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More 2014 Models From Honda

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More 2014 Models From Honda

Excitement continues to build as American Honda introduces more new 2014 models for off-road enthusiasts. This ongoing infusion of innovative engineering highlights the commitment Honda is making to consumers, as more new models bring ever-higher capabilities across the board.

“For this 2014 model announcement, Honda is continuing its push to bring new and diverse machines to market while also delivering great value,” said Powersports Press Manager Bill Savino. “Here we’re unveiling a new generation of our hugely popular FourTrax Rancher and FourTrax Foreman lines of ATVs with completely new frames, suspension, styling and more for elevated levels of performance. We’re also introducing two versions of the all-new CRF125F that features an electric-start engine along with two different wheel sizes to replace the CRF80 and CRF100F. The CRF125F offers an increase in engine displacement and a friendly, easy-to-use powerband, but also aggressive new styling and a brand-new chassis with upgraded front and rear suspension for optimum performance.”

“These new models, along with additional Honda favorites returning for the new model year, demonstrate Honda’s commitment to providing more choices to our customers, and we’ll be introducing more exciting new models in the coming months as Honda continues to lead the expansion of the powersports market.”

FourTrax Rancher Series

Over the years, Honda’s liquid-cooled fuel-injected 420cc FourTrax Rancher series has built a wide-ranging, loyal and enthusiastic following, thanks in large part to the multiple configurations that are available to meet many varied rider needs.

For 2014, these FourTrax Rancher models feature an all-new chassis with a redesigned frame featuring new, longer-travel suspension for enhanced rider comfort plus outstanding performance over rugged terrain. That new chassis is wrapped in all-new bodywork with distinctively aggressive styling.

The multiple choices in drivetrain styles remain; the 4WD FourTrax Rancher 4×4 ES features Honda’s highly regarded Electric Shift Program (ESP) that makes gear shifts as easy as pushing a button, while the 4WD FourTrax Rancher Automatic DCT features Honda’s Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), a five-speed fully automatic transmission that also gives the rider the option of ESP mode.

The FourTrax Rancher 4×4 offers riders 4WD with a traditional manual-shift gearbox. The two-wheel-drive FourTrax Rancher available with manual or electric shift offers terrific performance, at an extremely affordable price point.

Most of these models also offer the option of Electric Power Steering—all considered, it adds up to a wealth of wonderful choices for off-road work and play. Colors: Honda Phantom Camo, Olive, Red, Orange; Price: TBD; Availability: Fall

powersports.honda.com/2014/FourTrax-Rancher.aspx

FourTrax Foreman Series

For years, the FourTrax Foreman series of ATVs has carved out an impeccable reputation as hard-working partners that also know how to have fun when it’s time for a little recreation.

Now that reputation grows stronger than ever as the next generation of FourTrax Foremans arrives for 2014 with an all-new chassis, suspension, locking front differential, styling and more.

As before, the FourTrax Foreman 4×4 ES boasts HondaÂ’s renowned Electric Shift Program (ESP) that delivers push-button convenience for shifting, while the manual-shift FourTrax Foreman 4×4 is the machine of choice for riders who prefer the more conventional gearbox.

Both models can be had with the option of Electric Power Steering as well. No matter which configuration you may favor, the FourTrax Foreman shines brighter than ever as the ideal machine to tackle a hard day’s work while also pulling double duty when you head out for that weekend adventure.

Colors: Honda Phantom Camo, Olive, Red, Blue; Price: TBD; Availability: Fall

powersports.honda.com/2014/fourtrax-foreman-4×4.aspx

About American Honda – American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles, scooters, ATVs and Side-by-Sides in the U.S. American Honda’s Motorcycle Division conducts the sales, marketing and operational activities for these products through authorized Honda dealers.

TEST RIDE: 2013 Polaris Ranger 800

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DirtTrax Television Co-Host AJ Lester shares his thoughts on Polaris’ 2013 mid-sized Ranger 800 side-x-side.

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Confidence On The Track

Rick Sosebee
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Confidence On The Track

Is it correct to say that looks equals confidence? I think so in most cases.

When people feel good about their appearance it often shows through in their work. Does this also translate into the world of ATV racing?

Confidence is something that carries riders into the next level and if a new graphic kit makes you feel fast then by all means get it on your ATV.

Many riders pull up onto a starting line and check out the competition. Maybe they’ll think one rider looks faster because of his graphics or color scheme, but if they feel like another rider looks better than them it could impact how they perform during their race.

If you have old ratty gear for half a season and then put on brand new complete from top to bottom riding gear it does give you an edge in your mind that should most often translate to a better ride on the track or trail.

Products can also boost a racer’s confidence. Tire Blocks help prevent flats, which is sure to make a rider go just a little harder on the track knowing that’s something they don’t have to worry about.

