Reader’s Photos

-- Not all of us live at a place where we can just ride to the trails right from our back door. Even if you can, there's always other great riding areas you like go to. So, that means hauling your ATV or UTV somewhere is a standard part of the sport. There are many different ways to do that, from fancy haulers to not-so-fancy. We typically see the full range of dos and don'ts when observing how off-road machinery is transported. Here is an example of some of that creativity and improvising. . When you gotta go… and you…

-- ADVANCED 2-STROKE TECHNOLOGY FOR 2018 -- Walt Shumacher is racing the GNCC cross-country series on a machine that is a little different from most. It's a 2-stroke, but not the standard Honda 250R you usually see. He wanted the most up to date modern version of a 2-stroke and that seems to be coming from KTM right now. We'll let him describe what all was involved in building his KTM 300 XC race machine... This is my 10th season racing GNCC.  Coming into this year, I was considering doing something different, just…

-- MORE POWER, SUSPENSION & VISUAL FLASH -- Blake is a Dirt Wheels reader who grew up near the Oregon Dunes. He still vividly remembers the first time he saw a chromed/polished/powder coated Yamaha Banshee there. He knew he had to have one of those custom 2-stroke screamers. Before reaching that goal however, his tastes began to change and he found himself preferring a 4-stroke instead. After Blake got hold of a 2005 Yamaha YFZ450 he set out to turn it into a show bike. However, he never intended for it to be…

-- PERHAPS THE ULTIMATE 2-STROKE QUAD? -- We're taking a look at Doug Miedema's quad here that started out as a Honda TRX250R, but there's probably not a stock part on it (except the plastic). The thing that makes this machine extra special is the Lonestar frame made from titanium. It is the lightest, strongest and highest quality steel there is. As you may guess, it's also very expensive. Doug's quad also has titanium A-arms, swing arm, tie rods and axle. LED built the engine, intake and exhaust, and it uses a…

-- READER'S RADICAL RIDE -- The Oregon Sand Dunes at Winchester Bay is one of the best places on earth to ride a quad. Carving the dunes is even more fun if you have your machine modified to improve its sand performance. It also doesn't hurt if you give it a custom look to make it stand out from the other quads. That's what Brandon Becker did with his Honda here. It started out as a 2005 TRX450R, but then he pulled the engine apart to increase its size and power. John Dyer of Racerz Edge in Tuscon, Arizona…

--  Hold on before you go rushing down to your Yamaha dealer to see this machine there. Yamaha stopped selling their 3-wheelers back in 1986. If you want one today you have to build your own, as Richard Maestas did in Arizona. He actually built three of them in different color combos as you can see here. The basic formula is to take a YZ450F dirt bike and convert it to a 3-wheeler. If Yamaha did sell a Tri-Z for 2018 this is what it would probably look like. It would be the natural evolution from their old 250…

-- 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…

-- Michael Konstantinidis and his brother Manny are avid ATV collectors and builders. After the last year of the Banshee's production in 2006 they decided to help preserve this classic twin-cylinder, two-stroke machine. All of the Banshees you see here in their collection are 2006 models, except for the orange one which is a 2008 model they imported from another country. While building their own collection of Banshees they began building quads for other ATV enthusiasts as well. Soon, they started their company…

-- We love our quads, but they don't always love you back like your dog will. You just can't beat a good dog. When you get your new ATV or UTV your dog will automatically feel like it's his job to protect it along with the other property of his territory. In this photo we see Henry Muro's dog keeping a watchful eye on the family YFZ450 to make sure no one takes it who's not authorized to do so. Henry is a Dirt Wheels reader in Indiana who regularly sends us good photos. Other Dirt Wheels readers are welcome to do the same.…

-- Jeff Wysocki is a Dirt Wheels reader who lives up in Michigan. He says he rides his Kawasaki Teryx all year round, at the dunes, on the trails, in the mud and even the snow is no problem. As you can see he has made his machine more snow worthy with the addition of Tatou's 4S track system. No amount of snow slows him down. Jeff calls his machine "Casper the Beast" because of the way it totally destroys snow. That is made possible by the  Berco 72" snowblower he has mounted on the front of his Teryx. It can clear…

-- 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…

-- Here are the twin daughters of Dirt Wheels reader Chris Brazeau in California. This was the girls' first trip to Dumont Sand Dunes on their Kawasaki KFX50s and they had a great time. Right afterwards they began asking, "When is our next riding trip, daddy?" . . Do you have some photos that should be featured here and in the printed magazine? Well, all you have to do is send them in. You're required to include your name, city & state. Also, you need to include some info about who, what & where of the…