Alma

-- Testing the hottest X3, By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- When it comes to Can-Am’s Maverick X3 line, criticisms we make of the performance are truly nit-picking. In spite of the stellar performance of the X3 line, the AWD system is one area where the competition has an edge. Of course, that was before the X3 RC models arrived. Both of the RCs are specially equipped X3s designed to handle all technical trail situations including rock crawling. Can-Am’s Smart-Lok, true on-the-fly, front fully lockable differential with…

-- Testing a fast GNCC-style YXZ, By the staff of Dirt Wheels --  Teixeira Tech (TXT) is located in California, so when we heard the aftermarket company had a trick Yamaha YXZ1000R, we assumed that it was a typical desert build—wide and wild with monster tires. We were wrong in a big way. Teixeira sponsors East Coast GNCC UTV champ Cody Miller’s YXZ, so he built something of a replica of the woods racer. As you might expect, the build is quite different from what we are used to seeing! Yamaha’s YXZ1000R doesn’t…

-- Trying to predict the next new technology for our rides -- By D. West . The first issue of Dirt Wheels hit the newsstands way back in 1980, and ever since then we’ve been speculating and predicting what the next new technology for our sport might be. Right now, 38 years later, every ATV and UTV seems so good, it’s hard to imagine what new improvements could suddenly develop for them. If I had to make a guess, I’d look for something different in the CVT style of automatic transmissions. For one thing, they…

-- TIRE TESTING By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- A Dingo is a wild dog found mostly in the wilds of Australia. It is a tough and wily survivor that adapts well in the wild. Considering that definition, the CST Dingo is well-named. In 30-inch, the Dingo only comes in 30x10.00R14 and is designated a front. We mounted our set on four stock Polaris front rims, then tested them on a Polaris RZR Turbo 4 Dynamix. THE TREAD CST Tires has given the Dingo a rounded profile with aggressive tread lugs that have medium spacing…

MACHINES FIRST RIDE: 2019 SUZUKI KINGQUAD 750AXi SE All new and better than ever READY FOR THE WOODS YXZ1000R Built to battle in GNCC racing PROJECT BUGGY WHIP CAN-AM X3 Every upgrade you could want RENOVATED YAMAHA RAPTOR 700R Making a best-seller even better 2018 POLARIS ACE 900 XC TEST Is it better than an RS1? 2018 CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 X rc TURBO R Climbing rocks made easy FEATURES HOW-TO: INSTALL A POLARIS PRO HD WINCH Fast rope recovery system HOW-TO:…

-- Bolting on just about every accessory part available -- Russell Porter has the enthusiasm of a happy-go-lucky child in a man’s body. Buggy Whip, his successful family company, needed a rolling UTV showcase to help promote its products. Russ jumped like a kid in a candy store at the prospect of turning a Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs into a wicked display car. Buggy Whip has a great reputation, so many leading companies were ready to participate in the build. Russ was able to pick and choose, but he did a lot of choosing,…

-- Testing a tiny electrical miracle --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels Once we were happy to have jumper cables on hand when our hauler vehicle or our electric-start off-road machines needed a shot of electrons to get started. Later we thought it was cool when we had a 5–10-pound jump box for the same purpose, but now we have the Antigravity Batteries Micro-Start XP-1 jump-starter. The 1-pound device comes in a carrying case that looks like a slightly bulky cover for a tablet. The actual jump-starter unit is smaller…

-- 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…

-- Testing a great set up for the dunes -- When we last headed for the sand dunes, we knew we wanted some traction royalty, so we called AMS about the Sand King tires. Some sand tires are buffed before paddles are vulcanized on, but the 14-paddle Sand King rear is molded like a normal four-ply tire with a large-volume, high-flotation 30x14 carcass. The Sand King front is a traditional-appearing, high-flotation, high-volume, smooth tire with a solid center rib flanked by two segmented ribs. Both sets of tires were…

-- What you need if your UTV has bigger tires -- Recently, we have come across a number of UTVs that were fitted with oversized tires, and in most of those cases we found that performance suffered. We are all for the cool look and added ground clearance that big tires supply, but not if we lose performance and driveability. The solution is to have the CVT clutching modified to work with the larger tires. The photos and text here will show how we installed GBoost clutch kits in 2017 Polaris UTVs; one was a Turbo and the…

-- LONE STAR RACING'S DREAM BUILD -- You may recall we featured Lonestar Racing owner Dan Fisher’s Can-Am Maverick X ds in a previous issue of Dirt Wheels’. Fisher built his X3 to compete in the Pro Turbo class for the Best in the Desert series. His car featured some very trick parts, including LSR’s MTS long-travel suspension kit and a stronger cage. There are many other trick parts from LSR installed on Fisher’s Can-Am, and the man behind most of the R&D, lead fabricator, race department manager and…

THE HISTORY OF YAMAHA'S BIG SPORT QUAD -- The 1990s maintained a stagnant state of limbo for ATV manufacturers of sport quads. Of the potential manufacturers, Yamaha was the strongest player with the famed Banshee 350 and Blaster 200 two-strokes and the Warrior 350 four-stroke. Yamaha had a strong hold on the market, but it also knew that those beloved two-strokes would slowly be forced from the line-up by increasingly strict emissions standards. The fight to stay ahead of the competition lit a fire beneath…