Three wheeled ATVs, known as ATCs (All Terrain Cycle), could possibly be one of the original ATVs designed strictly for recreational use. Beginning in 1970, Honda created the ATC90 three wheeled ATV. It had big balloon tires and no suspension, using the very low (less than 10psi) air pressure in the tires to provide what little suspension there was.

Honda pretty much ruled when it came to ATCs because of very efficient patent strategies it had on design. Other manufacturers made their own, but they really couldn't compete at a sport level because the layout required for a functional three-wheeler was basically covered by Honda's patents.

There is a wide consensus that ATCs are unstable and unsafe. Because of this, the life of the three-wheeled ATC was restricted to less than 2 decades; they were not built after the late 1980s after legal battles over safety issues with them, as they tipped and flipped over easily. Since 1997 there have been no restrictions to sell three-wheelers, but few manufacturers do.