Good as the original fat tires were on snow and sand, they were vulnerable to punctures from things such as stubble from harvested crops. The ATC was as evolutionary as it was revolutionary from the beginning. And by the end of the decade, requests for more power turned the original ATC90 into the ATC110 in 1979. The ATC70 gave younger riders a scaled-down version of the fat-tire experience. (Remember those?) Later that year the US90 was renamed the ATC90 when Honda trademarked the ATC name, and three models carried that Honda ATC monogram through the 1970s. A big feature was called Swivel-Lok™ which allowed for quick handlebar removal for easy loading in a trunk or a station wagon. Officially introduced to America in 1970 as the $595 US90, the machine was based on an 89cc single cylinder engine that sent its 7 horsepower through a dual-range four-speed gearbox with automatic clutch. No.1 – The 1970 ATC 90 – The Start of an Industry They may not have all been sales leaders, but with innovation they changed the direction of the industry. Here is our pick for Hondas top ten most influential models. An added benefit is less ground pressure which let the little ATC 90 go where others couldn’t and after an estimated 6.5 million sales in various configurations over nearly 30 years the ATC DNA can be found in every one of Hondas groundbreaking ATVs since.
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A rear differential was considered, but discarded when a live axle performed better, and although full suspension is an integral part of the modern ATV, Takeuchi's original balloon tires soaked up rough terrain best. With no other model to go on, Honda engineers were essentially inventing the wheel, or more accurately, three of them. Since this was an all-new vehicle exhaustive testing was done on everything from stability, to foot peg placement, to the use of an all new thumb throttle. Sound familiar? Soon it was determined that a three-wheeled vehicle delivered the best possibility for its ability to operate in sand, snow, mud, and any other slippery surface thanks to a 22-inch low pressure tire. All types of vehicles were examined and tested, including an American invention called the Amphi-Cat® that rolled on six, 20-inch low-pressure, high-flotation balloon tires. A vehicle concept team led by Honda engineer Osamu Takeuchi was formed in 1967 to see what could be done, and since altering the weather was out of reach they opted to create a year round vehicle designed to pick up slack sales in the off-season. Specifically, when the weather turns nasty for either a day or an entire season motorcycles get left in the garage. Honda had a problem, not with their motorcycles, but with the weather. Honda had started an industry! Now four decades since, a handful of the original ATCs are still running, but it is far from the only ground breaking model from Big Red and it all began with a small team and a dream. Suddenly those that were intimidated by riding a motorcycle off-road had another option, and even British secret agent James Bond hopped on an ATC 90. Other than a few six or eight wheeled amphibious vehicles that found a niche with sportsman and work crews for their ability to traverse wet or dry terrain, it was the cute, little trike, the 1970 model ATC 90 that grabbed immediate acceptance and launched a sport. No company in the history of ATVs has had more influence than Honda.
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