Our last poll asked you Which 400 to 500cc SPORT UTILITY deserved to win Best in Class. Out of 686 votes, the results were as follows:
27% – Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI (185 votes)
26% – Bombardier Outlander 400 (177 votes)
23% – Honda Rubicon (161 votes)
21% – Yamaha Kodiak 450 (142 votes)
03% – Polaris Sportsman 450 (21 votes)
To cast your vote in our latest poll, scroll down the page!
Question:
Which UTV deserved to win Best in Class?
This year’s winner of All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s Best In Class Award for Best 400cc-500cc Sport Utility was the all-new Polaris Sportsman 450.
Polaris attacked the old 400’s personality problem at its very core by bumping up its engine displacement to deliver a completely new power package.
Not only are the engine changes dramatic but the whole demeanor of the smallest Sportsman has been improved.
There’s amazing sizzle here now and those who would have walked past the Sportsman 400 a year ago will stop to take a long look at the new 450.
All the great Sportsman features are still in place: true 4×4, proven CVT tranny, plush long travel suspension and a clamshell front rack. Class leading value here and enough power to embarrass some 500s.
This category is where the bulk of North America’s ATV buyers are shopping for new iron. It’s the bread and butter of the industry and therefore, the OEMs put a lot of focus on delivering big-time value here. Competition here is tough.
Press Release –
Team Suzuki/Yoshimura had a mixed bag of luck today at the inaugural Oak Hill ATVA GNC race. Doug Gust went 1 -10 for 5th overall while teammate Jeremiah Jones had a disappointing day going 10 – DNF for 14th overall. Yoshimura sponsored racer Joe Byrd posted 4 -1 for the overall win, making this Joe’s second win in a row.
Although the weather was unseasonably cold and windy, competitors greeted the Oak Hill facility quite favorably. The track was wide, fast and had a lot of clay in the base. It never “blue-grooved” too badly and produced good racing all weekend.
The first moto saw John Natalie grab the lead with Doug Gust in 2nd a few seconds back. Doug’s QuadRacer LT-R450 slowly closed the gap and by the midway point the two were nose to tail. Doug put the pass on Natalie by the tower and pulled away to an easy win.
“This quad is so awesome,” an excited Gust said after the moto. “It is so comfortable to go fast on. I can push really hard and the thing is just so easy to ride. I’m going to win some races on this quad.”
Jeremiah had one of the last gate picks and started at the far end of the gate. Unfortunately he was pinched off going into the first turn and had to start the race towards the back of the pack. Coming through the pack, Jeremiah tangled with another rider and lost yet more time getting going again. The track was muddy from being heavily watered down before the first Pro moto. On his way towards the front, Jeremiah’s radiators plugged solid from the mud and most of the water boiled out. He had to back off a little past midway to preserve a finish.
The second moto was exciting as there were at least seven riders dicing for the lead. Doug tangled up with another rider and the two bikes became stuck “big-time.” By the time “The Digger” got going again he was a minute down to the lead pack of Byrd, Luburgh, Natalie and Ellis.
Jeremiah had a decent start but once again was rammed in a corner by another rider. Soon after the incident, his quad started missing and slowing down. Post race inspection revealed that the impact broke the battery box, causing an intermittent grounding condition. Jones was forced to pull to the infield and watch the rest of the race. “I had a decent start and was looking at moving up and winning this thing.” Jones said after the race, “I’ve been fast all weekend but these dumb things have just followed me these first two races. That’s just the way that racing goes sometimes… I just have to look forward to the next race.”
Gust meantime was blistering the Texas track. His lap times were easily the fastest of the day as he worked his way up from dead last and over a minute down. At the checkers, Doug rolled across the line in 10th. His hard riding salvaged what could have been a bad overall finish had he given up.
“This is a long season and every point counts,” Doug said from inside the Suzuki rig. “Today I was really strong. I knew if nothing bad happened that I’d win the second moto and the overall; but then I got hung up on the start and that plan went right out the window! When stuff like this happens, you have to stay calm and race to the front. Even though the win was out of reach, I ended up with decent points and I’ll take ’em. More importantly, I felt really good out there. Last week at Glen Helen I never quite felt right. This weekend, the ‘Old Digger’ was back. It was nice to run good for my fans and the folks at Suzuki. This LT-R450 is easily the best quad I’ve ever ridden.”
The team now has a three-week break till the Gatorback Florida race. The boys are hungry! Watch for the Suzuki/Yoshimura team to come out on top in the Florida sun.
Oak Hill ATVA GNC National Results:
1. Joe Byrd
2. John Natalie
3. Kory Ellis
4. Keith Little
5. Doug Gust
6. Jason Luburgh
7. Tavis Cain
8. John Havisto
9. Justin Wimmer
10. Dunk
14. Jeremiah Jones
Press Release –
As a series champion on the GNCC Racing Circuit, Kevin Johnston knows a good machine when he rides one and what to do with it.
