over the bars
NINE YEARS AGO IN DIRT WHEELS
On our February 2008 front cover
we had the fastest sport quads
Polaris ever made. They both used
the KTM 525 engine, but one had the
normal straight rear axle and the
other had independent rear suspension. In our shootout we liked the
525 IRS better for going fast on the
trails. It provided good competition
to Yamaha’s Raptor 700. We wouldn’t
mind if Polaris brought this great
quad back again.
ALL-NEW CAN-AM DEFENDER HD5
Can-Am’s Defender line has been
doing quite well since they released
the machine as a 2016 model. You
could originally purchase the recreational vehicle, which was mainly
utility inspired, with their HD8 or
HD10 engine size, which is an 800 or
1000cc mill. Can-Am just released a
new engine size in the Defender, the
HD5, which is a 500cc powerplant.
Now the price point for this rig is
reduced, and for riders who don’t
need a powerful engine, the HD5
option is just right!
LONESTAR RACING AND CAN-AM
COMBINE FORCES
Lonestar Racing had a great
opportunity to work with Can-Am on
their new Maverick X3 models before
they were released. This gave LSR
(Lonestar Racing) the first chance to
build some great aftermarket parts,
like bumpers, roofs, rock sliders, rear
number plates, front intrusion bar,
light mounts and a fire-extinguisher
mount. Not only are these parts functional, they look great!
READER’S RENEGADE RIDE
Here is Gary Brown with his Can-Am Renegade 4x4 that he tricked
out with a few mods and a spiffy
new custom look. To test out his skill
and the speed of his machine, Gary
took it to the Shawnee Grass Drags
in Sanborn, New York. This is a less
intense way to get into racing that
still provides a great deal of fun. Do
you have a modified sport quad, 4x4
quad or UTV? Well, e-mail some photos and info on it to us at dwletters@
hi-torque.com.
ROLLIN’ WITH “RENDAWG”
In our next issue we will have an
awesome article on Ronnie Renner
and his wicked Polaris RZR XP 1000
that pumps out 200 horsepower
with the aid of a Boondocker turbo
system. Renner met us out in the
giant sand dunes of Dumont in
California. Watching one of freestyle
motocross’ legends and king of the
Step-Up competition in the X Games
shred his RZR was a great experience, and there is a video of it up on
DirtWheelsMag.com, so go check it
out!
WORST STUCK WHO?!
Dirt Wheels has run a ton of
“worst stuck” photos, but we never
thought we’d have one of Polaris
RZR superstar, racer and video icon
RJ Anderson. It must be true. We all
make mistakes.
CHECK OUT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE
Every day you’re likely to see
something interesting, like this exotic
TRX500R two-stroke. Putting a Honda
CR500 engine into a TRX250R frame
is pretty much everyone’s dream
machine. On our Facebook page we
also provide quick links to cool stuff
on our website. Go to www.facebook
.com/dirtwheelsmag.