Project Machines

-- Serious speed in the desert --  By the staff of Dirt Wheels We consider ourselves to be desert dwellers, but we enjoy it because the terrain is fast-paced, ever-changing, harsh and full of new difficulties to triumph over. Chris Leaming, the owner of XTC Power Products, was once a SoCal native, but he ventured to Arizona where their desert is vast. Chris’ company specializes in UTV electronic parts, such as street-legal turn-signal kits, and solutions to wiring up components to switches. When you own a company in…

-- ATV Project Build: A racer comes back for fun -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Cory Hinsz was a factory-supported pro ATV racer in the mid-2000s. Injuries convinced him to retire from racing, and he was away for 11 years. Missing the sport way too much, he decided to get back in and support his beloved sport by racing for fun. He runs the Vet class in Quadcross and Pro class in cross-country races. Trail excursions in Idaho are also on the program. Suzuki’s LT-R450 is his choice of a quad to build. Although it has…

-- Testing a fast GNCC-style YXZ, By the staff of Dirt Wheels --  Teixeira Tech (TXT) is located in California, so when we heard the aftermarket company had a trick Yamaha YXZ1000R, we assumed that it was a typical desert build—wide and wild with monster tires. We were wrong in a big way. Teixeira sponsors East Coast GNCC UTV champ Cody Miller’s YXZ, so he built something of a replica of the woods racer. As you might expect, the build is quite different from what we are used to seeing! Yamaha’s YXZ1000R doesn’t…

-- Something you don't see every day --     Who remembers the Husqvarna 500 three-wheeler? There were actually a few of these running around in Southern California back in the early '80s. The big 500cc two-stroke motors made these vehicles a ton of fun to ride, but only for the most skilled three-wheeler riders. Mike Dunn is a Dirt Wheels reader who fits into that category and here is his Husky that he had restored back to its original condition. Even though it looks perfectly pristine it doesn't sit parked in a museum. …

-- 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,…

-- How to improve your Raptor & give it a new look -- Yamaha’s Raptor 700 is the best-selling sport quad of its age, and for good reason. The four-wheeled powerhouse has a big-bore motor with a lot of torque, it handles well on all types of terrain and is comfortable to ride. This project Raptor started life as a fun racer in the hands of Russell Blake. It is a 2014 Special Edition model that was grey and black, but after a spill on the track and a lot of broken parts, the Yamaha is back and exceeding its former…

1: This 3-cylinder, 2-stroke quad has been set up for... A: Towing a manure spreader on a farm. B: Tight, rock-crawling trails in the mountains. C: Delivering pizzas in downtown New York city. D: Drag racing on a sand or dirt drag strip. 2: This 4x4 quad has been set up for... A: Maintaining the greens on a golf course. B: Delivery pizzas in downtown Los Angeles. C: Road racing at Daytona. D: Mud bog competition. 3: This is the all-new 2018... A: Street-legal quad from Ferrari.…

-- A man's dream comes alive -- Here is the classic Honda two-stroke three-wheeler that the fast guys used to ride back in the day. This one belongs to Mike Peterson and we'll let him describe it in his own words... Hi Dirt Wheels, I’ve always enjoyed reading your magazine! I’ve been riding on the Oregon coast for over 40 years. Started riding on a 1970 Honda ATC 90. Then a 110, 200 & finally bought a new '86 ATC 250R. Later bought an '85 ATC 250R. I was a long holdout of the quads. I liked the three-wheelers…

-- 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…

-- LONE STAR RACING'S DREAM BUILD -- You may recall we featured Lonestar Racing owner Dan Fisher’s Can-Am Maverick X ds in a previous issue of Dirt Wheels’. Fisher built his X3 to compete in the Pro Turbo class for the Best in the Desert series. His car featured some very trick parts, including LSR’s MTS long-travel suspension kit and a stronger cage. There are many other trick parts from LSR installed on Fisher’s Can-Am, and the man behind most of the R&D, lead fabricator, race department manager and…

-- MORE POWER, SUSPENSION & VISUAL FLASH -- Blake is a Dirt Wheels reader who grew up near the Oregon Dunes. He still vividly remembers the first time he saw a chromed/polished/powder coated Yamaha Banshee there. He knew he had to have one of those custom 2-stroke screamers. Before reaching that goal however, his tastes began to change and he found himself preferring a 4-stroke instead. After Blake got hold of a 2005 Yamaha YFZ450 he set out to turn it into a show bike. However, he never intended for it to be…

THE HISTORY OF YAMAHA'S BIG SPORT QUAD -- The 1990s maintained a stagnant state of limbo for ATV manufacturers of sport quads. Of the potential manufacturers, Yamaha was the strongest player with the famed Banshee 350 and Blaster 200 two-strokes and the Warrior 350 four-stroke. Yamaha had a strong hold on the market, but it also knew that those beloved two-strokes would slowly be forced from the line-up by increasingly strict emissions standards. The fight to stay ahead of the competition lit a fire beneath…