More and more farmers and businesses in New Zealand are switching over to ATVs as a means of getting around and moving feed, equipment, and sometimes people. With almost every farm in New Zealand now operating an ATV (quad bike), it is interesting to see how the market is changing.  Overall the preferred engine capacity is increasing and riders’ choice of transmission type is changing to meet the demands of modern farming. We examine how to get the best out of your working ATV, as well as the law, what’s on offer in the marketplace, and how to ride safely.
All-terrain vehicles, known as ATVs, or more commonly (though not exclusively) quads, can be dangerous things.
My friend Jaco is a cocky guy. He’s quite tough – used to be in the army – and he thinks he’s invincible. Or should I say thought.
Here’s what happened.
Jaco went to visit his mate Pete on the family farm. It was a hot day, and they had a couple of beers to cool off. Jaco told Pete he’d like a 4WD but he’d just bought a new BMW R1150GS Adventurer off-road bike, and the missus had drawn the line at “more toys”, as she put it.
“No worry,” said Pete. “There’s an old Landie in a paddock on the other side of the hill. It’s a bit beaten-up, but it’s a runner, and we don’t use it any more since we got the ATVs. You can have it, and maybe you can do it up”.
So off they went on one of the farm quads to have a look, Jaco driving and Pete perched on the back.
But Jaco fancies himself as a bit of a racing driver, although he’s only ever taken part in one race in which, to put it bluntly, he got blown off by the whole field.
Anyway, off they roared, and before long Jaco was showing off a bit. Then suddenly Pete tapped him on the shoulder, so Jaco looked round, and heh, Pete was warning him about a tight left-hander.
At the last second Jaco looked back and tried to slide it round the bend – he really tried hard – but with Pete’s weight on the back the bugger wouldn’t budge, and instead went straight into a barbed wire fence at about 30 km/h.

Pete was thrown off and landed on his back on the grass, and after a few minutes lying there winded got up and walked across to where Jaco was rolling around and moaning on the ground, clutching his, well, between his legs.
In a way Jaco was lucky. He missed the barbed wire - but instead he hit a fence post full on with his privates, and it took six months, an expensive hernia operation, and lots of ribbing from his mates, before he came right.
What’s more he couldn’t ride his bike, and his wife, to say the least, wasn’t impressed by the whole thing at all.
Moral of the story?
Don’t muck about with ATVs. They can bite! .: