Atk 350

[hotrodblazer]

I have been looking into getting my first bike after a 12 year hiatus of riding, and, while reading a new buyers guide, saw the ATK 350 w/Rotax motor. Anyone have any experience with this bike or other ATK bikes? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Or any info anyone has to offer on a 4 stroke bike, around 350/400 size for my weight, that would be a great "starter" bike? I bought my boys, twins age 5 and a 3 year old, their first bike, a 2001 xr50, so I need to find a bike for myself. Thanks for your time and input.

 

[Bob Brooks]

The Rotax motor is a very reliable engine. I have a lot of experience with that powerplant from my dirt track days and they are bulletproof. However, by now, that motor is a little long in the tooth compared to the more modern designs and it is HEAVY. Parts availability for the engine itself should not be an issue. Ron Wood racing products in California stocks most if not all Rotax engine parts. However, I'm unsure about the current status of ATK, so parts availability in general, outside of the motor, may be an issue. I'm not sure I would recommend an ATK 350. For a beginner bike, you may want to look at Honda XR400s, Suzuki DRZs and some of those motorcycles.

 

[DualSportr]

We have a few local guys here who swear by the ATK's - they're a bit long in the tooth themselves - actually, I'd classify them as grumpy old men. They like the ATK because it was really the first manufacturer to come out with a 'real' dirt bike with e-start. They stick with it because they're stubborn (in my opinion!).

ATK's have quirks. You have to be a quirk-lover to love an ATK. It takes the same kind of guy to love an ATK that loved Husabergs back in the early 90's and maybe owned a Rokon or something else weird back in the 70's.

They have a 2x4 for a seat, they don't turn like a regular bike - I don't think they turn at all! But.....they are bullet proof - and they have very nice parts. Pro Taper bars and all the bells and whistles right from the factory.

But, if you ever break a fender or a shift lever - expect to pay through the nose for replacement parts. There's absolutely NO aftermarket anything available for them except through Ron Woods.

Hope this helps!

 

[Domtomac]

I had a friend who was an ATK dealer for awhile. They only sold about 8 bikes before they stopped handling them. One had the shift mechanism break off. I wasn't due to a fall, crash or anything. The lever on the outside didn't break, it was on the other end, inside the case. The weld that held the lever to the end of the shift shaft simply broke.
Also if you jump them while in second gear they will downshift into first. This happened to me several times when I was riding one. At first I thought I was hitting the shift lever with my foot, so I removed it and rotated it way up. It still shifted when I landed. I also talked to a guy that bought one and he experienced the same thing. The only cure is to jump in either first gear or third, as the impact on landing will cause a down shift from second to first. On another bike the whole sub-frame fell off when the new owner was riding it. This was the first ride, after only about an hour. In my opinion there's too many good bikes out there to mess with one of these unless you get it really cheap. :(