Publisher - The Leading ATV Magazine Worldwide

First to fast By the staff of Dirt Wheels Chris Leaming is a facilitator. He and his father Rob are partners in Gilbert, Arizona-based XTC Power Products. They moved there to grow their company that specializes in UTV electronic parts, such as street-legal turn-signal kits, and switch and wiring solutions. Rob and Chris have owned and built a large number of machines over the years. Despite not owning many Hondas lately, Leaming describes himself as a “Honda guy.” Among his current machines are a scratch-built,…

Fowler and Wolfe roll on By Kayla Bolton, Photos by Ken Hill Like all racing series in the U.S., the AMA Grand National Cross-Country (GNCC) Series presented by Specialized was shocked to a standstill by the COVID-19 virus. As states in the Southeast started to open up, the GNCC crew came up with plans to resume racing safely. Among the many safety restrictions, GNCC officials monitored details as small as requiring racers bringing their own pen to sign up. Obviously there are more, and the races are not…

Performance and handling on a budget By the staff of Dirt Wheels Until we picked up the sporty Kayo 200 Jackal, our only experience with quads from this Chinese company was a brief exposure to the Kayo 150 Storm. The Storm uses a lay-down engine like the Honda TRX90 but with more power. The Jackal is a 200cc upright engine, and it looks like a generic single-cam 200 engine like you would see in an ATC200X or a Yamaha TT-R225 dirt bike. This is a proven engine design, and one that has proven reliable from Chinese…

More clean, less work By the staff of Dirt Wheels Many UTV and ATV enthusiasts are as proud of their machines’ appearance as any vehicle owner. The difference is, we ride in the dirt, which means our machines need washing more often, and cleaning them is more challenging. Yamalube’s Yamaclean Pro-Wash spray is designed to clean well with less effort than common detergent, so we were eager to see how it performs.  SAFE FOR ALL SURFACES A strong cleaner is no help if it destroys what you use it on, so we were glad…

Get your friends back to the trailhead By the staff of Dirt Wheels If we are driving a UTV any farther than we can easily walk back, we make sure we’re prepared for the trip. Ideally, that means traveling with at least one other reliable machine in good condition. At the very least we carry the tools and equipment with us to make routine repairs. In case we fail to make repairs, we always carry a tow strap, and we call on our second car to tow us back. Tusk has a $19.99 tow strap that does all we require of it. It is…

Standing for traction By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photo by Stephen Tripp We have noticed that in looking at many photos of multi-time ATV/MX champion Chad Wienen, he has an interesting style. He stands well forward on his Yamaha YFZ450R and often leans off to the side, as he is in this shot from the Daytona ATV/SX that kicked off the ATV/MX season. We were curious about this style and asked him to explain it for Dirt Wheels readers. “I do a lot of work on my riding technique, searching for the best way to keep the…

Midwest Performance builds a monster By the staff of Dirt Wheels The off-road and side-by-side culture is thriving these days. Stock and modified machines are dotting the trails and tracks across the country and around the world. What’s interesting is how different regions of this country build machines for their particular terrain. Many of these examples are way beyond stock equipment. From the $150,000 desert racers out West to wild mud rigs of the south, they sure do draw a lot of attention. We recently caught up…

Putting fun in work and comfort in fun When Polaris came up with the concept of the General, it proved to be a whale of an idea—an idea that created or at least redefined the sport-utility segment of the UTV market. The General has all the payload, bed-load capacity and towing of all but the best utility models. The bed is not as large, but it can move a significant amount of stuff for work or for play. One of the drivers for our test has owned a Polaris 800 Sport, as well as a Polaris RZR XP 1000. He noted that the…

This Polaris really flies By the staff of Dirt Wheels So many companies build truly amazing machines for the annual Sand Sports Super Show that it is difficult to come up with a combination that literally stands out in a massive crowd. As builders of many impressive machines, Assault Industries knows that standing out in such a crowd takes an over-the-top effort. As it turned out, Assault was up to the task. We spotted the Polaris RZR XP 4 Turbo S project from 100 yards off as we walked the lanes of the Sand Show.…

Digging the desert By the staff of Dirt Wheels According to EveryCulture.com, the homeland of the Apaches was a vast region stretching from what is now central Arizona in the west to present-day central and south Texas in the east, and from northern Mexico in the south to the high plains of what became eastern Colorado in the north. Given the radical difference in terrain found in that vast area, giving a tire the name Apache puts a lot of expectation on that tire, but the Apache A/T is up to that challenge. The new…

A Pro for four By the staff of Dirt Wheels Polaris debuted the great new RZR Pro XP for 2020, and given the success that the brand has had with four-seat machines, it was only a matter of time. That time has come, and the RZR Pro XP 4 is here. In addition to the base RZR Pro XP 4, the new machine is available as a RZR Pro XP 4 Premium and a RZR Pro XP 4 Ultimate. Our test unit was a RZR Pro XP 4 Premium. In terms of driveline and suspension performance, there is no difference between the base model and the Premium…

The ultimate in trail performance? By the staff of Dirt Wheels Polaris has introduced a new limited-edition model to its 2020 RZR Pro XP model lineup. The new machine comes with an updated Orange Madness color scheme that consumers have been waiting for. The LE model is equipped for “ultimate trail performance” that Polaris claims can only be found in the Pro XP line, including a 64-inch width and 22 inches of usable travel for outright comfort. Coupled with its performance, the Pro XP Orange Madness LE also features…