'Road Legal' quad bikes - what's the point?

[vsonix]

I see these pop up for sale every so often on car groups, and every so often see one pootling around with the rider usually wearing a shell suit and a footballer haircut. I am not quite sure what the point of them is. They don't appear to have off-road wheels on, and don't appear to get muddy. They also look really unstable and fairly slow. Are they totally pointless, or am I missing something? What's the attraction?

[Fleckers]

The ones I see on the road are loud
Seem fast as normally doing wheelies
Have chunky tyres

And don't obey many road laws

[Hubris]

Pretty pointless on the road, but a right laugh off it.

[Mastodon2]

They are very convenient for getting around your traveller's site though.

[Blib]

I never see the same one twice.

[Lordbenny]

You could say the same about a 200mph track day super car....pretty pointless on the road but fun all the same. Each to their own I suppose and I know which one I'd rather have.

[InductionRoar]

Loudest things I have heard on the road. Not in a good way. The appeal is lost on me too...

[Baryonyx]

All the downsides of a motorbike and non of the upsides.

[vsonix]

I've not witnessed any wheelies or high-speed antics. Literally just pootling and going round bends on two wheels at about 20mph.

[TheEnd]

Horrible chav toys, probably end up getting swapped for a pitbull, and falling apart.

[Impasse]

One of my neighbours has one - it's some outlandishly powered 4x4 thing with an autobox and just moped style handlebar controls. He's a youngish lad (mid/late twenties I guess) and enjoys riding the thing around on sunny days and the occasional trip away with other mates. He's been in a wheelchair for the past couple of years after permanently losing the use of his legs through a motorbike crash.
The quad gets him back doing 75% of the motorbike experience, but it means he can stop at a traffic light without falling over and the small rack on the back enables him to carry his chair around too.

He's offered me a go on it and it looks like fun, but I'm far too chicken...

[Limpet]

I nearly had a head on with the last one I saw, as it was overtaking a car on a blind bend. Still not sure how we missed each other. Squeaky bum moment for all concerned.

[mph1977]

road legal 'farm quads' serve a valid purpose

road legal 'performance quads' generally seem to be as mentioned above ...

[InductionRoar]

Lovely summer day. Driving considerately with the roof (and windows) down along some nice country roads.

Farther down the road encountering an enthusiastically driven/ridden quad going the other way. It had clearly been off-roading as it showered me and my car with stones littering the dashboard with gravel.

Not a happy bunny!

[Grey Ghost]

The few I see round my neck of the woods appear to be ridden by oafs in shorts with a top not appearing to be necessary. None have ever been seen wearing helmet and most don't even bother with eye protection.

Would love to see one of them dealing with a fly in their eye at 70mph+, might remind them where the muddy end of the gene pool is.

[vrsmxtb]

Only ones I've seen have been loud, obnoxious, breaking multiple laws of the road and ridden by utter tools.

They're probably quite fun ridden properly.

[mrtwisty]

I've never seen one ridden by anyone that looked like their IQ was above that of reasonably sharp witted Labrador.

Mongmobiles.

[anonymous-user]

So much bitterness on here lately

[V8 FOU]

vsonix said:

I've not witnessed any wheelies or high-speed antics. Literally just pootling and going round bends on two wheels at about 20mph.

Something to do with the lack of any form of differential......

[Axionknight]

Blib said:

I never see the same one twice.

It probably tipped over going round a bend and killed the owner.