Overlanding on Quad bikes - Ever been done ??
 

Im sure it has but does anyone know of a blog or website about it.

I love travelling by bike but the idea of doing a long overland trip on a quad bike seems fun too.

They have good reliable thumpers, good suspension and most can easily cruise at 70mph or more.

Found one... looks fun !!

Quad around the World - Quad Treks, Quad Trekking, Outdoor Adventure

And there's Welcome to www.quadsacrossafrica.com too, who are members of this forum.

And next year I'm planning on using one of these (which is similar-ish) ....

http://www.buggyparadise.com/imag/bu...ce-500CC-1.jpg

.... for a trip from Scotland to China.

Looks great.

Id be keen on doing it on something more basic and brutal though.

Something ill consider doing over the next few years I think :)

Hi Ted,
Quads are big here in the US. Mostly hunters and ranchers use the type you would want. The Moto cross racer ones wouldn't be that good at travel with cargo. The big four make them as well as Polaris, KTM, Can-Am, Bombardier, and others. Mostly 450 singles but can be found in
anything from 80cc up to 650cc. Mostly 4-T's these days.

We trail riders generally hate them as they ruin single track trails by widening them and really tear up the ground in general. It's also NOT good to head on a Quad....which is a common occurance here in our National Forests. :thumbdown:

But I can certainly see the utility of them. One tip: don't get them stuck in mud when alone....you may never get out. Although most come with winches. Some are set up to carry lots of cargo or people. Generally speaking, they can climb steeper and go places a motorbike can't. See the Kawasaki MULE or it's variations. I've seen it in action in Moab, Utah and in Mendicino Nat. Forest, simply unbelievable where they can get to.

lots of used ones here, not that cheap however. .... My guess is you could buy a two to three year old one here for $3000 to $4000 usd or so. The jeep like Mule types are much more.

The thing I've been considering is a trailer for a dual sport bike.
Check this thing out:
http://www.trailtail.com/main.html

It can carry 80 lbs (36 kgs), has suspension, and can be fitted with a fiberglass locking cover. About $800. Easy on/off, lockable to bike.

This allows the bike to ride essentially unladen. Not sure how the bike corners with a trailer behind but I'm talking to the Trail Tail guy.


Patrick

your links trashed Patrick.....
 

Are they legal?
 

In the US and possibly Canada, quads are illegal on many public roads, so you'd have a hard time going far "overland" in the US. For the most part, they are used on farms, and hauled to special riding areas for recreation purposes.

Of course, we've seen them buzzing around in the cities and out on the dirt roads here in SA, but I suspect you'll attract the boys in uniform - and if you think the gotchas for motorcycles are amusing, how you gonna bluff the man when he waves his little infractions book in your face. :nono:

Shame... They are legal on the roads of Britain as long as they have plates and lights etc..

Infact, you can drive/ride ANYTHING on UK roads as long as you can get a certificate for it. I literally saw a guy riding a Toilet on wheels with a lawn mower engine. Hilarious and LEGAL !! LOL

I believe most Quads all are currently illegal for road use in the USA. Our DOT (dept. of transportation) make it tough to certify a four wheeler for road use.

I do think some variation of the Kawasaki MULE may now be street legal?? but they cost nearly $10,000. The OEM's are going to be pushing for this I believe because its what customers want. God help us!

I would think in most of the 3rd world if you had a plate and proper road registration and of course fully legal street equip, you might sqeeze by?
Who knows.

Patrick

OK in Europe, Asia and Africa.
 

In all of the European Community, these things (and the buggy above) are classed as either lightweight or heavy quadricycles. There's plenty of restrictions on this (20hp being the main one), but if the manufacturer has homologated it in the EC then you can register it and get your plates. In the UK you can also register one using the Single Vehicle Approval scheme as long as it meets the requirements.

I've been researching whether you can then use one outside Europe and it seems OK for Asia and Africa, but I don't know about Australasia nor North or South America. Still that covers a lot of the world, and for me going through the EC, Russia, Mongolia and China it's fine (assuming we can get Chinese driving licences).

What'd be interesting to know is whether you could drive a European registered quad or buggy on the road in the US for instance, after all they'll let you drive cars which they wouldn't let you register.

This thread has got me thinking. I wonder if a kit car based on something like a Citroen 2cv could be converted into a road legal quad bike. The reason I ask is, it so happens these are easy to convert to use the punsen V twin diesel engine.

Quads can be made street legal in the US state of Arizona, as long as it has certain street-legal equipment. However, a quad with an Arizona license plate would not be allowed on the streets of California.

However, if the quad was street licensed out of the country, and the rider had a license from outside the country, they might be allowed into the US.

The "old" Volkswagen Beetle was manufactured in Mexico until 2003. A US citizen was not allowed to purchase one and bring it back into the US as they were not certified for the US, and thus, they could not obtain US license plates. However, a Mexican National could bring one into the country as a visitor.

I know that a US citizen/resident from a state that street legalizes quads would not be allowed to ride a quad, on public roads, into a state that does not allow them on the road; however a non-US citizen riding a non-US plated quad may be able to ride them into the US. Of course, check this out yourself, but living along the Mexico/US border, I have seen many cars that are not US certified for road use driving on US roads with Mexican license plates, so I think this might be your loophole in the US, at least.

Quads in the USA
 

I came across a webpage some time ago, but don't ask me to remember the url.
There were Canadians riding quads southward into the USA ("all the way" south from memory), mainly off-road but I guess they had to go on-road somewhere or other.
I do remember that they were being sponsored (by Polaris?) in some manner (I think free servicing and, maybe, fuelling) and the quads may have been manufactured by Polaris.

Sorry it's all a bit vague; I suppose a search could find it.

I should have posted this link here when I replied earlier. Here is the trip...


http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ing-trip-30384

hello, have somebody new informations about the big trip of the 250.000 pound trip through africa? it#s a madness trip to go 56.000 kilometers in 4 and a half month by quads. :helpsmilie:

i was going by quad bike since 1993 (algeria by a yamaha 350er warrior, 2x4) it works very good, you haven't to have a 4wd quad, but it's better to have one:cool4:.

look at the website http://quadridesafrica.de (you can translate it by google translater) there are reports of some sahara trips allone and autarc.

next year i go the east route to cape town by quad and caravan. it will be a nice experience.