Recently I have been helping my cousin research dirt bikes to find him a good one. I have spent a good amount of time looking, and what I have found kind of ticks me off: dirt bikes are far more advanced than quads. It seems that every year or so, the manufacturers tweak their bikes (motocross bikes especially) to work out the problems or make them faster. Why haven't the manufacturers done the same with quads? Here is a classic example: the Banshee. The Banshee has gone virtually unchanged since it was introduced. To my knowledge, the only major change was the switch from j-arms to a-arms a couple years after the model came out.

It is almost as if the manufacturers don't really care about us ATVers. ATVs outsell dirt bikes by a 4-to-1 ratio (Dirt Wheels, April '99), and retail sales account to 52 percent of the motorcycle industry (Dirt Wheels, July '99). We give them more money than motorcyclists, so why can't they take that money, and in turn, give us new and improved models? It doesn't seem logical. Someone might say, "Yeah, sure, but there is no interest in the ATV industry." Ok, but if ATVs were constantly being improved just like dirt bikes, maybe that would spark interest?

Here in Minnesota, it is illegal for anyone under 16 to ride an ATV over 90cc on state trails. But yet there are no displacement restrictions for dirt bikes. Technically, an 11-year-old can blast down the trails on a 50+ horsepower CR250 (with parental supervision), while a 15-year-old (who, with a permit, can drive a car on public roads with his parents) must ride a dinky LT80 (no offense to the LT80, I'm just using it as an example. Something is fishy there.

To me, it seems down-right unfair. But hey, the world isn't always fair. This subject has been on my mind lately, and I just wanted to get it off my chest..........

[This message has been edited by Mike Frey (edited 07-27-1999).]

[This message has been edited by Mike Frey (edited 07-27-1999).]

 

Mike, I share your grief, frustration, and pain. It stinks. I brlieve is part reputation of ATVs, and therefore leading the manufactors to think that we aren't a "top priority" or somthing like that. I don't think anybody can answer your question w/o knowing the manufactors inside out. Just a stupid off the wall thought.

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*400EX* *LT250R* Evan Johnson Email: JaVa003@AoL.CoM

 

Another thought. Us ATV riders at 52% of sales are providing the money for the factory Motorcycle racing teams and advertising moneys as well as research and design moneys for the motorcycle side.

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I think we beat this to death in the old ATV Connection, but here goes anyway. While 125 & 250 MX bikes do get frequent updates, there are alot of other models that stay the same year after year. Like what? Like the CR500, KX500, all the XR's, DR's, etc.

Yea, quads are hot sellers, but it takes a long time for the office geeks at corporate to take notice and change their marketing stratagies. I bet we'll see factory MX quad teams in the near future.

As to why Big Brother and the unwashed masses see quads and their owners as dangerous and in need of severe regulation, just check out some footage of a weekend at Glamis. People usually get steriotyped for a reason.

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TRXter

400EX