I was 5 years old when my dad purchased our family's very first off-road vehicle, a 1976 Honda ATC 90. For those who don't remember, that was a three-wheeler, and my dad bought it primarily for hunting purposes. As I learned to ride in those early days, I can remember steering that ATC toward anything that seemed challenging or even the slightest bit difficult. If there was a mud puddle or hole in sight, I aimed for it without hesitation. But at that time, there really was no such thing as a mud rider or mud-riding enthusiasts. It really wasn't until many years later when ATVs (four-wheelers) were first introduced that riders began becoming increasingly interested in dunking their machines into deep slop-filled holes. In fact, it wasn't until 1986 when Honda released its first four-wheel-drive unit, the FourTrax 4x4 (TRX350), that mud riding really began to gain its footing as a segment of the ATV community. Now that all four wheels were pulling the machine, rather than two, it just made getting through the muck that much easier. And so it began!
As four-wheel-drive units continued to hit the market, this mud revolution really started to gain momentum and hasn't slowed down since. Now that the right type of machines were available to conquer gnarly terrains, groups of riders and ATV clubs would gather at ride parks across the country for weekend recreational rides. Daring each other to jump into massive mudholes to see who would exit first and unscathed eventually spawned into one of the most powerful ATV revolutions that any of us have ever seen-the mudder movement, that is!
Over the years, mud riding has snowballed into massive gatherings of mud enthusiasts, jamborees and there's now a national mud racing series. If you don't believe me, you'll just have to see it for yourselves. The options have been endless in these later days. You can more than likely hit up your local riding area for smaller mud bog competitions, make the trek to larger events like the High Lifter Mud Nationals or even compete in a national mud racing series, such as the Championship Mud Racing (CMR) series. This riding segment didn't hit the scene and blow up overnight; it's been quietly brewing for more than 20 years. The vast array of events, people and aftermarket products these days proves that mud riding is more than just a fad, it's a movement that's strong and here to stay. And that's why we're dedicating this issue of ATV Rider Magazine to all of the mudders.
I've always been a huge fan of hitting up wet snotty trails because that's the terrain that Mother Nature has delivered to the Southern states where I've lived my whole life. This year alone, I've visited three of the largest mud festivals-the Okeechobee Mud Fest, High Lifter Mud Nationals and the Texas Mudfest. I'm absolutely blown away by these massive Woodstock-size events, great people in attendance and even the major sponsors that have jumped on board. As I prepare to attend my next mud event, I've also decided to compete on a special machine that we'll be unpacking in this issue.
To be honest, we have quite a few great stories packed into our September issue. My good buddy Rick Sosebee has taken Can-Am's Outlander 650 and seriously hopped up the motor, lifted it, mounted up a gnarly set of treads, snorkeled it and has injected a blistering fast nitrous system with the help and guidance of select aftermarket companies that specialize in mud. This quad is going to be one bad mudda, and we can't wait for you to check it out. But we're not going to stop at the build and test-I'm actually going to compete at one of the upcoming rounds of the CMR series aboard this monster! So stay tuned and I'll reveal all of the details about my experience.
And for those who seek a machine that can handle a decent amount of mud but your focus is more on your family, we've built the ultimate recreational Yamaha Rhino. Yes, we've built it to tackle a good bit of mud, but more importantly, it'll allow you and your family to enjoy a great weekend of riding together. Aside from the build stories, for those who are having difficulty picking out the right mud tire for your machine, we've compiled all of the hottest tires on the market today. We're hoping that it will help you in narrowing down the perfect mud tire for your machine.
There's so much more in this issue that we hope would get any mud enthusiast excited-from coverage of the Texas Mudfest to building your own snorkel kit. So dive in and get wet. We surely hope that you dig our special-edition mud issue of ATVR.