15 Interesting Facts About ATVs

1. ATVs first became available in the early 1960s.

2. Some of the first ATVs were 6-wheelers as opposed to the more common 4-wheelers of today.

3. Originally, stop lights were not required on ATVs; it wasn’t until 1998 that they became a requirement.

4. At low speeds, the rear wheels of an ATV will move in the opposite direction of the front wheels. Thus facilitating parking and manoeuvring.

5. It is illegal to operate ATVs with snorkels for deep water crossings in Minnesota.

6. Suzuki released the first modern 4-wheel ATV in 1983.

7. Industry standards state that the ignition kill switch on ATVs is on the left side of the handlebars, but on the right side for snowmobiles.

8. In 1986, Honda released the FourTrax TRX350 4×4 that ushered in the era of popular four-wheel drive ATVs.

9. In the early 1990s, people began to realize that ATVs make great work vehicles, and they started showing up on farms and orchards alike.

10. The Honda Rubicon was the first production ATV with built-in GPS.

11. In Israel, all-terrain vehicles are known as “Polaris.” Similar to how people in the United States call all types of lip balm “Chapstick” and all types of cotton swabs “Q-Tips”.

12. Honda made the first three-wheeled all-terrain vehicles in 1970, which were portrayed in the famous James Bond movie, “Diamonds Are Forever.”

13. Engine size on ATVs has little to do with trail damage, but this is what many Departments of Natural Resources limit in order to reduce trail damage.

14. The two largest manufacturers of ATV batteries, Yuasa and DEKA, have their main US facilities just 20 miles apart in Pennsylvania.

15. Nearly all youth ATVs sold in the US are made in Taiwan or China, regardless of brand.