ATV Test

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 HONDA TRX250X This may not be the infamous and cultist TRX250R two-stroke ripper, but the humble Honda TRX250X has outlasted and sold in greater numbers than the old two-smoker. One is a pure-bred racing-style ATV, while the other is the perfect transitional ATV, or even the final landing, for riders that don’t need a lot of power. Honda’s 250X is their only sport ATV for older youth riders and adults that is still available. The TRX400X and favored TRX450R have long since left…

Many new sport and high-performance quad models got their start in the bonanza year of ’87. Since then, on­ly a few more “just-for-fun” four-wheelers have come our way. Some, though, like the Yamaha Banshee 350 and Kawasaki Mojave 250, are still go­ing strong well past their ten-year anniversary. https://dirtwheelsmag.com/tag/kawasaki-mojave/ As far as Kawasaki goes, the Mojave has stood as its only sport or a high-performance machine for nearly that same amount of time (the two-stroke Tecate-4 250 was also offered…

**Editors Note-A look back at Honda's popular 1998 Honda FourTrax 300EX. Reliable & fun sport quad. The thrill of the roost. The exhilaration of the jump. The fun of a wheelie. This is what sport ATVs are made for! Fortunately, Honda has always had at least one machine for those of us who ride simply for the joy of it. In ’98, the FourTrax 300EX is its flagship performance quad, despite lots of ru­mors about an upcoming bigger-mo­tored version of this popular ma­chine. That could still happen, since…

*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…

250cc Sport ATV Comparison: Honda TRX250X vs. Kayo Jackal 200 vs. Can-Am DS250 By the staff of Dirt Wheels 250cc SPORT ATV COMPARISON There was a time when 250cc sport quads were considered big and powerful. Basically, the lead dogs in the industry. That was many years ago now, though. Currently, 250cc-class sport quads are considered mild and civilized. In reality, the performance is every bit as good as any ATV before the advent of 250cc two-strokes or 450cc performance four-strokes. They are fun on…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels KAYO USA 200 JACKAL When we picked up the sporty Kayo  USA 200 Jackal, our only experience with quads from this Chinese company was a brief exposure to the Kayo 150 Storm. The Storm uses a lay-down engine like the Honda TRX90 but with more power. The Jackal is a 200cc upright engine, and it looks like a generic single-cam 200 engine like you would see in an ATC200X or a Yamaha TT-R225 dirt bike. This is a proven engine design and one that has proven reliable from Chinese engine…

Kawasaki, like most manufacturers, has machines for the whole family. For the smallest member of your posse, Team Green offers a little 50cc four-stroke with a fully automatic CVT transmission. It uses a chassis similar to its larger 90cc brother, with smaller tires, lower overall seat height and a lighter weight. This mini is recommended for kids 6 years old and older. Here's our first test of the 2020 Kawasaki KFX50 Kawasaki, like most manufacturers, has machines for the whole family. For the smallest member of your…

Power meets finesse By the staff of Dirt Wheels It can be tough proving which machine is the best between two highly acclaimed 4x4 ATVs from two of the top Japanese manufacturers. Kawasaki has had great success with their hefty Brute Force 750 4x4i powerhouse. It hasn’t been upgraded in quite a while, but Suzuki performed a full makeover on the KingQuad 750AXi 4x4 in 2018. It was refaced, reworked, strengthened and tuned to be a better version of its previous self. We jumped, crawled, clawed, submerged and ripped…

Power-hungry By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Casey Kramer Kawasaki’s Brute Force 750 has always been defined as a power-monger in the class. From the beginning of the model’s long lifespan, the engine performance has been so impressive that it has remained the class bully with few revisions. We aren’t belittling the chassis at all. It does all that is asked in fine fashion. While the shocks are relatively basic by sport standards, the suspension is supple and surprisingly well-controlled for spirited riding.…

The Deluxe edition By the staff of Dirt Wheels, Photos by Kevin Wing Here is a fun fact: the recreational utility ATV market is still Honda’s bread and butter in the four-wheel category. When Honda had multiple sport quad models on dealer floors, the ranch-style performers easily had double or more sales. Honda 4x4s have a reputation for being the most durable and long-lasting in the business, which obviously helps sales. People purchase 4x4 ATVs for work and recreational performance and enjoyment. It is quick and…

Bring out the big gun By the staff of Dirt Wheels We affectionately address Polaris’ 2020 Scrambler XP 1000 S as the “Beast.” It has set new standards in the ATV world. Polaris decided to take an existing sport 4x4 platform, strengthen it, widen it and add more suspension travel. It boasts 89 horsepower from the ProStar engine, and jaws drop at its massive appearance. They may also drop for its hefty $14,999 price tag. We will let you decide if the price is worth the Scrambler XP 1000 S pure-sport experience.…

Get tough with the Rugged Edition By the staff of Dirt Wheels Suzuki made its biggest ATV-related release of the past decade with the fully redesigned 2019 KingQuad 500AXi and 750AXi. Since then, Suzuki hasn’t needed to make any updates due to the great quality and handling of the platform. It did, however, come out with Rugged variations of the two KingQuads that gain heavy-duty bumpers and a 10-inch LED light bar. We picked up a 750i to refresh our readers and ourselves on the machine. The 2020 Suzuki KingQuad…