why are atvs getting so BIG?!

[RIDE-RED 250r]

Well, I would guess they made that statement about the 500lb ceiling some years ago. If thats the case, clearly its a matter of it being much different times between then and now.

I recall (only from more seasoned sledders) that in the late 1970's the snowmobile industry had some big 600 and even nearly 800cc engines in the market. And after some scrutiny about why they would make the sleds engines so much more powerful than the chassis' of the time could handle, the industry manufacturers initiated a self imposed limit of no more than 440cc. A 440 was the biggest you could get for a few years there. I remember Rotax had a 775 twin back in the mid 1970's. Cat had a big 640 i think. Then they all disappeared and it wasnt ill early to mid 80's that they started getting bigger than a 440. I guess its a long way around the barn to suggest that maybe a similar situation was the case in the manufacture of utility oriented atvs for awhile..

But, I digress......

[GeoD]

I guess it comes down to fulfilling the need of the power hungry people. More power equals more weight. Unfortunately, that helps fuel the CPSC's fight against ATVs. I have always said "You can only go so fast on dirt". Especially with low pressure tires. I sure would like to see Yamaha make that Vmax Quad a reality! That would be totally bad azz!!! I'm sure it would cost a nice nut though! The new Vmax's go for $20k.

[Mr_RPM]

I agree with whoever said why not just get a jeep

at my dads work they sell can-am side by sides and polaris side by sides for 12-18 THOUSAND dollars. Then your gonna need a trailer to take em anywhere since they are to big for a pick up.
Then your running 700-1000cc engines with less then 100hp that might last 10k miles without a rebuild of some kind.

I got my jeep wrangler for 10 grand with 65k miles on it.
I can have the top and doors off, disconnect my front sway bar and air down my tires to 12 PSI and will be well ahead of a side-by-side on the trails. plus my rig will outlast them by years, i have almost twice the power and then i can drive it home on the road legally with a total of 4 people in the jeep.

if you like your side-by-sides for work thats cool, but i think id remove the rear seat of my jeep, bedline the interior and use that as a farm toy. idk, im not sold on the side-by-side thing. id rather have a jeep.

[swampthang]

My Foreman 500 tips the scales stock at 620 lbs then my swampers weight and extra 42lbs a peice If you get pinned under it you are 100% screwed there is no way you could ever get that thing off of you by yourself if you rolled it. Not to mention have you ever noticed how much mud will way your machine down?? On a good day I can tip my foreman up on the back rack to wash it by myself ( just barely and I dont think im too much of a wimp!) but after I took it to a local mud bog It took 2 guys to stand it up and in was a major PITA must of added a extra 200lbs of mud!

[oldskool83]

i thought a 400ex was heavy nuff lol, sportquads didnt get bigger just the stupid 4x4s have. might as well buy a crx and lift it cuz thats about the size of 4x4s now. funny how dirtbike cant get bigger lol.

[tecat-z]

i thought a 400ex was heavy nuff lol, sportquads didnt get bigger just the stupid 4x4s have. might as well buy a crx and lift it cuz thats about the size of 4x4s now. funny how dirtbike cant get bigger lol.

Actually, they have. The avarage displacement of dirtbikes have all gone up, and with that lots of extra weight. I recently sold my Yamaha WR450F due to the chassis being so tall, and being very heavy at 265 lbs. Basically it felt like a tank compared to my 250cc 2t's. Those big 450cc bikes while fast, are really a burdon on long term rides where nimbleness is welcomed carving in and out of tight tree lined single track and some multi use trails. The oem's have begun to fudge some #'s, for marketing reasons. But make no mistake, the new 450's are porkers. Off road dirt bikers have realized this, and KTM is selling out of their 2t' lineup every year before the new year is even here. The new ultra powerful 4x4 quads are very destructive to everything the come in contact with. They destroy woods, long time established trails because of their tremendous weight and ability to literally go anywhere. But, get them in the sand............. And that weight kills performance. They suck in deep sand.

[oldskool83]

them wr450s are nothing comparied to a yamahas old tt600 "1984 Yamaha TT600 Enduro Dry Weight LBS, 308.64" amd im only 5'6" and was riding one lol. i like them old xr200s best 200lbs of tiny fun. everything is always looked at bigger is better.

[fabiodriven]

them wr450s are nothing comparied to a yamahas old tt600 "1984 Yamaha TT600 Enduro Dry Weight LBS, 308.64" amd im only 5'6" and was riding one lol.

I realize we're getting off topic here, but my 84 TT600 was the best dirt bike I ever owned and would gladly get another one.

