If you have ever ridden a sport ATV you know how much power the little brutes hold. They are designed specifically for speed, control and more speed so what is in that engine that makes them so special? Everything you need to know related to the CC in these monster’s engines will be discussed in this article.
Anywhere from 90-1100 cc can be found in the engines. Casual riders will be more than happy with just a few hundred where as the experts will often look for much more CC because that will generally mean faster.
There are a lot of logistics and reasons behind why these engines were designed this way. It is really important to remember ATVs have many purposes and people buy them for many reasons which is why there is this range. We will talk more about this in the article.
Why Such a Large Range?
The big brands know that having a range of engine size in their sport ATVs will increase their market and open it to the more casual riders. By having a range and creating more diversity and options in their selection they create more customers.
Obviously different engines will perform differently and almost be different vehicles so what can you expect from different engines? Sport ATVs are different from other types of ATVs in the sense that different engine sizes will generally perform the same tasks just at different levels. With a utility ATV for example, a smaller ATV couldn’t even attempt to accomplish the daunting tasks that say a 1000 cc ATV could perform.
With sport ATVs there is definitely a major difference in a small engine versus a big engine but the tasks they can complete are quite similar. A sport ATV is not designed for farm work or towing or anything work related like that. It still can accomplish them but is definitely not designed for them. That is the important part of sport ATV engines, they are designed for speed, agility, and anything race related but overall that is their limit.
There are ranges within the range of what to expect and what different engines can do.
Generally, anywhere between 90-500 cc will be for more casual trail riding and casual activities. These ATVs are more affordable and more popular than larger engine sport ATVs.
Anything above 500 cc will generally be for much more experienced, heavier and specialized riders. Sport ATVs that are used in racing for example will have much higher CC to gain an edge in speed. The Yamaha Raptor 700R for example, is really good in racing because of its massive engine but relatively light weight.
Pricing varies tremendously in relation to CC so a chart will be very helpful. The following chart is the relation between price and engine size for a Yamaha Raptor
| CC | 90 | 250 | 450 | 700 |
| Price (cad) | $4,497.00 | $5,099.00 | $9,499.00 | $14,449.00 |
If you liked this article and are interested in other information regarding CC in ATVs, the following links are for the amount of CC in a utility ATV and the amount of CC in a side by side ATV.
A Brief Explanation of CC
CC or cubic centimeters measures the volume of fuel and air that can be pushed through a vehicle’s cylinders
Measuring CC uses this formula:
(π/4) x bore diameter squared* x stroke length** x number of cylinders*** = CC
* bore diameter refers to the diameter of the cylinder
**stroke length is how far the piston travels within the cylinder
***number of cylinders is just how many cylinders are in the engine
If you are looking for a more in depth look at what CC is, here is another article we wrote about that.
Why Are Higher CC Side By Side ATVs So Much More Expensive?
If you looked at the chart above you may have seen that a Yamaha Raptor 700R is $14,499.00. $14,499.00 is a lot of money for the small vehicle that it is. Is it just the big companies trying to juice everything out of your wallet? Yes, the big companies take their fair share of that cut but in general that price is reasonable for what goes into the vehicle. Making an engine of that size is a long process of designing, planning and executing. If you have ever made a trip to a mechanic you probably know that parts of an engine aren’t cheap. When you add up the process it takes to create this, the parts and the people that are needed to execute it and the companies fair share to make a profit, of course the price will be that high.
CC In Sport ATVs Vs CC in Other Vehicles
Some of these numbers that we are seeing in ATV engines are incredible but how do they relate to other vehicles? A good example to compare to is dirt bikes. Smaller dirt bikes will have around 150 while larger dirt bikes will usually top out around 500. They are really different vehicles so comparing the two is hard.
Another vehicle we can try comparing is cars. Obviously a car engine is extremely different to that of an ATV or dirt bike but they still must have CC right? Cars do have cc but it is hard to compare it to ATVs simply because of how different the vehicles are. Car engines are also big enough that they would normally use litres instead because saying 1.4 litres is easier than saying 1390 cubic centimeters. A car’s CC can range anywhere from 800 cc to 6000 cc depending on the type, the brand and obviously the engine.
