According to the Motor Industry Association sales of farm quads are up to 10.9% more than they were in 2010. The sales of utility ATV have soared across New Zealand in 2011 and the spike was showing positivity with farm quads selling a great deal faster than those for pleasure. The sale of quads has been on average around 70% higher than sales of road bikes in the 50cc range with one shop owner revealing that is sold 100 new Suzuki quad bikes a year. Around 60% of these sales came from dairy farms around New Zealand while the other 40% were due to beef and sheep farmers. The average layout for a brand new utility ATV is in the region of $13,000. While new quad bikes cost in the region of between $8,000 to $17,000. Interestingly farmers typically always look for new farm quads for sale as opposed to purchasing second hand.

Quad bikes are an essential form of travel for both New Zealand farmers and those in the UK. Farm quads make life for farmers a great deal easier as often farmers live in some of the most rural parts imaginable. Farms are often spread out over many acres and an ATV is one of the fastest and easiest ways to navigate the landscape.

Liam has enjoyed riding and wanted to race quad bikes ever since three years of age and through this he gained many skills and confidence, which in turn has helped him in life. However, it has not been easy and it has taken a great deal of hard work on his part with dedicated practice on the race track. The youngster started out on a custom quad, a basic vehicle and then moved up to a gear driven quad and now there is no stopping him. Liam began quad bike racing in 2010 but was turned down by numerous clubs because of his illness. The youngster persevered and finally joined the Bancffosfelen club and quickly developed more skills and came first in championships there.

Liam has faced many difficulties in life due to his illness and turns to quad bike racing as a distraction. He met one of his heroes Petter Solberg who has given Liam a great deal of encouragement. The youngster recently received a brand new ATV and got his license after having to put up a fight to get it. The license came just two days before a championship competition which was helped by a great deal of support from the community and the National Autistic Society.

Theft of ATVs has been reported to be on the rise, in particular for custom quads. By fitting your machine with a tagging device or tracking device it can help to combat theft. Quads are very popular with farmers as they provide an easy solution to getting around the farm. However they are in rural areas and it is these areas thieves are targeting. Some of the countries at the top of the list are in the north west and south west.

Wiltshire in particular has been a hot spot recently for theft with six vehicles being stolen in a 7 day period. One of the best forms of protection for quad bikes is having them fitted with a Thatcham approved device. This can often deter thieves and in the event of theft it can help police locate the quad. Typically a tracking device will send out a signal which the police are able to pick up. When you take your vehicle for quad service you may wish to inquire about having such a device fitted.

More and more farmers along with individuals who use their quad for recreational use are having their vehicles tagged. Another advantage besides discouraging theft is that the insurance premiums may be lower if you have approved tracking on your ATV.

Joining Simon on-board his luxury yacht The Slipstream, was singer Sinitta along with other ex-girlfriends. Simon and friends are taking a holiday in St. Bart’s and regularly go on shore to take in the beauty of the island and their method of transport has been ATVs. However, his current girlfriend was nowhere to be seen.

Simon and the bevy of beauties are lapping up the Caribbean sunshine on the 196 foot luxury yacht touring around the beautiful island which is the choice of the rich and famous. Simon was pictured riding a huge black quad with matching helmet as he enjoyed his tour of the island alone before heading back to have Sinitta and friend join him. While Simon looked like a natural on his quad, Sinitta was dwarfed by the large ATV, had trouble getting her helmet on and looked slightly wary as they drove off.

The Slipstream costs between £290,000 and £581,000 a week to hire but that would be a drop in the ocean for Mr Cowell who is estimated to be worth around £200 million. For this you get a stateroom with a giant waterbed, Jacuzzi, panoramic views, gym and a state of the art entertainment centre. Simon and friends have been relaxing in the Caribbean before he returns for the Britain’s Got Talent auditions.

This latest ATV is the brand name’s entry level priced quad and is sporty and small and yet is packed with some impressive features that are typically only seen on some of the more and bigger ATVs. Kawasaki are aiming for the good things come in small packages with the KVF300. The quad has of course been designed to comply with the latest in strict standards in regards to safety and reliability. It has also been dubbed with the title of providing the high excitement and provides great versatility. This is the latest in a line of quads to be released from Kawasaki and it comes with plenty of features in the utility and sport department.

