4-Wheeler-Pros

Sabre-Comm
On the Cutting Edge

About 4 Wheelers:

When we write about 4 wheelers, we're relating directly to All-Terrain Vehicles or Quads - not motor vehicles such as 4x4 pick-ups or SUVs.  It seems that many people make references to 4 wheelers as trucks but not the case for what we are discussing in this website.  4 wheelers came to be because three-wheelers failed miserably in the late 1980's.  Those bikes turned out to be a huge liability for the Japanese manufacturers of the time with Honda being the hardest hit.  Honda suffered so much from the three wheeler fiasco that they ended up being the last of the major suppliers to develop and market a 4 wheeler model.

And so the 4 wheeler ATV product is actually fairly young in being available for the consumer market place for only the past 20 years.  They have evolved from simple play toys (the three wheeler days) to a multi-use tool.  An owner can use their ATV for recreational riding as well as hunting, working on the farm, and utilitarian purposes like hauling wood or yard debris.  Some owners even use their four wheeler to plow snow or grade their drive way.  Making sure that you purchase a model that is more suited for utility type applications is the best way to get the most out of your purchase.  Yes, there are very powerful sport models for going fast in the woods or on the sand, but that's about all they do which must be the reason why 80% of ATV sales are 4x4 utility models.

We've come to question whether the percentage of utility versus sport models is actually 4-to-1.  All of the sales that we are aware of were the more powerful utility models.  It's possible to get up to a 1000cc ATV (Arctic Cat) which provides enough power to climb a tree vertically even while pulling a 2,000 lb load (we're kidding but you get our point).  Multi-speed, Hi and Lo range transmissions coupled to liquid-cooled engines seem to be the norm any more.  All manufacturers are marketing products with automatic transmissions and electric starting.  Now there's even electric assisted power steering as an available option on some of the larger models.  EFI made it's way into the larger and more expensive brands so fuel efficiency and cold starting have been greatly enhanced.  It's amazing to look at and understand where the 4 wheeler industry is at this time - and even more amazing to consider where it will be in another ten years.

• Utility ATV
• 4x4 Quads
• Four Wheelers
• 4WD Quads