On November 6, 2005 at Burnt Mill Creek cross-country course near Laurens, SC, Johnston rode a KYMCO Mongoose 250 to a first-place finish in the Utility class, beating entries from Polaris, Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki in the process, then he did it again in December at the Mid East/Interstate winter race held in Yadkinville, NC.
At Burnt Creek, the Mongoose was so strong that Johnston finished a full lap ahead of the competition, even though most of them had 200cc to 400cc more displacement. The same was true at Yadkinville, where Johnston started dead last out of 42 entries, then managed to pass half the field, even though most were bigger, and supposedly faster, sport quads.
“The KYMCO is a quality product,” Johnston said after he rode the Mongoose to win two Utility-class races in a row. “We were definitely the smallest quad out there.”
Johnston, 34 and a road-grading supervisor from Denver, NC, even tested the Mongoose’s toughness by jumping a 15 foot creek on the Burnt Mill Creek course. “I was rather impressed,” he said in a post-race interview. “It definitely performed better than the other ATVs in the tight turns.”
The 2005 national champion (Johnston won the 2005 GNCC Unlimited Utility Class) decided he wanted to try out a KYMCO after seeing the Mongoose on display at the ATV World¹s Fair in Louisville, KY.
“Kevin called me the week before the hare scramble and said he wanted to pick up the quad we had at the show to run in an event,” said Joe Wofford, Vice President, Operations for KYMCO USA. “So we prepped the Mongoose and he picked it up on Friday. I spoke with him afterward and he advised me that he did ³pretty good² with it.”
The Mongoose 250 he used was stock with the exception of Elka shocks, an exhaust system, 2 A-arms from Desert Toys, and a EX 300 extended axle from RPM.
More information on KYMCO racing is available at kymcousa.com/racing.
Press Release –
Team Suzuki/Yoshimura ATV started the season with a mixed result today. Perennial crowd favorite and ATV racing legend “Digger” Doug Gust put the all-new Suzuki QuadRacer LT-R450 on the box with a 3rd place finish. Teammate Jeremiah Jones suffered bad luck though and was forced to take a back seat.
In the first race of the day both Jeremiah and Doug gated well and were running at the front of the pack. Going into a packed corner, virtually all of the leaders came together causing a large melee. Another rider drilled Jones right in the rear axle/swingarm area. Jeremiah and several other riders ended up on the ground and scrambling for their machines.
Jones ended up climbing back on and up to an eventual 14th place finish for moto-one while Gust finished 4th. In between motos the bikes were gone over and prepped for moto-two. But what no one noticed was that the impact on Jeremiahs Quad had been so severe, it had bent his swingarm.
Moto-two saw Gust get a good start and start the moto in 3rd. Jeremiah meantime was further back having been pinched coming off the gate. Jeremiah was on a mission and started climbing through the pack.
Just past the halfway point he was up to second place and starting to close in on the leaders when the rear suspension broke on his quad. The bent swingarm had created a bind that after half the moto finally let loose. A dejected Jones limped back to the pits.
It took the crew the better part of two hours and a lot of measuring to finally figure out what happened. Although imperceptible to the naked eye, when the bike was placed on a chassis jog, the swingarm was indeed bent to the side by almost an inch!
When asked what could be done to prevent a future occurrence of this happening again, team manager Wayne Hinson said. “Nothing really, it’s just one of those racing deals. It takes about an hour to jig the frame up and get the measurements.
There isn’t enough time in between races to do it. There’s no way to prevent it either, you get a 400 pound quad wide open in 4th gear hitting your swingarm and there’s nothing on God’s green earth is going to keep it from getting bent!”
On balance Wayne was happy with the outcome of the race. “I found out that we are very competitive today.
We had some bad luck, but this new bike is really fast. I think we are going to win a lot of races this year and be in serious contention for the title.
I’ve never brought a brand new quad to a race and been this dialed in so quickly. The LT-R450 is unreal.”
Gust was philosophical after the event, “I had trouble getting my head into the race today,” the Wisconsin native said, “I didn’t really feel 100% for some reason so I tried to ride smart. It paid off in the end. I’ll go into Texas with good points and we’ll whip ’em out there hopefully.”
Watch for the Jones and Gust show to put their LT-R’s up front in Texas as the series hits round two.
Joe Byrd ended up winning the race. The Yoshimura supported rider went 2-1 for the win.
