Product

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,…

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…

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…

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…

Can-Am Offers Ideal Presents for Your Off-Road Family

-- Testing this hot pipe on a YFZ450R -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels, photos by Daniel Gonzalez Another Yamaha YFZ450R exhaust test? You bet! Yamaha is a godsend in the sport ATV industry. They continue to produce the legendary YFZ450R, while the rest of the sport 450s have fallen off of dealer floors. That means that aside from the healthy number of Honda TRX450R projects out there, the YFZ450R is the only sport 450 we get our hands on every year to test and upgrade to our liking. We have been on an exhaust kick…

-- Testing a set of premium $4,800 shocks --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels Can you remember far back enough to the May 2019 issue of Dirt Wheels? Our associate editor Collin Duffy built a tricked-out Polaris RZR XP Turbo project with more horsepower, wider suspension and an extensive list of the industry’s best aftermarket parts. We have spent a lot of seat time in the machine, dialing in the suspension to tackle the gnarliest terrain around the deserts of the West Coast. Elka Suspension came on board with a set of…

-- Testing a new tire style for the sand -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels We have something of a love-hate relationship with paddle tires. We love the traction in the sand, but unlike many UTV pilots, our whole world doesn’t revolve around the sandbox. None of our machines are reserved specifically for sand use. That means we need to keep wheels with sand paddles mounted, or change tires every time we hit the dunes. Another issue is the rattling ride you typically get from a paddle tire. CST’s new Sandblast tires have…

-- Checking out the hottest stuff for 2020 -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Every year companies, vendors, gearheads, adventurers, drivers, riders, and racers come together in Costa Mesa, California, for the Sand Sports Super Show. The show includes everything geared towards the off-road world, but with a heavy emphasis on rides, equipment, apparel and haulers to get you to the sand. For the past few years UTVs have dominated the space and the interest. High-dollar sand cars are still prevalent, but as UTVs grow more…