Honda

-- Another Blast From The Past favorite -- Back in 2001 Honda was selling 400EX sport quads as fast and they could make them. It was an extremely popular machine and it seemed like every body had one.  The number one thing on their minds was to make these Hondas even better. Or, more to the point, how to make them faster.  That was what the Dirt Wheels crew did for a living and an aftermarket pipe was always the first thing we bolted on to a given quad. "Which pipe is best?" is a question we constantly got from our…

-- A man's dream comes alive -- Here is the classic Honda two-stroke three-wheeler that the fast guys used to ride back in the day. This one belongs to Mike Peterson and we'll let him describe it in his own words... Hi Dirt Wheels, I’ve always enjoyed reading your magazine! I’ve been riding on the Oregon coast for over 40 years. Started riding on a 1970 Honda ATC 90. Then a 110, 200 & finally bought a new '86 ATC 250R. Later bought an '85 ATC 250R. I was a long holdout of the quads. I liked the three-wheelers…

For More Dirt Wheels Click HERE to Subscribe!  -- Interview with the Honda Talon's senior design engineer -- Erik Dunshee has been with Honda R&D America since 2009, which is based in the Torrance, California, office. He was responsible  for developing the look of the Talon and he gave us some insight on  that process with our interview. What word would you use to describe what you were going for with the Talon's look? "Capable." When you looked at this vehicle, we wanted you to know that it's able to take any…

-- A fast sand dune machine -- It's kind of like a dirt bike, but it's also like an ATV too. The fat tires allow it to carve across the sand better than skinny tires. If you've ever ridden a normal dirt bike at the dunes you had to deal with the front tire cutting in deep in the turns and the rear tire spinning wildly trying to find traction. This Fat Cat 650 is an effective solution to that problem. Although the Fat Cat 650 is a custom build, its concept was based on the original Honda Fat Cat 200 that was available…

We not only got a first look at both Talon models, but we were able to take each out for a ride in the California desert in order to give our readers some insight. They were worth the wait.

-- Not everyone needs a Talon -- Honda's all-new high-performance Talon R and X have been getting all the attention when they were introduced recently, but Honda has other UTVs in their 2019 line up as well. You can check them out below .  Right now Honda's South Carolina plant is celebrating 20 years of ATV and UTV production. We have been to the facility, and it is quite impressive, and no doubt it plays a role in the well-deserved Honda reputation for quad and UTV reliability. PIONEER 1000 The impressive…

2019 Honda Talon For decades, Honda has set the standard for sport-oriented dirt bikes with its CR and CRF lineups, and more recently the Pioneer family has introduced unmatched capability to the multipurpose side-by-side category. Now, Honda’s all-new, highly anticipated Talon marries the two worlds, bringing a new level of off-road excitement, precision and quality to Sport side-by-side driving. Drawing on countless hours of performance development in both two- and four-wheel design and racing, as well as automotive and…

-- Looking back at 2018 & ahead to 2019 -- Production of 3-Wheelers ceased in 1987 due to safety concerns as 4-Wheelers took over the market.  Most Major race series then moved away from 3-Wheelers around that same time period.  In 2014 the New East Extreme Dirt Track Series allowed 3-Wheelers back into the regular program as exhibition classes and they quickly grew over night.  At one of the series largest Events in 2018 at Pine Lake Raceway one can easily find more than 100 of these 3-wheeler machines from the 80’s…

-- From the US90 to the 250R -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels with Mike Palmgren. A Parrot Green Honda US90 where the ATV world began and the Honda ATC250R that was the end of performance three-wheelers from the company that created them. ATVs survived and thrived, but the 1980s were the troubled end for three-wheelers. As we rolled up to Oceano Dunes SVRA, we were curious where the test subject was hiding. A lot of truly pristine machines roll through Dirt Wheels, but this better-than-new 1970 Honda US90—the very…

-- Wild machines of Dirt Wheels readers -- We're all used to seeing high-lifted 4x4 quads out in the deepest mud holes. For some reason though, we rarely see 3-wheelers modified the same way. Greg Armbruster in Ohio set out to change that with his unique mud machine here. He saw no reason why his old Honda Big Red couldn't become a swamp monster too. The first order of business was to make sure his 250cc 4-stroke 3-wheeler got plenty of traction while giving it more ground clearance. He accomplished that with these…

-- As close to a new 2019 model as you can get -- What has been considered the greatest high-performance quad of all time? Well, most of the experts agree that Honda's TRX250R set the standard when it first came out in 1986. It handled very well, had good suspension and its 250cc 2-stroke engine provided instant power that helped it get down the trail very quickly. You could buy a new TRX250R from your Honda dealer in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989. Unfortunately it was removed from Honda's lineup for 1990. ATV people were…

-- How to get a brand new Honda TRX250R -- Dirt Wheels reader Frank Raneiro is in the process of building an awesome 250R. We're going to let him tell you how he's doing it and what all is involved. Check it out... > Hey there Dirt Wheels. Just wanted to share with you The MX build I’m doing. It’s a completely brand new TRX250R Build. All parts are new or new old stock. Nothing on this bike is used. Took me 4 years to acquire all the new parts. Here’s a few Pics of the Current State. Will be finished within the…