ATV Tests

-- 4x4 ATV TEST: Is it a sport quad? --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels…  Most sport quad manufacturers have taken our pride and joys off of their assembly lines. In fact, only Yamaha currently produces traditional sport quads with manual transmissions and solid rear axles. The days of sliding corners on a variety of brand-new sport 450s are disappearing, and a new breed of sport quad has come to take the spotlight. Polaris calls their Scrambler a “sport performance ATV,” and, honestly, we don’t feel they are wrong.…

-- 1999 HONDA 400EX vs. 1989 250R -- When Honda came out with its TRX250R in 1986, the ATV world became a much better place. It wasn't long before  this two-stroke machine became known as the best high-performance quad ever made. Life was good for quad riders for four years, and then the bad news came. Honda announced that the 1989 model would be the last 250R  it would sell. For the next 10 years we all waited for Honda to introduce a new replacement for the 250R. Everyone was growing impatient and then the news finally…

-- ATV TEST By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- The better we get to know the Polaris Sportsman 570 SP, the more impressed we become with its performance and handling characteristics. This mid-bore single-cylinder ATV has potent power delivery, generous suspension, and light and nimble handling, in addition to being quite useful as a workhorse. There weren’t many changes made to this machine for the 2018 model year, but it is nevertheless one of the most changed quads of 2018. The Sunset Red color scheme is brilliant, and…

-- The Blackwater 100 was dominated by this fast 2-stroke quad -- In 1975 a race was born in the muddy waters of Davis, West Virginia. Dave Coombs, owner of the famed GNCC racing series, was contacted by a small-town preacher in West Virginia regarding the economy of his struggling town. He was interested in hosting a motorcycle race to bring money into the area. Coombs saw the enormous potential, and the Blackwater 100 was born! The Blackwater race was aptly named after nearby Blackwater Falls and Blackwater…

-- We race Justin Wood’s championship-winning Kymco, By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- You may be familiar with a company called Kymco. Kymco produces ATVs, UTVs, motorcycles and scooters in Taiwan, and have been doing business since 1963. Since then, Kymco has been pumping out some of the best-built Taiwanese equipment there is. Kymco also strives to build quality parts for themselves and for other companies, including Kawasaki, BMW and others. Of late, Kymco’s USA plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, has been using…

-- Can it keep up with the rest? By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- The Rincon has been at the pinnacle of Honda’s 4x4 ATV lineup since its introduction as a 2003 model. Through its lifetime there have been minimal changes made to the durable big-bore quad. In 2006 the engine gained a larger cylinder bore that increased displacement from 650 to 675cc and an EFI system. In 2015 the aluminum rear A-arms were swapped out with steel ones, and the front upper aluminum A-arms were also given the boot for steel versions. This…

--Trail test by the staff of Dirt Wheels -- If you take a long look at a Honda TRX250X, you won’t necessarily be wowed by what you see. Sure, the bodywork is attractive and it looks sporty, but it is no purebred race machine. That doesn’t stray us from the truth of the matter, though—the TRX250X is small but mighty and has been a superstar in the ATV world when it comes to purchasing popularity, ease of use and pure fun. The humble $4,749 Honda is the company’s last remaining pure sport quad that still receives…

THE BIGGEST, BADDEST, FASTEST, MOST POWERFUL QUAD EVER! -- That's what it said on the front cover of Dirt Wheels, which was certainly a true statement at the time, back 1999. Everyone in the ATV world became very excited about the DS650 when the first photos and news about it were released a few months earlier. At that point all of the ATV enthusiasts across the country were eagerly waiting to read the test on it in Dirt Wheels. What did the Dirt Wheels test crew think about this all-new, super-sized, mega-powerful…

Although the Honda TRX250X has DNA that hails from racing heritage, it is a humble machine. Small but mighty, this quad has been a superstar in the ATV world when it comes to purchasing popularity, ease of use and fun factor. Priced at $4,749 the TRX250X is Honda’s last remaining pure sport quad that still receives updates- mainly in the cosmetics department. We let test riders of all sizes put the 2018 TRX250X through its paces in the desert, sand dunes and mountain trails, and it kept true to its reputation. As…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Earlier we provided you with a first look on the all-new 2018 Argo Xplorer quad range. It’s nice to see another company known for making great machines add quads to their lineup. As we stated in the first look on the Xplorer 4x4 quad lineup, this was an unprecedented move from Argo and the biggest news since their creation 50 years ago. They introduced their Xplorer 4x4s as a price-point option for consumers. The best move they made was making them price-comparable…

TESTING THE PROTOTYPE FROM RATH RACING

-- BIG 2-STROKE SHOOTOUT -- Here's a "Blast From The Past" you may find interesting. Back in our October 1999 issue of Dirt Wheels we tested a Honda TRX250R that was enlarged to 400cc. We compared it against a Yamaha Banshee 350 that was enlarged to 630cc. They were both in the category of ultimate 2-stroke quad. How fast were they? Keep reading...