The Suzuki KingQuad has been around for a long time. Growing from a minuscule 250cc four-stroke in a meagerly suspended chassis with a very cantankerous shifting system into the 750cc monster it is today. All of its original features made it a capable little quad that could outwork seemingly stronger and larger units with efficiency and a usable and durable package. Smart on Suzuki's part to make the selling features actually work as opposed to just seeming like a good idea at the time of purchase.inline_mediumwraptextright31161354/quads/0911_atvp_suzuki_kingquad_7500911_atvp_01_z+Suzuki_KingQuad_750AXi+lead_shot.jpgTrue

Fasst Company:
www.fasstco.com
562/601-8119
Flexx bars: $329.99

Upon arrival to Wyoming, Minnesota, home of Polaris Industries' impressive R&D facility, I've just got to come out and say this: I was intensely overwhelmed by the sheer number of updated and brand-new units Polaris had unveiled for its 2010 ATV and side-by-side lineup. From an economic standpoint, it's certainly exceptional and worthy of applause that Polaris is staying on the gas and powering through with innovation in these most difficult times. The downside? How do I even begin to cram all of this information into six pages? For obvious reasons that's just not going to happen, which brings me to my next bone of contention. Exactly which models are most deserving of the spotlight from the Polaris camp?

There's no disputing the overwhelming popularity of Yamaha's almighty Raptor. Its aggressive appearance and 700cc powerplant are just a few of the reasons the Raptor ranks number one as America's top-selling sport ATVs. Its smooth power delivery and overall ease of operation have given the Raptor the reputation of being the perfect machine for enthusiasts, but what you may not realize is that like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the Raptor also has an inner monster that's just waiting to be unleashed.

When we first stumbled across the Redline booth at the Indianapolis Dealer Expo a few years ago, we never knew it would change our lives. After years of yearning for a ride in one of its unique machines, we finally got the opportunity to put the Riot and Revolt XL through their paces at Georgia's Broad River Adventure Park. To say we came away impressed would be a huge understatement; Redline's products have set the bar so high for us that nothing else really seems adequate anymore.

With news of an approaching Can-Am 2010 product introduction words couldn't possibly express the anticipation felt by the ATV Rider staff. A rumor has been spreading of Can-Am UTV development, and this could possibly be the moment we've all been anxiously awaiting. I'll spare you the suspense and tell you the UTV was nowhere to be found, but I have a growing suspicion that the grueling wait is almost over. Can-Am is known to be one of the world's most innovative ATV manufacturers, and remaining true to this reputation, its new model releases were quite impressive. While numerous changes have been made to the 2010 lineup, there are three distinct features that drew my attention.

After realizing we needed to eventually get out of the creek, a quick blast on the throttle and we popped out the other side. It was truly amazing what this quad could handle. With the Jensen Heavy Duty stereo playing we sat along the creek bank chatting about where to go next. The antenna could have been a bit better, but Jensen does have an upgrade for the far out places. After a few discussions we hit the deep spot again and soon realized that attention to factory seals and thorough troubleshooting the CVT back plate would have kept us from towing the big beast out. Even though it had to be towed it did give us a chance to test our new Gorilla XT 2500 series winch, and it performed flawlessly for all 1.5 miles back to the fort. All in all, our Brute did what we wanted it to do all while staying in the price range we chose. The major lesson learned: Be sure to properly seal everything that could possibly suck in water. In the long run, it'll keep you out having fun and tackling the off-road for many hours to come.

Test Riders: Johnny Jovanovic, Dale Batson, Brad Skelton, Mark Batson, Jorge Cuartas

In recent years the UTV has left the farm and secured its place among ATVs in every form of off-road use. Their large size and stature can falsely give these vehicles the appearance of being limited strictly to utility use, but this is certainly not the case. They can be found with hunters behind the wheel conquering treacherous terrain or going to extremes and braving the Baja 1000. If you haven't experienced the excitement that UTVs offer, seize the moment when the opportunity presents itself. I promise you won't be disappointed.

We've been tossing around the idea of a "This Old Quad" feature for months now; the idea was to take applications from our readers, review which project had the most potential, and help one lucky soul bring their beat-up ATV back to life, kind of like "Extreme Home Makeover" or "Pimp My Ride" but for ATVs. Unfortunately, the economy, gas prices and procrastination have kept it at just that: an idea. The thought of taking some poor soul (like you) and helping them bring their old beater back to life was intriguing, and would allow us to bask in the rare "good guys" light for a while, but the logistics were too much of a hurdle, essentially putting the idea on "indefinite back burner" status.

