Reader’s Photos

-- Reader hops up his Yamaha 450 quad -- Modern 450 quads like Yamaha's YFZ450  have such high-tech engines it's hard to extract much more power than what they come with stock. David Armitage in Illinois found away around that rule. However, you may say he cheated when he took out the single-cylinder 450cc engine. Instead he installed a Suzuki GSXR 4-cylinder street bike engine in his YFZ. When those things are revving up past 10 grand they produce around 160 ponies. That's about three times the horsepower of a stock YFZ.…

-- A modern version from 220 Trikes LLC -- If you're looking for the latest new 3-Wheeler with KTM flavor then this is the machine for you. The man responsible for this machine is Michael Noska who owns 220 Trikes LLC, which is a company that specializes in building 3-wheelers. Michael started this conversion with a 2006 KTM 450exc and turned it into a modern day 3 wheeler using all KTM components except for the customized Lonestar swing arm.  The seat, rear fenders, subframe, and grab bar are all OEM KTM 450xc ATV…

-- Custom rebuild on the first 2-stroke performance quad -- Honda's TRX250R gets most of the attention, but it actually owes its existence to Suzuki. The Quadracer 250 came out in 1985 while Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki were focussed only on 3-wheelers. At that point Honda set its engineers on building a high-performance 2-stroke 4-wheeler to compete with the Suzuki. Granted, Honda did a good job with their very first effort, but that wouldn't have happened without using the Quadracer 250 as a reference. Here is Jay…

-- Taking a look at how some Dirt Wheels readers do it -- Farmers get to ride their quads or UTVs right from the barn. The rest of us have to haul our prized off-road vehicles to a riding area. The quick way is to put your quad in the back of your pick up truck. Maybe even put two or three back there. In some cases it's even possible to put your UTV in the back of the truck too. For most though, they use a trailer. Depending on the size of the trailer you can haul a variety of quads and UTVs. We're going to take a random…

-- 20 years worth of readers' rides -- When it comes to quad riders, which group is the most passionate, enthusiastic and hard core of all? Well, we'd have to say the owners of two-stroke quads. Honda TRX250R riders are certainly fanatics and the same can be said for Suzuki Quadzilla owners as well. However, those two machines were only in production for around four years. On the other hand, you could buy new Yamaha Banshees from 1987 to 2006 here in the USA, and beyond that in Canada and other countries. Based on 20 years…

-- A man's dream comes alive -- Here is the classic Honda two-stroke three-wheeler that the fast guys used to ride back in the day. This one belongs to Mike Peterson and we'll let him describe it in his own words... Hi Dirt Wheels, I’ve always enjoyed reading your magazine! I’ve been riding on the Oregon coast for over 40 years. Started riding on a 1970 Honda ATC 90. Then a 110, 200 & finally bought a new '86 ATC 250R. Later bought an '85 ATC 250R. I was a long holdout of the quads. I liked the three-wheelers…

-- The fastest 3-wheeler -- What was the fastest 3-wheeler? That distinction has to be the Tiger 500. So, you say you never heard of the Tiger 3-wheeler brand? Well, that's understandable. It wasn't a very large company, but you could buy machines from them between the years of 1983 and 1986. The company was founded by Peter Wood, so the story goes, and the Tiger factory was in Minnesota. The company made their own frames and plastic, and they installed 2-stroke engines from Rotax. The Tiger 500 had the big air-cooled…

-- Checking out a great quad conversion -- Gerald Tramble is a Dirt Wheels reader who lives in France. Just like many of us in the USA, he has a strong passion for ATV racing. ATV motocross is very popular in Europe too. As expected, Yamaha's YFZ450 is a machine many Europeans choose to race. For Gerald though, he wanted his YFZ to have a two-stroke power plant. So, he set out to remove the 450 4-stroke engine and replace it with something else. KTM is a company that still puts two-stroke engines into a lot of its dirt…

-- Great updates for an older quad -- Yamaha first introduced its Warrior 350 back in 1987. The production run lasted for 20 years, so there has been many sold in that time. The four-stroke engine was virtually bullet-proof and has proven to  offer Warrior owners with a long, trouble-free life. Therefore, there are plenty of these machines still out on the trails today. However, as with any older quad, they could use some refreshing to get back to the same shape of their younger days. Or, it doesn't hurt if they get the…

-- BUILDING A KRAZY KAWASAKI -- Today we're going to check out the ride of a Dirt Wheels reader in Massachusetts. Marshawn Garden put a lot work into his 2004 Kawasaki KFX400. He made sure his older quad had all of the latest hardware to run with the newer machines of today. Here's the list: MOTOR: Cylinder Works 440cc big bore kit, Ferrara stainless steel valves, DRZE springs, Dyna Tek CDI, Dyno Jet kit, CFM air box & oil tank, K&N filter, Powerbomb header, DMC muffler, custom clutch cover, Fluidine oversize…

-- Wild machines of Dirt Wheels readers -- We're all used to seeing high-lifted 4x4 quads out in the deepest mud holes. For some reason though, we rarely see 3-wheelers modified the same way. Greg Armbruster in Ohio set out to change that with his unique mud machine here. He saw no reason why his old Honda Big Red couldn't become a swamp monster too. The first order of business was to make sure his 250cc 4-stroke 3-wheeler got plenty of traction while giving it more ground clearance. He accomplished that with these…

-- As close to a new 2019 model as you can get -- What has been considered the greatest high-performance quad of all time? Well, most of the experts agree that Honda's TRX250R set the standard when it first came out in 1986. It handled very well, had good suspension and its 250cc 2-stroke engine provided instant power that helped it get down the trail very quickly. You could buy a new TRX250R from your Honda dealer in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989. Unfortunately it was removed from Honda's lineup for 1990. ATV people were…