Every ounce of confidence you can gain from an edge will make you a little better overall.

SHOX NEED LOVE TOO

Dirt Trax TV
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SHOX NEED LOVE TOO

Ever heard the expression you can only go as fast as your suspension will let you? Well, that statement couldn’t be more true than with today’s modern suspensions and the folks from FOX know this best.

With more and more side x sides coming equipped with FOX shock absorbers rough rides have become a thing of the past.

With all this being said, it doesn’t mean you can neglect them. Shocks are wearable components and they need regular servicing to keep them in top performing shape.

With mid-summer approaching it’s also a perfect time to show your shocks some love. FOX’s mid summer service promotion is running and it’s a time where Dirt Trax fans can also win some cool prizes.

Simply ship your shocks to FOX and have the same technicians that the top pros depend on tune or upgrade your shocks.

With a typical turn around of only 1-2 days and service options that range from rebuilds to compression and rebound component upgrades your buggy will be fresh and ready to roll by the weekend.

For fans of DirtTrax, make sure you reference “DT” as your referral source on your paper work and you’ll get cool 16-inch FOX decals and also be entered to win a larger prize pack of cool FOX swag.

For more details on FOX’s mid summer service Promotion at: ridefox.com

CAN-AM WINS MORNING OVERALL AT SNOWSHOE GNCC

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Can-Am Renegade 800R X xc racer Rob Smith won the U2 class and earned his first career 10 a.m. morning overall at round nine of the 2013 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series in Snowshoe, W.Va.

Fellow U2 class competitor and Renegade pilot Michael Swift joined Smith on the overall podium, 4×4 overall podium and U2 class podiums at the Snowshoe GNCC. Can-Am ATV racers also won the other four 4×4 classes at round nine and Bryan Buckhannon extended his 4×4 Open class winning streak to nine races.

At the first side-by-side event in the AMA Mid America Cross Country Championship Series, Can-Am Maverickâ„¢ 1000R X rs racer Matt Rowell won the UTV Modified class in Nashville, Ind.

“Can-Am ATV racers again dominated the morning session, winning all five 4×4 classes in spite of the wet, muddy and rugged conditions at the Snowshoe GNCC. Rob Smith and Michael Swift had a great battle for the top spot on the overall morning podium, the U2 class win and class points lead. We have several Can-Am racers who have good control of their class points lead heading into the GNCC summer break,” said Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “Matt Rowell won his first race in the Maverick 1000R X rs in the MAXC series, proving the flagship Can-Am Maverick 1000R is truly a race-ready side-by-side.”

GNCC

The ninth round of the AMSOIL GNCC series was held Saturday, June 29, atop Snowshoe Mountain at an altitude of 4,242 feet. Known as “America’s Toughest Race”, once again, the 4×4 machines shined again this year in the wet-and-rugged mountain conditions with Can-Am machines sweeping the top two spots on the morning podium.

The highlight of the Snowshoe GNCC for the Can-Am racers was the battle between U2 class competitors and Renegade 800R X xc racers Rob Smith and Michael Swift. Smith (BNR / Can-Am) outraced Swift for the U2 class win and in the process secured not only the 10 a.m. morning overall, but also the class points lead. Swift settled for a very-close second place on the morning overall podium. Swift (Team UXC Racing / Can-Am), who has five victories this year, trails Smith by just four points heading into round 10.

“My Renegade worked amazing. That quad is like a tank. I am on the newer 2012 quad and itÂ’s just flawless,” said Smith, who recorded his first-ever GNCC morning overall. “It’s really nice to have the U2 points lead heading into summer break. I have been working harder than ever before and really want to earn the championship.”

In the 4×4 Open ranks, ATV Parts Plus / Can-Am Outlander 800R 4×4 racer Bryan Buckhannon won the class at Snowshoe to maintain his perfect season in 2013. Can-Am Outlander Sam Williams (JB Off-Road / ITP) took second ahead of Can-Am racer Tanner Bowles.

Kevin Trantham, the 4×4 Lites class defending champion, and 4×4 Senior 40+ class points leader Forrest Whorton each won their class and have winning streaks of eight and four races, respectively. Can-Am ATV racer Ryan Smith took his fourth 4×4 Novice class win and is the points leader going into the GNCC summer break.

GNCC racing resumes Sept. 7, with round 10, the Can-Am Unadilla in New Berlin, N.Y.

MAXC

Southern Indiana features rolling hills and is an ideal location for the MAXC racing series. The first round of the SxS series, the Big Nasty Cross Country race presented by Lucas Oil & Red Bull, was held at what was once known as Ski World Resort, which shut down in 2004.

According to the MAXC release, the side-by-side vehicles lined up to do battle Friday evening with a $2,000 purse on the line. SxS vehicles were faced with competing in two motos and six total laps over the two-mile course.