The Can-Am DS 450 is one of the most innovative sport ATVs to hit the market in a long time. The weld-less aluminum frame, inverted front brakes and amazing power-to-weight ratio are just a few of the features that caught everyone off guard when it first dropped. But the DS wasn't perfect; the power was very top-end heavy, and we felt like the handling was compromised by a tall ride height and excessive body roll. But with the right parts, those problems are easily corrected. So we became convinced we could build a project bike that would use all the strengths of the stock DS 450 while ironing out some of its kinks.

FST Kawasaki V-Force
It's been a frequent occurrence throughout the years. I'll find myself hanging out along the tight, technical and green-canopied sections of the Grand National Cross Country series racecourse in order to capture all the action on my camera. All of a sudden, an orange streak of lightning blazes past before my camera has the chance to lock in and focus. This streak of orange light hits and vanishes so quickly that I'm often left with nothing more than an orange blur captured by my camera. By no means do I believe this to be some spooky orb or strange phenomenon (OK, maybe a little); this occurrence is nothing less than the passing of the blistering fast and talented GNCC racer Mike Benson.

In recent years the level of competition in ATV racing has increased at an astounding rate. Changes in ATVA regulations such as the mandatory use of stock frames and engine cases paved the way for major manufacturers to get involved and produce highly competitive machines. There's no manufacturer that wouldn't like to be on top, and it's this battle for the number one plate that brought new career opportunities to the top racers. Corporate paychecks now allow competitors to spend their days training and practicing, unlike their predecessors who had to work a nine-to-five to make ends meet then prep mind, body and machine on what time they could squeeze out.

Suzuki Z400
Back in June, Suzuki made vast changes to the already popular Z400 sport ATV. When we had our chance to look at it for the first time, there were plenty of reasons for us to be impressed. The biggest and most notable change was the introduction of a fuel-injected powerplant that caused many heads to turn. Suzuki claimed the engine put out a significant amount of power across the board, which left it beginner-friendly with options of upgrading in the future.

People will do almost anything to get their most recent ATV or side-by-side creations featured in our magazine, and we love how crazy it gets! Becoming jaded by the status quo or what many of us would consider average, we seem to be drawn toward those rare exotic and simply amazing rides that leave us dragging our jaws back to our trucks. Nestled deep in the thick wooded hills of North Carolina, there is just such a creation, and with our curiosity piqued, we not only wanted to view it with our own eyes, we wanted to pilot this beast.

2009 Arctic Cat 700 H1 EFI MudPro
Have you ever pulled up to a deep nasty mudhole and were dared to sink your quad, but you knew if you did, that would certainly be the end of your finely tuned motor? But if you didn't, your buddies would get endless laughs for the rest of the day at your expense. It's happened to most of us at least once or twice in our lives, but from now on this won't be a problem as Arctic Cat has come to the rescue with the release of its new mud-ready-right-from-the-factory ATV, the MudPro 700 H1 EFI. When we got the invite from Arctic Cat to not only grab our first ride, but to actually put it to the ultimate test by competing on it at the last round of the Championship Mud Racing Series, surely you can imagine just how excited we were.

2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 FI 4x4 SportHaving become more of a UTVer than ATVer in the last couple of months, I was unimaginably excited to be invited to the intro for Kawasaki's 2009 Teryx 750 FI 4x4 Sport. The prospect of getting out of the freezing rain of Georgia and into the mild desert climates of Arizona was enticing enough, but add to that the idea of spending a day riding in the desert and you could very well call it a dream vacation. Having spent limited time on the '08 Teryx and zero time in the desert, I was curious as to how the Teryx (not to mention myself) would handle the terrain and yearning to log as much seat time as possible during the brief mid-week trip.

Yamaha YFZ450R
In 2004, Yamaha took the sport ATV world by storm with the release of the YFZ450. This was the first true sport-performance ATV in its class that featured technology straight from the popular YZ-F dirt bike. Soon after the debut, many other manufacturers joined the bandwagon with their own versions of high-performance 450cc-based machines and tried to compete for this extremely popular market share. Not only did this machine attract many of the top ATV racers in the nation, but it also drew a huge customer base that wanted a high-performance machine. Since its release, it has been the hottest-selling sport-performance ATV on the market.

