ATV Tests

Small-bore but not boring By the staff of Dirt Wheels Jimmy White's Tecate 200 Replica, represents the beginning of professional three-wheeler racing  in America. This was the first Premier class in ATV racing and became the land of 250cc two-strokes. First,  Honda and later Kawasaki, and then Yamaha joining in. Suzuki stayed out of the 250cc class until it invented the Quadracer. A 200cc class was mostly a 200cc four-stroke class. Later, though, a few 200cc two-strokes began to be involved. PLAYERS CLUB One…

**Editors Note-This project Honda High Lifter 355 originally appeared in the December 2000 issue of Dirt Wheels magazine. High Lifter Honda 300 4x4 Honda’s 300 (2WD & 4WD) has been one of the best workhorse ATVs of all time. For over ten years now, it has racked up an enviable sales and reliability record that is unmatched in the industry. But with the introduction of Honda’s Rancher line of ATVs in 2000, the 300 was put out to pasture and replaced with this more powerful and versatile 350cc 4-wheeler. There…

This was the epic Sport Shootout between the Honda 400EX the Yamaha Raptor 660R and Bombardier's DS 650. Not since the halcyon days of the late eighties has there been as much excitement in the high-performance ATV ranks as there is right now. Honda got the ball rolling just a few years ago with the introduction of their excellent-handling and ex­tremely nimble FourTrax 400EX. The Honda set new standards with its sporty ride characteristics and impressive reliability record. Only Yamaha’s twin-cylinder…

*This month we take a look back at what was going on in the ATV community in the early 2000s... OLD SCHOOL ATVING At the time, Yamaha was the only manufacturer building competitive four-stroke dirt bikes. Hybrid race ATVs at that time were using these bike engines in custom ATV frames and gathering big attention from racers and other OEMs. Cannondale shocked the ATV community when they released a complete line…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels KAYO USA 200 JACKAL When we picked up the sporty Kayo  USA 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 engine…

The modern three-wheeler you can buy today By the staff of Dirt Wheels The restoration and collection craze of vintage three-wheelers is at an all-time high these days. However, have you ever wondered what a modern-day three-wheeler would be like? A four-stroke engine, fuel-injection, new tires and new suspension can all make a 2020 Honda ATC so much better than they used to be. Unfortunately, Honda got out of the three-wheeled game in 1987. However, BVC trikes saw the demand for three-wheelers using modern technology…

Kawasaki, like most manufacturers, has machines for the whole family. For the smallest member of your posse, Team Green offers a little 50cc four-stroke with a fully automatic CVT transmission. It uses a chassis similar to its larger 90cc brother, with smaller tires, lower overall seat height and a lighter weight. This mini is recommended for kids 6 years old and older. Here's our first test of the 2020 Kawasaki KFX50 Kawasaki, like most manufacturers, has machines for the whole family. For the smallest member of your…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels SUZ KINGQUAD VS KAW BRUTE FORCE  750 4X4.   Suzuki has had great success with their hefty Brute Force 750 4x4i powerhouse. It hasn’t been upgraded in quite a while, but Suzuki performed a full makeover on the KingQuad 750AXi 4x4 in 2018. It was refaced, reworked, strengthened, and tuned to be a better version of its previous self. We jumped, crawled, clawed, submerged, and ripped the Brute Force and KingQuad through almost every type of terrain we could find. The specs are…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels Photos by Casey Kramer 2020 KAWASAKI BRUTE FORCE 750 4x4i EPS Kawasaki’s Brute Force 750 has always been defined as a power-monger in the class. From the beginning of the model’s long lifespan, the engine performance has been so impressive that it has remained the class bully with few revisions. We aren’t belittling the chassis at all. It does all that is asked in fine fashion. While the shocks are relatively basic by sport standards, the suspension is supple and surprisingly…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels Photos by Kevin Wing 2020 HONDA FOREMAN RUBICON.  Here is a fun fact: the recreational utility ATV market is still Honda’s bread and butter in the four-wheel category. When Honda had multiple sport quad models on dealer floors, the ranch-style performers easily had double or more sales. Honda 4x4s have a reputation for being the most durable and long-lasting in the business, which obviously helps sales. People purchase 4x4 ATVs for work and recreational performance and enjoyment. It…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels We affectionately address Polaris’ 2020 Scrambler XP 1000 S as the “Beast.” It has set new standards in the ATV world. Polaris decided to take an existing sport 4x4 platform, strengthen it, widen it and add more suspension travel. It boasts 89 horsepower from the ProStar engine, and jaws drop at its massive appearance. They may also drop for its hefty $14,999 price tag. We will let you decide if the price is worth the Scrambler XP 1000 S pure-sport experience. MEAT & POTATOES 2020…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels DUNCAN RACING HONDA 250R. After only four years in production (1986–1989), the Honda Fourtrax 250R became the most popular sport ATV of its time, and they sold tens of thousands of them easily. In the 1990s and early 2000s, many were transformed into masterpieces like what you see here. It was a time without current production machines to build and compete with, but that didn’t stop hungry racers from using the best, and at that time, it was hands down the best 250R two-stroke. Today,…