![]() Take in almost 50 dirt bikes from Europe, England, Japan and America when you visit plus over 450 other motorcycles of all types, 1899 to present. This Honda ATC90 is part of the DIRT RIDING USA exhibit presented by J&P Cycles, and is one of only two ATVs in the entire National Motorcycle Museum. Just about everywhere you look, a modern ATV is at work, or play, with some high performance and four passenger units topping $20,000. What was a $600 plaything in 1970 is now a key piece of transport worldwide and has likely taken a big bite out of small tractor, golf cart and off-road motorcycle sales. Injuries started to rack up, as did lawsuits against Honda, hundreds of millions in lawsuits eventually, and the CPSC stepped in and banned three-wheelers.īut more stable four-wheeled ATV designs were already on the drawing boards of half a dozen manufacturers and even wider audiences were found in racing, agriculture, emergency, hunting, oil field service and more. The solid rear axle called for a lean to the outside to turn at low speeds, the under 40 inch wheelbase made wheelies come easily. But what appeared to be a stable machine invited young and unskilled operators who often got into trouble. Honda got enough patents that the other OEMs had difficulty competing unless they bought rights, which some did. In desert and rural areas the ATC90 was a hit urban Honda shops sold fewer. Summer Yellow, Bright Red, Aquarius Blue and Parrot Green were sporty new color offerings it was the 70’s. ![]() Where most bodywork on today’s ATVs is polypropylene, the ATC90 used a steel fuel tank and front fender and a fragile fiberglass seat/fender unit. The cushy tires absorbed a lot of surfaces irregularities and was easier on trails than knobbies. The frame was pressed steel with rigid tubular forks and a live rear axle also with no suspension. It borrowed the engine/ transmission unit from a Honda Trail 90, an 89cc OHC single with a dual range transmission, but used rope starting. Originally dubbed the US90 due to America being its first market, the machine soon became the ATC90 the All Terrain Cycle. This original Honda US90, a three-wheeler with a flotation tire and wheel* design then used on some American made six-wheel machines, was the answer. Honda dealers asked for a new product that would offer sales in the winter season, a time when sales were off in the northern United States. What began as back room tinkering at Honda in the late 1960’s became a product now representing over 30% of many motorcycle dealers’ unit sales.
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