1985-1986 Honda ATC250R Motocross Project Part 2, Building a Factory Honda Beater

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A while back we turned a stock 1986 Honda ATC250R into a modern-day, vintage motocross dominator. Working with CT Racing, we had proven championship-winning power. Race Tech’s trick upgrades for vintage suspension, combined with Lone Star Racing’s plus one-inch swingarm, and plus four-inch axle, providing the handling and suspension performance needed to aggressively attack a modern motocross track. Tons of other bolt-ons from companies like OMF, Kenda ASV, Renthal HEL Performance, Maier, Daystar, and Cosmic Quads added the performance and extra attention to detail that made our project trike not just fast, but a well-thought-out and highly effective racer. Prior to shooting the test, still cloaked in stock plastic, test rider, Rob Ray, won the Open Expert class at Trikefest 2012 proving our project was a huge success in the premiere class at the largest annual motocross event for three-wheeler racers.

With the growing popularity of three-wheeler racing, riders are stepping up their game, both in their riding and in their machinery. To keep our project at the forefront of vintage performance, we decided to go back to the future, working with CT Racing and a few other performance companies to transform our machine from a modern-day, vintage motocross dominator, into a machine that would have given Factory Honda a real run for their money back in the day. To build a true pro caliber machine, we thoroughly re-evaluated our ATC looking to further enhance its performance while addressing any remaining weaknesses.

While we are fans of the modern dirt bike, quad, and three-wheeler conversions. we get a little bummed out when enthusiasts butcher a piece of vintage iron to install an engine, or worse, suspension, out of some modern machine, assuming that it’s better, but usually doing it to save a buck. In the end, you devalue your machine. Chances are it won’t be setup properly, and in the end, a vintage machine has been taken off the market for future generations to enjoy.

Methodically combining Honda’s millions of dollars of R&D with three decades of performance development from a number of companies that are no strangers to winning championships, we wound up with an ATC250R where test rider, Rob Ray, felt that the only thing holding the machine back on the track was him. While there might not be a rider around today as fast as Marty Hart, this CT Racing ATC250R most certainly has power, suspension, and handling that would have made Factory Honda turn red.