NightKrawler Kustoms’ Matt Rowell, who used to compete in a Can-Am Commander side-by-side, recently purchased a Can-Am Maverick 1000R X rs to race the MAXC SxS series. In his first race behind the wheel of the Can-Am, Rowell swept both motos on his way to winning the UTV Modified class at round one of the MAXC SxS series.

For more information on Can-Am racing, the entire 2013 schedule, the ’13 contingency program and Can-Am DS 450 ATV amateur racer support program, please visit www.can-amxteam.com.

HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SPEND TO FIX YOUR ATV?

Rick Sosebee
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HOW MUCH SHOULD YOU SPEND TO FIX YOUR ATV?

I recently had a young man bring his ATV over to see if it was worth fixing. His 1992 Polaris 250 Trail Blazer belonged to his grandfather, but he didn’t think it was worth putting the money into it to get it going again.

Of course I love to repair old rides – especially ones that have some sentimental value. If the repairs end up being a bunch of small things though it could drain the cash reserves really quick.

As I began adding up all the little repairs it became evident that the machine needed more repairs than its resale value was worth.

Its CVT belt cover was cracked open and the belt had also suffered at the hands of the weather and trail debris, which would add costs to the repair list. Then after inspecting the air cleaner, I discovered the box it was housed in had cracked all the way around totally separating from the carb and leaving the throat of the machine open for anything it could suck down. Then as I squeezed the front brake lever the tension quickly gave way and it seemed there were no brakes at all.

Costs were adding up, but there was no payment tied to the machine and it was a young man’s grandfather’s hunting ATV. So I needed to check to see if he wanted me to move ahead.

When do you fix an ATV and when do you dig a hole in the yard and bury it? It’s a tough decision and one you have to eventually make. If it had been my decision I would have fixed this particular ATV, but young owner decided it was time to take his ATV to the dump.

TIPS ON NAILING DOWN SPONSORS

Rick Sosebee
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TIPS ON NAILING DOWN SPONSORS

Suppose you’re a big time aftermarket manufacturer interested in sponsoring a racer or even a whole team. How do you guarantee your investment will actually be worth the expense?

Honestly, there’s no guarantee for the sponsor because it’s up to the racer to make a good return on a sponsorship investment.

During the first few months of a new year there seems to be a flood of requests hitting big companies for product and or discounts on products. If you (the racer) wait until January or February to start sponsorship hunting you may be too late.

Most companies start reviewing possible riders to support in the tail end of September and all of October or November of the year prior.

Suppliers need to know what they will get for their contribution to your race program. It’s a business, just like your racing career is a business and this marketing relationship has to work for them in order for you to receive any goodies.

As a representative of a sponsor’s product, you must be respectful on and off the track to everyone. Be spot-on with what you promise to potential sponsors and provide them with plenty of reasons to want to be a part of your program. Having a neat and tidy appearance at the track is key as well. Remember, your image is their image.

Way before they even consider what type or level of help a sponsorÂ’s willing to give they’re thinking, “What do I get for my sponsorship?”

Stand out from the other racers and support your sponsor the way they’re supporting you. Be the kind of racer who is a walking, talking example of what they NEED to make their product look good.

WHINING COMMANDER

Motorhead Mark Lester
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Dear Motorhead:

First, I really enjoy the show. Next, I figured you’d be the ones to maybe get an answer from on this question, since you get to ride these things on a daily basis.

I just bought a 2013 Can-Am Commander and what I assume is the CVT or maybe the rear end is terribly loud like a high pitched whine or a scream. You can’t hardly even hear the motor when driving down the road and it’s almost deafening. Makes me not want to even drive the machine.

Wondering if you could tell me if this noise is normal or abnormal because no one else can seem to.

Thanks,

Dave

Thanks for your email!

Great question! We are familiar with the whining sound you’ve described and have noticed it on a number of Can-Am and Polaris ATVs and SXS vehicles. However, your description sounds pretty severe – I wouldn’t categorize the noise as this severe – in my experience.

I’ve spoken to knowledgeable people and they claim the noise is mostly (given there’s not something terribly wrong in your drive line) emanating from your rear differential. Apparently diff gears on many ATVs are cut to provide long life but not necessarily quiet operation – in some applications. The noise is not an indication of trouble and apparently it could be diminished (as it is in automotive applications) however the off road nature of our vehicles has precluded some OE’s from not altering the diff gear cutting and finishing.

Again, I’m assuming there’s nothing catastrophic amiss with your Commander – your description of the noise seems pretty severe – I find the noise apparent but not necessarily intolerable.

Hope this helps!

Motorhead Mark

Hello Mark:

Thanks for responding to my question. It sounds like you are right about the noise on the commanders. I’ve talked to another dealer, not mine, a much more helpful one and a transmission repair guy from my area and they both said similar things.

