Product

By the staff of Dirt Wheels ITP TENACITY XNR TIRES 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…

 By the staff of Dirt Wheels AA OFFROAD TRAIL HEAD TRAILER In the early days of four-wheeled dune play, before there were three-wheelers, quads, or UTVs, there were lightweight Volkswagen dune buggies. It didn’t take much to haul them, and many folks just used a T-trailer. It was a glorified tow bar that lifted the wheels off the ground. Our sport is much more advanced now. Off-roaders travel in giant motorhomes, massive toy haulers, and so forth. We have embraced camping luxury to the point that our rigs may not be…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels ARAI RAM-X HELMET Arai is a Japanese, family-owned helmet company that believes that helmets are vital and valuable safety equipment meant for long-term use and extended satisfaction. Aside from a deeply held belief in absolute quality, Arai believes in a smooth, rounded shell shape both for intrinsic strength and so the helmet doesn’t have edges that catch during a crash. The Ram-X is innovative in its shape in another way. Even though it is an open face, the shell extends along…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels EXTREME METAL PRODUCTS MIRRORS If you’re like us, you’ll agree that seeing what’s going on behind you is important. Even forward-thinkers need to look back occasionally. That is especially true if you have a friend following or just need to back up so we put a set of Extreme Metal Products Folding Mirrors on our test unit. On our Can-Am Maverick Sport, we mounted an old automotive mirror to the center of the front roll bar to fill in the backward blanks. It worked great until we…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels TUSK UTV SEATBELT SLEEVES For convenience, it is hard to beat the retractable three-point seat belts that come standard in many machines. They are quick and easy to use. After a long drive bouncing around, the bare nylon strap can be irritating on your neck or shoulder. Therefore, Tusk UTV Seatbelt Sleeves are a logical answer. As usual, Tusk—one of the Rocky Mountain ATV house brands—has you covered, literally. Tusk UTV seatbelt sleeves are made from soft, synthetic sheepskin…

By Ray Gibbs and the staff of Dirt Wheels SUPERATV SIDE MIRRORS Why don't  UTVs don’t come standard with side and center mirrors? If you want to see what is going on behind you, you will need to install your own mirrors. There are unbelievable ranges of price, convenience, and quality in available mirrors. Molded plastic mirrors have some of the best prices for mirrors. We found a nice matching pair of mirrors from SuperATV that have a suggested retail price of $54.95. They have a rectangular shape 8.5 inches…

Don’t be like Pig-Pen By the staff of Dirt Wheels BIO-FRIENDLY DIRT BIKE & ATV WASH We heard a lot of product histories began when an enthusiast wanted a product and could not find it for sale. Alco claims that this is what happened with its wash products. Thus, their new Bio-friendly ATV & Dirt Bike Wash. They rode, the machines got dirty, and they needed to be cleaned. Often, detergents that get things clean with ease can etch or stain metal and paint finishes permanently. Others are tragic for the…

Why buy a whole door By the staff of Dirt Wheels While complete half doors are not strictly necessary on a UTV, they can be beneficial to any build. Half-door replacements generally have the advantage of a full inner frame, but they require installation and hinge and latch alignment. Rather than paying more and dealing with the hassle of installing a full door, an easy and cost-effective way to protect your cabin space is through the use of door inserts. Many aftermarket companies offer a variety of choices ranging in…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels GIANT LOOP PRONGHORN STRAPS Giant Loop is well-known for quality, not cheap or inexpensive adventuring products. Many of the products are somewhat exclusive to motorcycles, but most can transition easily to 4x4 quads with racks. In this case, we tried Giant Loop’s Pronghorn straps. These are elastic straps that work with about any vehicle or process where you could use a bungee cord or even rope. The straps come as a pair, and you can get black 18-inch straps, gray 25-inch straps, or…

By Casey Cordeiro Photos by Casey Cordeiro and the manufacturers BUYERS GUIDE: WINCH MOUNTS There are several accessories that are “essential” items to have on your ATV or UTV. Depending on the terrain you ride, those essentials can change somewhat. Our essentials are a spare tire, fire extinguisher, first-aid kit and helmet, and protective safety gear for every rider. Not everyone thinks of a winch as essential, but it is something that every off-road vehicle could benefit from having! Some of you are…

Giant Loop is a popular name in adventure off-roading. The company has a variety of products, like packs and such. Most were made with adventure motorcycles in mind. Many of those products easily carry over to 4x4 quads with their handy racks. Fewer of the products are an easy switch for UTVs. We recently obtained a Giant Loop 5-gallon Gas bag. We have often had excursions where more fuel would be handy, but we had honestly not considered carrying that fuel in a bag until we tried the Gas bag. Giant Loop is a popular…

By Casey Cordeiro Photos by Casey Cordeiro and the included manufacturers ADVENTURE-READY GPS SYSTEMS Having a GPS system onboard your ATV or UTV is an invaluable resource when you’re out on the trail. Whether you use it for navigation or for emergencies, a mobile GPS can get you to and from destinations, pinpoint your location, and sometimes communicate with others. In the last several months we have put all of these GPS systems to good use. One UTV adventure was 710 miles in length over a seven-day period.…