In recent years, the off-road, extreme, and motorcycle tourism community has expanded significantly. Therefore, the demand for ATVs has grown. However, beginner motorists find it difficult to find a suitable vehicle. Buyers simply do not know what to look for and which brands should be preferred. Therefore, let’s figure out how to choose an ATV.
How to select the ATV?
To decide which ATV is better to select, it is worth understanding the key characteristics of these vehicles. If you purchase the vehicle in the secondary market, you should be able to check ATV by VIN. Ideally, the ATV should be equipped with:
- Four-stroke engine. Such a motor will provide the vehicle with excellent dynamics and optimize fuel consumption. In addition, four-stroke motors last longer than two-stroke engines;
- Injector. Maintaining such a system is more expensive than repairing a carburetor. But the advantages of the injection engine outweigh this disadvantage. Among the pros of such a system are reliability, efficiency, and automatic adjustment of the motor;
- Quality suspension and dampers. If the device will be used for work or outdoor activities, then it is worth purchasing a vehicle with a pendulum suspension. For tourism or off-road driving, it is advisable to purchase an all-wheel-drive ATV.
When thinking about which ATV to select for a beginner, it is recommended to consider the vehicle with electronic ignition, a variator, and air cooling. All these advancements greatly simplify the operation of the ATV and increase its operational life.
Varieties of ATV
All ATVs according to driver-passenger location can be divided into two categories:
- One- or two-seat ATVs without a cab with a motorcycle landing (the passenger sits behind the driver);
- Two- or four-seat SSVs with a cabin, inside which everything is arranged like in a car: there are seats with a back, a wheel, and a wide dashboard. The cabin can be made in the form of an open frame or be completely closed (have doors, a roof, and a windshield).
In addition to the level of comfort, ATV and SSV have some significant differences:
- The ATV weighs less, which means it will be easier to pull it out if it gets stuck;
- ATV is smaller (there are also exceptions);
- behind the ATV wheel, you can see the road a little better;
- SSV allows you to take more cargo, and it is more convenient to place it (many models have compartments for small things in the cab);
- In the SSV cabin (if it has at least doors) it is always cleaner;
- SSVs are more customizable by allowing more attachments for accessories around the cab.
To summarize: ATVs are more suitable for active recreational trips, for driving short distances, and for the most difficult routes. The SSV models are ideal for hauling cargo, and those who want to drive off-road with the comfort of a car.
There is also another common classification according to which all ATVs are divided into three categories:
- Sports. There are several competitive disciplines for ATVs. The most common is racing in the mud, but there are also races on dry routes, crosses for different distances (from 3-5 km to tens or even hundreds of km). For such tasks, the most powerful ATVs are usually purchased, which are then customized.
- Utility. This is the most massive category, which can be called universal. Utility ATVs can be used both as off-road vehicles and for work or tourism.
- Tourist. These are the “younger” brothers of utilitarians: they often cost less and are slightly inferior in performance. This option is OK for less experienced drivers who do not need maximum speed and dynamic acceleration.
Popular Brands to Choose From
Brand popularity is a very important criterion, not only because it is cool. A good manufacturer is better also because it offers a wide range of models, has a wide network of dealerships and service stations, as well as familiar to masters. Such a vehicle is easy to sell on the secondary market. Whatever your budget is, you can select from a wide variety of popular brands. Here are the most reliable world-known manufacturers:
- Yamaha. This brand is known only with one model — “Grizzly”, which was released back in 1998. This vehicle is economical, reliable, unpretentious, but simple in handling;
- Honda. The company began producing ATVs back in 1967. There are up to a dozen simple models on sale, which are known for their unpretentiousness and reliability. They are not suitable for complex tasks, but they are rather cheap;
- Arctic Cat. This manufacturer is better known for its snowmobiles, however, there are also several ATVs in its catalog. These are ATV models for off-road driving;
- Polaris. This is a large American brand that produces many models of various configurations: from utilitarian to sporty. In terms of characteristics, quality, safety, and reliability, it does not cause any complaints.
- Can-Am. This Canadian brand is like Mercedes in the car market: its models cost a little more than average but produce advanced technology by all criteria. A large selection of models, beautiful design, thoughtful ergonomics, a high level of safety for the driver and passenger, a huge range of branded tuning accessories – Can-Am is good in everything.
Why Do You Need an ATV?
The ATV can be used either to transport cargo or instead of agricultural machinery. For the first task, it can have a flatbed (like the Can-Am Traxter or Outlander Max 6×6 models), or a hitch. Farmers often purchase specially designed models for this purpose, or simply buy ATV-quad bikes with a powerful engine.
Hunters, fishermen, and tourists love to set on a trip on all-terrain vehicles. The choice of model depends on how far you plan to go, and how difficult the route will be. Since they have to travel far along difficult routes and take at least some food and equipment with them, they usually buy powerful ATVs with high ground clearance for such tasks.
A separate category for which there are special models is sportsmen. One of the coolest vehicles in this regard is the Can-Am Maverick X3.
