In the early days of ATVs, if you had a 200cc four-stroke model, you were running with the big dogs. The 200s were as big as production ATVs came, and if it were possible to transport the Bombardier Rally back in time to that ancient era, the crew from the local ride spot would be blown away by the liquid-cooled, four-valve engine; automatic transmission; and four-wheel suspension. Of course, they'd also have been stunned at the size of the ice chest the rear rack would let you carry. But that was then. Today, a full-featured quad with a 200cc powerplant is a bit odd for an adult machine; but some things about the old days were actually good, and a 200cc four-stroke quad is still a great way to have an enjoyable ride. And as an added bonus, if the budget is tight, the Rally doubles as a sport quad as well as a utility model that isn't afraid of work.
On the sport side is a spunky and willing engine that accelerates briskly and has a ground-covering top speed. The handling is light thanks to a claimed weight of less than 400 pounds and the fact that the lay-down engine layout helps keep the cg low. At the same time, the Rally isn't too busy to let you enjoy covering ground as long as the whoops aren't too large. The brakes have the power to handle sport riding or heavy work.
Even with full-size riders like Rob Waite aboard, the Rally has plenty of zip to handle rough and rocky terrain and impressive grades.
These days a fully automatic transmission is fine for sport or work. The engine stays in the fat part of the power most of the time, and the response is snappy enough to swing the rear end around in tight turns. We also challenged the Rally with significant hills. The only "hill" it struggled with was the tailgate ramp of our Gearbox trailer. Bombardier has tuned the torque converter to work with the smaller engine. It tackled surprisingly steep climbs, but when you are rolling it up into the trailer, you'll want to use a little caution so you aren't approaching with any momentum at all. So you are basically starting a 45-degree climb on horsepower alone. The Rally sounds busy, but it doesn't go up the ramp. We ended up pushing it into the trailer, and we weren't looking forward to riding up hills
... Once actually riding, though, we ran up pretty steep and rough inclines with 300 pounds of rider and equipment with no problem. Rocks or sand and normal trail situations aren't much of an issue, either. The Rally handles it all without a whimper. The whimpering begins for the quad and rider when the whoops become too deep. The front end is heavy, and the smallish engine and CVT drive system don't allow enough instant response to carry the front end light in whoops. The front drops in and starts to barge into the faces of whoops, and the chassis gets busy and is soon out of sorts.
The Rally package includes powerful but controllable brakes and fine suspension at both ends. You wouldn't want to hit this dip at speed, though.
Folks from our sister publication, Dirt Rider, used the Rally extensively as a course layout tool for the magazine's annual 24-Hour test (DR May '05). They piled the front and rear racks high with three-foot wood stakes and tools, then hit many of the same trails on which we tested. They mentioned the same issues with the whoops, but they could ill afford to charge them with all the junk they could launch off into the bushes if the ride became ugly. They reported the load barely seemed to affect the Bomber. We didn't tow with it, but judging by our experience loading the quad into our Gear-box trailer, we'd guess that towing should be kept to small and light equipment.
The Rally is limited to riders at least 16 years old, and as long as the riders aren't extremely experienced teens, the 200 should be the bomb. It is plenty fun and capable for all but giant whoop sections, and it has that dual personality to sell the folks on how useful you and it can be as a pair. That too should make riders want to rally to this Bombardier.
Bombardier Rally 200
Retail price: $3299
Engine
Type: Single-cylinder, four-stroke, four-valve SOHC
Displacement: 176cc
Bore x stroke: 62x58mm
Cooling: Liquid-cooled
Carburetion: Mikuni VM 24mm
Lubrication: Wet sump
Starting: Electric
A single-shock rear suspension system helps isolate the rider from trail punishment. It works best at moderate speeds. With the racks you can even haul stuff at the same time you haul rear.
Drivetrain
Drive system: Chain, 2x4
Transmission: Automatic CVT with reverse
Suspension (Type/Travel)
Front: Single A-arm/5.4 in.
Rear: Swingarm/6.4 in.
Tires
Front: 22x10-7; rear: 22x10-10
Brakes
Front: Dual hydraulic discs; rear: hydraulic disc
Dimensions
Wheelbase: 46.5 in.
Claimed dry weight: 388 lb
Ground clearance: 9.0 in.
Length/width/height: 79.8/41.5/42.1 in.
Seat height: 29.3 in.
Fuel capacity: 4.4 gal.
Load Capacity
Front/rear rack capacity: 35/65 lb
Hitch tongue/Towing capacity: 30/500 lb
Electrical
Taillight: Yes
Headlight: Dual 30-watt
Instrumentation: Neutral/reverse, high-temperature indicators
Colors: Laurentien green, Viper red, yellow
+ Handy racks, front and rear suspension and an automatic transmission
- Sluggish if there is no run at steep climbs, and the thumb throttle is high-effort
= There is still plenty of room for a four-stroke 200 in ATV land.