How To

-- Boss McKannick solves the problem -- Dear Boss, I just bought a 2000 Yamaha Grizzly 600. It has a fuel line or something hanging down at the rear and sometimes gas pours out of it. Is this a problem? What should I do? Stewart McTaggart Austin, TX That hose sounds like it is the carburetor float-bowl overflow hose. It should not dump gasoline out unless there is either something holding the float valve open (dirt/rust) and the float bowl continues to fill until the internal gasoline level reaches the…

-- Making it easier to start -- By Winston "Boss" McKannick Dear Boss, I have a 1993 Kawasaki Mojave 250 with a one-size-over Wiseco piston. During the rebuild, I had new valve seats, guides and seals installed in the cylinder head. The builder also smoothed out the casting flash in the intake and exhaust ports. It has an aftermarket exhaust and a K&N filter in the factory airbox, so he also installed a #135 main jet in the carb to get more fuel with the added airflow. The quad is now hard to start when…

-- Special "How To" Tire Guide -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels What type of trails do you ride? This should be the first question a dealer asks you in regards to choosing a new set of tires for your favorite toy. Whether you drive a sport quad, hunting-equipped quad or UTV, or a mud-bog monster of a 4x4 quad, there are tons of traction options to choose from. We’re hoping to help you narrow down your options and outfit your rig with the tires that will optimize your riding experience. We categorized the most common…

-- Doug Gust's advice from 12 years ago is still good today -- . .

-- The off-roader's hand book -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Like any motorized activity, riding ATVs and UTVs has an element of risk. That thrill is part of what gets us addicted to the sport, and we wouldn’t trade that feeling of exhilaration for anything. However, there are safe ways to ride, and some common-sense rules that will lessen the chances of injury and increase your chances of having fun and returning home safe. We hope you’ll find some useful tips in the trail etiquette that we live by. Hopefully, you will…

-- Extra protection for your CV joint -- When you operate your machine in harsh conditions, such as mud, rocks, and heavy dust, these elements can cause premature wear on moving parts. SealSavers has jumped into the UTV market with their Coil Savers and CV Savers. The Coil Savers wrap around the coil springs of your shocks to prevent rocks and other debris from making contact with the shock shaft and seal. These items are made of neoprene and are easily cleaned with water without the need of any other cleaning products.…

Taking care of and lubricating bearings is cheap in comparison to paying for all-new bearings to be installed.

-- Duncan Racing is at it again --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Pat Carrigan -- Duncan Racing International (DRI) is a company known for building great products and building up ATVs to handle the harshness of racing in all different disciplines. One well-known racing series on the West Coast is WORCS. The Grand Prix-style courses offer rough desert terrain, sand dunes, asphalt, motocross tracks and more to battle through, which means your quad must be tough to take the abuse and win. Mike…

-- Secrets that will make your life easier -- Everyone here at Dirt Wheels has a secret collection. We’re not talking about comic books, Pokemon cards or Barbie dolls—at least not here. We’re talking knowledge. When we work on quads or get ready to ride, each of us uses his private collection of secret techniques, tips and shortcuts. We’ve been doing it so long that we automatically revert to the easiest way of doing almost everything. We decided to gather up some of those tips and share them with you. We selected 41 topics…

-- Boss McKannick figures out what's wrong and how to fix it yourself -- From Dirt Wheels Dialed In, by Winston "Boss" McKannick. Dear Boss, I have a 2009 Kawasaki Brute Force 750i with almost 5000 miles on it. A while back it started spitting and sputtering when I hit 30 mph, and it wouldn’t go any faster than that. I sent it to the dealer, and the coils and the filter screen for the fuel pump were replaced. When I got it back, I took it riding the same day and it began spitting again at 30 mph. The longer I rode it,…

-- Wheel Bearing Greasers from Machined Integrations LLC -- Here is the tool that Machined Integrations LLC has had to add grease to your 4x4 ATV or UTV's wheel bearings. A very efficient and handy item, but it did require you to pull the axle out first. So now, here is a new tool they came out with for adding grease that slips over your axle. This makes it even easier and simpler. Machine Integrations LLC calls it their Multi-ported, Over-the-Axle Wheel Bearing Grease Tool. The president of the company says…

-- How to install them yourself & save -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels  “All brakes do is slow you down!” is a common hilarity that some of us share with riding buddies who couldn’t keep up with us on the track or trails. In truth, good brakes help you go a lot faster. If you change out those stock rotors and pads with better parts from a company like Galfer USA, you can brake harder with less fade from heat. You can carry your speed longer into a turn, and that cuts precious seconds on the track, and it gives you…