Can-Am

Not your dad’s old CommanderBy the staff of Dirt Wheels Shortly after the announcement of the Can-Am’s revamped Commander, we had a truck and trailer show up at the shop and drop one off. We were given a week with it, so we quickly cleared our schedules to put as much time in the new machine as possible. WHAT’S NEW? Basically, Can-Am took the Maverick Sport chassis, drivetrain and cockpit, and designed new bodywork for it bumper to bumper, or, in this case,  the tailgate. The Commander is not available in a…

One wicked “Stepchild” By Lane Lindstrom Zbroz Racing has built a number of project vehicles over the years. We’ve lost count and so have they, but their latest is definitely one of the most unique. “Stepchild,” Zbroz Racing’s latest build, will turn heads pretty much anywhere it goes—snow, sand, desert, mountains or wherever. Stepchild certainly caught our eye and piqued our interest. So, we dug a little deeper, and here’s what we discovered. Let’s start with the name. Not everyone names their project vehicle, but…

Large, in charge and brainy By the staff of Dirt Wheels Can-Am’s Maverick X3 Max X rs Turbo RR Smart-Shox looks down at lesser machines from the very top of the Can-Am sport UTV model line. It may not actually be the highest-performing model, but it has the sheer size, speed and sublime capability in the fast rough that make it hard to ignore. All that while carrying up to four people in complete luxury. The four-seat 72-inch-wide flagship was truly groundbreaking when it arrived in 2017. It did more than raise the…

An Alaskan ice racer turned desert racer Photos by Juli Moore/Dirt N Dunz Photography There is an old saying that the most important real estate in a racecourse is the 6 inches between the driver’s ears. In other words, the racer’s brain. In recent years we have seen plenty of evidence that racers are racers. If you know how to race, you can adapt to other formats. We see that with quad and motorcycle pilots making good in UTV off-road racing. Plus, we have seen drivers like the Miller brothers switch from woods…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 TURBO From the earliest introduction of the Can-Am Maverick X3 line, the byword has been” performance.” One year there was a normally aspirated model, but we never saw one. We have only experienced X3 versions with factory-installed turbos, and the lion’s share of those are intercooled turbos. Now there is the new 2020 Can-Am Maverick X3 Turbo. In 2018 Can-Am started selling a lower-priced non-intercooled model simply called the X3 Turbo. That put it at 120…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels X3 CAN-AM MUDDER The off-road and side-by-side culture is thriving these days. Stock and modified machines are dotting the trails and tracks across the country and around the world. What’s interesting is how different regions of this country build machines for their particular terrain. Many of these examples are way beyond stock equipment. From the $150,000 desert racers out West to wild mud rigs of the south, they sure do draw a lot of attention. We recently caught up with a builder…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 X RC TURBO RR When Can-Am introduced the Maverick X3 X rc Turbo R in 2018, it was an immediate sales success. Not only did it have that great 72-inch track width and long-travel suspension like the premium performance X3 X rs Turbo R, but it came stock with highly desirable features. For 2020, the model designation includes an “RR” that replaces the “R” of that 2018. The single R designates 172 horsepower and the double RR reveals that the 2020 has a whopping 195…

Just when you think the UTV world is settling down… By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2021 UTV BUYER’S GUIDE *Our 2021 UTV BUYER'S GUIDE.  Another fun-filled opportunity to find out what's available to the UTV loving public out there.  New models, other models dropped from the lineup, exciting changes to existing models—it’s all there for 2021. We’ve covered more than 100 models in this year’s “Buyer’s Guide.” Seriously, if there isn’t something that appeals to you and makes you want to go riding, you might want to check…

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…

E-shocks make it to the Can-Am brand with more features By the staff of Dirt Wheels NEW MODELS: For 2021 Can-Am has followed suit behind Polaris and Honda by offering their top-of-the-line $28,299 two-seat and $32,099 four-seat Maverick X3s with what they call Smart-Shox, a semi-active suspension you can adjust on the fly from inside the cockpit. The shocks are built by Fox and have the same travel as previous X3 models. The Smart-Shox upgrade is only available in the wider X rs trim. For now, it’s not available in…

250cc Sport ATV Comparison: Honda TRX250X vs. Kayo Jackal 200 vs. Can-Am DS250 By the staff of Dirt Wheels 250cc SPORT ATV COMPARISON There was a time when 250cc sport quads were considered big and powerful. Basically, the lead dogs in the industry. That was many years ago now, though. Currently, 250cc-class sport quads are considered mild and civilized. In reality, the performance is every bit as good as any ATV before the advent of 250cc two-strokes or 450cc performance four-strokes. They are fun on…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 CAN-AM DEFENDER PRO HD10 DPS. Can-Am’s Defender line has been a real hit since it was introduced five years ago. There are many models of the Defender, and arguably the standout of those models is the pair of Defender Pros—the DPS and XT. We have come to expect a certain look for rec-utility UTVs: short front end, big cab area and a compact bed area. Can-Am has changed that look with the Pro. The concept began when a Can-Am engineer was looking at a Crew model. He realized that a…