Common questions answered … well sort of

We get frequently asked questions (FAQs) all the time, just like all those performance shops and manufacturers. I’ve tried to compile a few of these to let you know our thoughts or answers. These FAQs are in no particular order, I just wrote them down as they came to mind.

Which model is your favorite?

Surprisingly, there is no straight answer. We feel it varies from person to person and depends on what type of riding they want to do, where they ride, how they ride, experience level and budget. And fortunately we don’t necessarily need to buy ATVs as we partner with the manufacturers to test their products. Yes, we try to ride every model and form an overall opinion, but even then it’s hard for us to select one model. Certain models from each maker we think have proven (or will prove) themselves are: the Raptor 700R for its versatility; the 250X and its SportClutch feature for the entry-level rider; the Renegade 800R X for its look, 4×4 and exhilarating acceleration and speed; Suzuki Z400 for its reliability and fun factor; the KTMs for their racy look and performance skills, the Arctic Cat Mud Pro 700 for its warranty and bogger makeup; Kawi’s KFX700 for its unique configuration and sound; the Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS for its comfort and ground clearance or the RZR S for sporty UTV enjoyment. Even then, each editor and freelancer (based on their size, experience and handling desires) may have their own favorite for a specific track, riding area, environment, etc. That’s why we do shootouts and comparisons and factor in everyone’s thoughts.

How do I get your job?

The first thing you need to do is stay in school. A journalism or writing major and experience at either a magazine or a newspaper are strong positives. Act and dress professional (even if you’re a kid at heart) and have a love for ATVs and off-road powersports. Other skills that are important include, photography, public speaking, Internet knowledge, public relations, marketing and a team attitude.

You have the best job in the world, right?

Most would think so, but it’s not all about riding and racing quads. We spend lots of time writing stories, proofing stories, working on design and layouts, planning, sitting in meetings, taking the advice of our bosses, traveling and being away from home and families, working on weekends and some holidays and much more. I will say the job seems really sweet when we spend more time riding, wrenching and attending racing events than it does sitting in our office on a warm sunny day!

Do you have a favorite trail or riding area?

Again, this will vary by editor and by what machine they can ride. However, we’ve been several places over the years and have a few favorites. Glamis in Southern California will always be a special place for us. Why? There’s nothing like sand riding (We don’t have a sand area in Minnesota). The Oregon Dunes are special, too. Brushy Mountain Motor Sports Park in North Carolina is a fun place to ride, too. We also, enjoy the Hatfield-McCoy trails, the Hungry Valley ORV area in California, Millville, Minnesota’s, Spring Creek motocross park, Ashtabula, Ohio’s, dirt track, the Ironman and Big Buck GNCC courses to name only a few.

Best place you’ve ever ridden?

Well, this depends on the editor. However, riding outside of Missoula, Montana, was very fun and the scenery was amazing. I’ve also ridden dirt bikes in South Africa. Although that was fun, I still wish I had an ATV during that trip. We don’t get to travel aboard too often, so most of our experiences have been in the States. However, freelancer Bill “WBGO” Lanphier has ridden in Europe many times and has always enjoyed himself. A few other times, some editor’s have hit the trails in Austria and Canada, and did testing in Japan and Taiwan. We’re still waiting for South America or Australia. We’d even “make do” with a trip to Iceland or Greenland or maybe even China.

How do you decide what to test?

We assume the person means both parts and ATVs. For parts, we test things we think our readers would want for their ATVs, including hot new parts from the INDY dealer show, or new parts for new machines. We also partner with performance shops to build project quads and test their parts. You should check out the 2009 Buyer’s Guide issue to see our test with Sonic Offroad (on newsstands Dec. 16)

For quads, it comes down to new models of course. But popular models and machines we think deserve more attention also get space in the magazine. That could be a race quad, an updated model or an aging unit we know many people own.

Are your shootout winners determined by advertising?

