Project Machines

-- High-performance swamp monster -- In the world of high-performance 4x4 quads there are two models that stand at the top of the pecking order. One is the Scrambler made by Polaris, and the other is the Renegade made by Can-Am. The one we'll focus on here is the Can-Am version.  It is the Renegade X mr 1000 of 2018. Dalton Battenfield turned it into an extreme machine with the help of S3 Power Sports. The list of parts include a S3 Power Sports 6 inch lift kit, Fox shocks, RCV axles, XMR series rear…

-- A PROJECT UTV BUILD YOU'LL LOVE --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels. The Polaris General brought a new flavor of fun to the UTV industry. Polaris decided to further bridge the gap between the sport performance class and the utility class with a more recreationally inclined machine that offers more comfort and capability than any machine previously built for either class. We picked up a Polaris General 1000 Deluxe model and decided to build it into a more-than-trail-capable machine. We envisioned a UTV that…

-- And they're still going strong today -- Two-stroke engines are perfect for off-road vehicles. They're powerful, but yet simple and lightweight. No matter if they're in two-wheelers, three-wheelers or four-wheelers, two-stroke engines allow the vehicles to be nimble and the riders to move quickly across earth's natural terrain. It's a shame that you can no longer buy a new quad with a two-stroke engine in it. However, there are still plenty out on the trails. Many riders are still addicted to the quick, snappy power of…

-- 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 2019 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…

-- 2019 Honda Talon gets ready for the mud -- Down in Louisiana there's a good deal of mud that you may come across while riding off-road.  4x4 quads with big mud tires are quite popular in the bayous and the same is true with UTVs as well. Honda of Covington is located across Lake Ponchatrain from New Orleans and they've had plenty of experience setting up ATVs and UTVs for trail riding in marshlands. The new Honda Talon wasn't at their shop for long before it began getting accessorized for the mud. This 1000R…

-- PSN brings older UTV back to life on a budget -- Recently the Dirt Wheels crew went on an in-depth tour of Power Sports Nation’s (PSN) ATV and UTV salvage operations and we were impressed. Feeling that more evidence would be welcome, PSN set out to resurrect a sublimely tired, but nonetheless well-maintained, 2014 Polaris Ranger XP 900. How tired? How about 31,014 miles accumulated during 4,609.7 hours of operation? Both our staff and the PSN crew are of the opinion that this is the highest-mileage/-hours Ranger we…

-- A new three-wheeler you can buy today from TPC -- the staff of Dirt Wheels Action photos by Ashley Calvo Bill Casey is a man that simply couldn’t settle for riding four-wheeled machines. He started out on motorcycles in 1976, but traded with his friend who owned a Honda ATC, and the rest was history for him. Three wheels has always been his passion, and that extended into creating TPC Trikes. Casey founded his company in 1998. He concentrated on vintage ATC restorations, modifications and repairs. However, the…

 -- PROJECT UTV -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Beverly Hills is a place where beauty is manufactured and the elderly get a new lease on life—well, in the looks department at least! Force Off-Road is a company that is veteran-run, and they outfit UTVs and other off-road toys with aftermarket upgrades. This means that they also get to give elderly UTVs new parts that help them keep living in their golden years. Scott Scurlock is a part of the Force team, and he purchased a tired Polaris RZR XP 4 900 from one of the Force…

-- Hey wait, that's a 4-cylinder engine! -- Upon further review that's not a single cylinder engine. It's got 4 exhaust pipes and 4 intake tracks, so there's no way it can be a YFZ450 engine. Maybe we should read what James Masephol said about his quad in his Email to us. Well, it did indeed start out as a 2005 Yamaha YFZ450. However he took the engine out and installed the engine from a Yamaha R1 street bike. Those 1000cc 4-cylinder engines make about 180 horsepower stock, and James figures his gets more like 200 with the…

-- Bolting on just about every accessory part available -- Russell Porter has the enthusiasm of a happy-go-lucky child in a man’s body. Buggy Whip, his successful family company, needed a rolling UTV showcase to help promote its products. Russ jumped like a kid in a candy store at the prospect of turning a Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs into a wicked display car. Buggy Whip has a great reputation, so many leading companies were ready to participate in the build. Russ was able to pick and choose, but he did a lot of choosing,…

-- Reader hops up his Yamaha 450 quad -- Modern 450 quads like Yamaha's YFZ450  have such high-tech engines it's hard to extract much more power than what they come with stock. David Armitage in Illinois found away around that rule. However, you may say he cheated when he took out the single-cylinder 450cc engine. Instead he installed a Suzuki GSXR 4-cylinder street bike engine in his YFZ. When those things are revving up past 10 grand they produce around 160 ponies. That's about three times the horsepower of a stock YFZ.…