Is the sport quad segment dead?

GLAMIS WEATHER
Fireballsocal

Fireballsocal

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Yamaha makes the 450r and raptor 700 sport quads. No other Japanese manufacturer makes a full size sport quad currently. Did this segment just up and die in the last 10 years? I suspect not being able to register a new machine in Ca. had an impact but what about the rest of the country?
 
All I know my dad grew up and people only had three wheelers, and those started disappearing, and now it feels like I’m seeing the same thing happen in my life but with quads. I don’t think they will ever be as “obsolete” as three wheelers, but it’s following a similar trend.
 
Honda, BRP and Kawasaki had big bore sport quads, their motors came from other motorized vehicles, were simply adapted and it sucks they all backed out of the big bore sport market.

When Quads hit near $8k to $10k, the only people spending that ki d of coin were people that race, 450s are still raced, nothing else is.

Got easier to spend that money for a recreational toy that sat more butts in seats...thus SxS got popular, not to mention it satisfied those wanting a buggy as well (to an extent).

Ripping a DS650 in Dumont was glorious. Richard Cheese (former gd member Jason) had one and it was a V8 Cadillac in the dunes.
 
Nothing better than hauling the mail on my 87 LT500 QUADZILLA in Glamis. I miss those days
 
Three wheelers dried up because of the 1998 Consent Decree that banned the sale of all 3 wheelers. (see below)
As far as Honda getting out of the sport market is simple. It wasn't making enough money to keep it going with newer/better models. At the time Honda stopped selling sport models they were out selling all the other manufactures with utility models and they focused only on those. Myself being a California Glamis guy I couldn't understand it until I did multiple events that focused on Honda utility machines. (Farm Shows, etc.) The local High schools would bus the kids in to attend the shows and they would come running over to our booth to sit on the utility stuff and talk about how they really want one. I would think to myself why would you want a big ass 4 wheeler when you could have a light fast machine? But these kids grew up loving them and the 4 wheeler had a purpose to do work first and recreation second. Our sport market is very small compared to the rest of the world.

The 1988 ATV Consent Decree was a landmark legal agreement between the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and major all-terrain vehicle (ATV) manufacturers, including Honda. It effectively banned the sale of new three-wheeled ATVs (like Honda's ATCs) to address rising injury and fatality.
 
Manufacturers abandoned big-bore sport quads because the 2008 Great Recession tanked the market, and consumer interest massively shifted toward high-profit, easy-to-drive Side-by-Sides (SxSs). Strict EPA regulations also made costly engine redesigns less profitable for traditional manual-clutch sport ATVs. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Why the Market Shifted
  • The Rise of Side-by-Sides: Vehicles like the Polaris RZR offered cage protection, automatic transmissions, and seating for multiple passengers, making them much more appealing to the general public.
  • Profitability: OEMs realized they could command higher profit margins on expensive SxSs ($15,000–$30,000+) compared to traditional sport ATVs.
  • Economic Downturn: The 2008 financial crisis caused consumer credit and sales to dry up, permanently shifting development resources away from niche sport segments.
  • Racing Scene Decline: Factory racing programs and national race entries suffered severe downturns, further reducing the marketing return on investment. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

Prominent Discontinued Models
  • Honda TRX700XX & TRX450R: Honda withdrew from the sport segment in 2014, ending production of the massive 700cc independent rear suspension (IRS) quad and the highly popular 450R to focus resources on utility models and SxSs.
  • Suzuki LT-R450 & Z400: Suzuki scaled back its sport presence following the recession, leaving a massive void on the track and in the dunes.
  • Kawasaki KFX450R & KFX700: Kawasaki pulled out of the segment, entirely abandoning its big-bore and 450-class sport models.
  • Polaris Outlaw & KTM 450/525: Brands that relied on partnerships, such as Polaris and KTM, completely halted production of their high-performance sport ATVs by the early 2010s to focus on utility 4x4s and the emerging RZR lineup. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Industry Sales Data
While exact, serialized public sales volumes per model were generally kept proprietary by manufacturers, the ATV industry as a whole saw a dramatic drop. At its peak in the mid-2000s, hundreds of thousands of sport quads were sold industry-wide. By the early 2010s, total sport ATV registrations had plunged by over 50-60%.
Today, Yamaha remains the lone manufacturer committed to the pure sport segment with its Yamaha Raptor 700 and YFZ450R
Click to expand...

