As I was slinging a little mud this afternoon with my ATV, an old memory came back. I used to have a Honda 3 Wheeler, and rode it on the Mississippi River Levee from time to time. Ranchers ran cattle on the levee, and there was an endless supply of fresh goopy green cow pies. You didn’t want to run the front tire over the fresh ones. The fat tire would splash the stuff forward and upward, and you’d cruise right through it. Green flecks all over you, and don’t lick your lips.
When I was much younger and bulletproof, I did some cross country (enduro) motorcycle racing all over west Texas. From time to time we would come across snakes either crossing or sunning themselves on the trails. I had a friend that made a habit of running over the snakes, just as he flicked the throttle, shooting said snake high into the air behind him. This made it interesting for those riding behind him. He was also very skilled - meaning he usually was out front. It stunk!
And I agree, the Big Reds were a menace. Once I was riding one up a sand dune and my leg came of the peg and got caught by the rear tire. It crawled up my leg and sucked me off the seat onto the ground. Wouldn't have been so bad, but it took a ton of hide of my calf and hurt like crazy.
Who remembers the Honda Odyssey? Like a little dune buggy. Those were also dangerous as they were easy to tip over, and the first instinct was to stick a hand out to brace for the fall, only to have the roll cage land on your forearm. If I recall, they actually made straps to keep the riders arms attached to the steering wheel.
Dalroo Deep in the Heart of Texas How about that Brandon!
My wife worked for an oral surgeon for about 10 years thru that period, and they repaired more broken jaws and faces than she can recount. It was the most dangerous machine ever released to the public! The bad part was all the parents getting them for their kids and letting them go out unsupervised; holy crap, they were squirrely!!
She said the only thing more deadly that parents got for their kids were Shetland ponies!!!
Never did the green slime...But I do remember when the "Big Red Machine" came out...the Honda 250 cc 3-wheeler...every friend that I had, that bought one...within 30 days had gone over the handle bars and suffered a broken collarbone ...I had a 185 and it did all I wanted it to...never felt the "Need for Speed"...on 3 wheels !
When I was much younger and bulletproof, I did some cross country (enduro) motorcycle racing all over west Texas. From time to time we would come across snakes either crossing or sunning themselves on the trails. I had a friend that made a habit of running over the snakes, just as he flicked the throttle, shooting said snake high into the air behind him. This made it interesting for those riding behind him. He was also very skilled - meaning he usually was out front. It stunk!
And I agree, the Big Reds were a menace. Once I was riding one up a sand dune and my leg came of the peg and got caught by the rear tire. It crawled up my leg and sucked me off the seat onto the ground. Wouldn't have been so bad, but it took a ton of hide of my calf and hurt like crazy.
Who remembers the Honda Odyssey? Like a little dune buggy. Those were also dangerous as they were easy to tip over, and the first instinct was to stick a hand out to brace for the fall, only to have the roll cage land on your forearm. If I recall, they actually made straps to keep the riders arms attached to the steering wheel.
I can relate to all three of those scenarios ... I raced MX, harescrambles, Enduro, hare & hound, etc. starting in the early 70s thru mid 2000 ... had my fair share of stuff thrown up on me from the rear wheel of the rider(s) in front of me. Lost all the skin off the back of my left calf from a 3 wheeler my wife's cousin brought to family Christmas eve dinner that I had to ride. Friend found a couple of those old Honda Odysseys that he rebuilt with souped up engines off much larger street bikes, talk about a death trap looking for a victim ... but I was pretty bulletproof (or so I thought)...
"everyone that lives dies but not everyone who dies lived..."