[SWIGIN]

Remember when Datsun and Toyota only made minitrucks? Look at them now. The makers go where the market is.

Perfectly said Veal!

This thread could of ended at post #2.

[jays375]

One thing nobody mentioned,wasn't the first atc only 90cc?

[SWIGIN]

One thing nobody mentioned,wasn't the first atc only 90cc?

Ah, I see someone gets it!....lol

[The Goat]

Very happy 2010 Polaris 800 owner. Winch, wheel spacers, bumpers... And I can go anywhere. Just ordered some 26in radials because bias tires at 70 are a little spooky.

I don't tear up the trails on our land, though I may admit to giving it a little extra gas in the ruts on our deer lease occasionally (mainly because our hunters don't get the idea of picking a new line and flattening out the ruts).

Why do I ride one? Got tired of always tinkering and working on stuff. Used to do a lot of mudriding and water riding on the Honda, this one rarely sees mud. It was 6300$... Well worth it when I hook on to logs that the tractor can't get to because of swamp. Torque is unreal, I've literally towed a shed across a yard. Not some plastic bs... A literal shed.

As for being around in 20 years... Ehh. It's an infinitely better design than the Honda was, and that's still around. Diffs and axles that are overbuilt. One of the most bulletproof motors built in the last 20 years.

Would I drop 10k on a grizzly or 14k on a canned ham? No. I wouldn't even piss on any of the new hondas.

But... This 760cc couch I ride is fast... Faster than it has a right to be. Towing capacity is perfect for what I used it for. It's comfortable to ride *gasp* two persons on.

Would I feel comfortable in the mountains on it? Negative, but I'm not comfortable on anything in the mountains. Would I rock climb it? Nope, stock SxS would destroy it.

Can I carry water, bug spray, matches, straps, flashlight, a gun, a toolkit (someone else might need it), a tent, chains, ammo, snacks, phones, chargers, knives, machete, and god knows what else... Without having anything strapped to a rack? Sure can.

They are very capable machines... More so than most trios brethren would like tO admit.

And Syko... I remember a post a while back in which you said you wanted to trike a bike like mine. Bigger isn't always better. But it can be a fun time.

After 1k miles... I really can't think of a reason I'd sell. Good fluids, good filters, and hit the one grease fitting and ride away.

[The Goat]

Also, when i had the Honda with it's three inches of suspension travel, I had the misfortune of it tipping over onto me because of a rut once. No big deal, my fault for not noticing its depth. Another time I was trying to pull up a bush in the yard and managed to tip it backward onto me. 450lb quad, 30 inch tires, it was heavy... But my feet stayed on the pegs and hands on the bars. Thankfully adrenaline launched it of and back onto its wheels. My popo is only marginally heavier really, I see no reason why I couldn't lift it in a similar situation? Not that I'd have to, suspension is a beautiful warning system for how much load you have on the bike.

If you're not strong enough to lift the machine, dont ride it. I see it being no more risky than a stock big red... And certainly less risky than the 125cc manual clutch 70

[Blown 331]

I've got a group of guys I do a lot of my off road riding with that ride 400EX Hondas, as do I. When we ride we ride about 50% off road and 50% on road. We on the 400EX's don't even like riding with the 4x4 guys (2006 to 2011 bikes) because they are so slow and don't go near the places off road that our 400's do. Maybe its just the riders, I don't know.
About a month ago a group of us went riding. I was on my Polaris 3-wheeler, we also had a Yamaha dirt bike, 2) ATC200s, 250SX, Honda 650 Rincon and a Yamaha Grizzly. We went through an old tractor creek crossing that was washed out pretty bad. The exit side was sand, fairly steep angle but only about 5 foot tall. We all we through no problem other than the Grizzly, he flipped over backwards and trashed his racks then went home. I know that was lack of riding skills though.
In my opinion the 400EX is the greatest 4-wheeler ever made. True you can never get one to run like a 450 but they are freaking indestrucible where a 450 is real high maint, I bought a new one and so did a bunch of my friends. My brother has changed about 8 Honda 450 crankshafts, junk. Plus I think the 400 handles better.

[oldskool83]

where i use to ride big 4x4 dug massive trenches but they were big hunting 4x4s. i think its just all the mfgs are constantly trying to out due one another so its natural progression in size. i did love my 400ex, had a 02. handled way nicer at least in stockish form then my buddies 450r. 400ex remind me of big 200x on an extra wheel lol. id deg buy another one if i ran into a deal.