I was reading an atv magazine with an article about the Kawisaki Prairie 650. It explained about the weight limit on quads that I have heard about on this forum. Basically it said that all the JAPANESE atv manufacturers and the ANSI(not sure what the abbreviation stands for) agreed on a weight limit for all atvs imported into the U.S.. This limit is 606 lbs. and does not affect Polaris, Bombardier, or Actic Cat, probably because they are made in North America. In the article it said this is why Kawisaki didnt put an indepedent rear suspension on their 650 Prairie among other reasons. Just wanted to clearify the information about atv weight limits.

 

i dont think it has to do with wheather there imported or not. the Praire650 is made in Lincoln Nebraska. the Rubicon is made in South Carolina.

i think its for manufacture that signed the agreement at that time. Polaris, Bombardier, and Artic Cat were not making atv's when the agrement was signed

ansi= american national standards instute.


later
jon

 

That is a good moto to have "DON'T SIGN NOTHING" I told my bestfriend that at his wedding and now he wished he listened.

 

Polaris has been making quads since 1984! And although some Japanese quads are assembled in the USA, they are manufactured in Japan. Honda and Toyota have assembly plants in the USA and are still subject to tariffs on those vehicles. The way the article read, it said it was an agreement between ANSI and the JAPANESE atv manufacturers to adhere to the 606 lb. weight limit.

 

If I'm not mistaken, as already stated, it has nothing to do with import. The weight limit is just a classification. Anything above the 606(?) is no longer classified an ATV. It then becomes a utility vehicle. I've read articles on the topic a couple times, and that's the way I understand it to be.

 

maybee over 606lbs. is a ORV?? what would happine if one of the japineese manufactures came out with a quad that weighed more that 606lbs.??? would they be fined??

i would think it would put them at a big disatvangage to the "american" companies. the american ones can make a quad people want reguardless of weight. look at the reason why kawie dident put IRS on the new 650, it was WEIGHT. but i think people will be disapointed with the ride comparied to the HO. the IRS is the best out there but it does weigh more.

later
jon

 

If this is the case how does one explain the weight of the Grizzly?

 

floodrunner, According to the Yamaha page on the grizzly seen here, the dry weight of a Grizzly is 600 lbs.

 

good thing that bombardier dident sign that agreement. they would be fined big time for the traxter. i think its frame is made of granite. it makes the sp500 seem like a "lightweight".

later
jon

 

OK, I was guessing it was heavier, which it probably is. In the past Yamaha has also said The Grizz has over 10” of ground clearance and a liquid cooled motor. So much for truth in advertising. But hey, if they say it’s only 600#, I believe ‘em ;-}