Development Of The ATV

ATVs or the all-terrain vehicles first saw the light of day in the 50s. However, the first models had 6 wheels instead of the 4 wheels rides of today. The first company that made the 3 wheel ATV was Honda and the world saw it in 1970. If you watched the James Bond blockbuster ‘Diamonds are forever’, you must have seen them. They were then known as US90 but were a lot of fun made with huge balloon tires rather than mechanical suspension. The smaller tires on the ATV were only introduced much later in the 80s.

One landmark ATV was the ATC200E Big Red from Honda that was unveiled in 1982. It was a landmark due to the racks and suspensions it featured. Due to these features, it was the first 3 wheel utility vehicle that was made available and its popularity rose since it could go onto any type of terrain. Undoubtedly, it became quite famous with hunters both in the US as well as in Canada. Even if you were looking for an exciting ride, the ATV had quite an appeal!

Honda then rose to new heights with the manufacturing of sports models. It almost had a monopoly owing to the placement of engine and patented designs. The first real high performance ATV from Honda came in 1981 with the ATC250R – it featured a full suspension, 2 stroke motor that was 248 cubic cms, 5 speed transmission and a manual clutch as well as a front disc brake! For the sports enthusiasts, the ATC200X that was released in 1983 was another landmark ATV. This one featured a 4 stroke engine that was 192 cubic centimeters. The design was simple and attracted new sport participants.

Soon there was competition from Suzuki which led the development of 4 wheel ATVs. The first one was the QuadRunner LT125 that came out in 1983 and was a recreational machine for ATV first timers. In 1985, they introduced the first high performance four wheel ATV – the QuadRacer LT250R. It remained in production till 1992 and underwent 3 major engineering changes in this time and was used by high skilled riders.

Within a year Honda launched the TRX250R FourTrax that was never replicated.

Soon Kawasaki joined with the Tecate – 4 250 and the Banshee 350 by Yamaha in 1987. This was a twin cylinder 2 stroke motor that came from the RD350LC street bike that became popular with sand dune riders and was available till 2006 in the US. There will be a 2007 model still available in Canada.

For those who wanted to enjoy the outdoors, ATVs were made available in the 70s in 3 as well as 4 wheel models. There have been unlimited mechanical and even cosmetic changes to the ATV since to suit all interests and tastes!