Find Your Ride

Editor’s Note: John Prusak’s Find Your Ride was published in the Buyer’s Guide 2010 issue of ATV Magazine that’s on newsstands now.

It looked like an ominous task – clearing the rugged, uphill, rocky section of trail just south of Moab, Utah, site of the 2010 ATV Trials event. I was fourth in line, and in front of me, three full-sized, four-wheel drive ATVs with experienced riders needed several attempts to clear the pile of jagged rocks ahead of us.

The harsh Moab terrain often requires a little help from your friends.

As I watched, the Can-Am Renegade in front of me went forward, then back, locked into four-wheel drive, tried again, then waited for the Visco-Lok to kick in and tried again. The machine lurched sideways over one rock, the driver leaning hard to the left attempting to put the machine back on its intended path. The rider who had just cleared the obstacle came back to help out – grabbing the front of the mighty ‘Gade to both move and stabilize the machine.

I gulped as I watched the struggle of man and machine versus nature-made rock pile while sitting on my Kawasaki Bayou 250. I was next, and there were about 10 witnesses on their own ATVs behind me. If the mighty Renegade and its rider were having this much trouble, how would I clear it on this diminutive utility quad? I had less than half the horsepower, only two-wheel drive and a chassis that features just a couple inches of ground clearance. Clearly, I was going to hold up the entire group behind me – we’d probably have to lift the machine up the rocky incline, I was thinking.

After a couple more attempts and with some unsolicited advice from onlookers, the Renegade and its rider finally cleared the hurdle. My turn. C’mon little Bayou, don’t make a fool of me now!

Up the incline I went. The narrow stance of the Bayou allowed me to pick a different line than the one tried by the Renegade driver, and the light weight of my machine allowed my body inputs to have a great impact on the wheeler’s path. Carefully I selected which rocks to bounce over, when to blip the throttle and when to pin it. On the first attempt, I was up and over in a heartbeat. Yes, it’s true – size does matter, and sometimes it helps to be small.

There are a lot of specialty quads on the market nowadays, but sometimes it’s surprising what some of the little machines will do. Our 2010 Buyer’s Guide is here to help you find a machine that will do exactly what you need it to do – and more.

Sometimes a little rig like the Kawasaki Bayou 250 (at right) is all you need to weasel your way through the tightest trails.

There’s something out there for everybody. Maybe you’re in the market for a 2-up super quad, like Polaris’ Sportsman Touring, which features a new chassis and power steering, or a dependable middleweight with a high-tech transmission, like Honda’s Rancher, with its new seat and rack. Some swamp rats will want to check out Arctic Cat’s new MudPro 1000, while desert rats may be drawn to Yamaha’s Raptor 700R. Aggressive trail riders may want to peruse Can-Am’s Renegade 800R X xc, now with power steering, while MX riders may froth over the QuadRacer 450 from Suzuki. KYMCO’s sporty new 4×4 Maxxer 375 will raise eyebrows, while Kawi’s Bayou appeals to a 2×4 work crowd and KTM’s 505 SX will draw interest from cross-country racer-types.

Bottom line: There’s something here for everybody, no matter how specialized your need. And, if you find yourself in a situation a little bit outside of your original, intended purpose, many of today’s ATVs are up to just about any challenge, as long as the driver is willing to give it a shot.

- John Prusak, ATV Magazine

Last 5 posts by John Prusak

• DIRT BLOG: ATV or UTV? Suddenly, It's A Tough Call! - August 27th, 2010
• DIRT BLOG: Take The Time To Humiliate Your Friends! - August 20th, 2010
• DIRT BLOG: How do you use your utility ATV? - August 12th, 2010
• DIRT BLOG: New Honda ATVs Are Here, And They're Begging For Attention - August 6th, 2010
• DIRT BLOG: Does what wins on Sunday truly sell on Monday? - July 30th, 2010