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-- Kombustion Motorsports project UTV -- Kombustion Motorsports builds have graced the pages of Dirt Wheels in the past, and their impressive machines are just too nice to not feature here and there. Travis Gardner took on a 2017 Polaris RZR XP Turbo four-seater and changed its appearance, form and function to create a stylish yet off-road-worthy showpiece that is a mix of overland and dune styles. Sand is generally the favored terrain for this RZR, but we found it lurking around the desert, rocks and random dunes of…

-- Proper protection for pennies -- Product Evaluation by the staff of Dirt Wheel, Photo by Daniel Gonzales It’s hard to admit the truth, but it’s time. We often test products that are not those easiest on the pocketbook. Once we know the technology and safety or added protection that some of these overly expensive products provide, it is hard to turn them down. However, premium protection brand Leatt is now catering to the average rider and racer by introducing the GPX 3.5 helmet. It contains the unseen protection…

-- Testing one angry ’Cat -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Evo Powersports is known for ramping the power up on turbocharged UTVs. With Evo products, you can make some massive gains. In fact, we have driven the company’s 400-horsepower Can-Am Maverick X3. But this Textron (now Arctic Cat again in 2019) Wildcat XX is an entirely different breed of ’Cat. Evo went into this project gambling that they will have a head start when and if the Wildcat XX comes in a turbocharged version. They readily admitted that the R&D…

-- A six-speed sport UTV that handles the hype -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Our first drive in the all-new Honda Talon 1000R literally lasted minutes. Since then it has felt like the minutes would never end between that first ride and an opportunity for serious seat time, but the time finally arrived. We got a solid day in the Talon 1000R at Sand Hollow State Park in Hurricane, Utah. Sand Hollow is stunning to look at, and it has a wide range of riding and driving conditions packed into a single riding area. Plus,…

-- Looking back at this epic event --  By D. West The Blackwater 100 happened every year in Davis, West Virginia, from 1975 to 1993. It was a 100-mile race across swamps, mud holes, tight trails, steep rocky uphills and downhills, and the famous Highway 93 river crossing. The top racers were fighting to have the quickest time and win the event. Most everyone else was just trying to finish the 100-mile course before dark. The racecourse was a 20-mile loop, and you had to make five laps. The tough sections you…

-- Comfort without fogging --  Product Evaluation by the staff of Dirt Wheels: Vision is super important while riding or driving, and if you wear corrective eyeglasses, you undoubtedly face challenges. For some vision-challenged folks, contacts can do the trick, but dry eyes and dust are issues. For others, glasses are the only answer, but you have to fit them inside the goggles. A few years ago, very small lenses were in style, and it wasn’t hard to get them under the goggles. Now, they are trending larger. One of…

MACHINES HONDA TALON 1000R: FULL TEST Proving the performance 2019 YAMAHA YFZ450R The best on the market 2019 POLARIS RZR XP TURBO S VELOCITY Personal adjustability is key TEXTRON WILDCAT XX EVO EDITION One fast ’Cat! POLARIS RZR MAYHEM Built to go anywhere FEATURES READERS’ RIDES What’s in your garage? HOW-TO: CHECK YOUR CVT Where is the wear? PRODUCTS EKS BRAND ENDURO/OTG GOGGLE Don’t ride in a fog LEATT GPX 3.5 HELMET Plenty of protection for cheap KLIM ARSENAL VEST…

-- Arctic Cat is a Textron company -- TEXTRON WILDCAT XX/XX LTD One of the hottest new sport UTVs on the market is the all-new Textron Wildcat XX and XX LTD. This machine was designed with help from professional racer Robby Gordon to produce one of the best suspension systems on the market. Part of the suspension package is Fox 2.5 Podium shocks. The engine produces 130 horsepower. Engine type DOHC triple Displacement 989cc Suspension: Front Dual A-arm/18.0” Rear Trailing arm/18.0” Length/width/height…

-- Keep your machine’s suspension working like new --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels : Keeping the suspension working well on a quad or UTV requires a variety of parts to function as they should. Adjusting the spring preload and fine-tuning the adjusters are the fun part. There are less glamorous duties, like making sure that the suspension arms are operating as they should. Most quad and UTV suspension arms pivot on simple plastic bushings with a sleeve for the bolt to go through. For the most part, these…

-- Refresh your older quad with a big-bore kit -- With many ATV manufacturers not producing sport ATVs any longer, many riders are having to hold onto older quads and rebuild them to as-new condition. Luckily, there are many ways to use aftermarket parts to rebuild your older sport ATV into something that is better than what you could pick up on the dealer-room floor. The project can even be at a cheaper cost if you don’t go crazy with your build. We recently had the chance to resurrect a 2004 TRX450R that had a blown…

-- Testing out the many new changes & improvements --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels Yamaha is world famous as an innovative performance company, and it was critical that its first performance UTV have what the company calls “pure sport character.” Part of the pure sport concept is having an immediate, direct connection to the drivetrain and chassis. For Yamaha, a belt-drive machine would not meet its pure sport requirements. Even though Yamaha has very high standards for belt longevity and endurance, they knew…

-- Testing Can-Am’s best 64-inch car with no-brainer mods -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels: Can-Am continues to have a huge presence in the UTV market with multiple iterations of the Maverick X3 platform. The X3 is available with a 64-inch track width and a 72-inch width. Of the 64-inch machines, the $25,399 Maverick X3 X ds Turbo R is the best equipped. Key among the updates are the premium Fox 2.5 Podium RC2 piggyback shocks with dual-speed compression and rebound adjustments. The X ds also comes stock with…