Employees of Redline Holding LLC, Fargo, North Dakota, pointed their truck and trailer toward California today, on the way to the SoCal Dirt & Sand Expo to display their new creation: the Redline Revolt, a cross between an ATV and a sand dune buggy.
There aren’t many similarities between this new Revolt and the snowmobile version created by original Redline, which declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy two years ago. There aren’t any similarities between the new and old companies, either. Redline Holding LLC, made up of investors in the Fargo, North Dakota, area, purchased the old company’s assets out of bankruptcy — everything from the manufacturing equipment, parts and patents down to the corporate show booth, desks and the wall art. No members of the old Redline company are a part of the new incarnation. The new company has eight employees, including two engineers formerly of Polaris’ powertrain division.
The new machine looks like a dune buggy, but Chad Johnson, director of engineering, said it’s geared toward the sand-rider and ATV market. The company will initially target the southwestern US, but plan to eventually sell the machine nationally. Johnson said they’re looking to set up a dealer network in the southwest through established powersports shops. Johnson said they company plans to have production units built by the end of this year, with a larger production run for 2007.
Specs-wise, the machine uses a Weber-built, 750cc, 80 hp, two-cylinder four-stroke. It’s the same one used in Polaris ATVs. It’s built to accommodate turbo, but will not be sold with that feature. The engine is capable of 135 hp with turbo, Johnson said. It uses a CVT transmission.
The suspension, something unique in the Revolt snowmobile, bears no resemblance to the snowmobile. It’s supported with four Fox air shocks. The machine also has rack-and-pinion steering, Wilwood front brakes and Brembo rear disc brakes.
There’s a lot of custom design work in the machine, Johnson said, including the gear box and the molded gas tank.
The only remnants of the snowmobile are the creative use of some of the excess inventory. The new Revolt has headlights and gauges meant for the snowmobile, and the brake configuration was based on what was acquired.
The Revolt weighs in the 700 pound range.
The machine shares handling characteristics with a sport-style ATV, said Luke Evenson, project engineer, and is capable in a variety of terrains from sand to the motocross track.
Scot Taylor, director of marketing and sales, said the likely customer is a powersports enthusiast with either a dirtbike or ATV, a gearhead, who likes to tinker with machinery. He said it’s a higher-end piece of equipment with an anticipated price tag of $12,000 to $15,000.
Dave Wittmer, director of operations, said the company initially considered picking up with the snowmobile. “We tried to cure the ills with the former machine, but after a lot of time and money, we came to the conclusion that it wouldn’t work,” he said. “That’s not to say that in the future you won’t see a snowmobile from us.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *