UTV Tests

By the staff of Dirt Wheels CUTTING EDGE FABRICATION YAMAHA YXZ1000 Ralph Fickett and his son Shawn are long-time off-road diehards who have embraced the world of UTVs. Ralph has been involved with quads, dirt bikes, and snowmobiles; in fact, any toy with a gas engine, so he was open to the UTV world. Thus they came up with their  Cutting Edge Fabrication Yamaha YXZ1000. He jumped in when Can-Am came out with the first Maverick 1000. Before starting his own fab shop, Cutting Edge Fabrication, Ralph’s…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels BATTLE-PROVEN RZR S 4 Polaris introduced the four-seat RZR S at the Sand Show in Orange County in 2018. In addition to a few complete cars, including ours, Polaris had a bare rolling chassis on display. Of course, we had already tested and spent time in the two-seat RZR S. Its 72-inch track width, amazing computerized Dynamix suspension, long travel, and 32-inch tires on 15-inch wheels were impressive. For us, though, the RZR S two-seater squatted under acceleration, and the rear end…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels WORKHORSE IN FORCE There isn’t much that sells better than a machine meant to get work done. We recently went on the hunt to help our friend John Gordon find the perfect UTV for his business. He spends hours on his ranch moving around equipment, towing small trailers, moving industrial pipe and boiler equipment, grading his property, and transporting his crew on job sites. Occasionally, he likes to take his friends and family members on adventures around his ranch and the surrounding…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 CFMOTO UFORCE 1000 While the sport 1000s and turbos get all the fanfare, it’s the utility machine that manufacturers sell most. This segment has a crazy number of offerings from all the major manufacturers. In fact, some brands have multiple offerings in the same category to attract buyers with different budgets. In the June issue, we featured a comparison between the Polaris Ranger 1000 and the Ranger XP 1000 and learned you don’t have to pay more to get more of what you need.…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels X3 CAN-AM MUDDER The off-road and side-by-side culture is thriving these days. Stock and modified machines are dotting the trails and tracks across the country and around the world. What’s interesting is how different regions of this country build machines for their particular terrain. Many of these examples are way beyond stock equipment. From the $150,000 desert racers out West to wild mud rigs of the south, they sure do draw a lot of attention. We recently caught up with a builder…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 CAN-AM MAVERICK X3 X RC TURBO RR When Can-Am introduced the Maverick X3 X rc Turbo R in 2018, it was an immediate sales success. Not only did it have that great 72-inch track width and long-travel suspension like the premium performance X3 X rs Turbo R, but it came stock with highly desirable features. For 2020, the model designation includes an “RR” that replaces the “R” of that 2018. The single R designates 172 horsepower and the double RR reveals that the 2020 has a whopping 195…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 POLARIS RZR PRO XP 4 PREMIUM Polaris debuted the great new RZR Pro XP for 2020, and given the success that the brand has had with four-seat machines, it was only a matter of time. That time has come, and the RZR Pro XP 4 is here. In addition to the base RZR Pro XP 4, the new machine is available as an RZR Pro XP 4 Premium and an RZR Pro XP 4 Ultimate. Our test unit was an RZR Pro XP 4 Premium. In terms of driveline and suspension performance, there is no difference between the…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels 2020 POLARIS GENERAL XP 4 1000 DELUXE From the very first time we saw or, more accurately, rode in the General 4, we were fans. Even though the suspension travel was on the modest side as far as sports machines go, it is on the generous side for recreation utility models. And then there is that cab. Great seating, comfort, and an interior fit and finish that are as refreshing as it is unexpected in the UTV world. Now, with the General XP models, Polaris has super-sized the General…

By the staff of Dirt Wheels ENTER THE WOLVERINE RMAX Compared to the Wolverine X4,  our 2021 Yamaha Wolverine RMAX4 Limited Edition has got a radical upgrade in power and suspension, so we are far more than satisfied. The smooth and effective X4 847cc engine we liked so much has been punched out to 999cc. Yamaha wanted the most power in the Sport/Rec class. That means facing off with the Polaris General, Honda Pioneer 1000 and others. It easily delivers with sport 1000-horsepower numbers, but with drivability that…

 By the staff of Dirt Wheels MAXXIS KAWASAKI KRX TRAIL TEST Maxxis race rep Mike Farmer cut his teeth in the dirt-burning laps on motocross tracks. But, UTVs have gradually pushed his dirt bikes out of the garage. Part of the reason was moving his family to southern Utah with its incredible opportunities for adventure off-roading. The Kawasaki KRX 1000 we tested here is his third UTV, after a Polaris XP 1000 4 and a single-seat Polaris RS1, and Mike has no plans to allow the RS1 to leave the garage in the future.…

Toys on top By the staff of Dirt Wheels PROJECT UTV: Do you know that Hair Club commercial where the spokesman claims that he doesn’t simply own the company but he is also a client? The same applies to Travis Gardner and Ryan Flanders. Together they own Kombustion Motorsports in Salt Lake Valley, Utah. And like the guy from Hair Club, they not only build trick UTVs for customers, they are customers. A few years ago we experienced rock crawling in Flanders’ Polaris RZR XP 1000 4. Since then he and his wife Kristen have…

HONDA VS. POLARIS:  Performance meets supreme comfort By the staff of Dirt Wheels HONDA TALON VS. POLARIS GENERAL At first glance, a comparison between a sport machine like Honda’s Talon 1000X-4 and a sports recreation model like the Polaris General XP 4 Deluxe might seem somewhat odd and perhaps even ill-advised. But, as we looked a little closer, it started to look like a natural comparison. Although it wasn’t one of the facets that prompted the comparison, both machines are new models for 2020. Certainly,…