How To

**Editors Note-A nostalgic look back at a Honda FourTrax 4x4 Project 4x4 Quad we built. Those of you familiar with Dirt Wheels know that we like to do hop-up projects on quads. We usually are not satisfied with the power and performance of production machines. No matter how good a stock quad is, we like to experiment to see if we can make it better. More power, better sus­pension and improved handling is pretty much all that we ask for. In the past, we have focused most of this attention on machines like Banshees,…

Find your mojo again By the staff of Dirt Wheels There was a time when it was fairly rare to replace the CVT drive belt on a 4x4 quad, but now some of these models are very powerful and come with large and aggressive tires. What we need here is some good TECH: to remedy the situation. Plus, owners are riding them harder and punishing the CVT and its belt with high-load situations like mud-running and using track systems. In our case, the belt on our Polaris Scrambler S let go while racing, so it was being ridden…

Fast and safe fuel By the staff of Dirt Wheels TECH: We recently caught up with Best in the Desert race series competitor Rick Smith who has been racing a 2017 Can-Am X3 with some light modifications suited for racing. While competing in the 2020 Laughlin Desert Classic in Laughlin, Nevada, Rick explained he lost a lot of time in the pits while fueling. The issue was filling the stock fuel tank with traditional fuel cans. His pit team tried using a high-capacity fast-fill fuel can thinking it would save some…

You are riding your ATV and you heard a sudden “pop”; you get worried. Well, there is nothing to worry about. It’s just that your ATV is backfiring. ATV backfires when your engine runs excessively rich or excessively lean. In simpler terms, when the engine has more fuel for the amount of air present in it or if the fuel is less than the amount of air it has engulfed, the engine backfires, which manifests as a little explosion in either the intake or the exhaust of the ATV’s engine. ATV backfiring is a very common…

Polaris 2-Stroke Rebuild One of the advantages that a two-stroke has over a four-stroke is that it generally produces more horsepower per cc. Because of their increased wear and tear, two-stroke quad en­gines require more reg­ular maintenance and replacement of the top-end components than their four-stroke counterparts. The good news is that because you are not dealing with valves, springs, cam chains or pushrods, rebuilding your two-stroke is fairly simple. To illustrate how quick and easy a top-end rebuild can…

What parts are worth what power By the staff of Dirt Wheels TECH: HONDA TRX450 A few years ago Dirt Wheels did a story on an owner-built Honda TRX450 owned by a life-long quad fan named Daniel Gonzalez. Gonzalez was so pleased with the build that he took every opportunity to wear the knobs off of that TRX. Some of the miles were in races, but most were acquired by having fun on desert and mountain trails. When Gonzalez did his build, he boosted the power with bolt-ons but left the engine stock and original from the…

PRODUCT EVALUATION: BOYESEN TRX450R SUPERCOOLER KIT By Daniel Gonzalez BOYESEN TRX450R SUPERCOOLER Boyesen has been a front runner in the off-road motorcycle and ATV industry since 1972. Eyvind Boyesen advanced reed-induction technology for two-stroke motors. The name Boyesen soon became a staple for performance on and off the racetrack. Boyesen is known for creating more than just reed-induction products. They offer the Power X-Wing, factory racing clutch covers, Shockout grip system, Quickshot kits and more.…

Anytime you have extra time on your hands, is the right time to work on your ride. These 8 things you can do to your ATV while off work cover a wide range of issues older or well used quads face. They should help you pass the time until the next riding trip. Nearly every ATV comes with very thin, plastic skid plates. They work fine if you don’t use them. But if you are like us and go on as rough as trails as possible, the stockers don’t hold up. This article will help you choose the right tool for the job. HOW TO…

BVC Trikes is the leader in modern day trike builds. Their latest creation is a fuel injected, 2019, Honda CRF450R turned into the sickest three wheeler we’ve seen in a minute. BVC can build a three wheeler out of almost any brand 2 or 4 stroke dirt bike new or old. Enjoy the 2019 Honda 450 dirt bike to trike walk around video. To see examples of their work, check out https://bvctrikes.com/collections. Last month we featured a Yamaha YZF trike conversion you can see HERE.   https://youtu.be/JOmsXkNRE4E

ADDING A SPEEDOMETER TO OLDER ATVs Dear Boss, I’m wondering if it’s possible to install a speedometer on the Kawasaki KFX700? If so, how would you go about doing that? Thanks. Paul Bassani Colorado Springs, CO ADDING A SPEEDO TO OLDER ATVs On the surface your question is simple, but if you take a deep dive into all the equipment available that can read your speed, you had better pack a lunch, son! So, let’s start off with the simplest speedometer—the bicycle speedometer. Back in the day before speedometers were…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels. Photos by www.stephentripp.com and the DW staff. HOW-TO: WINTER PREP IN 10 STEPS Many off-road riders are fair-weather fliers. They might just hang out in the house when it is too hot or cold. Or, perhaps they choose a more appropriate sport for the temperature; for example, wakeboarding in the heat and snowboarding when there is slippery white stuff hiding the ground. If you decide not to take the easy way out, you have to be prepared. It is possible to ride in reasonable comfort when…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels TIE-DOWN SOLUTIONS. Every person who spends time off-road on four wheels faces challenges when it comes to transporting the machine. Even if you ride on your own property, or have legal riding right out of your driveway, at some point it is likely your machine will need to be hauled somewhere. The ideal situation is to haul the same machine with the same truck or trailer every time. It is relatively easy to set up your hauling situation in that case. The absolute best method for…