1. Hon. Joe Byrd; Union City, TN
2. Hon. John Natalie; Houtzdale, PA
3. Suz. Doug Gust; Salem, WI
4. Hon. Keith Little; Russellville, AL
5. Hon. Joe Haavisto; New Ipsmith, NH
6. Hon. Travis Cain; Mckinleyville, CA
7. Yam. Jason Luburgh; Zanesville, OH
8. Yam. Jason Dunkleberger; Trevorton, PA
9. Hon. Chad Wienen; Galena, IL
10. Hon. Jeremy Lawson; Battlelewn, KY
16. Suz. Jeremiah Jones; Bowling Green, KY
Last year’s winner of All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s Best In Class Award for Best 400 – 500 Sport Utility, the Yamaha Kodiak 450, deserves honorable mention in this category this year.
Still one of the best selling ATVs in the business, the Kodie represents strong value and a feature list as long as your arm.
The biggest improvement was Yamaha’s addition of IRS last year and obviously Polaris benchmarked the Sportsman 450 against the Kodiak.
Tell us who you think should’ve won Best 400cc to 500cc Sport Utility ATV in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s 2006 Best In Class Awards. Scroll down the page and cast your vote!!
Polaris stepped up the familiar Sportsman 500 HO by adding electronic fuel injection for 2006.
EFI not only increases this popular model’s overall performance but makes cold starting, idling and throttle tip-in a delight in all temperatures and conditions.
This is the smallest displacement ATV in the business offering EFI and although the price needed to go up because of it, the Sportsman 500 EFI delivers amazing bang-for-the-bucks.
Tell us who you think should’ve won Best 400cc to 500cc Sport Utility ATV in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s 2006 Best In Class Awards. Scroll down the page and cast your vote!!
Press Release –
Husqvarna announced the launch of its HUV utility vehicle series in early 2005, making off-road transport as easy as possible.
The HUV 4X4 models incorporate automatic four-wheel drive with automatic locking front & rear differentials, making the vehicles easy to use and highly dependable for off-road transportation needs.
The HUV 4X4 system automatically engages “on the fly” sending power to the tires with the most traction to keep the HUV moving through challenging terrain.
To prevent inefficient tire spin, enhance control and reduce tire wear, unique front and rear differential locks engage automatically in extremely challenging conditions.
According to Dave Zerfoss, president of Husqvarna, “The HUV series demonstrates yet again Husqvarna’s long standing tradition of superior design around customer needs. Not only is it the easiest to drive in the industry, but it is also the most comfortable and can handle any driving conditions that a user might encounter.”
Husqvarna offers three standard HUV models: HUV4220, HUV4420, and HUV4420-D. All ideal for sportsmen, farmers, ranchers, landscapers, or any outdoor occupation requiring the ability to transport heavy loads over difficult terrain.
Equipped with a 15.1 cu-ft. steel bed with a load capacity to transport up to 1,050 pounds, the HUV’s can reach speeds up to 25 mph and easily maneuver over all types of terrain.
The HUV4213 is equipped with a 400cc, 13hp Kawasaki® engine. The HUV4420 features a Honda® 614cc, 20hp engine and the HUV4420-D is equipped with the Kubota® 719cc 20hp diesel engine.
The HUV4213 features 4X2 drive-train, the HUV4420 and HUV4420-D feature a 4X4 drive-train with all wheel traction. For operator comfort, the HUV 4X4 models have a tilt steering column and an adjustable driver’s seat.
All three HUV models are built using a rust-proof Air-craft grade (T6061 aluminum) frame and chassis with the 4X4 models featuring a double A-arm front suspension. Additionally, the 4X4 models include 4-wheel hydraulic disc brakes.
For more information visit husqvarna.com.
Bombardier’s Outlander 400 won Best 400cc to 500cc Sport Utility two years ago in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s Best In Class Awards and still has a lot of pull in this category.
The Outlander offers Independent Rear Suspension (IRS), an over-achieving engine and Visco-Lock automatic locking 4×4.
There are minor changes this year, mostly aesthetic, but the Outlander deserves the nod as one of the best values in this category.
Tell us who you think should’ve won Best 400cc to 500cc Sport Utility ATV in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s 2006 Best In Class Awards. Scroll down the page and cast your vote!!
Honda revamped the Rubicon for MY2005 and the improvements are immediately noticeable.
First, attractive new bodywork catches the eye, then the addition of front disc brakes, selectable 4WD and a performance upgrade make it a worthy consideration.
Although it’s missing some important features like low range, IRS and a locking front differential, the Rube’s Honda nameplate and high-tech hydrostatic transmission score big points.
Tell us who you think should’ve won Best 400cc to 500cc Sport Utility ATV in All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine’s 2006 Best In Class Awards. Scroll down the page and cast your vote!!
DIRT TRAX is an international award winning offroad motorsports program that continues to answer the demand of ATV and UTV enthusiasts across North America with National broadcast coverage on OLN and Sportsman Channel in Canada and on Sportsman Channel across America.
For all media, sponsorship, and other queries, please visit our Contact Us page.
© TRAX MEDIA INC 2022
