The "ultimate in road legal quad biking" is how the makers of the Venom Evil describe their creation. If its exclusive designer styling and the splash of shiny chrome on the front crash bars and speedos don't manage to turn heads, then perhaps the water-cooled 250cc engine, twin exhaust and sporty alloy wheels will.
Quads have been steadily growing in popularity on mainland Europe but are still a relatively rare sight on UK roads. But all that could change with the introduction of the road legal two-seater Venom from QuadBike Ltd. With its designer looks, stylish contouring, road-hugging 51 inch wide track, LED lighting and chrome alloy twin exhaust, attracting attention is almost guaranteed with this sexy four-wheeler.
Envious eyes will undoubtedly be drawn to the tasteful splattering of chrome on the grips, mirrors, retro-styled speedometers and crash bars to the front. Onlookers will positively salivate at the sight of the sporty low profile road tires gripping the exclusive 14 inch alloy wheels, the kind of design seen on so many concept renderings but rarely making it off the computer screen.
The safety conscious might also care to note another feature. The company's Paul Bullock told Gizmag, "The outer walls of the tyres are very tough polyurethane and can run at 0.5 psi, driven carefully a flat tyre would not come away from the rim and should get you to a repair shop."
The mechanically-minded may well appreciate the Loncin 4 stroke 249cc water-cooled engine, which develops 10.7Kw of power at 6500rpm and maximum torque of 17.5Nm/5000rpm. It offers a top speed of 55-60mph. There are four forward gears and one reverse, manual clutch, a powerful hydraulic disc braking system, double-A swing arm suspension with air shock absorbers in front and divided ballonet absorbers at the rear.
Petrol consumption is around 40 to 45 miles to the gallon and its 8 liter (1.75 UK gallons) fuel tank should get you about 80 miles before needing a fill up. The Venom is fully certified for registration throughout Europe and riders will need a standard car license to take it on the road.
QuadBike Ltd ship the basic bike from an ISO9001:2000 approved factory in China to the UK, where it's then treated to the unique design specifications you see here by Mitsubishi trained engineers. Each quad is then checked over by the company to ensure quality control.
Unlike the Swiss GG Quadster we featured last year, the Venom's price is not going to make spotting one in the wild a somewhat unlikely event. The on-the-road UK price is a wallet-friendly GBP3,245 - mainland Europeans are advised to contact the company for more information. Unfortunately for Stateside readers, the Venom doesn't currently have U.S. sales certification so you're unlikely to see one any time soon.