Quad biking, the early days

THE EMERGENCE OF THE QUAD BIKE

The quad bike has emerged from the original ATV's which were originally built for traveling across terrains of water. Now known as Amphibious ATV's, the original all terrain vehicles were mostly intended for ponds and streams, swamps, and other wetlands. They were designed to float and also held more than one person at a time. A control stick or steering wheel was also used instead of handlebars.

The first three wheeled quad bikes were made in 1970. They even made appearances in various TV shows as well as the James Bond movie "Diamonds are Forever". These quad bikes were ultimately designed for recreational use. They eventually became popular with people who enjoyed hunting, as they could be driven through hard to manage terrains. Honda was an innovator in the industry and the first to produce these type of models. Many of the developments that were later made in quad bikes to follow were spawned by their ideas. All manufacturers except Suzuki started producing their own quad bikes based on the Honda specifications. Some of the racing models produced by Franks and Cagiva and Tiger ATV are very rare now and quad bike collectors consider these a prize catch if they can find one.

In 1982 Suzuki decided to also get in on the ATV/quad bike craze but decided also to take a new direction for these kinds of vehicles. They produced the first 4 wheel quads, and the premise was that these could be used specifically for beginners. In 1985 they decided to market a new 4 wheel quad bike that would now be specifically for high speed drivers for the purpose of racing. Of course, Honda then responded in 1986 with the introduction of 4 wheel drive quad bikes. These type of quad bikes have been the most popular of all quads since they were introduced. Ranchers, farmers, and construction workers are just some of the people who now use these type of vehicles to help get their job done.

In the late 1980's many manufacturers stopped production of all three wheeled vehicles. This was mainly due to safety issues, as drivers would experience more rollovers and other types of accidents because of the presence of only one front wheel. The production of these has also become illegal in certain countries, but they are still highly sought after by collectors everywhere.