Towing ATV around

 I spent considerable amount of time and energy about taking ATV around. Even tried this option  but it did not work out. Shorter wheel base means the ATV bottom touching road and so had had rule out this  possibility. Finally tried to load inside a Maruti Omni and that was successful.  

Surplus ATV available for sale

I did not know beforehand the quality of the machines I purchased from China and so was prepared for the worst. Web search enables us window shopping. In spite of all precautions and cross checking of facts, we know full details only after getting hold of them.

I bought extra machines partly because company refused to dispatch single piece and also to enable effortless cannibalization for spare parts.

I am using my blue ATV past twenty four months. The quality happens to be good and I am confident of using this for my routine activities for next couple of years. I do not foresee the need of all these extra pieces.

So I offer that warehoused Brand new surplus ATV for sale. The technical details are available in the post – specifications.

  http://atvindia.blogspot.com/2008/09/specification-if-my-atv.html

As  mentioned in earlier post, I   was  not  very  keen  to  sell ATV  as  it  distracts  me  from  my  farm activities  and I  have  no  sales force nor can provide service  support.

This is a very rare opportunity to interested people to get an ATV, tried and tested quality for an very attractive price, much cheaper than offered by dealers.

Interested may get in touch with me by mailing to bhat59@gmail.com
 

ATV carried around in Maruti Omni

Here  my helpers are unloading ATV from Maruti Omni after returning from a trip   LPG tank takes considerable prime space in my Omni and so loading   ATV is bit tricky.

We have  to  lower the handle bar after loosening four bolts. Two people can easily can do loading and unloading.

Not hoisting uniformly it needs some practice. Experiments with ramp for easy loading failed miserably as we have to lift more on side above LPG tank and has to push in slant position.  

Its unladen weight 130 kg is quite okay for this vehicle. The tyres we placed on the floor hold it stable even in high speed and we don’t harness the machine with rope.

One advantage of this 110 cc ATV is it is small enough to be carried in Maruti Omni . Bigger machine cannot be easily accommodated like this.

ATV on Puri beach for relief and rescue operation

Puri beach in Orissa seems to be first in India mobilizing ATV for relief and rescue operation. The joint effort of Police and The Rangers Adventure Foundation(RAF) was inaugurated by Superintendent of Police Soumendra Priyadarshi on the beach on Friday - 16th August 2009. So tourists in Puri beach can now bathe in a carefree manner for the ATV is there on the beach to help them out, if in trouble


The modern four wheeler All Terrain Vehicle (ATV), capable of speedy maneuver on the sandy beach, will now ply on the Puri beach to carry out rescue and relief operation for tourists bathing in the sea. Hope this novel endeavor is observed by tourism and security officials around the country and introduced in all beaches especially like those near Mangalore where tragic loss of life reported frequently.

Looks appealing with three wheels

I badly wanted mobility to go to garden during slippery situations. Many technical institutions around here have demo pieces which are crude heavy and not very practical. I picked this from web and this looks pretty nice. Would have been happy with this.  This looks  like built for kids.

Why 110 cc machines are better for Indian beginner

ATV is an exotic machine in India. With very little exposure this is not properly understood by most people.    I am keen on pushing for generic no brand product that should be locally available for 80 K or 100 K   whereas  many traders want to push fancy ATVs costing 250 K and above.  They are  more   interested to keep high entry barrier and retain it as a  status symbol   premium product within the reach of only rich and famous.
 
You never know if your ATV interest is passing fad or genuine love. So there is little point in spending too much of hard-earned money only to realize this is not for me. Introduction of generic product is essential to lower entry barrier. So people can  get  out  with little loss.  
 
I was prepared to sell surplus ATVs profitably meaning with no loss @ 60 K then meaning two years back and   I don’t have precise picture of situation today.  Suave smooth talking Bangalore trader quoted 120 K for the identical piece then.  

It should be around  80 K  or   100 K   today because of Dollar revaluation [USD was 42 then and 48 now ] inflation and lowering export support by China government.  It  is  better  than  200 K  fancy  pieces  offered  by  some  dealers. 

It is always better start with more Basic model, like starting  to   ride   two wheeler with Luna or TVS 50 and then move to 100cc to 150cc Bikes. This model has lot in common with Hero Street motorcycle that was in our  market earlier.

Semi Automatic available  with 110 cc  means engine braking available going downhill. CVT transmission  normally  coming  as  standard  with  bigger  ATVs  offer    no such advantage. Novice rider with too much power at thumb tip is dangerous.

This 110cc  ATV can be carried around in Maruti Omni with backseat removed and ATV handle bar lowered - taking it to workshop or to distant sand beach is pretty easy.  I  have  done  it  few  times.   Bigger 150 cc machines will need more exclusive carrier. You have to load it to a tempo.

It is really unfortunate that traders want to push 150 cc and above ATVs to the people who hardly had any riding experience.  Fancy websites with borrowed photographs and search engine pop-up advertising makes them easy to reach large number of people.

