Pay less than $500 for each one of them. Both were neglected. I took them to my MIL's house for the nieces and nephews to ride around on. Did the typical carb clean, change the oil, standard stuff. The 200s ended up having a rusty gas tank , leaked gas and was too powerful for the kids anyway. The 125m had a low gear so they ended up riding it around. So the 200s just sits under a tarp for like 5 years untouched. The 125 goes maybe 6 months without being touched, but every time I go there, put some gas in it, by the 3rd pull it starts right up.

Last week I decide to bring the 200s back - and everything is locked up on it - all the cables, the brakes, the transmission - even the carb jet needle is gummy and hard to move. The motor isn't seized but its not getting spark, tires flat - what you'd expect for something pretty much exposed to the elements.

So I go online - you can buy a carb with a throttle cable for this thing - sure its a chinese knockoff but its almost exact - for $20, a CDI for $9, a coil for $9, brake pads for $11, and brake cables for $15 a pop. All told I'm into it on parts for less than $100. I remember I had a spare tank in the attic of the workshop so I dragged it out and sure enough, no leaks.

I thought I'd spend a weekend wrenching on it and screwing around - put the CDI, Coil and carb on last night in about an hour, put some gas in the tank and it started on the 6th pull. Without even adjusting the carb it runs perfectly. Went back out this morning before work and it started first pull.

Had a XR75 as a kid, the old man never told me about changing the oil or anything else, I would take that thing into creeks and all kinds of garbage - it always started and I kept it for at least 6 years.

Bought a TRX200 years back that used a screwdriver for the pull handle - thing looked like crap but would start every time , even needing rings.

Just crazy quality with these old machines - and the aftermarket is dirt cheap to maintain them.

I had a 1985 200X and a 1986 250R when I was a mid 80's teenager

Awsome times and machines

I have a BIL that keeps buying late 60's, early 70's Mopars to relive his youth.

I'll never buy a '77 Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am, so 80's Hondas are a much cheaper hobby.

The 250R is a collectors item now - they still bring top dollar.

The holy grail for me is an '86 TRX350D - the very first Honda Foreman. I have 2 of them that aren't running I keep telling myself I'm going to strip them down and build one good one from the parts.

i have by the side of the house in good shape a Honda Big Red. I would never sell it. The reason? The government didn't want me to have it.
i have in a garage i think four honda trail cycles dating back to the early 60's, keep thinking i am going to put them back together.

I need to find a new photo host & try to learn to use it.

Just this last weekend I found pics of my '86 200X on the gravel bar below the Meldahl locks & dam on the mighty Ohio. As they say... those were the days. I have the X-Rays to prove it.

If there was ever such a thing, the 80's Hondas were nearly bombproof.

I had and 85 250 TRX for years. Finally got tired of looking at it and sold it. Far as I know, it's still running strong.

Bought a new 250 Honda with electric shift. It seems like a good 4 wheeler as well.

Honda builds great stuff.

ride my 69 ct90 every day. swamped out about a half pound of rust scale from the tank, bought one of those 20 dollar carbs (kept the original and rebuilt it) and kick with half choke she is running. i even ride it running my Labs all winter in the snow.
i also have a ct110 85 model that smokes like a chinaman that i have only replaced the carb on. it drips oil out the exhaust until it warms up, but still has crazy power and compression.
think the valve guide seals are shot or non existent . this bike was going to be my winter project rebuild but [bleep] got in the way.
wife won't let me have a Hog any more so i call these my piglets, complete with little pink pigs on the key rings.

my son doesn't give a schit about any of this - which breaks my heart because I loved dirt bikes and ATVs as a kid, I lived on them. He loves to shoot though so he's not a lost cause.

But my daughter was a different story. I got her in on it early and she rode until she got her license.





She'd still ride I think if she had the time.

3 wheelers are a hoot with small plane owner's around here ...pull off the 3 tires ....some tools ...and in two trips you have a 3 wheeler in the sticks....fly in an run the ridge tops !

Put about a million miles on a '84 125M 3-wheeler and a '86 125 4-wheeler.
Could ride the 3-wheeler on two wheels for as long as I wanted.
Both had electric start, and the 4-wheeler had reverse, but nary a shock on either one. Just kinda bounced on down the road.
Uncle had a 185 3-wheeler, an '82 or '83 I believe.
Good times, good times.

they are pretty light. I folded down the rear seat of my mini van and loaded that 200s up.

I never could get a 3 wheeler to go where I pointed it.

