Ask the Editors: What Was the Most Powerful 2-Stroke ATV?
It would seem your friend is right on this one; while the Suzuki may have the honor of being the most well known of the big 500cc 2-stroke ATVs, there was another, far rarer one built a few years earlier by an American company called Tiger.
Like Can-Am does now with their DS450 series, Tiger actually sourced Rotax engines for their performance three and four-wheelers. The largest of these was indeed a 500cc 2-stroke. The Tiger 500 is often shrouded in mystery, rumor and myth as it is believed only 10 were ever produced and of those 10, only 5 are accounted for today. The popular rumor at the time was that it was the fastest ATV ever produced, with claims of stock top speed clocking in at over 100 mph and nearly 50-horsepower on tap channeled through a 5-speed gearbox. Of course, these rumors cannot be verified with any accuracy.
Interestingly enough, Tiger transitioned into the four-wheel era as well with their Super-4; a 250cc 2-stroke machine designed to battle with the Honda 250R, Suzuki LT250R Quadracer and Kawasaki Tecate-4. Very little remains of the firm today as the Tiger manufacturing plant was closed and demolished in 1992.