(Laughing) Not a chance. Give us some credit, please! This is the biggest myth in the industry. The manufacturers and readers would see right through us if we stooped so low. Our shootout winners are based on compiling our test riders’ evaluation forms/notes and opinions as well as radar numbers and other facts and figures.

Which pipe should I put on my (insert model here)?

That depends on lots of things, really. Where you ride is one factor. Decibel levels restrictions are important to us and should be for everyone. Price is always a factor (or your budget). Trust of the pipe maker is another key point. Reliability, customer service, proved performance gains all factor in, too. Plus, in the end, it’s your money and quad, so it really comes down to YOUR choice, NOT ours. But thanks for asking.

I own a (insert model here) and it’s running terrible, what’s wrong?

It could be several different things. Jetting, valve clearances, dirty air filter, electrical, EFI mapping, the driveline and so on. The most important thing for any person trying to diagnose a problem is to know every possible thing about the ATV. Plus, they need to see it, smell it, ride it and tear into it. Sure, with the right info, an educated guess can be made, but it’s still only a guess. We try to assist readers by sharing our experiences and working with professionals and companies who make the parts and can diagnose familiar problems. We also have a tech answer man (Toby Reed of Moto-Xperts.com) who attempts to answer all your questions, but even a certified and trained technician like him finds it difficult to diagnose from only words. Regardless, keep your tech questions coming because we enjoy them, as does Toby. Send all your tech questions to e-mail:wrenchthis@affinitygroup.com.

Will you sponsor me?

Magazines don’t really sponsor readers, but we do give out stickers and issues. We’ve worked with a few local racers and test riders in exchange for their assistance with product testing and machine evaluations, but we don’t consider it a sponsorship. E-mail us at atvimages and put in your request. We’ll see what we can do.

How can I get my photo in the magazine?

We know have three different areas where your photo(s) COULD run. I say “could” because printing or running them on our Web site depends on their size, quality and the rider. We can post them on this blog, at atvsport.com (in the image gallery) or in our Inbox section of ATV Sport. The No. 1 rule is you should be wearing a helmet (and try to wear boots/long sleeves and other gear, too). Size matters (don’t send in a thumbnail image). Make it clear (try to send in an image that’s in focus). Hot women in the picture help (JUST KIDDING!). Send your images to atvimages@affinitygroup.com or the old-school way, at:

Affinity Powersports Media

Maple Grove, MN 55369

Who is the best ATV racer ever?

Wow, this one is always tough. Like any sport, it’s hard to compare modern ATV riders with those of the past. Why? The machines are better, the sponsorship is better, the race courses have changed and the number of champions in various circuits all makes it hard to choose. Eight-time GNC champ Gary Denton is arguably the best. Of course nine-time GNCC champion Bill Ballance should be a candidate, as his run is truly amazing. Don’t forget Barry Hawk Jr., too, who won eight straight GNCC ATV titles before switching to bikes. We have to look at the early GNCC pioneers like Tom Tokay, Chuck Delullo and Bob Sloan as they were awesome in a different era. So were some of the other early ATV MX’ers and dirt trackers like Jimmy White, Marty Hart and Dean Sundahl. Doug Gust, Tim Farr and Shane Hitt are also multi-time champions and deserve credit (let’s just say they’d be in the ATV racing hall of fame).

How do I subscribe?

You can do that the old-fashioned way by filling out a sub card from within the magazine. You can log on to atvsport.com and click on that “subscribe” link. You can also e-mail e-mail:atvs@kable.com or call (386) 246-0107 to speak with someone from customer service.

Circa 1998

Here, I'm drinking some homemade Zulu beer. This photo came from my South Africa dirt bike trip for REV magazine.

I figured it was time to post something on this blog. You know, when you’re juggling a normal life with a magazine career, it’s not always easy to find 10 minutes to contribute to a blog. However, when it’s part of your job description, you soon realize it’s something you must do.

