As a new owner of a Polaris RZR 4 I soon found out the stock skid plate wouldn't provide adequate protection for what I was going to throw at it. My side-by-side-driving buddies all have two-seat units and have been extreme trail riding for years. I quickly found myself doing things in a UTV that I never could imagine being done. The RZR can go wherever they can, but the longer wheelbase makes it prone to some hard undercarriage hits, getting hung up on high-setting obstacles and hillcrests. After four trips out with the new RZR I decided to finally grin and bear it and see what all those loud, disturbing noises resulted in. The undercarriage was showing some real signs of abuse. The frame was getting scraped up, the stock skid plate was warping in places, and the unprotected outer area was showing gouges. It couldn't endure this much longer without damage to internal parts occurring. This is when I decided it would be a wise investment to get a full-frame skid plate protective system from Tusk.

It never seems to fail for me. Every time I head out to the dunes to shred the sand with friends and family, I snap my fiberglass whip at least once. Making things worse is that most conventional whip mounts, quick-release or not, usually require me to shove the whip back into a tight-fitting bolt-like clamping device that doesn’t allow for the expanded size of the splintered whip. Aside from my frustration at not having the proper tools to cut the whip so I can securely remount it in the holder, the shards of fiberglass working their way into my hands have in the past definitely ruined a day of riding for me—until now.

Let’s be honest, getting robbed sucks! Trust me, I’m speaking from experience… If you’re as unlucky as I am and you’ve had a dirtbag take your valuable gear right out from under your eyes, take a gander at what the folks from Kryptonite have going on. We tested an Evolution Series 4 Disc Lock and a 30-foot KryptoFlex looped cable. The disc lock is typically designed to put on the disc brake of a motorcycle or scooter, but we know our readers are way to cool to ride one of those sliders. The small size of the Evolution lock makes it the perfect fit to throw in the storage box of your ATV or side-by-side as well. With a 30-foot-long cable, you’ll have plenty of extra cable to lock up several of your rides.

When it comes to goggles, I can be what some might consider a snob. When I find a pair of goggles that fits my face right I stick with them because I don’t want to deal with the hassle of dirt and dust getting into my eyes while I’m riding or endure a frame that puts uncomfortable pressure on my face. I recently took a trip to the Oregon coast for some epic dune riding in Winchester Bay and was given a pair of the Dragon MDX Privateer goggles. To say I was skeptical about these would be an understatement, but I took a liking to the blue matte finish that make them look pretty darn cool. I put them up to my face and the frame seemed a bit on the small side, but the foam felt pretty comfortable and there wasn’t any immediate discomfort around the nose area.

As most of you have experienced, working on our ATVs and UTVs ourselves has become somewhat of a must-do in order to save the cash we have for the fuel to go in them. This means creating new ways to gain valuable horsepower and overall perfected performance without buying hundreds of dollars in bolt-on gadgets. As you may or may not know, the simplest way to get a few extra ponies in any gas-burning vehicle is to fine-tune the fuel mix or air-fuel ratio. The risk of getting the mix wrong can be as simple as a rough-running plug-fouling rattle can or destroying the engine itself completely.

One look at the CST Abuzz and the aggressive tread pattern should clue you in that these tires mean business. So you’ve never heard of CST? Cheng Shin Tire, or CST, is the same company famous for the Maxxis tire brand known all over the world. Don’t believe us? Look closely at your favorite Maxxis tire and you’ll see Cheng Shin printed on it!

From the September/October 2011 issue of ATV Rider Magazine

From the September/October 2011 issue of ATV Rider Magazine

From the September/October 2011 issue of ATV Rider Magazine

When it comes time to beef up the performance of your Polaris RZR, there’s no better or easier way on the planet to make horsepower than by adding a turbo. For the last few years, several companies in the turbo game have entered the market. However, none produce a kit that installs as easily or provides as much reliability as the turbo offered by MCX-USA. Take one trip to Glamis and you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting someone rocking a turbo on their rig. In my neck of the woods in heavenly Appalachia, though, turbos on side-by-sides aren’t nearly as prevalent. The main reason is that running an intercooled turbo in the mud creates a different set of challenges than running one in the dunes. Dependent upon your wheeling locale, MCX-USA or Complete Performance has you covered if a turbo is at the top of your wish list!

Each year we attend the biggest event of the mud riding season, the High Lifter ATV Mud Nationals in Jacksonville, Texas. At this event we will see many products that make the fun of mud riding possible. With the invention of things like huge tires and lifts the once-nonexistent industry has soared to new heights. With bigger tires and suspension that’s tweaked for deep bogging the engine also needs some additional modifications to hold it all together. In no particular order, we name a few items that many mudders consider essential to really enjoy the art of muddin’.

