ATV Tests

-- ATV Project Build: A racer comes back for fun -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Cory Hinsz was a factory-supported pro ATV racer in the mid-2000s. Injuries convinced him to retire from racing, and he was away for 11 years. Missing the sport way too much, he decided to get back in and support his beloved sport by racing for fun. He runs the Vet class in Quadcross and Pro class in cross-country races. Trail excursions in Idaho are also on the program. Suzuki’s LT-R450 is his choice of a quad to build. Although it has…

-- First test of a new 4x4 quad from Suzuki -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Suzuki has stayed almost out of range of the new-ATV radar for the past 10 years. The lineup has had minimal changes, except for the discontinuation of Suzuki’s legendary sport quads, including the LT-R450 and QuadSport 400. The KingQuad line has remained strong, but without many alterations or improvements to the machines. Finally, Suzuki has introduced the most extensive and biggest improvements to its ATV line in a decade. The all-new 2019…

-- How to improve your Raptor & give it a new look -- Yamaha’s Raptor 700 is the best-selling sport quad of its age, and for good reason. The four-wheeled powerhouse has a big-bore motor with a lot of torque, it handles well on all types of terrain and is comfortable to ride. This project Raptor started life as a fun racer in the hands of Russell Blake. It is a 2014 Special Edition model that was grey and black, but after a spill on the track and a lot of broken parts, the Yamaha is back and exceeding its former…

-- Honda vs. Yamaha vs. Polaris vs. Kawasaki vs. Can-Am vs. Suzuki vs. Kymco -- We understand what it's like when you want a 4x4 quad so bad, but you don't have a lot of money to spend on one. The good news is that you don't have to get the biggest monster 4x4s to have fun riding off-road. The smaller models will do just fine and they can cost nearly half of what the big boys go for. And, you save even more money if buy used instead of new. There are really good deals on 400 class 4x4s that are around 7 years old. Which…

-- Budget performance quad for teens -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels It’s easy to assume that machines made in China are inexpensive because they are of poor quality. While this stereotype can be true of some brands and models, the Kayo Storm’s performance and finish have assured us that it is not in that category. When we first received the little quad, we immediately noticed a few things. First and foremost the suspension. Most teen-sized Chinese quads come with limited front and rear suspension that aren’t…

-- Built by Lonestar Racing to win! --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels We’ve seen a large number of ATV enthusiasts rebuilding the beloved Honda TRX250R to its former glory. Retro is in right now, and the TRX250R is over 30 years old, so it’s retro for real. For the last decade most TRX250R projects we’ve seen were play machines, but now many riders have started building them to race against modern machinery. The Bosemer family never stopped living the two-stroke lifestyle. You may recall that we featured Rachel…

-- Big power and big fun are always on tap, By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Have you ever heard the expression, “Legends never die”? Well, that has been Yamaha’s sport quad mantra for years. Back in the 1990s they didn’t let the Blaster, Banshee or Warrior fall into the depths of despair like Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki did with their sport quads. That was a hard time for sport quads. Even though big sales numbers weren’t there, Yamaha continued building them for the masses. That is still the case. Yamaha is…

-- Common-sense mods from TUSK --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels, photos by Pat Carrigan Our 2018 Polaris RZR XP 4 Turbo Dynamix is the upper end of the price range for the Polaris range. We have around 500 hard miles on the Dynamix at this point, with 200 of those miles being in the sand dunes. So far, the machine has been pretty wonderful. As we live with the Dynamix computerized suspension, the more we appreciate it. When it was new, it was great in the dunes, but with many miles on it now, it is working extremely…

Suzuki just released their 2019 KingQuad 500AXi and 750AXi. We got to test the new 4x4 ATV model in the woods of North Carolina. The quad handles great and looks just as good as it rides!

-- 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…