The commander has strait cut gears in the rear diff and they are notorious for making the wine noise. Good thing is is that the transmission guy I talked to said that strait cut gears are a very strong and dependable design.

Also it seems that the whine on my machine seems to be getting less noticeable, I have changed the fluid to Amsoil. Maybe that helped, maybe it’s just getting broke in enough or maybe I was just letting it bother me to much.

At least all of the answers I have received in the last week have all been fairly positive so that makes me feel a little bit better about the situation.

Thanks again for the response,

Dave K.

Saddling Up With The Lone Ranger and Kawasaki

Matt Lester
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Saddling Up With The Lone Ranger and Kawasaki

Santa Fe, New Mexico – Recently, Dirt Trax was chosen to be an honored guest of Kawasaki and amongst the very first media to view the premiere for the much-hyped Disney film, The Lone Ranger, starring Johnny Depp.

The movie was superb (even though Johnny was a no-show) – we highly recommend it – but that’s not the only reason we were there. The day of the movie premiere, the powersports media had the opportunity to take the Teryx4 out to Caja Del Rio Canyon, near Santa Fe, for an exciting off-road adventure for a few hours. Conditions were dusty but the scenery and ride was magnificent.

Kawasaki’s partnership with Disney for the “Live the Legend” media event, featuring the modern-day “Silver” by means of the Teryx4, is a highly unusual marketing strategy, aimed at reaching the masses while attempting to bolster Kawasaki’s image as a “cool and rebellious” company but nonetheless a plan Kawi is committed to.

Check out the action-oriented “Live the Legend” video on Kawasaki’s YouTube channel. Kawasaki was not gun-shy about boldly stating they have little interest in being like the other OEMs either. Kawasaki is doing its own thing and that’s that. Okey-dokey.

Dirt Trax has always had good things to say about the Teryx4 as a fun to ride, capable Side x Side and that’s the honest truth. We can’t say we’re completely on board with its philosophy to market to the masses as the industry bad-boy, but they have partnered with some pretty top-notch companies to gain a broader recognition.

Obviously we would like to see Kawasaki stay true to the core enthusiast market and it’s our opinion Kawi should maintain its focus on improving and engineering better and better vehicles to stay competitive, but that’s just us.

To Kawasaki’s credit it is generating a great deal of excitement and it has done a good job of interconnecting the similarities between its desired rebellious image and the defiant individuals depicted in the Lone Ranger movie for this promotion.

DonÂ’t get us wrong, we’re not saying Kawasaki isn’t going to build new and improved products either. The Big K is just mainly focussing on the proven products they have right now and building its “Let the good times roll” image.

Even though Kawasaki announced it would be marketing to the broad spectrum, Kawi did clearly say the vertical powersports media was its bread and butter and it understands the enthusiast media is where the focus of its promoting and ultimately the bulk of its sales will stem from.

Dirt Trax Gets a Taste of Hollywood

On the last day of our New Mexico adventure, the powersports media were “deputized” and given the unique opportunity to mingle with the Hollywood media and then perform as expert guides, giving them a ride they’d never forget on the Teryx4.

My side-kick/Tonto was a fine young chap from London, England who worked for Empire Magazine and came to the ride totally unprepared but nonetheless ready for anything.

It was obvious I was dealing with a newbie here and I warned him that penny loafers, Capri pants and Ralph Lauren collared shirts were not the recommended riding gear for this event. However, he did have a helmet and a willingness to get dirty, so off we went.

We were privately instructed to give this designer-hand-bag crew a thrill they wouldn’t forget, so I was bent on making sure I followed orders.

By the end of the ride, young James-from-London was exhausted from holding on with white-knuckles and screaming like a little girl.

I thought it was funny that a guy who writes about movies for a living closely resembled Jim Carrey from Mask by the end of the 15 minute ride. Smmmmmokin! It was a great way to end this truly unique Live the Legend Adventure of the Teryx4.

Visit www.kawasaki.com for more info on the Teryx4 and other products, including more about this unique partnership with Disney films.

KLIM MOJAVE PANTS

Dirt Trax TV
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KLIM MOJAVE PANTS

This season Klim has outdone itself with the durability and style of its offroad gear.

Klim’s fully-ventilated, over-the-boot Mojave pants incorporate breathable mesh fabric to keep you cool as the mercury rises and features thicker and more water resistant leather inner knees.

Here are some other great features of these pants:

– Cordura high-wear areas (knees, seat, bottom, leg panels)
– Leather on lower legs to protect against engine burns
– Stretchy material in flex zones
– Zippered cargo pockets with a flap
– Adjustable waist
– Glove-firendly zipper pulls
– Articulated leg for comfortable riding while seated

We’re excited to be wearing Klim gear for another season of DirtTrax. Tune into the show to check out the guys wearing the latest offerings from Klim!

Visit KlimUSA.com

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