Recreational

ATV riding has always been a family sport and that means everyone in the family shares the adventure. It doesn’t take much coaxing to introduce a new rider to ATVing, and they usually take to it like ducks to water. It’s important to make sure junior gets started correctly, however, and with literally dozens of youth quads available, we wanted to list the ones that pass our inspection for quality, safety, and complete OEM support from sales, to parts, to safety.

There are, quite possible, many times in an editor’s daily duties, when one might pause in the midst of various editorial activities, look around at their surroundings and breathe a deep sigh, thinking to oneself “How did I ever get so lucky to have been given this job?”

Honda unveiled the fifth generation Honda Foreman ATV at its South Carolina production facility in Florence. The redesigned 4x4 was the first machine fully developed/produced – from concept to production – entirely in the United States. We took part in the quad’s initial production, or “Line Off” ceremony, at HSC prior to riding it at Carolina Adventure World a day later.

Polaris has always included easy to ride, unintimidating, and user friendly ATVs in their lineup. As a result, they have become one of the brands of choice for new or less experienced riders. The Polaris ATVs make it easy to explore the trails without wrestling the machine, and the Trail Blazer 330 was built with those riders in mind.

New model introductions usually amount to the announcement that a manufacturer has one-upped the competition (and sometimes themselves) with a new ATV, and high horsepower premium machines have become the norm. When we arrived at the 2011 Arctic Cat media release event, we weren't really sure what to expect. With over-the-top products like the 1000cc Thundercat and Mud Pro 4x4 ATVs and the lightning fast, versatile Prowler HDX and XTZ line, what would Arctic Cat have under the covers to surprise us? As it turned out, they had a plethora (Jefe...

We’ll admit that the first time we headed out onto the trail riding double on an ATV was a little strange. For years we had been one of the guardians of safe ATVing, and riding with a passenger was one of the Cardinal Sins, sure to lead to destruction and damnation. The trouble was, since the first ATV rolled into the first ride area, undoubtedly a friend, buddy, or girlfriend wanted to ride along regardless of the lack of seat, foot pegs, or handholds.

Early Side x Sides were built strictly for utility use, with all the handling characteristics of a tractor. That caught the attention of Polaris which quietly went into action. With an engineering staff loaded full of Northern Minnesota hunters, it’s no wonder the Rangers are at home in the woods; they should practically be issued a hunting license. Imagine your best dog, best shotgun, best pickup, and best hunting camp all rolled into one, and you’ve got the Polaris Ranger XP 800.

We’ve never been to a ride area and had more reaction than when we rolled into the dunes with the CAN-AM Commander 1000XT. Even before we parked, there was a small flock heading our way, all eager to see for themselves the most anticipated Side X Side in years. It was as if the Commander was a divine revelation and the masses were eager to worship on its gleaming, bright yellow altar of performance. There would be no stealthy testing on this day.

One of the goals of intelligent engineering is getting as many uses as possible out of every part. Instead of designing a part to do only one job, why not make it do several? CAN-AM engineers took that idea to the extreme this year, not only applying it to vehicle performance but expanding the concept to the entire recreational experience.

It took an extra year of rumors and speculation, but when CAN-AM pulled back the curtains to reveal their 2011 new model lineup, there was not just one new Commander Side X Side but FIVE --and they looked stunning! Body styling fit in perfectly with the CAN-AM penchant for an aggressive, in-your-face, muscular look that hints at the performance within. From our first ride, it was clear this was a whole new level of UTV performance whether it was the COMMANDER 800, 1000, or the go-for-broke 1000 X-Package.