Quad bikes are fascinating and inspiring vehicles: they capture the imagination because they stubbornly resist pigeonholing. They are neither motorbikes, cars nor buggies, but something quirky yet useful in-between. Perhaps it’s this very element of the indefinable that has inspired record breakers, young and old, to have a crack at one remarkable feat or the other involving their four-wheeled friend.  Perhaps the most remarkable achievement was that of Graham “G-force” Hicks, in May 2001, who on a two-mile airstrip in Leicestershire, set the first (more…)

Ask anybody what springs to mind when they think of quad bikes, and the chances are that they will associate them with a fun time careering around a muddy track, or breathtaking aerial stunts. We probably all know a lucky person who has had the chance to indulge in racing one around hilly race courses in crash helmets and protective padding as part of a ‘team building’ exercise, doubtless having the time of their lives. Yet quad bikes are not restricted to (more…)

Royal Enfield developed a ‘quadricycle’ in 1893 which could, arguably, be classed as the first quad bike. It wasn’t until the 1970s however that modern quad bikes, or ATVs, first started to appear.

Honda ATVs were the first to come to public attention, especially after making an appearance in the James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever. The early Honda ATCs (all terrain cycles) were three-wheelers with large balloon tyres and designed for recreational use. By the 1980s, with the addition of racks and suspension, the ATVs were maturing into utility vehicles and their use in agriculture and rugged outdoor recreation (such as hunting) was becoming more widespread. At the same time the sport models were (more…)