Product Tests

Every now and then we at Dirt Wheels come across a product that makes us say, “Why didn’t we think of that? This is great!” That’s what we thought when we first laid eyes on the Warn 1.5ci winch. It’s a winch rated at 1500 pounds pulling capacity, made to mount on sport quads and smaller ATVs.“Sport quads,” you say? That’s right—and that’s the brilliance of this winch. Warn realized that with untold hundreds of thousands of sport quad ATV riders out there, why not offer them a winch product? It didn’t have to be a bigger,…

For a lot of ATV owners, modifying their machine is not just about speed and looks. Sometimes, it’s done out of necessity. Case in point: stock lights. Although sufficient, they aren’t generally the cat’s meow when it comes to serious lighting duties. Many riders don’t feel totally comfortable riding at night with stock illumination. To improve the situation, aftermarket lighting kits are the way to go. That’s what we decided to do with our Honda TRX450R.TRAIL TECH TO THE RESCUEAn order was placed with Trail Tech, (360)…

There is no question that wearing some sort of upper body protection while riding an ATV is a good idea. When we are doing our hard-core testing, we never leave ours behind. One question you might have, however is; are they all the same? For the most part, each clothing manufacture offers a product that proudly displays that company’s logo. These injection molded plastic products are very similar and do offer good protection. No matter what, any properly fitting chest protector is better than no protection at all.…

It doesn’t take a hired mechanic to install the Z-Start, but with all of these parts the installer needs to be careful. Take your time. It took us three hours.We have been talking about the Rekluse auto-clutch conversion for a few months now. We tested one on the FST Honda TRX500 cross-country machine, and the Rox people had one installed on the their project TRX we featured in December.Our articles talked about how well they work, focusing on the advantages, but we have yet to install one for ourselves. To see what all is…

We had our Dirt Wheels logo inserted into one of IMS/Roll’s classic series front bumpers. For an additional fee, they will customize a bumper for you.Have you ever wished you could advertise your own custom logo on the front of your quad for the whole world to see? If so, the kind folks over at IMS Roll designs have come up with a product for you. Their line of customizable front bumpers is the latest trick pony to stride up to the forefront of ATV technology. These striking front bumpers are available with over 25 different…

From time to time we take our ATVs into harsh riding conditions. The staffers here at Dirt Wheels as well as the countless ATV enthusiasts out there like to ride with protective gear, but want to avoid wearing heavy jackets when it’s hot and humid. We have been looking for something that would replace all the useless add-on weight of packing for a ride, as well as stepping away from the zip-up microwave oven. We have found it! The Terraderma Flakk Jakket allows you to leave the sweaters, sweatshirts and jackets at…

The three national organizations that work the hardest to create new ride areas and keep all of our current trails open all agree on one thing?the biggest problem facing our sport today is that of excessive sound. The new generation of high-performance four-stroke ATVs have certainly generated a lot excitement in the OHV world. The trouble is, some of them are just too dang noisy. Especially if they happen to be sporting a loud aftermarket pipe. The sound many of these modified four-stroke quads emit doesn't go over very…