Off The Pegs
Mental Overload

According to a recent study, the average American consumer is actually so overloaded with buying options that making even the most basic of selections can become an overwhelming nightmare. The situation stems from an advertising-rich society and super stores carrying as many as 70 different brands of shampoo, 52 types of soap, and close to 80 brands of breakfast cereal. The report concluded that the average human being is faced with more decisions in a single day than a cave man had encountered in a lifetime. And, although the report failed to include statistics involving the average ATV dealership, my keen sense of journalism experience took over where the scientists left off.

Having been a part of the ATV industry when electric starting referred to getting a static charge off pulling the recoil handle too hard, I am all too aware of the evolution in technology, and the increase of buyer options right here in our sport. I am often overheard campaigning the idea that these are indeed exciting days to be involved in ATV riding as never before has such a diverse bag of options, reaching across so many specialized genres existed.

Today’s manufacturers have managed to craft cutting edge technology into ATV setups regardless of whether the rider intends to use their machine for utilitarian purposes, farming, hunting, woods, touring, trail blazing, stunting, or competition racing. At the risk of being labeled a fossil, I dare speak of a time when one style of vehicle intended to accomplish every such off-roading ambition. It was during this dark age of very low safety standards and apparently even less research and development that I entered into the ATV scene. I am referring to the three wheeler revolution, the trike area. A time in history when riders all over the world began to question the automotive industry and their wasteful over-kill in insisting on having 4 wheels on their products. It was during the dawning of this new era that I acquired a healthy but slightly worn 1980 Trimoto YT125 that included such luxuries as suspension in the form of extra thick seat foam (albeit with some electrical tape hiding sun cracks on the seat cover) and a very efficient recoil starter that rivaled my neighbor’s weed-whacker in terms of making an individual look rugged while wearing a tank-top during start-up procedure.

As the expression “you can’t miss what you’ve never had” affirms, I was quite content for several seasons to transgress the network of farm trails and fire-roads that make up the terrain of my old neighborhood. I had become increasing efficient at memorizing even the slightest changes in elevation and uneven terrain as it was quite essential to the enjoyment of the experience (and the ability to walk after the ride was over). My anemic oil injected two-stroke even saw its share of winter riding on single-track snowmobile trails where the added resistance of the packed NY powder made shifting a troublesome affair. First gear wound out instantly but a quick up shift to second reveled that it hadn’t enough strength to pick up where first left off. As a result I endlessly toggled between popping up to second and dropping it down to first while the snowmobiles left me (literally) in the dust.

Eventually I made the natural progression into the utility quad market in the form of a 1994 King Quad. Amazed with its effortless gobs of power and low sense of stability, I was convinced momentarily that I had found my niche. However, it wasn’t long before the family’s 4x4 shifted into a more practical role, becoming the primary snow-removal device once a plow was attached. It was during this influential time (thanks in part to the print industry’s lavish photography) that I began to become more and more attracted to the sport/performance portion of the market. And for those old enough to remember, the early to mid 1990's were just about the darkest hours for the sport quad industry.

A rash of successful (for the lawyers) lawsuits resulted in the downsizing of many manufacturer’s sport/performance rosters, some dropping the class entirely. Racing required very extensive modification, usually to machines that had been discontinued for some time, the Honda 250R, Suzuki Quad Racer LT250R, and Kawasaki’s rare Tecate4 became pricey gems due to their race potential, powerful 250 liquid cooled two stroke mills, and limitless hop up potential.

Almost ahead of my time, I elected the path of the 4-stroke, which, then, was reserved exclusively for the trail rider. Suzuki8 Quadsport 230's and Honda TRX250X’s became the basis for my early lap turning sessions, modified by me (with a little help from my grandfather)- I was able to put together some decent equipment that offered a blend of performance with reliability. The point to this ramble is of course that I should have followed my instincts on betting 4 strokes would become the race weapons of choice in the decade to come. Kidding, of course- the real point is that today’s riders, like today’s hygiene product shoppers have an abundance of choices awaiting them regardless of what they intend to do with their mount.

I often take a step back in appreciation when scanning the dealer lots and imagining today’s aspiring racers having to choose between Yamaha’s YFZ450, Honda’s TRX450R, Bombardier’s DS650, Suzuki’s DRZ400, Yamaha’s Raptor just to mention a few. Slowly our industry is returning to a state where a rider with intent to race can fare well on bone-stock equipment as spillover technology from neighboring power-sport racing is finding its way into our ATV’s. Indeed these are overwhelming times filled with an abundance of good choices; it’s probably a good thing cave men aren’t around to become overloaded with such burdens.

However, if they were I just so happen to know of a decent 1980 YT125 available for cheap. And with its physical appearance factored in, certainly few could argue that it wouldn’t look right at home parked outside a cave.