ATCs

ATC stands for All Terrain Cycle.   This describes a collection of 3-wheeled off road vehicles that were once popular in the 1970s and 1980s.  You may still see a few of them out on the trails or for sale by owner.  You WON'T see any new ones.  

There is a popular notion that ATCs are illegal.  That really isn't true.  They were phased out by an agreement between the manufacturers and US Government interests that preempted any actual legal ban.  By the time the "voluntary" moratorium expired, ATCs had been replaced by ATVs.

 Whether ATCs deserved the bad repuation they got remains an issue of debate even today.   The 3-wheel configuration gave them a little more stability than a 2-wheel dirt bike which made them appeal to novices and younger riders.  Unfortunately, the perception of stability often masked the actual danger involved in riding any motorized device and people would over estimate their own capabilities, often resulting in careless accidents.  To that extent the fault may lie more appropriately with the rider than the machine.  

However, there were some innate characteristics of ATCs that made them somewhat unpredictable.  One was the propensity they had to turn opposite of where the rider was trying to go.  What happened was this:  the rider would lean into a turn, like you would on a bicycle or motorcycle and the ATC would turn the opposite direction.  That is because leaning put extra weight on inside wheel giving it more traction and making it force the machine to turn the other way, regardless of which way the front wheel was turned.  Another quite frequent problem was riders running over one of their own feet!  It was very easy for a rear tire to roll over your foot before you got it on the designated platform when starting out.  I've seen it done and even had it happen to me a time or two when I tried out a friend's ATC.  I NEVER run over my own foot with my dirt bike!  I once saw "Any ATC" prominently displayed on a list of the 10 Worst Dirt Bikes Ever.

While you can't buy an ATC new anymore there are still some used ones out there that might tempt you.  If you think you would like riding an ATC, go ahead.  They can be a lot of fun.  But please remember their idiosyncracies so you can avoid the common problems that led to them nearly being banned in the United States.  The tricycle configuration does make them a little easier for novices to ride than 2-wheeled dirt bikes, but the 4-wheeled ATVs that replaced them offer similar benefits without the downsides of the 3-wheeled ATCs.  4-wheeled ATVs don't have the turning problem and usually have platforms for your feet so you don't run over your own foot.

Cycle on!