Whoa!!! Did I hear somebody mention an 86 Honda Foreman??? Do they look like this?



I bought this new in early 87 and still use it and yes, it still looks this good. Oh, and I use it............................



Last years Deer...........................



I swear this thing is bullet proof. I had to put a new CDI in it a couple years ago along with a gas tank. The metal tank finally rusted and leaked. I replaced it with a plastic one, but the original we cleaned out, resealed and now its ready to go if I want to put it back in. 4 years ago I put new tires on, because the original ones had a lot of cracks in the side walls. One year after installing the new ones they started cracking. Now they tell me that is normal and not to worry about it. Damn, I could still be using the original ones had I known that.

Those 3 wheelers are prone to flipping if the front wheel drops in a hole. Honda got sued over that very thing and stopped making them.

We've pulled loaded hay wagons with Big Reds before. They don't stop well with hay wagons. LOL

there is a cult following for those 350Ds. The story is honda wanted to introduce a 4wd prototype just to show what they could do, so they built this thing as a one off. They built it like a tank with heavy axles, a fuel pump and full time 4wd - and to put it into production it was going to cost a fortune so they figured there was no market for it, but the public loved and pressured them to make it. I don't know what it cost out the door in 86 but it was expensive for ATV's at the time - and it paved the way for the Foreman as we know it now.

A guy has one out on craigslist right now and doesn't even know what he has - thinks its a 250 Fourtrax, but unfortunately he wants $1700 for it. I'd be tempted to buy it if it was more around $1100.

I'd love to have the one you have in the pictures, matter of fact, if I could find a really nice 350D, I'd sell my 650 Prairie and just keep the Honda.

Still have my 1988 Foreman I bought new, and still have the original tires on it. Now it's relegated to snow pusher.

It's hauled out a bear or three though.....

https://www.motosport.com/blog/fun-facts-atv-history

I run the 2012 of this with PS.

Wow, nice Bear. Does yours have the 400 in it?

Thanks....he went quite a ways into P&Y......

350....the first Foremans were made in 87-88-89, and all had 350's.

350 Honda Fourtrax 1986 model. Looks like hell, leaks a little oil onto the manifold, so it stinks like hell, but it still runs like HELL!

Have a couple friends still running the old 350 Fourtrax's, great rigs.

Works really well for hauling deer and antelope out of the sage brush.

dammit, I wish I hadn't started this thread, everyone has a running '86 TRX350D except me! and that's the one I want!

The 110cc was an outgrowth of the 90cc, which was an outgrowth of the 50cc. The Honda Trail 90's, 110's and what I call the "step trough's" Basically as long as there is any oil it will keep running. Honda has made a bazillion of these engines and the knock off' s are everywhere. A little OHC wonder.

I could be talked out of my 88, but not sure if you could still drive it with only one leg and one arm.....

They did, they're called Toyota, and they came with a 22R inline four cylinder motor.

My dad and uncle had a pair of 85 250SXs. They were the perfect blend of power and suspension for a trail rig and they had a cargo rack too. We must have put 100,000 miles on that pair of wheelers and they just kept ticking. Dad’s gas tank rusted out and he parked his in a corner of the barn. Uncle sold his in 2006 for $400 with a loosey goosey tranny and bald tires. In 2007 dad gave his to the same guy for a parts rig and he simply put the good gas tank on it and fired it up and is still riding it. He said swapping a gas tank was easier than swapping a trans.

They had a pair of 185s before they got the 250s. The 185s were faster but they had nothing but tires for suspension and were chain driven whereas the 250s had shaft drive.

I found a 1986 Fat cat in a barn last year, made an offer and took it home. I believe a did a fairly nice restoration and could text pics to those who could post.

Uh...KFWA.... is that what I've got?

yep, TRX350D
well 86 is trx350, 87 is the 350D

Beware of Honda parts availability. A friend has an '82 Goldwing. He needs a headlight relay and can't find one anywhere, not even the Honda dealership. He might have to jury rig something.

Honda is actually one of the better ones, they usually make parts once a year, so even older stuff will come up again, Much better than Suzuki or Kawasaki. Not sure how it is with ATV's.

Are you sure 86 are not 350D? I really sure mine is.

