Project Machines

*Editors Note: A  look back at a Team Alba  Racing set up on our 1998 Yamaha Wolverine. The folks at Alba Yamaha near San Di­ego, California, hit upon a unique marketing concept several years ago. Instead of simply selling ATVs in the pure stock form like everyone else, they began to jazz up brand-new machines with trick aftermarket parts and then put them up for sale at the regular manufacturer’s suggested retail price. The idea proved to be pop­ular, not only with riders in their lo­cale but with other off-road…

What's it like to ride.

**Editors Note-This project Honda High Lifter 355 originally appeared in the December 2000 issue of Dirt Wheels magazine. High Lifter Honda 300 4x4 Honda’s 300 (2WD & 4WD) has been one of the best workhorse ATVs of all time. For over ten years now, it has racked up an enviable sales and reliability record that is unmatched in the industry. But with the introduction of Honda’s Rancher line of ATVs in 2000, the 300 was put out to pasture and replaced with this more powerful and versatile 350cc 4-wheeler. There…

**Editors Note-This story originally ran in Dirt Wheels April 2000 HOT MODS FOR QUADS Several years ago, CT Racing developed the first aftermarket aluminum cylinder for the Honda 250R engine. Called the Pro-Cross (originally Pro-X), this new cylinder allowed ATV racers much more leeway with motor modifications than the stock 250R offered. In the motorcycle motocross world, engines with various types of power valves have been standard equipment for well over a decade. Virtually every 250cc and 125cc race bike has…

Midwest Performance builds a monster By the staff of Dirt Wheels 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…

A Husqvarna 3-wheeler? No such thing, good sir! Husky doesn’t dip a toe too far in the waters of three and four-wheeled off-road machinery. So, how did this trike come about, you ask? Daryl Rath, owner of Rath Racing, likes to create hybrid ATVs and ATCs. While a lot can be done to make an old machine work better than new, sometimes it is best to start off with a new ride and customize it to your wants and needs. Photos by Wayne Davis Photography Rath’s white Husqvarna 3-wheeler began life as a 2018…

What one man does for his wife By the staff of Dirt Wheels This Polaris RZR Turbo S, also known as SuperNovaRZR, is the second Loomis family build featured in Dirt Wheels. When Wyoming’s Robert Loomis had his Kombustion-built TombRZR 2016 RZR Turbo featured in Dirt Wheels, it fulfilled his dream of having one of his machines in a magazine. He still loves and drives that build, but he tried our RZR Turbo S while we were shooting his machine. After that brief drive, we could see the hunger for a new Turbo S. We don’t…

First turbo in the family By the staff of Dirt Wheels Sector Seven is the relatively new but innovative UTV product division of longtime off-road parts manufacturer Pro Moto Billet. Company owner Lynn Hodges is in Idaho where there are all sorts of off-road opportunities, so it was inevitable that his family would end up with a Polaris XP 1000 4 in its stable. As son Sheldon got a little older, he was looking for something sportier to drive, and the then-new Polaris RS1 was added to the family’s fleet. The RS1 project…

-- A fast sand dune machine -- It's kind of like a dirt bike, but it's also like an ATV too. The fat tires allow it to carve across the sand better than skinny tires. If you've ever ridden a normal dirt bike at the dunes you had to deal with the front tire cutting in deep in the turns and the rear tire spinning wildly trying to find traction. This Fat Cat 650 is an effective solution to that problem. Although the Fat Cat 650 is a custom build, its concept was based on the original Honda Fat Cat 200 that was available…

Two-stroke engines are perfect for off-road vehicles and ATV's. 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 two-strokes and make a point to…

-- 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…

-- Doing what a quad can't -- In most states a 3-wheeler is considered a motorcycle and is regulated under those rules. Motorcycles are street legal if they come with the required equipment, so therefore, 3-wheelers can fall under the street legal category too. The easiest way to make a 3-wheeler street legal is to begin with a street legal dirt bike. These have been called Dual-Sports and lately the bigger ones get the Adventure Bike title. If you add brake lights, turn signals, mirrors and such to your Honda ATC250R,…