The Vento Reptile is an off-road machine from Vento, an American brand that also sold motorcycles, scooters and utility vehicles. Vento Motorcycles, Inc. assembled its products at a plant in Laredo, Texas, opened in 1998, and distributed them through more than 300 outlets worldwide.
Vento Reptile at a glance
| Model | Vento Reptile |
|---|---|
| Brand | Vento |
| Company | Vento Motorcycles, Inc., United States |
| Model type | ATV / off-road vehicle |
| Name meaning | “wind” in Italian |
| Other products | motorcycles, scooters, off-road vehicles |
| Assembly plant | Laredo, Texas, opened in 1998 |
| Headquarters by 2006 | San Diego, California |
| Dealers in the USA | over 175 in more than 30 states |
| Outlets worldwide | over 300 |
| Model page | no dedicated Wikipedia article; facts from the brand page |
based on one source: there is no dedicated Wikipedia page for the Reptile, so the article draws on the Vento manufacturer article.
History of the Vento Reptile
ATVs in the catalogue
Vento is often remembered for scooters and small motorcycles, but ATVs and off-road vehicles were part of the same catalogue. The Reptile comes from that side of the range. Vento supplied vehicle identification number decoding information to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for several vehicle types, including motorcycles, scooters and ATVs, and some of its models were certified by the California Air Resources Board for specific model years.
The Laredo plant
From 1998 the company assembled and quality-checked vehicles in Laredo, Texas, using components brought in from outside. By 2006 the head office was in San Diego, California, the plant remained in Laredo, and a marketing, product development and dealer support centre operated in Melbourne, Florida.
Sales beyond the United States
Vento sold through more than 175 dealers in more than 30 American states and more than 300 outlets worldwide. Its 2003 financial year brought 17,840 sales in the United States, and 77,600 Vento motorcycles were sold in Chile, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Russia combined, including highway motorcycles, scooters, utility vehicles and ATVs.
Design and features
- Off-road model: part of the ATV and off-road line rather than the scooter range.
- Texan assembly: built up and checked at the Laredo plant.
- US certification: VIN data supplied to the NHTSA and CARB certification for some models.
- Worldwide distribution: more than 300 outlets.
Vento Reptile versions
- Reptile: the off-road model described here.
- Other Vento off-road machines: the Avalanche represents the same part of the range (link below).
See the Vento Avalanche and the Vento V-Thunder for other sides of the range, or the whole brand in the Vento collection.
Video: Vento Reptile 400
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- Vento (motorcycle manufacturer), English Wikipedia: product range, certification, plants, sales
