ATV

Road-legal Vmoto SCARTT bridges the gap between quad bike and SUV

By Loz Blain

19:07 June 23, 2009 PDT

Quad bikes offer big off-road thrills and go-anywhere versatility for cheap dollars, but they're not the safest things in the world to ride on the road. SUVs are popular for their comfort and safety on the highway, but most are pretty limited in their off-road abilities, and they're so expensive you're unlikely to feel too carefree about throwing them down a ravine trail. The Vmoto SCARTT sits somewhere in between; a little larger and wider than a quad bike, but with two seats, seatbelts, a roll cage and genuine roadgoing ability to match its featherlight, fishtailing offroad giggle factor. The manufacturer's hoping to sell these 500cc practical fun machines for around the quarter of the price of a typical SUV. Oh, and wait til you see the super-sexy hybrid-electric sportster version. Read More

Vento releases 400cc triple quadbike

By Loz Blain

04:29 September 20, 2007 PDT

September 20, 2007 Vento have wasted no time in bolting their recently completed 400cc three-cylinder engine into a quadbike for production. The brand-new Reptile 400 will be the first quad designed from the ground up by the American company, and it looks like a good fun sporty middleweight to kick off Vento’s new range for 2008. Read More

New all-American inline triple set to hit the motorcycle market

By Loz Blain

04:08 September 11, 2007 PDT

September 11, 2007 American motorcycle manufacturer Vento Motorcycles today announced the first engine the company has had designed specifically for its own products. The new three cylinder, 400 cc, 30 horsepower engine, the most powerful inline triple ATV engine ever built, is the first American-made engine to be designed and used by Vento. The company will use the new engine in an expanded range of ATVs and middleweight bikes from 2008 onwards. Read More

Seat shows its first off-roader

By Mike Hanlon

May 23, 2007 SEAT has released the first pictures and details of the rugged new Altea freetrack, which will make its world debut at the Barcelona Motor Show on 7th June. The Altea freetrack is the first SEAT designed to be driven off-road, and as such features Haldex-type four-wheel drive, 40 mm of extra ground clearance and 4x4-inspired body addendum over and above the Altea XL, on which the new model is based. Read More

Power steering first for Yamaha Grizzly ATV

By Mike Hanlon

August 31, 2006 In a first for the ATV market, Yamaha has introduced an electric power steering system on its new Grizzly 700 EPS. The Grizzly’s power steering system varies with both vehicle speed and engine speed (RPM), so that the rider benefits from more assistance when needed at low speeds and tight corners and less when on the move. Powering the Grizzly 700 EPS is the proven fuel injected, four-stroke forward-inclined single cylinder and liquid-cooled engine now with a ceramic composite coated, all-aluminium cylinder and a swept volume of 686cc, a reverse-facing air intake, electronic fuel injection, straight intake tracts and four valves per cylinder. The Grizzly comes in several variants including a duck hunting version complete with rifle carrier and a box to keep the ducks in (pictured). Another great photo gallery with this story. Read More

50 mph Quadski converts from Jetski to ATV in five seconds

By Mike Hanlon

Alan Gibb's Aquada and Humdinga high speed amphibious vehicles have been making the headlines for the last few years, partly because they work, partly because they have compelling feature sets and partly because the Aquada has set a few records, most notably in the hands of Sir Richard Branson. Now there's a new affordable Gibbs amphibian on the way that instantly becomes one of the most desirable recreational vehicles on the planet - it's both a quadbike and a jet ski and converts from one guise to the other at the touch of a button in under five seconds, using the 140 bhp motor to reach 50 mph (72km/h) on both land and water. The design offers a new class of recreational vehicle, along with a range of capabilities that make it ideal for life saving clubs, search and rescue, military, emergency services and aid workers who will be able to reach areas and people no two or four wheel drive vehicle could reach. Gibbs Technologies intends to license the design and technology for the Quadski and is seeking expressions of interest. Read More

Polaris scoops the awards pool with Predator and Sportsman 800 Twin EFI ATVs

By Mike Hanlon

July 27, 2005 Polaris ATVs have been racking up the awards recently, with the Predator 500 Troy Lee Designs Edition recently picking up the 2005 Sport Quad of the Year from ATV Sport Magazine. Now it appears the company has scooped the pool, with the Sportsman 800 EFI winning the ATV of the Year Award unveiled in the August issue of ATV Rider Magazine. The latest award is further confirmation of Polaris’ dominance of the big bore market after the 2004 ATP and 2002 Sportsman 700 Twin took out the same award with rival publication ATV Magazine. In awarding the new 800 the biggest annual prize of the industry, ATV Rider summed it up thus: “As the biggest of the big boys, Polaris’ Sportsman 800 Twin EFI came, saw and conquered all in our Big-Bore Open 4x4 comparison,” said ATV Rider’s Todd Canavan. “Relishing the loamy dirt and rocky, rutted and root-filled trails of North Carolina, the Sportsman climbed and crawled over every obstacle thrown at it." While noting that bigger does not always mean better, Canavan said in the case of the Sportsman 800, it did. Read More