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An Introduction to ATV
ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) are heavy-duty vehicles designed to
operate for off-road use.
The first ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) had six wheels instead of four.
It was developed sometime during 1950s in Japan primarily to combat
its mountainous topography and isolated rugged regions. Particularly
during spring when the ice thaws and rivers would gain intensity,
mountain roads and non-maintained paths are often impassable with
contemporary vehicles. In addition, these early ATVs became popular
in rural areas where the means to go over rough terrain in the
absence of roads is quite frequent and considered necessary.
When Honda exported the ‘first’ ATV* to the United States in 1970,
the US90 was by large sold purely as a recreational ride. Though it
is still a very popular use even to this day, the growing number of
ATV users quickly found out that the supreme efficiency it has over
rough terrain gave ATV a wide variety of uses.
Honda had a virtual monopoly on the market during ATV’s early days,
owing it to the smart patents on the ATV’s design and engine
placements. Its maiden release in the western market, the US90 was
designed by engineers specifically for joy rides. Later that year,
Honda employed smart tactics to trademark the name ATC and renamed
the US90 model to ATC90. The ATC90 had 7 hp through dual-range
4-speed gearbox with automatic clutch and features large balloon
tires that can soak rough terrain. Honda had released two more ATCs
through the decade and all of them were revolutionary.
When ATVs moved onto the next decade, models were then distinctly
divided into two usages, for sports and for utility. Sport models
are built for performance; lightweight, high power, good suspension
and low center of gravity became vital factors for ATV construction.
These models accelerate quickly, have manual transmission and can
run up to 120 km/hr. Since they allow travel in most kind of
terrain; these models became popular with game hunter and thrill
riders.
On the other hand, it’s usage as a utility vehicle is very
understandable. Because of its construction, ATV generally boasts
remarkable strength with regards to its body. With its structure
able to withstand an amount of load and wheels, which allows passage
over demanding terrain, it is virtually perfect for farm use and
construction sites. All the more since ATVs requires only a fraction
of fuel what typical heavy machine would consume.
When Suzuki, a dominant Japanese motor corporation, released the
first high performance 4-wheel ATV in 1983, the Suzuki LT250R, it
also became the leader in 4-wheel ATV developments. Later in 1987,
Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a decree to shift 3-wheel
ATV productions to 4-wheel productions. That resulted in Honda
responding with its FourTrax TRX250R, which also became the most
versatile and most popular in ATV history. But there were other
entries as well, which did make a splash in the ATV market. Like
Kawasaki’s Tecate-4 250 and Yamaha’s Banshee 350 which also became
quite a popular machine.
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*formally referred to as ATC (All Terrain Cycle) since Honda did
release 3-wheel design ATVs. It was more commonly called ATV though.
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