A tow strap is one of those items that many riders feel is an absolute must-have on an ATV or SxS but, for various reasons, choose not to carry. First off, a general lack of storage space, and second, dealing with it after you've used it in wet or muddy conditions. After pulling people who are stuck in a swamp filled with stagnant water, the last thing I've ever wanted to do was wind up a strap and stow it with the rest of my gear or anything else I have in my storage. Tiger Tail has realized this and bestowed upon the world its Tiger Tail AT/UT self-retracting tow strap.

I am very particular about wearing goggles that fit my face properly. There's nothing more annoying than a goggle that doesn't quite fit and passes dirt through gaps where the foam doesn't touch your face or puts uncomfortable pressure on the bridge of your nose. When I got my hands on Oakley's Mayhem MX goggle I was excited to try it because I've always been a fan of the fit. The fact that this goggle comes with a removable nose guard, spare tinted lens and pack of laminated tear-offs for $75 makes it an even better bargain. With new goggle in hand I went to the local motocross track for a test drive.

Despite having more leg injuries than most war veterans, I've avoided knee braces throughout my entire injury-filled off-road career. The thought of wearing knee braces while riding or racing has always somewhat turned me off; after all, they look bulky, uncomfortable and seem like they would impede mobility, not to mention they're expensive and require a ton of insurance red tape in order to be fitted. I honestly never guessed I'd be wearing knee braces, but a return to motocross and a fear of further injury did wonders for opening my mind to the idea of seeking out good knee protection. Researching braces was a bit frustrating, and more than one manufacturer required medical insurance and a doctor's prescription. The problem is, most doctors are so micromanaged by the insurance companies that they can't write you a scrip until you've actually destroyed your knee. Preventative medicine is out of pocket for the most part. An over-the-counter brace would have to do, so the research turned me toward EVS. As vain as it may sound, it was the look of the EVS Web knee brace that first got me curious; I'm a sucker for carbon fiber, and the Web is not only constructed of the sweetest carbon fiber I've seen, it is styled like a futuristic hot rod. Sizing was fairly easy and only required a thigh and calf measurement, pretty much squashing the myth about needing a doctor or custom brace.

Dubach Racing
Raptor 125 Complete Exhaust System

Price: $499

If you're looking to shave two pounds of weight and increase the power from the nimble Raptor 125, simply add on one of these systems.

www.dubachracing.com

951/808-1114
877/382-2241

If you want to score some points with your "Tender Roni" during the cold winter months in the Salt Belt, be sure to Tweet her friends and let them know that she "looks finer than a new set of snow tires"! If you want to score bragging rights with your riding buddies during the winter, check out Kenda's Snow Mad tire. It's a common misconception that sport quads and snow don't get along. Long story short, your sport quad's snow prowess is almost completely dependent on the type of tires you choose. For those who battle snow for several months out of the year, bucking up for a set of Kenda Snow Mads might be your ticket to supreme snow-topia.

When my first set of Forma boots arrived on my doorstep, I was pretty stoked; they looked cool, felt light and made me want to ride. The stars aligned (for once) that weekend, and I found myself at the local MX track with nothing to do but ride. I pounded a few laps in order to get comfortable with the track, came in to the pits and pulled out my new Forma Dominator Comp boots. Visually, they look pretty sweet and comparable to most other boots in their lower $300 price range; the chrome and gold accents looked a bit blingin', but overall they're good-looking boots. Everything from the leather and synthetic material upper to the steel toecap and suede leather heat protector looked top-notch.

Stock tires are sufficient for a while but often lack performance for a variety of terrains and conditions and puncture easily due to low-cost construction. It's not unusual for me to puncture new stock meats in their first 10 miles, but I surprisingly traversed 100 miles before blowing my Polaris Ranger's right rear. My replacement set needed to possess a higher ply rating for improved durability and a slightly more aggressive lug pattern, all while maintaining a comfortable ride. I chose a newer tire named TrailFinder, which met my requirements perfectly.

From the November/December issue of ATV Rider Magazine

I'm extremely passionate about two subjects: all things off-road and my Apple iPad. So you can imagine how stoked I was that Bike Bandit released a special iPad app that paired my two main interests. This app allows you to view schematics of any ATV and motorcycle, will tell you if Bike Bandit has that part in stock, how much the product will cost, the part number and makes it available to order right from your iPad or iPhone. This complete setup is downloadable for free, and the schematics page can be a huge benefit when you're wrenching and need help with the individual parts.

EKS GOX Limited Goggle

It's hard to say that the shock Mike Hallock of Exit Suspension developed for the Can-Am Outlander is merely just a good shock because its abilities and performance enhancements stretch far beyond good. Mike has a great sense for listening to racers, converting their information into usable knowledge and applying that knowledge to create a formidable shock that is second to none. The first set of Exit shocks that he developed and we tested was very good. But the thing is, races are the testing grounds for the everyday rider, and Mike listened to our feedback and tweaked things to perfection. Many companies seem to have lost sight of that, but not Mike. Oftentimes racers get their shocks dialed in to perfection, but after sending them off for a rebuild, the shocks come back well off the mark.