Six foot waves pound into the rusty stones and exposed bedrock of Lake Superior's southern shore. With no visible land across the water, several in our group more accustomed to the deserts of the Southwest wonder aloud if they are standing at a northern ocean. They’re right in a way; by volume Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world. Along the beach in either direction, there is nothing but frothy waves, the red stones rich with raw iron, and a deep green pine forest behind, all under an impossibly blue sky.
There are companies that have a knack for finding opportunities in the market and then building a product to fill it. The Disney people never build a ride without a movie, toys, and a happy-meal to go with it, and in the powersports world, Polaris has always managed to find that untapped group of potential riders that didn’t quite find what they needed with existing models. Since the Side x Side market is relatively new, it’s been the habit of most manufacturers to concentrate on their top of the line models.
Twenty five years ago at Oregon’s Winchester Dunes, journalists got their first ride on Honda’s legend in the making, the TRX 250R. In production only 4 years, the 250R quickly became the standard for handling and performance that all sport ATVs thereafter would be judged by. By today’s standards, the TRX was narrow, had limited suspension, and put out only meager power, but as a package it worked.
Even before you’ve climbed into your hunting stands this year, a little work on your food plots now can go a long way towards paying out in next year’s hunting season. There are a couple big reasons to work on next year’s fields now; to get crops that must be planted in the fall in the ground and growing, and to get much better weed control.
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!
Ever had that feeling your ATV or Side x Side didn’t know where it wanted to be on the trail, darting from one side to the other like a beagle chasing a rabbit and you were just along for the ride? You’ve most likely got a front end alignment problem, but luckily a quick and easy adjustment can keep you on the straight and narrow.
John Deere’s Gator is one of the original UTVs and they’ve made their way to every farm, campus, and parks department in the country. Competitors had left the Gator in the dust for most trail loving recreational riders, however, that is changing. With their 825i XUV, the Gator has evolved.
When the CAN-AM Commander was released, it offered a level of performance, refinement, and handling that set a new standard for Side x Side excellence. That has not changed, but the Commander is also a “crossover model” because it has the ability to perform work tasks extremely well thanks to a rear dump box and a sturdy hitch. All five Commander models share a common chassis with dual A-arms at the front and CAN-AM’s TTI trailing arms in the rear, the difference being how each model is outfitted. Engine choices are an 800cc or 1000cc liquid cooled, SOHC Rotax V-Twin EFI engine.
We’ve called the Polaris Ranger XP 800 your best dog, best shotgun, best pickup, and best hunting camp all rolled into one. Out of all the Side x Sides on the market today, it would be the one that fits the needs of the average hunter, homeowner, and hard working recreational rider perfectly. It’s not the fastest, lightest, or most powerful, but it is certainly one of the absolute best and we count on one every day.