Ok folks, here we go on another subject. How many feel that engine size competition needs to end? WIth 800CC's or more on tap, when will enough be enough? My personal opinion is that anything above 500 CC's is wasted HP and is only feeding our egos. With higher speeds comes higher dangers. Should we as a sport limit ourselves?

 

I'm not sure it will ever end but I have come to think a 500 isn't always enough in certain situations. If I lived in higher elevations I wouldn't buy a 500 even with EFI, especially not in a 2-up machine. I've found if I'm on a nice smooth and wide trail and have my X2 in high it won't keep it's speed on a steep climb. Noticed the same thing riding 2-up in the snow this year with my petite wife sitting behind my 350 lbs. The snow really robs the engine power, so again, in high gear I didn't have much top end. It would have been nice to have some more juice to open it up on the nice smooth and wide trails. I'm thinking a 700 class machine would have been ideal and am thinking about the 850 X2 next time I buy.
I like that we have the freedom to choose what fits our needs best and competition has definetly aided our sport. There are so many models and options to choose now I doubt that there's not a quad out there to meet everyones' personal needs.
I'm not one that wants to buy the fastest quad out there, just one that meets my needs the best. But, if someone wants a bigger engine and has the money to buy it, all the more power to him. (No pun intended.) I get tired of people telling me what I can have or not have. A good for instance is that if Al Gore and his ilk had their way we probably would all be driving Prius'. Not a bad car but it falls far short of meeting my needs.
I think it's up to each rider to decide what is and what isn't within his/her limits on a per person basis. Of course, there will be some that learn the hard way but that's going to happen with anything where potential harm is involved.

 

God forbid we should ever be allowed to do anything dangerous!

 

I think it will finally top out around 1,000 cc's. I will not go so far as to agree that anything above 500cc's is wasted - I would put that threshold more at the 650 to 700 cc limit. Beyond that, all you are getting is a higher top speed and a tad faster acceleration.

I'm an older guy and ride to explore and have some quality time with my family. When the day is done, my average speed is in the 10 to 12 mph range. I spent years on a KQ 300 and it took me everywhere I wanted to go - but was lacking in both power and suspension. My Eiger 400 carried me for thousands of miles and was certainly enough for my riding style.

That said, you'll notice in my sig that I ride an Outlander 800. Riding style is still as it was above. But you know, sometimes it's just fun to have fun. Find a clear trail with lots of whoops and I'll spend almost as much time in the air as on the ground. Hit one of those flat-as-a-pancake old railroad trails and I can wind it up past 70 mph. Stop and chat with some 20-something riders on sport bikes and school them in a drag race. Certainly not necessary and certainly not what 99.9% of what my riding days are, but still something that's it's fun to do on occasion.

I did not set out to buy an 800cc machine, but since I did, I enjoy some of the perks of having it. That in itself, makes it worth it to me.

 

Who are you (or anyone else) to decide what I should or shouldn't buy? I am responsible for my actions, no one else.

I have spent hours and hours using my wheeler for work, and bigger is almost always better when working fields, deer plots, towing logs, etc, etc.

 

I feel the size/power wars are probably nearing a plateau for a bit. At a certain point, the manufacturers are going to step back before they come up to a wall of liability. I certainly don't begrudge anyone having one of the current crop of flagship machines. While the 500cc/below machines are probably more capable than most give credit for, there can also be no doubt that bigger machines are better suited to certain tasks.

 

I think it will top out at 1100 - 1200cc and then the government will ban them when someone gets hurt. I agree with what Moose said. For me a 500 is enough but I like having a choice to go bigger.

 

With the things atvs are capable of doing and the things people do with them these days,there will bigger (CC's) machines to come. in todays world,atvs are used for recreation,farming,on job sites(work),ect...And the capabilities that some of these atvs can do may require more cc/motor. This doesnt mean one has to buy the biggest one out there but the choice is there and the price usually goes up.
One can argue this subject all they want,but the same question can go towards passenger vehicles as well. we have choices for all types,4 cylinders,6 cylinders,8 cylinders,10 cylinders,and others in between and beyond. Then not only do you have the cylinders you have the actual displacement/liters.
Do I drive a 10 cylinder vehicle, no. A 6cyl. does me just fine(it is diesel though) but does what i need. The wife drives a 2.2 4cyl. she loves it,works for her.
its all options for the consumer and if a large displacement atv is what they want then lets just hope that they know how to ride/use it,but if they build crotch rockets 1200cc with 140 hp made to run public roadways at 180 mph,then I wont be surprised to see atvs with the same. Well not the 140 hp and 180mph but bigger

 

Personally, I find it more challenging to push a smaller atv to do things it isn't supposed to ( mud, hills, speed, jumps). I also have no desire to tell anyone else what they need. Most of my friends ride Rincons and that is fine for them. I do expect to see larger cc in the future especially on side by sides as we find more ways to do work with them. I could see an 1800cc Ranger pulling a large bush hog at some point.

 

In the sport world the 450cc beat up all the bigger bore quads...Or every honda 2 stroke 250cc I have owned will beat up on any of the banshee's and really beat up the last quadracer 500 I used to have.