UTV Tests

-- Building a special UTV for a Dakar Rally veteran -- A famous racer claimed that the most important 5 inches in racing is the space between your ears. So much of off-road driving and racing is affected by your mind. Former off-road motorcycle star Chris Blais has the mind of a true off-roader and a racer. KTM is a rally powerhouse now, but when the company first got serious about the sport, KTM held tryouts in the desert. Blais impressed enough to earn a spot on the team for the Dakar Rally in South America. He…

-- UTV TEST --   By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- The Kawasaki Mule line has been around for 30 years, and for much of that time these were bare-bones utility machines that were all about work. Then Kawasaki introduced the Mule Pro lineup. Kawasaki fully intended for the Mule Pro line to be better-appointed utility machines but still basically worker bees. It wasn’t long before market research showed that Mule Pro machinery was spending a lot more time on the trail than Kawasaki expected. The new-for-2018 Mule…

-- FIRST RIDE: This Cat likes it rough! -- By the staff of Dirt Wheels Suspension has been a point of pride for Wildcat X models. When the X was first released, the 18 inches of rear-wheel travel and the 17 inches of front-wheel travel set the bar very high for the competition. Now, with Arctic Cat absorbed by Textron Off Road, comes the Wildcat XX—the first truly new high-performance Wildcat in far too long. While the Wildcat shares some residual DNA from the Wildcat X, the XX is a truly new machine built with a…

-- Horsepower kings go head to head -- In the production UTV world of colossal horsepower and monstrous torque, there are two brands that stand in a power struggle atop the sport UTV world. The two companies that offer these titans of the UTV world are Polaris and Can-Am. The machines we’re speaking of are the Can-Am Maverick X3 X rs and Polaris RZR XP Turbo Dynamix. This contest shows no sign of ending, and it’s not just an engine power struggle; it’s a fight to have the best suspension, most comfort, superior 4WD,…

An affordable UTV for young drivers

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…

Our experience with the all new Polaris Turbo S. This machine is nothing like any stock machine we have seen before. Polaris is really stepping up their game to make the competitors work hard. At 72" wide for a stock machine, along with a reinforced chassis and 32" tires, this impressive vehicle will be hard to beat.

-- Big power in a compact package, By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- You might ask why a company would have a 900 and a 1000 in the same model. We rate it as a good question, since we had the same one in mind. The question gains weight when you consider that the 900 is actually 924cc and the 1000 is a 976cc engine. Hisun even has Strike 800s, though they are 2016 models. The 900 also shares the typical Hisun high level of standard features, as well as an atypical two-year manufacturer warranty. Among the standard…

-- Built for battling the elements, By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- Ever since the Can-Am Maverick X3 Turbo was released, we have been greedily awaiting the most trick builds to appear, and without a doubt, Steve Bechard built an X3 masterpiece. This machine was designed and dubbed the “War Wagon X3” after his daughter, who is a military crew chief and medic of a Medevac Black Hawk helicopter overseas. Every part that was involved in this build was chosen for performance, strength or durability—from the heavy-duty roll…

-- A manual-shift Yamaha that works! By the staff of Dirt Wheels -- What do you do if you already have a high-powered Polaris RZR XP 1000 punched out to 1100cc? If you are Brian Carle, you buy a stick-shift Yamaha YXZ1000R to add to the stable. He is fortunate to live where he has plenty of room to drive. He stays with his trusty RZR for slow and technical outings and turns to the YXZ for faster, more open conditions. He lives in a rural desert area and has many opportunities to hit the trails, and he is often out on…