Features

-- Testing their new Motactor system -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels If you talk to any rock-crawling or mud-pit-running enthusiast, they will generally have a winch nestled on their machine. These riders love terrain that features the risk of getting stuck. Having the ability to get yourself out of a sticky situation is crucial. For the past 70 years, Warn has provided hub and winch products that help off-roaders get back on the trail. The company just released their new top-tier Axon winch line for ATVs and UTVs.…

-- The UTV Indiana Jones would buy --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels If you take a look at the entire sport utility landscape, most offerings look basically similar—rear- or mid-engine layout with a relatively open cab area. In many cases, you need a pretty savvy expert to differentiate different brands from a distance. That is certainly not true of the new Massimo Warrior 800! As the name telegraphs, Massimo is aware that the Warrior has more than a vague military look to it. Our riding group took to referring to it…

-- Dunes and desert close to Salt Lake City --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels For those of us in California where two of our major dune playgrounds require driving through some of the most desolate desert around, reaching the Little Sahara Recreation Area (LSRA) is a treat. From Salt Lake City, the nearest major population and transportation hub, the trip to Little Sahara is around two hours with a trailer. Along the way you’ll see lakes, rivers, mining towns and rolling prairie. LSRA records more than 20,000…

--Testing this handy towing package -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels If you couldn’t tell by now, we are extremely fond of bringing along tools and items needed to keep us safe and out on the trails longer. Most UTVs have a bed where we can strap down our tools like the UTV Grab Bag Recovery kit. The bag comes with a few useful pieces to assist you in pulling you—or more likely a buddy’s rig—out of a bad situation or to tow a machine back to camp. This handy bag of goods sells for $69 and is a great addition to your…

-- A dream trip to Kauai's lush Princeville Ranch -- By Ken Faught The garden island of Kauai is arguably one of the most beautiful locations on the planet. In fact, over a hundred motion pictures have been filmed on the island, including Jurassic Park, Pirates of the Caribbean, South Pacific, Soul Surfer and the hit TV show “Gilligan’s Island.” The island gets its beauty from rainfall and regularly trades top honors with Costa Rica as the world’s wettest spot with upwards of 450 inches of rain a year. Yes, that is…

-- Product test : Keeping a cool head -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels . LS2 makes a wide range of helmets for different uses. This LS2 MX470 Subverter is primarily an off-road motorcycle helmet, but it is a great choice for quads or UTVs as well. The MX470 Subverter full-face motocross helmet uses LS2’s proprietary Kinetic Polymer Alloy (KPA) for the shell. KPA is lightweight, and it has a small amount of flex as part of the energy management system. But, in this case, the biggest feature of the three different shell…

-- Could you win the pro motocross class in this? Only if you were racing against other Mules -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Kawasaki releases yet another all-new UTV! Is it a sport machine, capable of flying high and racing over 70 mph? Nope. Will it make your life more fun and work around the property much easier? You bet it will! The Mule Pro-MX is a preshrunk version of Kawasaki’s relatively new Pro-FXR. The FXR is a shrunk-down version of the Mule Pro-FX. Do you see the theme? Sometimes, smaller is better.…

-- Testing for grip and strength -- By the Dirt Wheels test crew: Manufacturers of UTV tires are in a constant battle to build the best tires. Some tires are specific to the terrain you love to ride, while others offer a broad range of traction for multiple types of terrain. One thing stays consistent—these companies are struggling to make a tire that is light yet strong enough to withstand the harsh abuse drivers put their favorite toys through. Fuel Off-Road came out with its Gripper R/T 32-inch tire and Anza D918…

-- Make sure you get a copy -- The November 2018 issue of Dirt Wheels has a 4x4 ATV shootout, an inside look at the new 2019 models, a project Honda 250R, a RZR Turbo test, winching tips, product evaluations and more. It's on sale now at your local newsstands, or get us to deliver it right to your home. Right now is the lowest subscription price of the year. Plus, we also give you a $25 gift card to Chaparral ATV & UTV accessories. You actually make money on the deal. Look over the special discount offer here> …

Darin McGuffin just wanted something different than what everyone else had, and after changing a few things on his General 4 he now absolutely loves it.

-- 10 critical, but cheap, between-drive prep tips --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels with Ryan Rose -- Utah’s Ryan Rose is a tech at Kombustion Motorsports’ UTV performance shop, but he is also a major UTV fan. He builds his machines keeping a careful eye on the money spent, but he drives them hard. We had the opportunity to drive his Polaris XP 1000 when it had 5000 miles on it, and it still felt brand new. When we commented on that, he said he had a checklist for the machine that he followed after every…

-- What is the best high-performance quad? Well, if you're talking about what you can buy new in 2018 then that would have to be Yamaha's YFZ450R. However, if you were going to include all quads made in the last 10 years, then you'd have to consider the KTM 505 SX. Stephane LeBlanc is a Dirt Wheels reader who owns a 2010 KTM 505 SX and he seems quite pleased with it's performance. The photo of it here shows that he keeps clean, well maintained and in good shape. It's a shame that KTM no longer makes this machine. If they…