Why Are Three-Wheeled Off-Road Bikes So Rare?

The best types of off-road vehicles keep everything simple and robust, which is why quad biking and go-karts designed to drive off-road are strong and easy to drive on a myriad of different terrain types.

This stops them from being as readily damaged by uneven terrain and ensures that they remain exciting and safe when properly used.

Typically, off-road vehicles have four wheels, or less commonly two, with off-road trikes an exceptionally rare sight on motocross trails.

This was not always the case, as for two decades the three-wheeled all-terrain cycle (ATC) was one of the most popular off-road recreational vehicles on the market, but as quickly as it emerged it would suddenly vanish, with quad bikes taking their place.

Exactly why this happened is still somewhat mysterious, but it started with a gentleman’s 

agreement between the major manufacturers of ATCs.

From Three To Four

Whilst not the first to create a three-wheeled ATV, Honda trademarked the ATC term alongside the release of the US90 in 1969.

The initial aim of Honda was to create a winter off-road bike, one that had the manoeuvrability of an off-road bike but the stability and robust platform of an off-road 4×4 car. The ATC became a compromise between the two that would dominate the market for nearly 20 years.

Interestingly, whilst the first quad bike was made in the late 19th century by Royal Enfield, the ATC predates the modern quad bike.

Whilst Suzuki’s LTV125 Quadrunner would become the first production four-wheeled ATV, it would for years be seen as a secondary entry point to the more popular three-wheeled models, which would until 1988 be the market leader in recreational off-road vehicles.

This would suddenly change.

Are ATCs Banned?

The ATCs drew concern as their complex cornering and need for counterbalancing relative to a quad bike led to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) initiating an action plan to ascertain whether three-wheeled off-roaders were safe.

Whilst the CPSC ultimately found that there was not an inherent design flaw with the three-wheeled ATCs, there was an agreement by the five biggest manufacturers in the market to stop producing them for ten years known as the Consent Decree.

Alongside an agreement to cease production, manufacturers would also raise awareness about how to ride ATVs safely and be involved in the development of safety education and training programmes.

Whilst described as a ban, it technically did not prohibit the production nor the sale of ATCs, although most manufacturers focused instead on quad bikes, which due to having four wheels are more planted and more intuitive for newer riders.

The Consent Decree expired in 1998, but the major manufacturers continued to follow the agreement (known as the ATV Action Plan) ever since, making three-wheeled ATCs an exceptionally rare occurrence.

This was compounded by US Public Law 110-314, a 2008 law primarily focused on lead paint that featured a section (number 232) that officially split ATCs from ATVs and required new safety standards to be drafted before they could be distributed or imported.

As that legislation still has not been drafted as of 2024, ATCs have been effectively banned, outside of legacy models and custom-built prototypes.