While it is termed an entry level machine, the designers ensured that there is nothing lacking in terms of riding excitement. This is thanks to the marriage of an high performance liquid cooled 2 valve engine complete with centrifugal clutch and CVT transmission which delivers a feeling of power and is extremely controllable. The off road tyres courtesy of Maxxis provide excellent rigidity and grip and the quad comes with two ample storage compartments, a crystal clear LCD display and has a generous towing capacity. The KVF300 is proving to be very popular in rural parts of Australia where it is being put to work on farms.

The brand name has been showing off a unique range of off road utility and rec vehicles and products aimed at the Indian market. The display consisted of ATVs, snowmobiles and power sport vehicles. This is the first time Polaris has taken part in one of latest auto shows in Asia. The concept of their booth was experiencing Polaris products and the company offered customers the chance to try out the products for themselves when they offered demonstration rides with professionals. Auto buffs can expect to have their adrenaline levels elevated at the Auto Expo 2012.

The vehicles on show may be used in many different environments, from mining, agriculture, sport, fun and forest patrolling. The ATV Sportsman 90 is one of the vehicles that received a great deal of attention along with the Ranger RZR 170. The latter is aimed at the younger generation and features an adjustable speed limiter which may be set by parents. It also comes with a 4 stroke 170 engine, starts up electronically and has reverse with automatic PVT transmission.

Polaris is well known in Europe but has only recently entered into the Indian market. The Sportsman range of ATVs is equipped with on demand all-wheel drive systems which will engage the four wheel drive as soon as slippage is detected.

The Wazuma V8 comes with a Ferrari engine combined with a BMW six speed gear box and the speed comes courtesy of the 250 horsepower generated from the engine. The quad may have a heavy price tag but the vehicle itself weighs just 650 kg. As you might expect from any luxury vehicle, the suspension system has been made to measure and feature four horizontal shock absorbers.

The Wazuma V8 is not your everyday quad bike for the farm or pleasure riding; instead it is classed as a unique masterpiece. There is also the fact that you would need plenty of land to use the bike on as it is not legal on the streets in the UK according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. However if you can afford the high price tag of the luxury vehicle the chances are that you own your own estate and have the acres of land needed to get the most out of this particular ATV.

This operation is the first of its kind in the Essex area with a cost to the council of around £55,000. However, the council believes it has killed two birds with the same stone as the bikes are able to not only plough snow but also lay down to grit to avoid icy patches. The bikes will be able to travel on roads and pavements so there will be no need to send out men to clear paths. Last year, the UK had heavy snow and the quad bikes were used on a trial basis. They turned out to be a great success and were added to the arsenal of equipment this year.

The quads will be cost effective as they can also be used in other areas during summer, when it comes time to fight weeds. The council have five riders which have been trained to use the quad bikes safely and other councils in other areas of the UK are looking into similar ideas. The quad bikes will provide a quicker way of dealing with adverse conditions brought on by snow and ice and will save the back breaking work of manually shovelling snow and then spreading grit.

Paul Gwilym, wedding shop owner in South Wales will drive his motorised sleigh around Splott in Cardiff to hand out presents to children on Christmas morning. The businessman has added 15 metres of tinsel along with more than 100 LED lights and plywood and paint to transform his quad into a motorised sleigh. Parents hand over Christmas presents for their children to the entrepreneur and for a fee he plans on delivering then on Christmas morning. He plans on being able to reach 40 homes in the area to deliver gifts between 7 in the morning and up to 5pm on Christmas day.

Of course Santa always needs a helping hand and he will have two elves who will work with him in a van, to carry the presents and quad bike in-between deliveries. The trio plans on driving throughout the neighbourhood delivering gifts while playing Christmas tunes through speakers. On the run up to the big day Mr Gwilym is using his converted quad bike to help spread Christmas cheer to local children in the hope of bringing back the spirit of Christmas. One has to wonder though how mum and dad are going to explain the lack of reindeer pulling the sleigh, and why instead it has a motor.

However, while for now their fears have been staved off this is not to say that they are out of the thick of it just yet. The final decision still has to be made by the whole of European Parliament. For now the regulations will only include motor cycles and quad bikes used on the road. Quads used on farms for now will fall under the category which includes tractors and agricultural vehicles.

If the proposed changes go ahead it could make life very difficult for the many farmers who rely heavily on quad bikes to get around their farms. Scottish farmers particularly rely on their machines to run their farms thanks to the terrain being very difficult. The news has been welcomed by the NFUS vice president who said that they welcome the committee’s decision in regards to excluding farm quad bikes from the new regulations.

If the regulations, as feared, were to include quad bikes used by farmers, farmers feared the proposed legislation in regards to safety and anti-pollution devices could be too costly.