This Super Rad 1989 Honda Pilot Is for Sale

Long before anyone had even heard the phrase “side-by-side,” Honda built an ATV with a car-style seat, a roll cage, and a steering system that was connected to a yoke rather than handlebars. Even though it only had one seat, the 1989–1990 Honda FL400R Pilot that succeeded the mighty FL250 Odyssey helped create the UTV market decades before Polaris started building RZRs. Now you can bid to own a part of history, as a 1989 Honda Pilot in excellent condition is up for sale on Bring a Trailer.

It would be years before another single-seat UTV appeared in the form of the Polaris Ace, but way back when, the Honda Pilot changed the game. It brought a massive improvement in usability over the Odyssey’s 250cc single-cylinder, air-cooled, two-stroke engine, swapping it out for a liquid-cooled 397cc unit that lived in a body and frame that were longer, wider, and more user-friendly. The Pilot still used a steering yoke and is a miniscule machine compared with today’s UTVs, yet the impact of Honda’s early work in the field still resonates even if it didn’t sell particularly well. The quad cost an enormous $5,998 in 1989—$14,415 in today’s money, which can buy a new Honda Pioneer 700. How much this specific Pilot will go for is anybody’s guess, but consider that another example recently sold for $10,000 and the one currently live appears to be in even better condition. Regardless, the listing is worth checking out, if for no other reason than to see how far things have come.

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