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-- Product Evaluation --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels Remember playing with a rubber band in school? Some of us even launched them at unsuspecting victims we considered our friends, while others stretched them more and more while trying to pay attention in class. All of a sudden, snap! That momentary tool of joy and distraction snaps, and the fun ceases.  We experience that same feeling to a far greater magnitude when the CVT belt on our prized UTV gives out. The engine revs, yet the glorified golf cart goes…

-- A desert wagon made to drive hard -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Allen Knowles is the owner of CT Racing, and he has managed something extraordinary. No, we aren’t talking about this cool four-seat desert monster he built. He’s managed to find a wife who still likes to get out and hit trails in a rowdy UTV. Roxanne can navigate, feed the crew, or drive the dually and the trailer. Even more, she can stand to be a passenger when “Crazy Al” is driving. We’ll admit, we will only ride with him when the alternative is…

-- Understanding the deal with Textron, Arctic Cat & Tracker Off-Road -- It was nearly two years ago when Textron announced that it had purchased Arctic Cat. Because of Textron’s reputation and clout that it carries in the aviation industry, this was not necessarily viewed as bad news by most people. Among the many companies it owns are Cessna and Beechcraft airplanes, as well as Bell helicopters. The general idea shared by off-roaders is that Arctic Cat would benefit by the economic and technology boost from…

-- Strong enough to stop a bullet -- Product Evaluation by the staff of Dirt Wheels Leatt has never made a secret of the fact that it is a protection company. All they do is produce some of the most protective riding products on this planet, and they sure don’t show any signs of slowing down any time soon. The newest addition to the Leatt product line is the impressive Velocity 6.5 goggle. They are literally bulletproof! Or, at least, the lenses are. Admittedly, Leatt tested that claim with small-caliber, subsonic…

-- Return of the fat bikes? -- Test impression by the staff of Dirt Wheels We recently did a short feature on the internet dealing with the short-lived, fat-tired Honda Fat Cat two-wheeler. The response was incredible! That response brought back memories of hitting the dunes and trails on the Honda Fat Cat and the Yamaha BW80, 200 and 350. We had those machines in mind while returning our Suzuki KingQuads. We noticed a small fat-tired motorcycle that Suzuki says is an “extraordinarily retro, funky machine”—the…

MACHINES 2019 CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 X RS Sport performance never looked so good PROJECT WOODS-RACING YFZ450R Pro GNCC racer’s fast ride SUZUKI VANVAN A two-wheeled ATV TESTING YAMAHA’S YXZ1000R GYTR TURBO Hottest horsepower boost on the market 2019 KAWASAKI MULE PRO-FXT EPS Work hard to play hard PROJECT TRAIL-BLAZING RZR CT Racing Polaris XP Turbo build FEATURES TOP TOY-HAULING TIPS What you need to know to tow HOW-TO: CHANGE YOUR HANDLEBAR A guide to get it right PRODUCTS LEATT…

-- The most reliable workhorse is a Mule -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Kawasaki is a titan company that builds amazing two-wheeled machines that can soar off massive jumps or propel you past 160 mph. It also offered the highly impressive KFX450R ATV, created the stand-up watercraft game and generates excellent UTVs like the sport-inspired Teryx. Their workforce machines are quite popular, too. The Mule Pro lineup is so popular that a few dealers we checked had already sold their current 2019s and were waiting for…

-- Cole Richardson’s GNCC Yamaha racer --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels,  Photos by Ken Hill It takes a lot to become a pro ATV racer. You need commitment to put your all into each race, every practice lap and have the willingness to put your wellbeing on the line to place a foot on the podium. Countless hours are spent wrenching, working out your body and psyche, all while honing your skills on the quad to become one of the best. None of those facts matter, though, if you don’t have a great machine to pilot in the…

-- Testing Yamaha's  180 horsepower kit -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Adam Campbell The exhilaration of speed is an addiction off-road addicts just can’t seem to shake. Yamaha is one manufacturer that fuels our passion for going fast with their pure-sport lineup of machines. They also have a dedicated team of engineers that keep the fire burning with go-fast parts under the title GYTR (Genuine Yamaha Technology Racing). We recently spent time in the vast Imperial Sand Dunes riding area known as Glamis…

-- ATV TEST: Great upgrades for an impressive machine -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels The fun never stops in the world of four-wheeling! Can-Am makes some of the best 4x4 quads around, and you can find models outfitted with extra upgrades in the lineup. The Outlander XT is one of those models, and we got our hands on the 2019 1000R version in a black and Can-Am Red color scheme! We were fortunate to test the Outlander in a lush and thick Canadian forest setting to find out the Outlander’s strengths and weaknesses.…

-- Duncan Racing is at it again --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Pat Carrigan -- Duncan Racing International (DRI) is a company known for building great products and building up ATVs to handle the harshness of racing in all different disciplines. One well-known racing series on the West Coast is WORCS. The Grand Prix-style courses offer rough desert terrain, sand dunes, asphalt, motocross tracks and more to battle through, which means your quad must be tough to take the abuse and win. Mike…

-- Still a top contender -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Kawasaki’s Brute Force 750 has been a staple in the 4x4 ATV market for quite a while now. Revisions have been small over the years, and that is due to how well the big-bore works. Power is plenty, suspension is supple and the Brute can tackle tough jobs around the ranch and rapid-transit trails while spitting rocks or slinging mud. We picked up the 2018 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i with electronic power steering in Metallic Stardust White for a test in the…