Question for ATV riders

[user 423]

Seeking input from someone that has ridden both ATCs and 4-wheel ATVs.

If you're just planning on cruising around on trails would you really have to worry about the 3-wheelers being unsafe?

How about 45MPH on pavement going to pick up groceries?

I've noticed you can pick up the Honda ATCs pretty cheap where I live.

 

[bullfrog]

There is a reason 3 wheelers are so cheap. I'm pretty uncoordinated but I always had a bitch of a time getting them to turn even on flat ground and with my lead foot keeping the front tire down so I could turn even more of a problem, with a bag of groceries on the back forget it. The low pressure tires are really not good for high speeds as they wear quickly. There are a lot of low priced toys for sale now as many people are out of work I'm even seeing some really well equipped Suzuki Samurais that were $6ooo down to $4000 I bet before this virus is over there will be much cheaper ones.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have ridden both, stay with four wheels. much, much, much more stable. I have ate dirt on all off them 2, 3, and 4 wheels. a 4wheeler is by far the easiest to ride and the most stable.

every 3 wheeler wreck I have seen has been under 20 mph I don't ever want to see one at 45 mph.

highdesertranger

 

[Pleasant Travels]

Indeed. My first ever off-road mishap was with a Honda 110 ATC back 1982, and it was specifically because the front tire had insufficient weight to grab the road and keep the thing going where it was pointed. I ended up drifting (slowly at first) off to the side of the well maintained dirt road I was traversing. It was sloped for drainage, and as I got closer to the edge, my drifting became more apparent and radical. I eased off the gas and cut the wheel harder, but I'll never forget that very distict feeling of turning one way and the bike still going another.

These days, the 3-wheelers that still exist are mostly relegated to use in sand. Not only because there is less expected nimbleness and agility in sand, so no one gets surprised like I did,...but also because when things do go bad, sand is often softer than rock and dirt.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I think 3 wheelers are dangerous but I also know you can learn to be comfortable on them, there is a technique to turning them in different situations, I would never ride one over 20 mph in fact I wouldn’t ride if I had another option. A friend had one, I rode it several times, after a few rides I told him I wouldn’t go with him unless I rode the 4 wheeler, so he rode 3 wheeler and manged it with no problems but it sat in his shed most of the time given an option he used his 4 wheeler.

 

[user 423]

Thanks for your replies. I've sold my XT225 and guess I'll give up two wheels for now unless I can find another small dual-sport with a much more comfortable seat.

That's another question. Are the 4-wheeler seats more comfortable than a bike's?

I'd go for an ATC if it was just for trails but I also want something I can ride 5-10 miles into town for supplies.

 

[bullfrog]

The ones I have ridden are fine and you can get or make backrests if they come with a rear rack. Some are super easy to operate but coming from two wheels took some time to make myself realize I needed to use my side vision to judge where my wheels would fit and the turning circle was much larger than I anticipated. A lot of states won't let you operate them on roads with speed limits above 50 MPH but where I stay in Arizona most roads have a path beside the road that people use. I really like the Samurai and with a few mods and utv type tires they are totally legal and you can cruse at 55 MPH. I just drove mine 300 miles a day for three days and man is my back sore but I'm smiling! LOL!!!

 

[user 423]

I really like the Samurai and with a few mods and utv type tires they are totally legal and you can cruse at 55 MPH.  I just drove mine 300 miles a day for three days and man is my back sore but I'm smiling!  LOL!!!

Those look like fun but I need something smaller that would fit in a 6x12.

A baja bug would be fun too and easy to work on but same problem.

 

[hugemoth]

Another thing about 3 wheels is you have three tracks rather than 2. Trails tend to have a ridge between the tracks that your front wheel has to ride on. That makes for a hard ride on rocky trails.

Riding on pavement is a problem on any ATV with a live rear axle. They don't turn well without a differential.

 

[bullfrog]

My Samurai is smaller than my Baja Bug in both length and width. It rides on a 6'x12' flatbed trailer. It all depends on how big an oversize tire you put on it. I'm running Mongrel utv tires on 8" rims with no overhang of the trailer. The Samurai is easier for me to work on as the components are lighter and parts are easier to get as they are still being made in different parts of the world just like VWs used to be. It is also one of the easiest vehicles I have ever had to flat tow. It does have the same "clicky starter" problem as the VW but the fix is the same. Can you tell I'm a fan?

 

[tx2sturgis]

An ebike with fat tires might be an option for you, assuming you have a way to charge it.

Exploring nearby trails, and carrying a few supplies from a town 5 miles away are entirely doable.

No registration, insurance, or license needed in the vast majority of states (for a class 1 or class 2 ebike)

On top of all that, they are fun and provide you with exercise.

 

[bullfrog]

I love my radmini e-bike but you must insure you have a good way to keep it charged if you are doing 10 to 20 mile trips every day with water or groceries. It can be done but I would recommend having more than one battery so one can charge while using one. I have given rides to friends on rainy cold days that have atvs, utvs and bikes in my nice dry and warm Samurai. LOL!!!

 

[ckelly78z]

Both of my kids learned to ride/operate on a Honda ATC 125M. I used it for 15 years bring up trailer loads of firewood to the house, and pulling sleds around, or just cruising farm lanes, and treelines. None of us has ever been thrown, or wrecked this trike, but I ended up selling it, and getting a KLR 250 enduro bike.

 

[1shemp]

One of the worst inventions ever for the environment.Thank goodness Montana banned them from being off an established road.Now if something could be done about the smoke and noise.

 

[user 423]

My Samurai is smaller than my Baja Bug in both length and width.  It rides on a 6'x12' flatbed trailer. 

If I ever get a Class C or small A, a Samurai would make a nice toad. I"ve noticed that the resale prices stay pretty high on decent ones, so can't afford one anyway.

Right now I just have a van but hope to buy a 6x12 cargo soon, so the grocery getter will have to be small. I'm looking at quads but not sure one of those would be good for faster secondary roads with narrow shoulders.  Also, it looks like the NM state laws are pretty restrictive on using ATVs on pavement and I plan to stay at several of the state parks there in the future.

 

[user 423]

One of the worst inventions ever for the environment.Thank goodness Montana banned them from being off an established road.Now if something could be done about the smoke and noise.

People that abuse the rules and act like complete a**holes on them are a pain, that's for sure.

For my purposes, a fuel efficient ATV or motorcycle for running errands is better than cranking up a large, gas-eating vehicle.

 

[LoveCareThinkDo]

I don't have an ATV or any other off road vehicle. But I do walk around in the desert a lot and see the trails left by these vehicles. A three-wheeled vehicle has three paths that the wheels have to go over instead of just two. This adds one more opportunity for road hazards to cause you a problem. I never, ever see three-wheeled tracks out in the desert. And I think there's a pretty good reason for that.

 

[hugemoth]

Over the last 10 years or so most quads (ATV) seem to have been replaced by side by sides (UTV) in the areas I ride in Az. People tend to make them loud and drive fast.

I much prefer riding on rather than in a vehicle so I ride a quad. It's very quiet, quiet enough to sneek up on animals. My average speed over time is 9 mph. It'll go nearly all day on a tank of gas, 1.2 gallons. Cheap way to explore the trails.