Like every items popular with the general public, the All Terrain Vehicle, or more known as ATV or the quad bike, has a very interesting past. The first ATVs were quite different compared to their modern counterparts. Primarily built to serve as a a valuable farming machinery, the ATV is now the center of an extremely competitive sporting and racing industry.

Though Japanese motoring giant Honda Motors released the first modern ATV back in’70, the first real ATVs rolled in the United States, though the exact date could not be confirmed. Various American motoring corporations have been working, sketching and tilling a concept vehicle that can go off the road and navigate unconventional driving surfaces with ease. These ATVs are fitted with six wheels, all driven, and could drive through swamps, ponds, and streams as well as dry land.

The general design of the old American ATVs was also a pole apart from the modern quad bike. Apart from six wheels, they were built for multiple passengers and were fitted with steering wheels or control sticks instead of the more familiar handlebar of a modern ATV. As for the materials, the main bulk of the ATV was made of hard plastic or fiberglass.

Akin to the United States’ early versions of the ATV, its Japanese counterpart was also built to be a farming machine. The early Japanese ATVs were widespread in farming towns that are located in the mountains of Japan. When Honda launched the first modern ATV, the US90, in’70, it wasn’t long before its popularity and demands rocketed. The US90 owd its stake to fame through the James Bond movie “Diamonds Are Forever”, which featured the ATVs in some of its scenes.

With the worldwide reach of the James Bond movie, ATVs soon became the rave of the motoring world. The capability to cruise different terrains and trails was good news already. Such concept hit hard the Outdoors enthusiasts, specifically hunters from Canada and the United States.

But it was in the’80s that the ATV really kicked into the cultural mainstream. It was during this time when the sporting version of the ATV was introduced. Big motor companies such as Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Polaris joined the ATV bandwagon and began manufacturing their own lines of the said vehicle.

When motoring companies began to create three-wheeled models, issues over its safety and stability followed. Soon, the increasing concerns of the public caused the production of three-wheeled ATVs to be halted in’87. Though the production ban ended in’97, no major three-wheeled ATV was made and sold.

Today, ATVs are now categorized into two types - the sporting type and the utility type. As the name suggest, sporting ATVs are designed for high speeds and are made of lighter materials with an engine for rapid acceleration. Utility ATVs, on the contrary are heavier, bigger and slower but are equipped with engines that enable them to carry heavy loads.

Undeniably, the ATV is enjoying its status as a premier vehicle for racing enthusiasts and outdoor adventurers. With many motoring companies joining the ATV race, it only indicates the steadily rising popularity if the said vehicle. The All Terrain Vehicle is definitely here to stay.

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