Do you guys know what I just read? The DS MIGHT have a whole new gearbox for 2002 models. With one less forward gear...and reverse.
This is not sure (notice the MIGHT), but I read that in a quite serious mag (even if they were themselves saying it was not for sure). If this comes real...I'll get a DS, for sure.
Anyways...thanks Bomb, thanks Yamaha, thanks Honda, for believing (finally) that there is a real sports quad market!
I can't wait for 2005 (?), when most manufacturers will have sports quads(if everything keeps going like now)...wow!

 

How can anyone be happy with today's ATV Sport/High Performance market? It is a complete joke!

Look at Snowmobiles, PWC's, and dirtbike/motocross bikes. They receive drastic design changes from year to year. Constantly up-grading the performance and handling aspects as the technology becomes available. Now look at ATV's. A "new" design(if you want too call it that)is released and experience's NO changes for several years or maybe even a decade. "New" design's are not really new at all. Every 90's model sport quad is simply a dirtbike/street bike motor that has been de-tuned and stuffed in a quad chassis. Parts from last decade's models were added with new graphics and a $7000 dollar price tag. Ya......That's technology!!!!
The aftermarket does not help at all either. Motocross bikes can be purchased right off the showroom floor and be made competitive at ANY level with MINOR modifications. Quads on the other hand, require thousands of dollars in mods, just so they don't "fall apart" when making a couple of hard laps around the track.

So what can we do?????
You can join the AMA or your local District, and start too race. The more people that come out, the more the manufactures will realize that we are not a bunch of hillbillies from the late 80's, trying too kill ourselves. We are real people, and we want real quads.
It's time too wake-up the world.

I will now step down from my soapbox.....

 

I said 2005...not now. It's better than 5 years ago anyways...1 real sports quad for sale (the shee). And you'll notice "the BEGINNING of a new era".
You say they get new dirtbikes each year ("drastic design changes")...hem. in 96, honda got the aluminium frame 250, then 125 (98...or 97?). Around there Yamaha got the 400YZF, and now the 250YZF. What more? New decals...oh yeah, and the crappy tuned fuel injected Cannondale. And unfortunately, the 500s disappeared.
Not much of a revolution (still more moving than quad market).
Snowmobile market. Now there are cool things in there...my favorite, the adjustable suspension of the Polaris XC SP700. Fuel injection...and one chassis or 2 per make.
I don't know anything about personal watercrafts, so I won't comment.
That's for the part I don't agree with you.
Where you are right is when you talk about race ready bikes. That's true. any Mx bike can be beaten hard right out of the box, and will still work, because it's the way it's supposed to be ridden. Quads can be compared to the enduro/dual sports bikes (you have to consider some comfort...). Maybe it's gonna change with the arrival of the ugly (does anyone who has seen the latest look in dirtwheels or atvaction like it?) Cannondale.
And yes, the price of everything around quads is stupidly expensive. 7000$ for a machine with 10+ year old engine (from a 660XTZ) without EXUP (they could kept that)...that's way too much (and I won't talk about the aftermarket frames). Yes, new technologies are inexistent in quads, and that's too bad...I should start a company that sells tough quads with electronic settings (for shocks, spark fire...).
There's still a long way to go, but why wouldn't ATV manufacturers react like they did with snowmobiles(Fast and nice)?
Wait, wait, wait...

 

Motocross bikes see changes every single year on every single model. All manufacture's up-grade the bikes too stay competitive. Ya, they might only add better brakes, or stiffen the suspension. But it is a lot better than what quads get. Look at the Banshee. It came out in 87', and hasen't seen one major design change sence it's indroduction. It still has the same crappy airbox setup and same half-assed chain adjustment. What!!!!!! Why has this not been changed????? There is no reason for it...

Cannondale's FX400 is the only step in the right direction right now, but we may never see it hit production.

The future does not look any better now than 5 years ago. The Raptor is the newest addition too the same-old-crap we have been buying for the last 10 years. NO PRODUCTION QUAD can race at any level and survive.....period!

Until someone starts over with a clean slate and designs something worthy of spending 7k on. Times will never change..........

 

Nice post Zorro there is a change in the air. The AMA is getting back into ATV racing and ATV events. I will have to join again. I drop my membership because they did not support ATV racing or events. You will know that the sport quad status has advance when you see a four-wheel independent sports quad. On the DS new transmission a 4 speed with a reverse is ok I due not use first gear now.

 

Only 4 gears? talk about a LONG first gear. there has got to be a trade of for them only having 4, why not have 5 and just add the weight of reverse. They already weigh too much so whats a few more pounds going to hurt.

 

Maybe the Banshee never changed, except the J-arms, but at least Yamaha never dropped it from their lineup. I think the EX 400 woke up all the quad makers. Suzuki is supposed to introduce a new sport bike soon.

 

I think you are starting rumors or you would have listed the magazine you were reading.

 

Exactly Rhubler

 

"listed" is that naming? If yes then...
I read it from Quad Passion Magazine. It's a french mag (yes, ATVs exist in France and Europe but at incredible prices -simply twice as expensive-!!). Compared to Dirtwheels, there is more racing coverage, great pics (full color). They have a shootout between Raptor and DS (obviously) in the last issue.
I don't know if you consider starting rumors...yeah, you're right...maybe I'll edit my post and make it "I'm happy the sports quad market wakes up". But again, it's not to say Bombardier is maybe gonna do that or whatever, it's rather to say that even the makes that already have sport quads take care of them...they don't leave it the way they are, careless about defaults.
I'm just happy that within some years, most manufacturers will have a sports quad (if everything keeps going like today).
Aren't you happy you'll have more than 3 machines to choose from?