Pro Armor

Darin McGuffin just wanted something different than what everyone else had, and after changing a few things on his General 4 he now absolutely loves it.

-- PRO ARMOR MAKES IT EVEN BETTER -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels One of the beauties of off-road is that the sport is accessible. Chris Pino has never had much of a dirt background aside from some local mountain biking. He has owned street bikes and appreciates a performance automobile, but a friend and former coworker found a package deal of two RZR 800s and a trailer. A year later they had driven the wheels off of the 800s and were feeling the limitations in power and suspension. Pino’s daytime job is…

-- 253 horsepower never disappoints, By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Recently, we have found ourselves getting seat time in a variety of machines with Evolution Powersports turbo modifications. Traditionally, when you start leaning hard on a motor and making a lot of horsepower, the power delivery can get finicky and lose drivability. When we first caught sight of the Evolution Powersports X3 in Idaho at the UTV Invasion, it was the look of the car that grabbed us. Later, though, when we strapped in, turned the key and…

 By the staff of Dirt Wheels There is a perfectly good reason that most sport or sport utility UTVs come with a fairly aggressive tire with large, blocky knobs. UTVs are sold all over North America, and it hardly makes financial sense to equip machines headed for different parts of the country with different tires. Economy-of-scale pricing mandates that companies choose a tire that can do everything pretty well. Pro Armor knows that not everyone lives where the stock tires are most effective. For instance, the Dirt…

UTVs are sold all over North America, and it hardly makes financial sense to equip machines headed for different parts of the country with different tires. Pro Armor knows that not every stock tire is most effective for where each rider may live. The Hammer uses 20mm tread blocks that are fairly close together, and perhaps more importantly, none of the center tread blocks run sideways. They are largely oriented along the length of the tire. That orientation puts a lot of rubber on the ground, and makes for a very…

The Dirt Wheels crew will ride a box-stock quad for awhile, but then we start thinking about ways to improve its performance. Building project quads is a way of life for us. Here is a list of some that made it into the Dirt Wheels Project Quad Hall of Fame. Click on the links above each picture to go straight to the articles. PROJECT HONDA TRX400EX BUDGET BUILD PROJECT HONDA ATC 250R REBUILD PROJECT RAT ROD QUAD PROJECT RACE WALSHZILLA VS. CRF450R PROJECT HONDA TRX450R SAND SLINGER PROJECT DUNCAN SUZUKI…

Off-road race teams typically use a vehicle other than their race car to pre-run racecourses prior to a specific event. This gives them a chance to see the course for the first time and make GPS notes of danger areas and pit-stop locations all without putting extra miles on the race car. Some teams spend anywhere from $50,000 to $500,000 on these vehicles. Many of these machines are long-wheelbase buggies or trucks and have three seats, so all occupants have a clear view out of the windshield. MONEY WELL-SPENT…

ATV's where obviously designed to be off-road machines that can tackle all types of terrain. If you have ever ridden your quad on the asphalt or concrete then you know how horribly an ATV handles on the hard stuff. However, that doesn't stop riders from turning their machines into road worthy warriors like this radical Supermoto Suzuki LT-R450. TRACTION ACTION Maxxis has two different compounds of the flat track tires. Ultra Soft is for dirt riding, and Medium Soft is for very hardpacked or blue-grooved dirt or…

Since its first year of production in 1999, Honda’s TRX400EX has a reputation for being one of the most durable and fun sport ATVs of all time. The design of the TRX hasn’t changed too much in its lifetime because it never needed to. The air-cooled four-stroke engine is practically bulletproof, the lack of liquid cooling greatly reduces complexity, and you can adjust the valves with hand tools. There are lots of riders who love the “keep it simple” philosophy. The chassis is likewise basic, but it handles well and has plenty…

One good thing that has come out of the recent economic recession is smoking hot deals on used quads everywhere. Desperate people are liquidating some of their disposable assets, and savvy shoppers can take advantage of the bargains. Here on the West Coast, sport quads seem to be the most available. We see deals on almost-mint 400–450cc sport quads for less than half of what they sell for new. The following is an example of two deals that we recently found on Craigslist listed for $3000 each. The new owner talked the seller…

When Suzuki introduced the track-ready, 49-inch wide LT-R450, they turned a lot of heads. Now amateur MX racers had a machine they could take off the dealer showroom floor, add a few safety features, and race it that weekend. They would save thousands in aftermarket A-arms, shocks and tires. Furthermore, Suzuki had a product that their racers could win with on Sunday to increase sales on Monday. Unfortunately, Suzuki alienated a customer base that wanted a 450cc quad that they could comfortably ride deep into the woods.…