The Rise of the UTV
A lot of riders are reluctant to admit it, but a couple decades ago the motorcycle industry was heading into a downward spiral. Sales were down and budgets slashed. But along came a class of vehicle that single-handedly carried the manufacturers over the slump and in the process generated ample R&D funds for which the companies spread across their entire product lines. That vehicle was of course the ATV. Despite the “black eye” the media and money-hungry lawyers caused, despite the 3-wheeler ban of the late 1980s, despite requiring manufacturers to plaster their machines with more warning stickers than your average nuclear power plant, despite the requirement in many states for ATV safety class certification, the popularity and consumer demand of the all-terrain vehicle would not be denied. In fact, ensuing years would witness the phenomenon spreading farther and farther into society, as machines became more specialized for various activities.
While the demand for ATVs remained steady, the industry would then witness an offshoot that began with strictly utilitarian roots and spread like wildfire. That of course was the introduction of the side-by-side or UTV. What began life as an alternative to the gold cart, with a bit more grunt for working around the farm, would evolve at a rapid pace. Not unlike its ATV cousin, each model year witnessed more and more specialization among the UTVs. The work-only models still existed, but suddenly shared the line with UTVs built for tackling mud, carrying multiple passengers or just plain-out off-road performance. In a flash the marketplace was alive with entries from new manufacturers, companies like Bobcat, Kubota, and John Deere, who dared not try their hand in the highly competitive ATV circuit, but knew a thing or two about building dependable off-road machinery.
