American-Made Race-Ready 450 ATV
We recently received an invite from Highland to join them out at Starwest MX in Perris, CA, to throw a leg over what they consider a new race-ready 450 ATV. Originally based out of Sweden, this company is now based out of Tulsa, OK, and is determined to make its presence known in the ATV industry by releasing the 450 ATX Quad Racer, which will be marketed as a high-quality and high-performance package available right off the dealer floor. While the machine we were able to test was still in the early stages of testing and required some fine-tuning, it was easy to see that this company wanted it to have the best of the best.
The fully aluminum frame holds the powerful Highland 450cc 4-stroke, 4-valve liquid-cooled engine that is fuel-injected and will put out between 55 and 60 horsepower as it is delivered to the customer. As I was told, the machine will have the ability to be custom tailored to the rider in ways like peg, bar and seat height at the time the customer orders the machine. The new ATV will already come outfitted with high-end components like Pro Taper bars, Hi-Per wheels and Elka shocks installed all the way around. Since this machine will come with many performance features as a standard, the price tag on these machines will reflect that as well. Their goal is to be three to four thousand dollars more than a production-based 450cc machine with all the high-end upgrades you want already installed.
Once we had the green light to throw a leg over this machine, it was a mad dash to the truck to gear up and hit the track. Right off the bat it was easy to tell that this engine had plenty of power on tap. For the tight MX track that we had to test on, the only gear that was needed was Third. The engine produced plenty of torque to launch us over every jump on the track and pulled extremely hard into the upper end of the powerband. On the handling side, I wasn't quite as comfortable since the machine was set up for a significantly larger rider than myself, but since this machine is still in the early stages of development, the engineers know that there is room for improvement and asked us for our input.
The Highland 450 ATX definitely has potential in the performance ATV world with some time and refinement with the design of their product. Word in the pits was that they were also working on a 950cc V-twin and 700cc 2-stroke with direct fuel injection that could be released in the future. Make sure to keep your eyes on this company for some new innovative products in the future on their website at www.ushighland.com.
MOTOWOZ Releases New XC Piggyback Shocks
Just in time for those of you who are prepping machines for the 2010 GNCC or Off-Road race season, MOTOWOZ has announced the release of their new XC Piggyback front shocks. These shocks feature an exclusive "tucked-in" piggyback reservoir configuration that provides an enhanced fit, improved durability and XC-specific springs.
"We engineered the shock this way because our experience has shown most racers will run some type of a long-travel A-arm. With the traditional piggyback design, the shocks' reservoir can hit the upper A-arm in the backside of the ball joint area as the shock moves deeper into its travel," explained Jim Jaworski, MOTOWOZ president. "Our compact design eliminates that problem." By making the overall package of the shocks more compact, they also stick out from the quad less, which makes them less prone to make contact with another quad or obstacle on the trail.
In addition to being more compact, the MOTOWOZ XC Piggyback shock features Adjustable Spring Progression (ASP), which gives the rider or shock tuner endless adjustment scenarios for off-road racing. The shocks are compression and rebound adjustable and include a particular triple-rate XC Spring package that has been specifically calibrated for cross-country or off-road applications.
For more information on the MOTOWOZ XC Piggyback Shocks or any of their other products, visit their website at www.motowoz.com.
Honored American Veterans Afield (H.A.V.A.) Hosts 2nd Annual National Family Day With Support From Yamaha
Honored American Veterans Afield (H.A.V.A.) hosted the organization's 2nd Annual National Family Day Saturday, November 14, 2009, at the National Shooting Complex in San Antonio, TX. The event was attended by 89 disabled veterans and active military personnel from various posts in the San Antonio area. All of the attendees also brought family and friends for a fun-filled day that had activities such as shooting demonstrations, range time, food, prizes and musical entertainment, which drew both national and local support.
"Our mission to serve these American Heroes was accomplished on all fronts," claimed Tom Taylor, H.A.V.A. Chairman. "In our second year to host this event, we more than doubled the number of participants and had a tremendous outpouring of volunteer support from the industry and other organizations in order to make the day a tremendous success. We were asked many times if we plan to host a 3rd annual event and we have committed to do so on November 13, 2010."
Yamaha Motor Corp., is one of six outdoor industry-leading manufacturers serving as the founders of H.A.V.A.. As part of the H.A.V.A.'s continued efforts to facilitate hunting and shooting activities for veterans, Yamaha, among others, supported, staffed and sponsored the 2nd Annual National Family Day event.