I can remember in 1995 when the Foreman was first introduced, I thought wow a 400 that thing is huge! Now, a 400 is a small bike to some folks. How large (engine displacement) can these bikes get? I've heard that Polaris might be introducing a 800 cc Monster rather shortly (rumor?) I wouldn't have ever thought that we would have a 800cc atv on the market, but I guess I was wrong. The way things are going I think its possible to see a 1200cc Utility in the not to distant future. Will there ever be a stopping point? Wouldn't that be neat to see a 1200 cc Honda with 32" Mudzillas! [[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]]

 

I think we will see more bored motors before they get too big in displacement. I have noticed that the sportbikes are serving the same motors with bigger bores and more performance parts stock rather than vamp the whole bike layout. I think the sportquad in the future will most likley come with mods rather than get to a 1000cc. This lets the manufactures tweak their existing quads out with more stock power and capture that powerhungry buyer. If they bump up the displacement on otherhand you will see a big slap on the wrist by the government fast and they do not want that. We already have to deal with the repetative statistics of how many people get killed every year on ATVs. It took the quad almost 20 years to go 300ccs if I am correct. I on other hand would like to throw an r1 motor on my raptor and bust a 1/4 mile in 8 secs but I really do not see that being an option here in the next 10+ years

 

The Foreman was actually introduced in '87 (I believe) as a 350. It had a solid axle front end and was a beast compared to anything ever offered before that time.

I share your sentiment about today's newer quads and the size of their engines. Years ago, a 250 was a "hoss". When the ATVs moved to 350cc and larger engines, it was just incredible to everyone.

But, today it's a different world. ATVs are going more places than they ever did and they are being relied upon for more workloads than ever before. While some of us ATV "old timers" may lament the good old days of the smaller and more simple ATVs, the truth is that today's machines are much more able and better all around.

It will be interesting, though, to see if any of today's machines will still be ridden 20 years from now like some of those older machines.

 

Maybe someday atv's will be big enough to come with things like doors and AC? Like a JEEP! I get a kick out of the machines like the Rhino. It's like they are starting the evolution of the car all over again but at a much higher price range. Maybe someday the Rhino will have heat? It would be cheaper to buy a used Suzuki Samurai and take the back seat out. Then you a 4x4 with heat, doors, roof and it would be cheaper than a Rhino.

They've certainly increased the cc's alot but not really the stock top speeds. What was the stock top speed of the 250R? Around 68? I think the KFX700 is only around 73mph stock. So considering the increase in cc's the top speeds aren't that much faster. (stock)

More power in the utilities allows for more pulling power and makes it possible to turn larger tires. Even though Hondas lawyers will keep the 850lb pulling limit. (on a 1500cc quad[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img])

 

harley cam out with a prototype quad with 1135 cc and bmw was 1025 the harley had 125 hp

 

You took the words out of my mouth. The overall lengths of a lot of the utility quads now are longer than the wheelbases of something like a samurai...heck i think the samurai's wheelbase is actually under 80"! The sammi is only 60" wide also, and weighs just over 2000lbs. So if you're going to get a quad that's any bigger than say a prairie 700, you really might as well get something like an old CJ-5 or a suzuki samurai. I'd hate to see anyone roll one of these new huge quads on top of themselves...at least with a small jeep or mini-suv you can put a rollcage on it!

-Ron-

 

What about the Yamaha Rhino? It looks like a small jeep with a roll bar.

 

I like the "do more with less" (particularly less weight) philosophy of the new 450's. I think I would buy a Honda 650EX, just because I love that engine for a desert bike! But, it will be bigger and heavier than the TRX450R, and probably not all that much faster.

From what I have read, the YFZ 450 doesn't give up anything to the Raptor 660. Maybe there is a replacement for displacement???

 

I think you are confusing Foreman with Fourtrax. The first 350 Fourtrax had the solid axle front end and it was in 1986. My buddy has a mint condition one that has been stored in a garage for years. I remember when the Foreman 400 came out and I was blown away by a 400cc Machine thinking it would be crazy powerful. It seems wrong to buy anything under 350cc now.

 

Do a search online for a 1987 Honda TRX350D Foreman. That is the first Honda Foreman. The 350 4WD may have actually arrived in '86, but in '87 it was called a Foreman.

Although there are other sites that back me up on this, here's a link that lists available oil filters for Honda ATVs. Notice there is an '86 TRX350, but the '87 TRX350D is listed as the first Foreman. Like I said, I just picked this list at random to back me up.

Suzuki Samurai, eh? HHmmm....not a bad idea. In fact, Suzuki could actually bring the Samurai back as a competitor to the Rhino, etc... Then, they could offer a green one for Kawasaki. Oh wait, Kawasaki already has the Mule...my bad.