Project Machines

-- The latest version of the famous two-stroke three-wheeler -- Ever since Honda dropped their ATC250R after 1986, people have wondered how one would look today if it suddenly returned to the line up. Well, that has not happened yet, but what we have here is probably the closest thing to a 2020 ATC250R that Honda would build. It has an aluminum frame, inverted front forks and a 2-stroke engine with a power-valve, raising and lowering the exhaust port to make a broader power band. So, how did this modern ATC250R come…

-- Drifting from the dirt onto the pavement --     Jeremy Othelet is a Dirt Wheels reader who lives in Margut, France. In his country ATVs can be made street legal with the proper equipment. As you can see here Jeremy has turn signals, mirrors and a license plate on his quad.     His Yamaha Raptor 700 is a good quad to make street legal, because it has enough power to cruise along at speeds above 70 mph. To improve the power Jeremy added a performance exhaust and intake system, fuel controller and hotter cam shaft.…

-- Upgrading this popular sport quad -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels It is no secret that we are huge fans of the Honda TRX450R. To be fair, we love all quads, but Honda built an easily modifiable sport quad that stayed competitive for almost a decade with a minimum number of changes. The 450R still tops podiums and earns championships even today. It makes sense that long-time Dirt Wheels reader and quad enthusiast Daniel Gonzalez would choose the TRX for his steed. He picked up a 2007 Special Edition model a few…

-- BFD Off-Road cages the beast -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels BFD Off-Road lays claim to being the number-one manufacturer of high-performance sand cars and UTV accessories in Southern California. What we know for sure is that it makes some radical-looking sand cars, and that sand car style is carried over to its UTV parts. The signature BFD Off-Road part is the Can-Am X3 bolt-on cage and matching contoured composite roof. The cage offers race-car strength and safety, and it is a very nice piece, but the roomy…

-- Four-wheel fun you can afford  -- Budget build by the staff of Dirt Wheels In world history, the Dark Ages were well before the discovery of America, but for the sport ATV world, the dark ages were the 1990s. Yamaha kept the sport quad light burning with the Blaster and the Banshee, but other brands shied away. Just 10 years earlier all four brands had performance two-stroke ATVs, and had fun riding, racing and going crazy. Then, in 1998, 10 years after the last Honda TRX250R, the 1999 TRX400EX was released. It…

-- And it can still be hauled inside a van! --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels - This could be the lowest-budget UTV project that we have ever covered in Dirt Wheels. Derek Hunt and his brother Chris spend their days creating incredibly exotic electric bikes for their company, Hi-Power Cycles (www.hi-powercycles.com). Don’t tell anyone, but despite their penchant for things electric, the brothers harbor a fondness for things powered by gasoline. Very few of their high-end electric bikes cost less than what Derek forked…

-- Wild machines of Dirt Wheels readers -- We're all used to seeing high-lifted 4x4 quads out in the deepest mud holes. For some reason though, we rarely see 3-wheelers modified the same way. Greg Armbruster in Ohio set out to change that with his unique mud machine here. He saw no reason why his old Honda Big Red couldn't become a swamp monster too. The first order of business was to make sure his 250cc 4-stroke 3-wheeler got plenty of traction while giving it more ground clearance. He accomplished that with these…

-- A desert wagon made to drive hard -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Allen Knowles is the owner of CT Racing, and he has managed something extraordinary. No, we aren’t talking about this cool four-seat desert monster he built. He’s managed to find a wife who still likes to get out and hit trails in a rowdy UTV. Roxanne can navigate, feed the crew, or drive the dually and the trailer. Even more, she can stand to be a passenger when “Crazy Al” is driving. We’ll admit, we will only ride with him when the alternative is…

-- Cole Richardson’s GNCC Yamaha racer --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels,  Photos by Ken Hill It takes a lot to become a pro ATV racer. You need commitment to put your all into each race, every practice lap and have the willingness to put your wellbeing on the line to place a foot on the podium. Countless hours are spent wrenching, working out your body and psyche, all while honing your skills on the quad to become one of the best. None of those facts matter, though, if you don’t have a great machine to pilot in the…

-- A cool mini rally car/ATV kit -- How would you like to convert your Yamaha Raptor 700 into a UTV? Well, use these photos as a guide and you can build it yourself. This was actually a kit that you could buy, but as far as we know it's no longer available. It was the brainchild of Rhys Millen. He, along with his brother and dad, are part of the famous Millen racing family. They have been winning at rally racing, drifting, Pikes Peak, off-road and road-racing for years. They've also been known as innovative car…

-- Four-star warrior from a workhorse --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels The General is the commanding officer in the army of sport utility UTVs that Polaris builds. The machine has been a sales success for good reason. It offers RZR-like performance and suspension in a trail-friendly package that is ready and able to work. If you want to play/hunt/camp but need to convince the family or the tax man that you are buying a tool, the General is ideal. No matter the type of UTV that you are considering, it is typical for an…

-- Dirt Wheels reader builds a National level ATV MX race machine -- Hi Dirt Wheels, my name is Mack McDermott from Rhode Island. This is my 2009 Kawasaki KFX450R. Bought it a little over a year ago in bone stock form and after riding a track a few times I decided to get full blown into racing and build my KFX450 to as close to a national level build as I could. I Teamed up with Tranghese Motorsports out of Springfield, Massachusetts to help me build it and race in the NEATVMX series. Photos by Mike Fig Photography…