ATV & SXS - UTV Product Reviews

One would be hard pressed to argue that the knife is nothing less than the most important tool ever developed. With our original crude knives hewn from a sharp rock, then later bone, copper, and finally the specialty metals or even composite materials of today we’ve gone from hunters on the savannah, to farmers, and finally to modern man. Still, the knife of today would easily be recognized by our ancestors despite its continual evolution. It has been and always shall be the most basic yet highly functional of tools.

Even when part of a large group, riding is primarily a solo adventure.  There are times we really appreciate the quiet shelter of our helmet while the machine beneath us carries us far from everyday life and to a place that recharges ones soul.  Anyone who has spent much time on the trails knows this feeling well.  At other times though we want to share the adventure with our riding buddies or just talk about whatever we find along the trail, but unless you’ve got a helmet communication system you’re out of luck.

Don’t you just love getting a new set of tires? There’s just something about having a brand new set of treads whether they’re for your car, truck, ATV, or SxS. It just makes you feel good inside. From that nice, clean, sharp edge on the lugs to that awesome new tire smell, it’s always a good day when you get a new set of rubber.

The Kawasaki Teryx4 is a rock solid machine. It’s tough, powerful, comfortable, and it’s more nimble than any other four-seater on the trail. We love it! We also can’t leave well enough alone, and after a couple trips to the woods, we decided that the Teryx4 was the perfect candidate for a few, simple bolt-on accessories to make our trail riding experience even better.

Whether you’re headed to the dunes, woods, motocross track, or the deer camp, you’ll almost certainly have to haul your ATV or Side x Side to get there. That means your best trail buddy will be riding in the back of your truck or trailer, and getting it loaded can be a sketchy maneuver fraught with the possibility of disaster.

There are millions of older model ATVs and early Side x Sides still on the trail and ready for another decade of action.  Like an older truck, though, after long and faithful service even the best of machines will require a little massaging, and some parts are known to be prone to failure. Ignition and electrical problems always pop up unexpectedly with no warning, they’re often difficult to diagnose, and they’re never cheap to fix.

As much as I love my iPhone, I do have to question the idea of making a phone out of such breakable materials. Somehow the people at Apple must have much grippier skin than the average off-road magazine editor, and they apparently don’t ever drop their phones. Unless you live in some kind of a bubble, you’re eventually going to drop your phone and it could potentially get a bit ugly. (Read as expensive). It’s a must to have some kind of protection.

There’s no such thing as having too many tools. Whether that means having an extra set of cheap screwdrivers, or having that ultra-important, irreplaceable tool in the box, more is always better. One tool that has recently hit the market is the RM Stator Portable Power Bank, and we consider it to be one of those on our short list of very important tools.

The stock OEM tires that came on your machine are a compromise. Manufacturers base their tire decisions on many factors such as ride quality, handling, tread patterns, thickness & overall weight, and finally, price. The problem is, the tires that work well for jobs around the farm in Iowa probably aren’t the best choice for forest riding in Oregon, the mule deer hunter in Montana, Arizona desert riding, or the Louisiana swamp rider. Just like with your boots, one size does not fit all.

We’ve bolted on all kinds of parts to our ATVs and Side x Sides through the years, usually in the quest for better handling, more power, or just to add a little bling. Sometimes the parts worked, and sometimes they didn’t, but recently we added a part that doesn’t make us go any faster or look any hotter, yet it’s one of the most well-designed and well-built accessories we’ve ever tried.