Buyers Guides

Boots for the brave By the staff of Dirt Wheels When your handlebar is at full lock, the changing terrain is upsetting your sport quad’s suspension as you keep your thumb pinned on the throttle, and you start shifting your weight while passing through the corner’s apex. You are building towards standing for the jump ahead. What non-quad riders don’t realize is how tough it is to keep your foot planted on the outside peg as forces fight against your ankle through the rough stuff. There are boots that are built better…

A modern all-terrain/desert tire By the staff of Dirt Wheels ITP’s new Tenacity tire series is somewhat unique. It is offered in a Tenacity XSR that is steel belted for extreme driving conditions or the Tenacity XNR with nylon belts. The XNR has all of the high-performance design features of the XSR, but is 4 pounds lighter per tire and aimed at recreational riders. Another sign that these are performance tires—the size. They are offered only in 32x10-15—the tires that only the highest-performance sport machines come…

Comfort is required By the staff of Dirt Wheels Imagine you are settling your UTV into a hard left-hander, the rear wheels chewing through tacky dirt as you depress the throttle for more power, sending the machine into a controlled pitch. All of a sudden the outside rear tire grabs a rut, and instead of staying in control, your body slides across the stock seat, the stock seat belt allows your upper body to lean, and your grip on the wheel is compromised. Instead of viewing the corner’s exit, you are seeing sky, dirt…

Riding in a cloud  By the staff of Dirt Wheels We tested Just1’s impressively light and comfortable J12 Carbon helmet a while back. The lid has great ventilation and aggressive styling. Just1 has taken the knowledge learned from their J12 into account to create two all-new moto gear lineups. They outfitted us with a set of premium J-Flex Aria gear that was designed to meet the stringent demands of talented and aggressive professional motocross racers. We didn’t have any of those guys, so our staff donned the gloves,…

Doing the Can-Am crush By the staff of Dirt Wheels Polaris has pretty much claimed ownership of the UTV race that is part of the two-week rock-and dust-fest that is King of the Hammers. This originally tiny event held among friends has grown into an international happening, like the child of Burning Man and the Baja 1000. Despite the fact that the UTV class is the largest of the event, it still feels like something of an awkward stepchild. UTVs are more than accepted, but it is obvious that the organization reserves…

Equipped RZR XP 4 Turbo S By the staff of Dirt Wheels So, you decided to spend your hard-earned coin on an expensive UTV to hit prime trails with your buddies. You might be thinking that the best upgrades for your prized off-roader would be some power mods, and HMF Engineering can certainly help you out with that. However, don’t you think protecting your investment is the smart move? We do, so we picked out a set of HMF’s Defender bumpers to outfit a brand-new 2020 Polaris RZR XP 4 Turbo S. DEFEND YOUR RIDE…

The image with the machines under cover are the new models that will be announced on July 7th. It’s easy to tell, the one on the left is a Mule utility model, the one in the middle could be a 4-seater with KRX1000 bodywork and the one on the left is another yet to be released KRX.  On June 1st, Kawasaki released the 2021 KRX1000, so this new model is either a special edition model or possibly, something with a turbo or supercharger. The anticipation is killing us. Here’s what we know so far. For 2021, the Kawasaki…

Eyes wide open By the staff of Dirt Wheels If you are a woods ripper, desert dueler or track tamer, a quality goggle is important to help you go fast and keep having fun. When vision decreases, your chance of an accident increases. Nine2 is a fresh company to the goggle market, and the Tech8 goggle kit is its debut offering. We picked a few up and outfitted our test riders with them for trail riding and racing. CONSTRUCTION The Tech8 goggle from Nine2 is trying to play ball with the big boys, and we think it can…

By John Bumgarner If you live in an area that has four seasons, chances are you are in the market for a windshield for your UTV. A windshield truly improves life when it is cold, and it is magic when you have light rain or snow. For exploring in northeastern Nevada, a $429.95 Spike Powersports hard coated venting front windshield is a great upgrade. It will extend your riding season into the chilly winter months and help keep the trail litter out of your face. Manufactured from quarter-inch, hard-coated and…

Options and more options By the staff of Dirt Wheels KYMCO KYMCO UXV 700i Kymco has five different versions of its UXV 700i. The base model has steel wheels with limited features. You can upgrade to the LE EPS, LE EPS Camo, LE Prime Edition and the LE Hunter Edition. The final four machines have a winch, 14-inch cast-aluminum wheels and power steering as standard features. The LE Hunter is $600 less than in 2019.  Engine type: SOHC single, Displacement: 695cc, Suspension: Front: Dual A-arm/7.5”, Rear:…

Options and more options By the staff of Dirt Wheels What an exciting year for the UTV world! There have been big changes in the sport side, with Honda stepping up with a pair of two-seat Talon models. The Talon X is trail biased, and the longer-travel, wider Talon R is more pure sport. A pair of Talon X-based four-seat Talons will be 2020 models as well. Kawasaki introduced the all-new Teryx KRX 1000. Even though it has long travel and a track that matches the Talon R track width of 68 inches, we expect the KRX to be…

The perfect pair By the staff of Dirt Wheels In the heat of woods racing, circumstances can lead to “close racing.” In other words, you feel the jarring sensation of getting nerfed hard by another racer and must quickly redirect through a tree gap your quad shouldn’t fit through. The first of the branches blast over your knuckles, threatening to remove your hand from the bar, but you manage to keep your grip. Then a hidden branch snags your front brake with unexpected force, and over the bars you go. Events like…