How to Winterize an ATV

Outdoor enthusiasts who live in Northern regions often store ATVs during the wintertime. Ice can damage the engine. Road salt is corrosive and can erode the undercarriage. Winter storage is a good way to extend the life of your ATV. You can learn how to winterize an ATV quickly and simply yourself, and never pay expensive shop charges to winterize again.

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2012 Polaris ATV and Ranger Lineup Preview

We recently had a chance to take a sneak peak at the 2012 Polaris ATV and Ranger Lineup at a press event north of the border in Ontario, Canada. While at the event it seemed like it was a quiet year from the Minnesota-based manufacturer with only one new machine to speak of. However, even when things seem relatively quiet the engineers at Polaris are still hard at work tweaking the existing lineup. We counted 19 machines with at least modest changes for 2012. Only Polaris can make that seem understated!

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Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000 A Reality for 2012

The Rise of the UTV

A lot of riders are reluctant to admit it, but a couple decades ago the motorcycle industry was heading into a downward spiral. Sales were down and budgets slashed. But along came a class of vehicle that single-handedly carried the manufacturers over the slump and in the process generated ample R&D funds for which the companies spread across their entire product lines. That vehicle was of course the ATV. Despite the “black eye” the media and money-hungry lawyers caused, despite the 3-wheeler ban of the late 1980s, despite requiring manufacturers to plaster their machines with more warning stickers than your average nuclear power plant, despite the requirement in many states for ATV safety class certification, the popularity and consumer demand of the all-terrain vehicle would not be denied. In fact, ensuing years would witness the phenomenon spreading farther and farther into society, as machines became more specialized for various activities.

While the demand for ATVs remained steady, the industry would then witness an offshoot that began with strictly utilitarian roots and spread like wildfire. That of course was the introduction of the side-by-side or UTV. What began life as an alternative to the gold cart, with a bit more grunt for working around the farm, would evolve at a rapid pace. Not unlike its ATV cousin, each model year witnessed more and more specialization among the UTVs. The work-only models still existed, but suddenly shared the line with UTVs built for tackling mud, carrying multiple passengers or just plain-out off-road performance. In a flash the marketplace was alive with entries from new manufacturers, companies like Bobcat, Kubota, and John Deere, who dared not try their hand in the highly competitive ATV circuit, but knew a thing or two about building dependable off-road machinery.

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