Recreational

Detroit’s Downtown Athletic Club seems like an unlikely location for a new model introduction.  It is more of a combination art museum and monument to captains of industry, as member plaques ring out names such as Ford, Dodge, Chrysler, and Briggs.  It’s easy to get the feeling that without a major factory with your name on it, you don’t get in.  The Detroit Athletic Club is about as far from a trail as you can get, but what we had come to see was unlike anything on the trail anyway.

It takes more than a few laps around the track or a quick ride through the dunes to truly get the feel for a machine.  We like to ride it, use it for work, maintain it, and live with it on our turf before we write any review.  It also helps to let many different riders try it as well, and although most machines hit the mark for some riders, there is one machine that is almost universally loved.  Welcome to the Polaris Sportsman 550.

The Gator species has evolved.  What began as the humble, hard-working AMT (All Materials Transport) back in 1987 has now become a very capable off-road performer.  John Deere has sold over 500,000 of their Gator utility vehicles, but never has there been one as quick, nimble, powerful, or just plain fun as the new RSX 850i, and now there are three!  These Gators are meant for much more than the farm!

It’s the little details that can make or break any project.  Ben Darbone of Scott, Louisiana is one rider who won’t let anything slip by.  As a safety inspector for a fire safety company, it’s his job to notice all the little things, but Ben doesn’t just turn off those skills when the day’s work is done.  Some people just can’t help bringing their work home with them.

We spent the better part of last summer running around the north woods on the friend and family friendly, four seat sensation called the Polaris RZR4.  Regardless of whether we were in the driver’s seat or the back seat, it’s impossible not to have a great time on the RZR4 thanks to the long wheelbase, super stable platform, and silky smooth, stock FOX shocks.  It’s a blast to cruise down the trail on the RZR4, but we always felt it could use a little more power.

It’s our job to let you know exactly what to expect from every vehicle we test.  We want you to know what a machine is capable of long before you hand the dealer a check, and that means everything from fit and finish to average maintenance tasks.  We use our test ATVs exactly like you do; for work duty, for weekend play, and as hunting buddies.  After a year with the Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i here is what we’ve found. 

The Green Team has been on a roll. In the past year, Kawasaki has introduced all-new Brute Force 300 and Brute Force 750 ATV’s, and at their dealer show, they previewed the new Teryx4 750 4x4 Side x Side. That was only a teaser and we weren't allowed to ride the new Kawasaki at their Florida dealer meeting. So when Kawasaki’s Jon Rall called asking if we would like to come to Tennessee’s Brimstone Recreation to try the new Teryx4 750, we grabbed our gear and were on our way.

Anyone who has purchased a 2011 Polaris RZR 4 already knows that they’ve found a great product with a very high “FUN FACTOR”. We’ve spent a lot of time blazing down many different kinds of trails and terrain with the RZR4, and it always keeps you excited and stands up to just about anything that you can put in front of it. Accessories can make an already great vehicle even better however, and we decided it was time to add on a few toys that would benefit our RZR.

The old saying is, “It’s not the size of dog in the fight, but the size of fight in the dog.” That can now go for ATVs as well. Kawasaki’s new Brute Force 300 doesn’t know it’s an easy to ride, 300cc machine perfectly suited to work around the yard or go for weekend trail rides. It thinks it’s the leader of the pack, and it may be right!

The old saying is, “Good things come in small packages,” and one of the best examples of that in the off-road world is the new Kawasaki Brute Force 300. Though only slightly smaller than the other Brute Force models, it’s a huge overachiever.