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Jerrod Kelley. I’m the lead editor of ATV Sport magazine. I have been with ATV Sport since it started back in 1998. Back then, was the FNG and really had no clue (some would argue that’s still the case). The lead editor in those days was a guy named Glenn Hansen. He has since become the communications director/manager at American Suzuki.

I’m 35 years old and grew up in Central Iowa (Boone and Ankeny). I graduated from the University of Northern Iowa. From there, I worked in Oelwein, Iowa, for a year before moving to Minnesota. I took the job at ATV Sport and Ehlert Publishing (now known as Affinity Powersports Media).

Since taking the job, I got married to an Illinois girl (Michelle) and had two great kids (Shane, 6; and Sarah, 5). We also have four cats (none in the freezer!!) and one loyal 80-pound golden retriever. We live in Alexandria, Minn., and love life.

I’ve learned literally hundreds of things over the last decade riding ATVs, dirt bikes, UTVs and other things. My first ride on a race quad resulted in white knuckles and an inadvertent dismount. After I attended my first Grand National Championship ATV MX race at Daniel Boone MX Park in London, Ky., John Arens and Andrew Smith let me ride a modified 250R they had on hand. I took a couple of slow rides around the course and developed arm pump as soon I left the parking lot. Even though I held my breath and felt like I was going to bend the bars from my tight grip, I pushed on. I practically rolled over every jump (a foot of air doesn’t really count anyway, right?). Finally after a few tiring laps, they tricked me into jumping a tabletop. After hitting the jump like a chicken, they said, “just give it more gas – it’s an easy jump.” I did exactly as they said and the jump became fun. Well, at least until I landed. It was the perfect jump and I landed on the downside with Doug Gust precision. However, as soon as I landed I goosed the throttle and was spit off the right side of the R. My first MX ride resulted in a crash, but it was minor. The tether didn’t even come unplugged and the quad stayed on all four tires. However, somehow I ended up with a skinned elbow and a bright red face. That’s probably because I barely knew Andy and John back then and a few other guys were watching me from the top shelf of the track. Even though they were too far away to hear, I know they said something like this, “Who’s that squid?”

Since then, I’ve improved drastically. My first ever race was at a District 23 hare scramble in Mazeppa, Minn. With the help of my fellow co-worker and friend Chaz Rice (now the ATV product manager at Can-Am), I took third in the B class aboard a slightly modified Z400. After that event, I was hooked FOREVER! There’s nothing like competition and racing against all those others AND the trail (obstacles). I’ve also done a few Grand National Cross Country races and have enjoyed every minute of them, including the lone DNF of my career. That’s where I REALLY learned what “that’s racing” meant.

Things have been well over the last 10 plus years and I am thankful I have this job and have met all the people in the sport (racers, riders, aftermarket entrepreneurs, manufacturer reps and more).

In June of 2007 I had my first major crash of any kind. Sure, I’ve crashed a few times before and but never really got hurt (bruises and soreness). While doing a photo shoot for UTV Magazine (a sister pub to ATV Sport), I tipped over in a corner and had my left arm torn out of its socket. That resulted in a torn labrum, torn rotator cuff, nerve damage and a host of problems. After major reconstructive surgery (Dr. Freehill from Minneapolis) in October 2007, I started a major rehab program to get everything working again. Finally, a year out from surgery, I got on an ATV for the first time. I’m hooked, AGAIN!

My shoulder will probably never be 100 percent normal and I may always have an altered range of motion, but it appears as though I’ll be able to ride. That’s exciting news! This sport and the off-road industry is amazing and not being able to ride sure sucks. I’m glad to be back.

I hope you enjoy the magazine (www.atvsport.com) and this blog. I encourage you to share you thoughts and ideas about either and I promise we’ll take them seriously. If you need to reach me, try jkelley@affinitgroup.com; www.myspace.com/flyinjkelley; or www.facebook.com.

Me riding a Suzuki LT-R450. This was the first time I rode since June of 2007. Photo by Wayne Davis

Classic “Mad Scientist” ATV Sport shoot with Wayne Davis.