#MakeBigBoreSportQuadsGreatAgain
 
Sutton said:
All I know my dad grew up and people only had three wheelers, and those started disappearing, and now it feels like I’m seeing the same thing happen in my life but with quads. I don’t think they will ever be as “obsolete” as three wheelers, but it’s following a similar trend.
Click to expand...
As mentioned, the manufacturers were stopped from building and selling 3 wheelers by the feds so they moved into quads. It looks like the same thing happened, but instead of a hard rule, the loss of a sticker program for public land means usage only on private land zoned for the purpose such as tracks. Crazy that in my lifetime, I will have seen the birth of and the end to sport quads.
 
Crusty said:
Honda, BRP and Kawasaki had big bore sport quads, their motors came from other motorized vehicles, were simply adapted and it sucks they all backed out of the big bore sport market.

When Quads hit near $8k to $10k, the only people spending that ki d of coin were people that race, 450s are still raced, nothing else is.

Got easier to spend that money for a recreational toy that sat more butts in seats...thus SxS got popular, not to mention it satisfied those wanting a buggy as well (to an extent).

Ripping a DS650 in Dumont was glorious. Richard Cheese (former gd member Jason) had one and it was a V8 Cadillac in the dunes.
Click to expand...
The big motor quads never took off. It was a relatively short lifecycle for them. They were tuned more for torque than outright power and were heavy so they only sold well to a niche buyer. Usually older who still wanted to rip but have a couch to chill on after the body says 5 minutes of ripping is enough there oldster. Definitely price had a big impact. My first banshee in '97 was the showroom model with polished aluminum, chrome, and the toomey / skat-trak glamis package for just over $6300. Prices marched steadily up over the years but post covid prices went ballistic for everything.
 
RIDERED said:
Three wheelers dried up because of the 1998 Consent Decree that banned the sale of all 3 wheelers. (see below)
As far as Honda getting out of the sport market is simple. It wasn't making enough money to keep it going with newer/better models. At the time Honda stopped selling sport models they were out selling all the other manufactures with utility models and they focused only on those. Myself being a California Glamis guy I couldn't understand it until I did multiple events that focused on Honda utility machines. (Farm Shows, etc.) The local High schools would bus the kids in to attend the shows and they would come running over to our booth to sit on the utility stuff and talk about how they really want one. I would think to myself why would you want a big ass 4 wheeler when you could have a light fast machine? But these kids grew up loving them and the 4 wheeler had a purpose to do work first and recreation second. Our sport market is very small compared to the rest of the world.

The 1988 ATV Consent Decree was a landmark legal agreement between the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and major all-terrain vehicle (ATV) manufacturers, including Honda. It effectively banned the sale of new three-wheeled ATVs (like Honda's ATCs) to address rising injury and fatality.
Click to expand...
Ag quads are huge back east, and pretty big out here even. Back East doesn't have much if any public land so to ride one, you need to go to a private park, or ride on your land. The sport quads do OK out there but the utility quads seem to sell 10 times the amount of the sport quads. Rip a mudhole, then haul some firewood after bringing in the 6 pointer from the back forty. All the Japanese still sell some version of a utility quad. Maybe it's time? 1779466427886.png
 
In the dunes, I see more Motorcycles now than I did 10 years ago and less quads. I think a lot has to do with 2 things: it is cheaper and easier to take a family of 4 in a SxS than buy 4 quads and how freakin rough the dunes are most of the time. Quads are not fun driving over all those ruts. I will say, when my kids got old enough to ride two-wheeler in the dunes, selling the quads was a dream come true...haha
 
Cookie said:
In the dunes, I see more Motorcycles now than I did 10 years ago and less quads. I think a lot has to do with 2 things: it is cheaper and easier to take a family of 4 in a SxS than buy 4 quads and how freakin rough the dunes are most of the time. Quads are not fun driving over all those ruts. I will say, when my kids got old enough to ride two-wheeler in the dunes, selling the quads was a dream come true...haha
Click to expand...
Truth right here.
 
Cookie said:
it is cheaper and easier to take a family of 4 in a SxS than buy 4 quads and how freakin rough the dunes are most of the time. Quads are not fun driving over all those ruts.
Click to expand...
Next generation of duners will be clueless and have no experience.
The SxS chop and ruts are insane mid-season. Literally unrideable.
We are stuck to summer, early season and deep south to get some decent sand. Which I'm fine with. I hate the kook crowds anyhow. But if we take a ride to Olds in November or January, you need a mouth guard.
 
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