I agree most dangerous vehicle ever offered to the public. My son was about 10 at the time I bought one. He rode that thing on two wheels more then three. Uncanny little dare devil. No telling what he did when I wasn't around. He never go hurt but I was expecting the call to come to the emergency room. It's still in our barn and hasn't been ridden by anyone in years. He's now married with his own group of dare devils. Karma
I had the 185, each of a couple of my brothers also had one...well one was a Yamaha equivalent...Family was down from San Diego, CA for Easter Dinner at my place in the Imperial Valley...Glamis Sand Dunes are about an hour away, closer to El Centro is Heber Beach...the whole of the valley is a sandy desert...Brothers took off with the trikes on a trailer with instructions to be back by 4PM. At 5 PM I went to round them up...drove all around Heber Beach and no brothers...I have given up on finding them...figure that we passed each other on parallel roads...driving out the last 1/4 mile an ambulance is headed inbound...First thought... I don't know where my brothers are...but I bet the ambulance does...followed it right back to them...racing back to the trailer and truck...touched rear wheels and that was it...ER stitches for both !!! Subject came up again... this past Dove season opener, when a couple of dirt bikes went by in the AZ desert!!! "your fault...No YOURS!!!"
I only wish Honda would have come up with the design for a small vehicle that could be used in rice fields a lot sooner. Maybe I and others wouldn't have needed to work so hard as kids to get a deer out of the woods.
What I find ironic is how the trend in ATV's and UTV's has moved us back to where we started. I can remember the smaller size being the primary attraction of using an ATV over full size 4WD vehicles. Now it seems the side-by-side vehicles are approaching the same size of those early Jeeps.
"Some people will never like you because your spirit irritates their demons."
I think the same family of kids I knew that had the Big Red also had the Odyssey. I was about 10 and wanted one so much. We only ever had dirt-bikes, looking back, that was the best.
I had a few different 3 wheelers over the years (Honda 70 when I was 5, Honda 185 at about 9 or 10 and then a Big Red at about 20). Had a few spills but never got hurt and they were all very dependable machines. use common sense and they were great and not anymore dangerous than anything else. Also had two different Odyssey's and they were a blast too, until you got the drive belt wet.
Last edited by CCBIRDDOGMAN; 11/22/1902:23 PM.
Originally Posted by bill oxner
Haven't had it in years but never spit any out.
Originally Posted by bill oxner
I am a sucker for happy endings and strapped cowboys.
I think the same family of kids I knew that had the Big Red also had the Odyssey. I was about 10 and wanted one so much. We only ever had dirt-bikes, looking back, that was the best.
Started with the fat tire rigid frame 200, but I spent more hours than I can count,on Honda 250X and 350X three wheelers in the Glamis dunes and open desert areas. Never had a problem that I didn't cause by being beer brave, Eventually I went to to a quad, but that caused me to ride faster and more dangerously
Marc
A Democracy is when two wolves and a lamb vote on the dinner menu. That is why this country was specifically not designed as a Democracy. We are a Constitutional Republic.
A couple years back my group of buddys from high school and college decided that we'd go out and each buy a Honda Big Red and go to mud-nats up in NE Texas. The rule was that you had to find one for around or under 500$. Mind you a true "Big Red" is a 300cc, and are actually pretty steep for the price, so most of us found and bought 250's. Half the fun was going and buying the things, yall should've seen the characters that were selling them! I bought mine off this meth-head who lived in a community of shacks right below the Lake Livingston dam in the river bottom, made sure we went out there with plenty of day light, LOL! Nats was interesting to say the least, the bikes actually rode the big trails fairly easy, but once we got off on the side trails thats when things got a little shaky. I still think it was the best 500$ I've ever spent to this day.
Last edited by camtheguitarman; 11/22/1903:45 PM. Reason: added pics
Had a Honda Big Red in the mid 90s. I think my parents got it and a life insurance policy on me at the same time. I can't see any other reason you'd give a teenager one of those things. Rode it all over county roads near our deer lease in Coke County. I can't even begin to guess how many rattlesnakes I ran over on it. Only 1 bad crash luckily I had on a helmet and a lot of clothing.
"There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre." Louis L'Amour