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Wild New Machines From ATK! Starring The 700cc Intimidator by: Rick Sieman
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ATK, the American-based company, has been around for a long time now. And for much of that time, they used Rotax engines of one sort or another in their own unique frames. However, the Rotax two-stroke technology has become rather dated, so ATK went hunting for some new powerplants. And while they were at it, they also came up with entirely new chassis designs. Interesting, for sure. Their approach is one that we like: all the bikes will be considered multi-purposes off-road machines, not pure motocross or pure enduro bikes. This means, simply, that all the bikes will come with lighting capabilities. They won’t come with headlights/taillights, but if you need to have lighting for some reason, all you’ll have to do it bolt on the lights and hook ‘em up. Now, for the big news. Here’s the new line-up for ATK:
THE 700cc ATK INTIMIDATOR!
Naturally, our attention was drawn to the 700. Based on the latest technology from the folks who built the famed Maico/M-Star motors, the Intimidator (good name!) has a piston big enough to use to mix paint in. I was scheduled to test ride the Intimidator at the Desert Vipers Grand Prix, but my motorhome lost the rear wheels on the way to the event, and I spent most of the weekend getting the thing fixed and back home. However, Mike Hobbs from ORC, was there and managed to get some photos and feedback on the bike. Frank White (CEO from ATK) put in a few laps on the beast to shake it down a bit, so we can at least give you a preview. We’ll arrange a full test session with ATK later on and give you some actual riding impressions. For now, here are some specs and info on the 700:
ATK is going to let the potential customer, custom order their motorcycle with the options noted above to fit their individual riding desires and conditions. This is new to this industry. The retail price has not yet been determined, but after talking with ATK folks, it will almost certainly be in the ballpark of between $6000 and $7000. When you consider the astonishing amount of top dollar items that come on the bike as standard equipment, you start to wonder how they can do that. Go price items like Talon rims, Protaper bars and a quality steering stabilizer, and you’ll see what we mean. Performance? Since we have yet to sling a let over the bike, we’ll give you the thoughts of Frank White, the ATK CEO who rode the bike at Adelanto: “It pulls right off idle and all the way to peak revs with more power than anyone will ever need. It’s sort of like a 490 Maico on steroids. The power is simply amazing and very electric!” With this sort of statement lodged in our mind, we’re looking forward to a serious ride on this beast, and others in the 2004 stable of ATK bikes. |
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