Kawasaki KFX 450 R
Over the past year, we've had quite a bit of seat time aboard Kawasaki's latest sport creation, the KFX450R. Other than some cosmetic updates, the KFX has been virtually unchanged since it's 2008 release. And if you're familiar with our past comparisons of the seven 450-class ATVs in early 2008, you're already aware the KFX didn't fare well. In fact, it actually landed near the bottom of our seven sport quad shootout and was in fact last among the Japanese entries. On paper the KFX looks as if it should be near the top of the pile and perhaps first for some applications such as XC-type racing. After all, it possesses some unique and high-performance features such as an aluminum frame, fuel injection, a great handlebar and a whole list of things that somehow just didn't end up panning out on dirt.

Duncan Racing Banshee Dune RunnerFew ATVs have a cult following like that of the Yamaha Banshee. Maybe it's because few ATVs give the rider such a unique experience. The sound and visceral feeling of cracking the throttle on a twin-cylinder two-stroke was unparalleled back in 1987, and arguably still to this day. Even with the hostile takeover of high-performance four-strokes, Banshees are still the platform of choice for many duners, drag racers and hill shooters alike. The Banshee has definitely faded out of the mainstream into the realm of nostalgia, but it's not gone yet, and this Duncan Racing duner is proof.

A highly potent 1000cc motor propelling a side-by-side sounds like a lot, and that's because it is a lot! Right? In late 2007, Arctic Cat wowed the ATV community by unleashing its astonishing 1000cc motor in the form of the Thundercat 1000 4x4 utility ATV. Obviously, the critics claimed the release was outrageous while others were more than stoked about these huge power gains. No matter how people felt about it, it was in fact the most powerful production ATV on the planet. Since its release, this type of power from a stock ATV has not been replicated-that is until now. It was not long after the Thundercat's release that many in the ATV community, including myself, began predicting that it was just a matter of time before Arctic Cat dropped that 1000cc motor into its well-known side-by-side, the Prowler. You could call me a prophet of sorts, but in my mind, it really just seemed like the likely next step in the race for side-by-side supremacy.

Honda Foreman 500 PS 4x4 Mudder Project
Crafting together great mudworthy quads has become an obsession here at ATV Rider Magazine. After rethinking some ideas about the most commonly built quads, we decided an example should be set for the affordable mild-mannered mudbugs. Locating mods that are in a manageable price range for any quad rider to purchase and bolt on with ease was our goal. We found that most mud connoisseurs want to be able to ride comfortably while on the trails, yet still want the capability to plunge deep into bogs while exiting without disaster. Creating an affordable machine that could do both isn't hard, and if you can control your ego, it doesn't require exuberant amounts of cash either. But you might have to pass up on some of the bling.

2008 KTM 450 XC Woods Racer
Over the past few years we impatiently waited in suspense as rumors of a new sport quad being developed by KTM circulated within the ATV community. Earlier this year the gossip was silenced when KTM announced the release of not one but two race-ready ATVs. Race-ready? This isn't the first time we've heard this claim, and with the Austrian company having no prior experience in the development of ATVs, I have to admit that we had our doubts about these two. The media intro event would be our first encounter with the two XCs, and after a day in the saddle, our initial impression was that KTM had lived up to the remarkable reputation it has earned in the two-wheeled market. We reported our review, but with no competition available at the intro, ranking of this new machine had to wait until June for our 450 shootout. Our regular readers are familiar with the results of this challenge, but for those just joining us, you'll be astonished to learn that the 450 XC was unanimously voted King of the Hill against six other 450s in its class. This is an amazing feat for a manufacturer to accomplish with its first production ATV, but the question that's on everyone's mind has yet to be answered. Is it really race-ready?

Brute Force 750 4x4i Vs. Ocala's Sand Whoops
After an exhausting few months of deadlines and lack of much-needed playtime, the call for an exhilarating adventure couldn't have come my way at a more appropriate time. An adventuresome staff member over at Kawasaki had invited me on a low-key yet exciting journey south to Florida's Ocala National Forest for a day of relieving stress and knocking out some hard-whooped miles aboard the 2008 Brute Force 750 4x4i. You don't have to ask me twice, I'm in! Next thing I knew, I'm hopping states on a tiny plane headed for alligator territory. No worries, though, I was going riding, and that's all that mattered to me.

If you've ever raced an ATV, you're certainly aware of the three main ingredients needed to win: a good-handling suspension to keep you on all fours, a reliable motor with strong power to keep you at the front of the pack, and an intense physical conditioning and endurance to help you grab and hold that lead. Even though true physical fitness can't be bought, there are countless companies that offer parts that can help you obtain these very important ingredients. From engine kits to suspension systems, there are endless possibilities from which to choose. But as a consumer, there are many things to consider before purchasing parts and starting your build. We want to stress the point of making sure that you're buying good-quality parts, while considering the amount of maintenance that will be required once your build is complete.