As a result, buyers of ATVs pay attention not only to their functionality, power and other technical parameters that indicate hints of sportiness.Some immediately dream of a sports model. What is the difference between a sports ATV and an ordinary one?
ATV models
You can do almost everything with a quad bike: bring firewood from the forest, clear snow, grade the road, even plow a few furrows for vegetables on the farmstead, take a ride in nature, and even participate in races. For example, in the Dakar Rally.
People have repeatedly impressed with their impressive performances in this world's toughest off-road competition. Most people equate sport quad bikes with those that are rented for nature tours or purchased to maintain homesteads, but this is not correct.
Such registered vehicles are usually compared to light tractors. Sport ATVs are usually separated from the general context of ATVs and included in the "ATV Sport" group, because they are much more related to sport motorcycles than to true ATVs.
What is special about sport quads?
As quad bike racer Adomas Gančierius explains, sports quad bikes have a single-cylinder engine, a manual gearbox, and are driven only by the rear wheels. Power is transmitted from the engine to the wheels via a chain, just like in Enduro motorcycles. Another feature is their relatively thin frame construction compared to conventional ATVs.
They are usually equipped with 450 cc engines, but the Yamaha Raptor model also has a 700 cc engine, which is why it is so popular in Dakar. Thus, the sports models are maximally lightened for speed, and also have high power.
Such ATVs are much faster on the track than their heavier cousins due to their low weight and high power, which is why they are most often chosen by athletes. However, their advantages become their biggest disadvantage – they are sporty, so they can only be used on closed tracks.
Structurally, you can’t tow anything with them, you can’t mount anything to them. It’s like a racing car, in which you can’t seat passengers, put luggage in, or drive on the street.
Heavy duty ATVs are good for everything
As a result, ATV Sport ATVs are a very narrow niche product. Heavy and real ATVs are extremely popular because their application possibilities are much wider. In off-road racing, you can ride an almost standard ATV.
Heavy ATVs used in competitions cannot be technically modified: the factory parameters must be maintained. Athletes only change shock absorbers, adjust the steering wheel to their liking, and also change the wheels and tires. The frame and engine cannot be changed. Such requirements are designed to keep athletes' budgets from ballooning and to make it possible to obtain parts inexpensively.
He notes that heavy ATVs can also be equipped with multi-cylinder engines, they have all-wheel drive. Power from the engine is transmitted to the wheels through a variator, so there is no need to shift gears.
Such vehicles can carry passengers, pull heavy trailers, attach and attach various farm implements, and also travel on public roads. Of course, you can also do sports with them. Such quads are mainly used in heavy off-road competitions, because due to the all-wheel drive, real ATVs have greater cross-country ability.