This is an original Honda ATC 250ES Big Red from 1986, interestingly, it’s said to have sat unused for 20 years, before being given a recent refurbishment. As a result, it’s one of the tidiest looking Big Reds we’ve seen come up for sale in recent memory.
Honda’s ATC 250ES “Big Red” was the first three-wheeler that had been purpose-built for work rather than play. It was intended for use by farmers, hunters, and forestry workers, and it came with cargo racks front and back, a tow bar, and a 9.2 liter storage box.
Honda’s ATC 250ES “Big Red” was the first three-wheeler that had been purpose-built for work rather than play. It was intended for use by farmers, hunters, and forestry workers, and it came with cargo racks front and back, a tow bar, and a 9.2 liter storage box. Image courtesy of Honda.
History Speedrun: The Honda ATC 250ES Big Red
Honda’s 1982 ATC200E Big Red was the company’s first all-terrain vehicle built specifically to go to work. Over six model years it went from a 200cc chain-driven machine with no rear suspension to a shaft-driven, fully suspended 250. Then the entire genre of the three-wheeler was withdrawn from sale in America on safety grounds, and farmers switched to quads.
Honda had sold three-wheelers since the mighty little US90 that debuted in 1970, and through 70s they were almost entirely used as recreational machines. James Bond (Sean Connery) rode one in the 1971 007 film Diamonds are Forever, it was the first time many cinema goers had ever seen a three-wheeler in action, and they loved it. It may not have been as elegant as a Blower Bentley or a DB5, but it did look like a whole lot of fun.
Farmers were already putting three-wheelers to work, and Honda engineers followed them into the field to gather data. From what they learned, it seemed clear that the economics favored the three-wheeled platform over larger ATVs or tractors. The ATC (All Terrain Cycle, Honda’s term for their three-wheelers) burned a lot less fuel and could cross almost any terrain – muddy, sandy, rocky, grassy, and any combination of the above.
By Honda’s figures, an ATV burned just 8% of the fuel a tractor needed, and a tractor cost considerably more to buy and maintain. The 180cc ATC185 of 1980 had 25 inch tires and an automatic clutch, and it could split its time between work and play. The Big Red followed it two years later as a dedicated agricultural tool, the first of its kind.
The ATC200E Big Red used an air-cooled 192cc single-cylinder engine with a chain-driven overhead cam. Honda rated it at 13 bhp at 7,000 rpm and 10.6 lb ft of torque at 5,500 rpm, which was all sent back through a 5-speed semi-automatic gearbox with a dual-range sub-transmission, so the rider shifted by foot but had no clutch lever to worry about
Honda’s advertising called the sub-transmission the “Sub-Mission,” but thankfully it never caught on. The engine made more power than the 185, especially low in the rev range, which meant it was well-suited to towing, spraying, seeding, fertilizing, and general fam duties. The final drive was by chain.
The ATC200E Big Red used an air-cooled 192cc single-cylinder engine with a chain-driven overhead cam. Honda rated it at 13 bhp at 7,000 rpm and 10.6 lb ft of torque at 5,500 rpm, which was all sent back through a 5-speed semi-automatic gearbox with a dual-range sub-transmission. Image courtesy of Honda.
The semi-double-cradle tubular steel frame has telescopic forks at the front and no rear suspension, save for the sidewalls of the 25 inch tires pumped up to just 2.2 psi. There were drum brakes at both ends, and the rear drum was sealed against mud and water. It had an electric starter, but there was also a recoil pull starter as a backup.
The Big Red came standard with front and rear cargo racks and a 9.2 liter storage box, and it weighed 342 lbs dry, with a cost of $1,650 USD. That works out to roughly $6,100 USD in 2026 dollars. In 1983 Honda added a 12-volt accessory socket and a sturdier front axle.
The 1984 ATC200ES came with some bigger changes, including a reverse gear, a low maintenance shaft drive in place of the chain, and a 700 lb towing rating. It kept the 192cc engine, the dual-range sub-gearbox and the rigid rear end, and it sold for $1,850 USD (~$6,860 USD in 2026 dollars). That same year Honda launched the TRX200, its first four-wheeler. They didn’t know it at the time, but soon their focus would be shifting to four-wheelers entirely.
For 1985 the Big Red became the ATC250ES. A new 246cc overhead-cam single was rated at 17.8 bhp and 13.7 lb ft of torque, replacing the earlier 192cc unit. The dual-range sub-transmission was dropped for a 5-speed gearbox with an ultra-low “super low” first gear, and reverse was kept. A shock-sprung swingarm gave 4.3 inches of rear travel, the first rear suspension on a Big Red.
Brakes remained drums front and rear, the rear fenders flipped up for maintenance, and the headlight lifted out for use as a spotlight. Dry weight rose to 406 lbs and the price to $1,970 USD (~$7,300 USD in 2026 dollars). The 1986 model got a redesigned swingarm and rear brakes, the 1987 was outwardly little changed apart from its decals, and it was to be the last.
The Kawasaki KLT250 landed on the scene for 1982 as a work-oriented three-wheeler with a rear drum brake, and a police version followed. Yamaha answered in 1983 with the Yamahauler, a shaft-driven, 200-class utility version of its Tri-Moto. Suzuki built its first three-wheeler, the ALT125, in 1982, but put more of its effort into four-wheelers, beginning with the LT125 QuadRunner that same year. It was a wise decision to focus on four wheels rather than three given what was about to happen to the market.
In December of 1987 the Justice Department, acting at the CPSC’s request, sued the five major three-wheeler distributors. Its court papers cited more than 900 ATV deaths since 1982, and on December the 30th, 1987, Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Polaris agreed to a preliminary consent decree that halted three-wheeler sales immediately and required them to buy back dealers’ unsold stock.
The Big Red came standard with front and rear cargo racks and a 9.2 liter storage box, and it weighed 342 lbs dry, with a cost of $1,650 USD. That works out to roughly $6,100 USD in 2026 dollars. Image courtesy of Honda.
The entire market shifted to four-wheelers, better known simply as quad bikes, and three-wheelers are now seen as part of 1970s and 1980s off-road history – but there’s still a large community of enthusiasts keeping them running.
The 1986 Honda ATC 250ES Big Red Shown Here
This is an original 1986 Honda ATC 250ES Big Red that reportedly spent 20 years sitting unused with its second owner before being bought by the current owner in 2025. Since then, it’s been recommissioned with replacement red bodywork and graphics, new seat foam and cover, a replacement handlebar and grips, and a number of other mechanical and service items.
Work on the three-wheeler that was completed in the spring of 2026 included overhauling the carburetor, cleaning and internally lining the fuel tank, steam-cleaning the 246cc four-stroke single, changing the oil, and replacing the battery, spark plug, air filter, and some other consumables. The suspension was serviced, the brakes were inspected and adjusted, and the headset bearings were overhauled.
This is an original Honda ATC 250ES Big Red from 1986, interestingly, it’s said to have sat unused for 20 years, before being given a recent refurbishment. As a result, it’s one of the tidiest looking Big Reds we’ve seen come up for sale in recent memory.
As you would expect, power is sent back through a 5-speed transmission with reverse and an enclosed shaft drive. The ATC keeps its work-equipment, including front and rear cargo racks, a rear storage box, skid plate, ball hitch mount, trail lighting, and the removable headlight that can also be used as a handheld work light.
It has no odometer, so total mileage is unknown, and it’s being offered for sale at no reserve with a Colorado off-highway title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer + Honda
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