I would love to have a FatCat, and an Odessy, and most of all a Pilot. I’ve rode a bunch of the old ones. Everyone around here had Honda bikes, trikes, and quads, mostly because the word got around that most of the others in the 80’s were junk in comparison. But they’ve all more or less been ridden to death with clapped out engines and trannys and cracked frames. Most of the plastic has gone to the dogs in the hot sun. Still a few around though, I know where 2 250SXs are, a 185, a 125 4 wheeler, and probably a few BigReds. I know an old guy who has an absolutely mint Fourman, not sure of the year. It’s a 1990 something and it’s from the only year they made them in blue. He keeps it indoors and I bet it doesn’t have 100 miles on it.

Agreed,
Don't me started on Rukons that could be restored.
Oh well,
Some guys won't part with their toys.
Can't blame them.

Currently restoring a Honda Express and a Suzuki FA50 for the Grandkids.




Fun stuff.



DMc

well I had read online that the 350D came out in 87, I originally thought the 86 was the 350D too - you may be right.

Well, now I feel like an idiot. After my wife corrected me I checked my files and mine is a 1988 Foreman. What a memory. I still have all the papers on it including the hang tag. I bought it Oct. 88.
I checked and KFWA I believe you are right. An 86 TRX350 is designated TRX350A.

Here is a good place to buy parts.

Carolina Honda

well they're all good - I think in '87 Honda realized they'd have to make it more cost effective for a long production run and made a few subtle changes.

I read - the first visual change was the 86 had yellow headlights (why?). They changed to clear in 87, also a different starter, and some bits changes when they went to the Foreman designation.

no argument there

1986 Honda Fatcat fully restored

I’d ride that thing until it was worn back out. Awesome job man.

Thanks Kid, I enjoy riding the Fat Cat more then any other machine. A few more pics from a ATV / dirt bike track in Georgia.

I've only seen pictures of those, never one in person.

When I spotted this one leaning up against the wall in a storage barn I tried not to seem to excited...made an offer and crossed my fingers...Next day a received the call to come get it . Fortunately I was able to find all the missing, busted, faded parts and get it back together. Funny enough, never had to get inside the motor apart from cleaning it up, changing the oil, spark plug , battery....Fired right up and ran like a top.

I threw some paint on and got some retro graphics.

Its a long way from being new , the plastics have zip tie repairs and I need to rewire the headlight, but for a knock around toy that I have hardly anything invested in, its fun.



I'm going to get that TRX350 running now

I think your ATC is just fine for riding ...a lot !! My son just sold his to a buddy who will rebuild it to 100%....He is putting the proceeds towards a Subaru SDI motor rebuild...

Nice 3-wheeler, but enough about Hondas, tell us about that 90s 'Yota pickup

heh - it doesn't have the 22RE, its the 3.0VZLE but I like it. I've talked about it a bit on here before. I've done a fair bit of restoration on it, plan on doing more in the summer. 4 runner seat and console swap out, A/C conversion, and a handful of other things

Had a '90 same color, 5 speed, 22RE, but sadly only 2WD.
Been on the lookout for a 4WD for a while but it's nearly impossible to find an ext cab with a 22RE.

We bought two of the first TRX350 that rolled off the line.
they were 2600.00 in 1986, they were consecutive serial#'s.
As far as I know my fathers is still working in Georgia, he died, and I gave it t my brother, and mine has been in continuous use since day one.
Only thing changed are fuel pump, starter, carb, Tires. Battery, maybe a few small things, but no engine work at all.
Everything else is factory .
Just got through telling my wife, I have had that machine for over half my life.
I have rode many bikes that were nicer riding, but I have never seen one better at 4 wheeling..Not even close.
Because lack of suspension means it is closer to the ground. I have never rolled it.
It has been half way around the world, and never been stuck..
I loaned it to a friend, whose brother got drunk, and took it up a mountain, and rolled it(I should have beat the crap out of him), but not much broken.
Still runs good, no leaks, no problems.
Great machine..

http://www.armslist.com/posts/8267095/madison-wisconsin-handguns-for-sale-trade--honda-3-wheeler-

this thread has motivated me to get rolling on some atv projects I have around the house. The last is to rebuild the TRX350 I have next to my workshop. I went thru the parts bucket last night I had forgot just how much stuff I have for this thing that I collected when I bought it. Finishing up a Polaris and next is a suzuki LT. Clearing out the workshop

I have two 1984 200 Big Red 3 wheelers that are still running great. They are the shaft drive, electric start, w/reverse. The one that my wife used has never been tipped over and is still in excellent shape. Mine has duct tape on the seat, and a replacement gas tank, but the racks are still in decent shape and they both start right up and idle without any issues. We have a Honda pioneer 700-4 and a ranger side by side so the 3 wheelers don't see as much use, but I still putt around the place and take short rides every year.