239

Mr . Takeuchi made several experimental tires of various

kinds for the new product . In order to maximize the efficiency of the developing ATC vehicle , the ground contact patch of the tire had to be wide enough to let it traverse terrain such as

snow and mud .

He eventually selected a 22 inch tice with a 2 . 2

PSI air rating .

This allowed the vehicle to traverse such

terrains because the contact patch was large enough .

After developing the tire size and configuration , he

then began testing the prototype and found out immediately that

the 70cc engine was too small for adults .

It would not pull the

machine and rider through soft terrain such as mud and snow . The engine size was increased to 90cc , and this was the specifica tion for the first ATC sold in the United States . A dual range

transmission was also added for improved low speed mobility .

The next step of the development work was to decide the

specifications for the vehicle .

In short , they could get running

now

was

performance on snow with the engine size and the tice specifica tions , and now it was a question of turning or stopping and how to create a vehicle which could be enjoyed . Mr . Takeuchi continued to develop this machine and made a second prototype .

He lengthened and shortened the wheel base , and widened and

narrowed the tread . A series of tests were conducted on bumpy

roads , on sand hills whose slopes sometimes were as much as 35

degrees , on trodden and rugged hills , and on grass lands . It was