Product Evaluation

Passenger protection for the RZR XP Pro By Ray Gibbs and the staff of Dirt Wheels There you are, blasting down your favorite trail. Everything on your car is working just as planned. You take pride in your ride, and the accessories that you bought and installed. The day is going great! You are driving like a hero. And then, in an instant, a deer jumps out of nowhere and flies right across the front of your car. It missed you by inches. Or, it could have been a dirt bike or quad coming head-on that you didn’t see in…

Connecting your UTV to help By the staff of Dirt Wheels As handy and mechanically savvy as we may fancy ourselves to be, the truth is, most of us are not fully trained mechanics with years of experience. What happens when you’re miles down the trail (or way out on the dunes) and something happens to your rig? Perhaps an “engine light” reducing performance? Or even worse,  the dreaded “limp home” mode? Those of us who are prepared will have basic tools and possibly even a basic code scanner available for us…

Three models to cover all weather By the staff of Dirt Wheels Leatt is a protection company that has bridged into riding clothing. We have been using three different Leatt gloves extensively—the 1.5 GripR, the Moto 2.5 Windblock and the Moto 2.5 SubZero. All share a design so close, they are hard to distinguish just by looks alone. As soon as you pick them up or try them on, you are aware that they are different. The prices range from $29.99 for the minimalist 1.5 Gripper to $37.99 for the cool and cold weather…

 By the staff of Dirt Wheels AA OFFROAD TRAIL HEAD TRAILER In the early days of four-wheeled dune play, before there were three-wheelers, quads, or UTVs, there were lightweight Volkswagen dune buggies. It didn’t take much to haul them, and many folks just used a T-trailer. It was a glorified tow bar that lifted the wheels off the ground. Our sport is much more advanced now. Off-roaders travel in giant motorhomes, massive toy haulers, and so forth. We have embraced camping luxury to the point that our rigs may not be…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels SENA 30K INTERCOM There are many avenues we travel down on our paths while exploring the great outdoors. Experiencing these journeys is best on your favorite off-road machine. Some of us prefer to hear rumbling engines and wind passing around our helmets, while others want tunes and technology to help enhance their experience. We are supporters of staying connected to your fellow riders and the people who want to make sure you are safe, and Sena offers communication systems that do…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels ARAI RAM-X HELMET Arai is a Japanese, family-owned helmet company that believes that helmets are vital and valuable safety equipment meant for long-term use and extended satisfaction. Aside from a deeply held belief in absolute quality, Arai believes in a smooth, rounded shell shape both for intrinsic strength and so the helmet doesn’t have edges that catch during a crash. The Ram-X is innovative in its shape in another way. Even though it is an open face, the shell extends along…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels TUSK 20-FOOT UTV TOW STRAP If we are driving a UTV any farther than we can easily walk back, we make sure we’re prepared for the trip. Ideally, that means traveling with at least one other reliable machine in good condition. At the very least we carry the tools and equipment with us to make routine repairs. In case we fail to make repairs, we always carry a tow strap, and we call on our second car to tow us back. Tusk has a $19.99 tow strap that does all we require of it. It is a…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels YAMALUBE YAMACLEAN PRO-WASH SPRAY. Many UTV and ATV enthusiasts are as proud of their machines’ appearance as any vehicle owner. The difference is, we ride in the dirt, which means our machines need washing more often, and cleaning them is more challenging. Yamalube’s Yamaclean Pro-Wash spray is designed to clean well with less effort than common detergent, so we were eager to see how it performs.  SAFE FOR ALL SURFACES A strong cleaner is no help if it destroys what you use it on,…

By Ray Gibbs and the staff of Dirt Wheels SUPERATV SIDE MIRRORS Why don't  UTVs don’t come standard with side and center mirrors? If you want to see what is going on behind you, you will need to install your own mirrors. There are unbelievable ranges of price, convenience, and quality in available mirrors. Molded plastic mirrors have some of the best prices for mirrors. We found a nice matching pair of mirrors from SuperATV that have a suggested retail price of $54.95. They have a rectangular shape 8.5 inches…

Protection from your own roost By the staff of Dirt Wheels ROCK ON PROTECTION They go by the name “mud flaps,” but they have very little to do with mud. The flaps are actually roost guards, and, again, they are not for what you think. They are not there to prevent your roost from hitting the buddy riding your bumper behind you. In fact, the roost guards are to prevent rocks and sand roosting off your front tire from sand-blasting the business end of your trailing arm. Furthermore, they prevent rocks from…

Sector Seven came onto the market with a unique, lighted side-view mirror product that’s built in the U.S. and turned a few heads for sure. The mirrors worked great by aiming two panels of LEDs straight ahead and slightly to the side of your machine. For comparison, they were brighter than our stock headlights on the high-beam setting but with a much wider field of view.  The lighted mirrors sell for $799. That’s actually way cheaper than a set of good billet mirrors and a 10-inch light bar. This month we…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels SIMPSON VORTEX UTV SEAT.  Imagine you are settling your UTV into a hard left-hander, the rear wheels chewing through tacky dirt as you depress the throttle for more power, sending the machine into a controlled pitch. All of a sudden the outside rear tire grabs a rut, and instead of staying in control, your body slides across the stock seat, the stock seat belt allows your upper body to lean, and your grip on the wheel is compromised. Instead of viewing the corner’s exit, you are seeing…