With the recent addition of the Thunder Cat, it begs the question. Is it too much and will we eventually see 1000cc+ machines out there? Is there a justifiable need for this much power off the racetrack? Do you think that alot of folks with deep pockets and shallow experience will get hurt/killed ? Is it just the natraul evolution of our sport?

Feel free to post replys and opinions.

 

I dont think that this is the end of it. I dont think it is really justifiable except in the I got a Bigger stick than you department. I would imagine that there are enough deep pockets to justify the building of it. And as far as hurt or killed I am sure there will be some, more people will get hurt than killed probably though.

 

Bigger stick + less experience = natural selection. They are idiots if they kill themselves they should take personal responsibility for it. no different than somebody who buys a Ferrari and runs it into the woods doing 150mph on the highway. long as they are over 18 it was a personal decisions and they and their family should live with it. I rode a quadzilla for 3 years which was in the 80s/90s consitered a death trap with too much power. I got more mangled as a teen riding my wolverine and polaris than I ever did on my quadzilla. I now ride a CR500 supermoto sure its got lots of power but like the quadzilla if you respect it and your not an idiot then you should be good to go. granted if they make a quad that does 100 and at 85 the bearings sieze and cause an uncontroled skid that in turn kills somebody thats the manufactures fault, get where im goin with this?

 

Barring some sort of legal action, I don't think it's the end. I was a little surprised that AC upped the ante 150cc. It has typically been much more gradual. It has given a lot of buzz to a brand that is almost unknown in some parts of the country (especially the south). I don't really think there is a "need" for this much power. There is most definately a "want" for it though. Companies trying to make money are much more interested in making products people want rather than products they need.

 

My only problem with the "bigger" ATV is the physical size. At what point will they become too large for some of the trails we have now and new trails around existing trails will be made. More fodder for the environmentalists along with some landowners that now allow ATV's and yet don't want more property used up.
Buck

 

It's to large in Minnesota , the home of Articat , it will be classed as a type 2 ,in the same league as a UTV, SxS.

 

yes i do think that with more power comes with more responsibility
but i think that random people will buy these 1000 as starter quads.
i think thier should be some kind of licens for atv something that would
have nothing to do with age but based compleatley on skill
that way these idoits cant ride them

 

The main problem is these idiots that buy them and let their kids ride it!!!

 

I guess the reason I started this was I remember when my father-in-law bought a 2000 (or maybe a 01) Polaris Sportsman 500 HO. Back in the day it was one of the most powerful ATVs out there. Now, it seems, a 500 is considered a mid size beginners ATV. Weird , huh?

 

Power is wonderful, but at some point the tradeoff between power, weight and bulk becomes so great that it isn't worth it anymore.

Look at the current crop of 450 sport quads. They are ultra high performance, yet ultra light weight (250 pounds lighter than the lightest big bore utilities)! You get performance, yet there isn't any penalty to pay in achieving it. Utility designers could learn a very important lesson here!!!

Do more with less....it's just common sense!