Tips for choosing and buying quads

Let’s start with a brief history of quads. The first quads date back to 1893 when Royal Enfield built and sold the first motorized quadracycle, moving forward to the 1970s when Honda began making trikes and quads based on their motorcycles. Today the all terrain vehicle (ATV or Quad) has become a rapidly expanding global trade, Apache, Quadzilla, TGB, Falcon, Hymoto, Kazuma and Quantum are serious contenders to meet the demand for these vehicles.

They make quads for sport, utility, racing, farm, and kid’s quads (let’s not forget that kids love the thrill of riding quads, too). Because safety is a primary concern and to ensure that these bikes are built to very strict guidelines, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has classified quads as a vehicle that rides on low-profile tires. pressure with a saddle astride the rider. The UK classifies quads as a low-lying vehicle with four wheels and a mass of less than 550kg. Completely useless and boring information. So let me give you some helpful guidance on the key areas and help you choose a great quad, so you can buy with confidence!

First, what do you plan to use your bike for? A simple question but one that requires careful consideration. By far the biggest market for quads is the utility sector and these bikes are workhorses and need to be reliable with winches and tow stands etc. for agricultural needs. They tend to be road legal with lights, which requires insurance, registration, and mot’s.

A full driver’s license is required to ride quads on the road, or a pre-1999 bike license. Buy carefully, it can be very expensive to convert a quad to make it suitable and road legal. A cost of £500 is typical.

If you only intend to use your quad for recreation and racing, it doesn’t need to be road legal. However, be very careful when importing your own quad from abroad, there are very cheap and dangerous quads for sale. You will end up disappointed and stressed.

Second, do you need to focus on performance or features such as engine size, 4WD systems, transmission, brakes and suspension?

Do you need 4WD full time? Some quads have switchable drivetrains that offer a 2WD option. (To help save on tire wear.)

Transmission, do you opt for manual or automatic gearboxes, automatic clutches? Quads with 2 or 3 speeds are suitable for beginners and children. The 5 forward reverse speeds are available on more powerful quads and utilities.

Drum or disc brakes, higher end quads will offer triple caliper disc brakes

Suspension, gas stock, single or double swingarm?

Enclosed foot wells or pro nerfs (foot guards)?

As you can see, the list can be endless, so the best advice is to go to a trusted dealer, who will listen to you and offer you the best advice with years of experience. There are plenty of good dealers out there, pick one that offers to build a strong relationship with you, answers the phone and offers excellent after-sales service.

Here at proppa, our excellent team would be happy to speak with you. Our goal is to provide you with the best advice and service, sharing the duty of care with children and inexperienced quad drivers. We encourage you to visit ATV trails, challenges and race tracks to experience firsthand how much fun ATVs can be.