Ask The Editors: Even Badder Than Quadzilla

Still the king of production quads.

We can’t say for sure that it was the most powerful 2-stroke ever made but it’s certainly up there in terms of single cylinder/ ATV-cassis-ready engines.

You’d have to go back in time to 2009 to find one new – and even then they were manufactured in very limited quantities, but ATK offered a motorcycle called the Intimidator 700.

Its actual displacement was 685cc coming in at 100 x 87mm bore and stroke. It’s compression ratio was 10:9:1 and get this – bone stock it was good for 78hp and a top speed surpassing 110 mph.

Surprisingly, it was carburated (Keihin 39mm) and came only in kick start trim as it predates a lot of the advancements that have made modern-day 2-strokes barely less complicated than a contemporary 4-stroke.

The odds of finding one, though, are extraordinarily slim. ATK didn’t offer the engine alone as far as we’re aware and even the production bikes were few and far between. You would definitely want to save search engine alerts for this one if you were consider it. And just be forewarned – there were very few riders capable of taming this one when it was new. They had chosen a good name for it!

We do have good news, though – you don’t need to scour the net or build a time machine, there is a company called Panthera out of Canada that manufactures brand new 600cc 2-strokes (electric start & EFI) designed to be slapped into an ATV chassis also good for about 72 horse.

The only downside here is if you need a complete engine (with fuel injection and full exhaust) you’re looking at close to $10-large. You may want to grab a lottery ticket.

More info here.

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