All Terrain Vehicles (ATV’s) got there beginning in the mountainous regions of far northern Japan. Farmers were having hard times on the muddy mountain roads especially after the winter thaws and the beginning of spring. Some spots were just impossible to traverse with normal vehicles which kept parts of farm lands off limits. With the Japanese problem – solution mentality and a culture of mechanical solutions the first three wheeled ATV was brought into existence. These small workhorses were much cheaper than farming vehicles and turned out to be the perfect solution to the farmers problems.
But with the ingenuity of the Japanese it didn’t stop there, the manufacturers realized what a great product they had and decided to start marketing them to the entire world. In the early 1970′s the US had nothing even similar to an ATV, and when the first one was released from Honda it was a instant hit. Honda already had a reputation in the U.S. for providing quality motorcycles in fact Honda changed the way American’s looked at people who road motorcycles.
In the 60′s gangs such as the Hell’s Angels, and Bad Boy’s were often associated with riding motorcycles. Honda created a successful marketing slogan to the effect of “You meet the nicest people on a Honda”. This implied that the average Joe could enjoy a motorcycle, and it worked. The campaign was a huge success and Honda saw a huge jump in sales by the 1970′s. When ATV’s were released the momentum was already in there favor and the success continued. The marketing direction this time took the angle of how thrilling it was to ride an ATV.
It was just thirty years ago when Honda released the ATC90, in the US, and American’s bought them for different reasons than they were originally designed for. After gaining popularity as a recreational vehicle, the working class in America realized what a great work vehicle they made. Farmers, Ranchers, Surveyors, Hunters and Fishermen all enjoyed the versatility of the ATV’s.
Now ATV’s are just as popular as recreational vehicles as they are for their varied uses in everyday jobs. A sun and efficient vehicle that is versatile enough to take on just about any job in any type of environment.