Dream Single

DREAM SINGLE

Is ATK, America’s dirtbike manufacturer, poised to enter the sportbike business? Looking at this artist’s conception by Next World Design (who also penned ATK’s new 605 dual-purpose bike), you’d suspect that to be true. But the word is that while ATK has indeed discussed building a road-going Sound of Singles racer, the idea is unlikely to reach fruition. “We looked at that and figured we could sell 50 of them and have $100,000 in injection-molding costs,” explained a company spokesman.

A more realistic-and no less intriguing-possibility is a Class C dirt-track replica, perhaps even one with quick-remove street equipment so that you actually could race it. The Utah-based company is already working with AMA Grand National Championship points leader Will Davis (he’s won both of this season’s short-track races on a Rotax-powered ATK), so much of the necessary R&D work is completed. Furthermore, company officials feel that such a mount would better suit the average dualpurpose rider than the established motocrossderived machines-you don’t need 12 inches of travel on a graded fireroad, you know.

Even if neither concept reaches production, consider this evidence that there are some forward-thinking folks at ATK’s helm.