Early ATVs were 3 wheelers

The  ATV has a 40 years history and the first twenty years were dominated by three wheelers. The early ATV history can as well be called history of Honda  ATVs   as  other manufacturers who joined the game more than ten years later.

 The 1960s: Prototyping the ATC.  
 
If necessity was the mother of the first ATV, Honda engineer Osamu Takeuchi was its father. In 1967,American Honda asked  Honda R&D Ltd. for a new product dealers could sell when motorcycle sales cooled off in the winter.

Forget the proverbial blank sheet of paper. Takeuchi started in the shop with a head full of ideas and an eclectic assortment of components. Two, three, four, five and even six-wheeled configurations were examined, but the three-wheel concept delivered the best combination for the machine's intended mission. It dealt with snow, mud and assorted slippery conditions a two-wheeler couldn't, while providing more maneuverability than other configurations.

 
 In the early stages, a Honda ST70 motorcycle gave up its 70cc four-stroke single-cylinder engine for the cause, along with assorted chassis parts... The biggest challenge would be finding a tire capable of getting a grip on soft, changeable terrain such as snow, sand and mud. Two wheels, three wheels, four wheels or more? Motorcycle tires weren't an option.

 
The design process quickened when Takeuchi received an American invention called the "Amphi-Cat? that rolled on six 20-inch low-pressure, high-flotation balloon tires. The light bulb went on. Revamping his ST70-based prototype to accept the new low-pressure rolling stock, he went to work on his own tire design, ending up with a 22-inch design inflated to 2.2 psi. With the tire dilemma solved, the 70cc engine lacked the muscle necessary to push a full-sized rider through snow or mud. A 90cc engine running through a special dual-range four-speed gearbox added the requisite flexibility over varied terrain.
 
The next phase of development was optimizing the chassis to match the new engine and tires. Testing over rough roads, sand hills and slopes as steep as 35-degrees gradually established chassis dimensions effective for recreational riding as well as agricultural work. Laid out in the shape of an isosceles triangle with the footpegs located outside the triangle to optimize control, the ATC design was unique enough to let Takeuchi patent the arrangement.

Exhaustive testing brought other lessons to light as well. Using a thumb throttle instead of the typical motorcycle twist grip let riders shift their weight for optimal vehicle maneuverability while maintaining precise throttle control. A rear differential was considered, but discarded when a live axle performed better. Though suspension is an integral part of the modern ATV, Takeuchi's original balloon tires soaked up rough terrain best by themselves. Exerting less pressure on soft or sensitive terrain than the average human foot, those tires let the vehicle go places others couldn't, leaving little or no evidence of their passing--an advantage that looms large in hundreds of modern ATV applications.


The 1970s: The World's First ATC

Officially introduced to America in 1970, the US 90 sent its 7 horsepower through a dual-range four-speed gearbox with automatic clutch, and sold for $595. It was renamed the ATC90 later that year as Honda trademarked the ATC name. The ATC70 gave younger riders a scaled-down version of the fat-tire experience. And by the end of the decade, requests for more power turned the original ATC90 into the ATC110 in 1979. The ATC was as evolutionary as it was revolutionary from the beginning.


Though it was primarily a recreational vehicle through the '70s, farmers were beginning to see the ATC as a tool to make their lives easier. Engineers followed their machines into the field, gathering data to guide the machine's natural adaptation to a rapidly growing market. The ATC was as capable at labor as at leisure, and America was catching on.

  Moving into the '80s, the two arenas looming largest in the ATV lexicon were utility Introduced in 1980, the ATC185 was popular among utility users. Rolling on larger, 25-inch tires that afforded improved traction, the 185 featured a five-speed transmission and automatic clutch and a 180cc four-stroke single-cylinder engine that was considerably more powerful as well. Though designed to split its duties more or less equally between work and play, the 185 set the stage for Honda's first purpose-built utility ATV two years later.

The 1982 ATC200E, a.k.a. "Big Red", had more of everything necessary to get a host of jobs done. Its 192cc engine and five-speed dual-range gearbox cranked out more power, especially low in the rev band, to make chores such as towing, spraying, seeding and fertilizing easier. An electric starter in addition to the standard recoil system made starting the day as easy as pushing a button. Dual racks and a 9.2-liter storage box made carrying tools, hay bales, fencing and other agricultural essentials easier. A new sealed rear drum brake survived the muddy fields and water crossings, and telescopic fork front suspension made a day in the saddle that much more comfortable. Big Red added a reverse gear in 1984, and its drive chain was replaced with shaft drive for extra durability and less maintenance.

 
Yamaha, Suzuki & Kawasaki started ATV manufacture around 1980. In 1982, Suzuki took the lead in the hot new market for all-terrain vehicles by introducing the first four-wheel ATV and other companies followed it.  Interesting fact is Honda had the patent on three-wheelers. So Suzuki was challenged to think outside the box. Its chief designer Aki Goto took this as a challenge and result was first four wheeler ATV.

Later the safety factors made all companies to shift to four wheel ATVs   and  3-wheel models ended production in 1987