The All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine crew thinks it’s time for the popular Suzuki Vinson to get an independent rear end.
With the King Quad in its second full year of production and the ATV market almost across the board shifting to IRS, the Vinson might be getting a major update soon.
Press Release –
Honda announced that Honda R&D Japan has developed an Electric Power Steering (EPS) system for All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).
This system monitors steering torque and vehicle speed to adjust the levels of steering assist and feel.
When stopped or at low speeds, it requires light steering effort, and as speeds increase, the amount of assist is adjusted to provide the appropriate level of feedback.
An ATV with this Honda technology is easier to manoeuvre through rough terrain, rocks, and ruts while at the same time, reducing rider fatigue. Honda’s first application of EPS on a production ATV is anticipated in the near future.
Information on availability, specifications and pricing will be made available in early September.
Ramsey offers a winch that exceeds the pulling power of pretty much any other unit on the market, short of a full-on Jeep winch. With 5,000 pounds of rated pulling power and 60 feet of woven galvanized aircraft cable, the Ramsey Honcho 5000 can do some serious pulling.
The extra resistance from the friction on the bottom of the stuck UTV and its sizable mass can be very hard on winch cables and gear reduction systems.
The Honcho solves the problem with a 3-stage planetary gear reduction case and a 294:1 reduction ratio to provide plenty of leverage but still keeps the line speed fast enough so you don’t have to wind your watch or update your diary while waiting.
The roller fairlead on the front of the Honcho does a good job when you’re stuck in a tight, craggy hole and can’t get lined up for a straight pull. The heavy duty rollers are designed to take a lot of weight without binding and all the hardware is super strong.
As a matter of fact, the mounting bracket provided by Ramsey for the front of the UTV is a solid piece of equipment and is not embarrassed about being designed to haul heavy loads.
For those who ride a UTV any place it even smells like mud, we strongly recommend adding one of these things. A winch may be the best aftermarket investment you ever make. We’ve been buried enough times without one to make sure we never leave on a product test without at least one of our vehicles having a winch.
A Ramsey 5,000 pounder is absolutely the ticket for solving every possible sticky situation. Visit RamseyATV.com or call 918-438-2760.
BKT’s X-Drive tires do a good job of bridging the gap between performance and utility tires.
With a somewhat finer tread pattern than pure-mud tires the design works especially well on dry, loose surfaces or hard packed soil.
Their 6-ply engineering ensures plenty of sidewall stiffness for taut handling under the above conditions and less tendency to roll over on the bead when cornered hard.
BKT uses a special flexible and pliable pure rubber compound that bites down on hard surfaces without reducing tread life.
Visit bktatvtires.com for more information.
Press Release –
Traci Cecco won her seventh race of the year and wrapped up the 2006 GNCC ATV women’s championship on Saturday, June 24 in McHenry, Maryland.
With four races left in the series, the YFZ450 rider has accumulated 176 points and an unassailable lead over Angel Atwell, also on a YFZ450. Including Cecco and Atwell’s machines, Yamahas accounted for six of the top 10 finishers in the women’s event.
The morning race was held at The Wisp, a ski resort noted for its steep, rocky terrain. “It was a good day,” Cecco said afterwards. “I pulled the holeshot, won the women’s race, took the overall win and the championship. This is the second race in a row that has gone so well. I attribute it to my bike always coming to the track well prepared. I do my training, but GNCC is also mental and you have to have your head on right.”
In the Pro race on Saturday afternoon, YFZ450-mounted Bill Ballance battled with series rival Chris Borich throughout the four-lap event, with the pair rarely more than two seconds apart over two hours.
Ballance completed the first lap in third place behind Chris Jenks and Borich, then moved up to second on lap two. Ballance took the lead for good on the fourth and final lap, opening up a four-second gap over Borich at the flag.
Press Release –
Yamaha YZ250-mounted Barry Hawk earned his second GNCC victory of the year on June 25 in McHenry, Maryland.
Hawk topped series leader Juha Salminen and Justin Williamson – also aboard a Yamaha – to take a convincing win in some of the worst racing conditions imaginable. He still commands second place in the standings with four races left to go in the 2006 GNCC season.
The steep, rocky terrain was made tougher by rain that started Saturday night at The Wisp ski resort where the event was held, and which continued right through Sunday’s six-lap, 60-mile race.
Hawk got off the line in sixth place with fellow YZ250 rider Charlie Mullins in the lead. He worked his way up to fourth after the first lap, when all the leaders pitted for new goggles, then passed Salminen on lap two, only to lose the lead when he stopped for another set of goggles.
In fact, Hawk stopped every lap for new goggles – but his clear vision finally paid off as he took the lead for good on lap four. Hawk throttled his YZ250 to a minute’s lead by the finish.
“That was probably the hardest race I’ve done in a long time,” said Hawk after the event. He celebrated in good humor by making a “snow angel” in the mud. Well done Barry!
The engineering department at Yamaha has solved the problem of torque steer by adding electric power steering – a feature unheard of so far in the industry.
An electric power steering ram and aluminum steering box – a first for an ATV, is attached to the steering post and acts as an assist when moving the handlebars right or left.
Our first impression was the steering is very light. It took a few minutes to adjust to it but the difference is incredible, especially when tracking down a rock strewn trail. Hit an obstacle with the left or right tire and there’s no reefing or grabbing the bars from your tense grip whatsoever.
As a matter of fact, you can hang on gently, arms loose, easing your tendency to arm pump and work the bars through a full cycle without any change in effort.
We thought there might be a big weight penalty – not so. Yamaha has pared and skimmed weight everywhere on the 700 and even with power steering it weighs in at a measly two pounds more than the old 660 Grizz.
Watch for the full report in the next issue of All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine!
The CFMOTO Moose 500 boasts a SOHC liquid-cooled 493cc 4-stroke capable of speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph).
The Moose features electric & recoil starter, CVT, front and rear double wishbone suspension and disc breaks all around.
This 500 class sport ute will rip down trails or will happily play work-horse to farmers and ranchers. Load up the ample racks to full capacity (110 lbs front and 165 lbs rear) and head out for a hard day of work or riding.
The modern and beefy styling of the Moose ensures you’ll look cool while riding and is jammed with options including mirrors, flashers, emergency flashers, headlights (high and low beam) and parking brake.
Contact CFMOTO at 1-877-463-3940 for more details.
Carter’s Talon series of off-road buggies have added some key improvements for 2007.
The new 2-passenger GSX and single passenger GSR 150cc Talons will have a filterless oil cooler, a much plusher seat and suspension upgrades including better shocks this year.
These Talons feature an independent front suspension and a unique swingarm system for the rear.
The very impressive Carter 250 offers a fully independent rear end and a deeper grunting 250 4-stroke to deliver some very serious off-road thrills. Watch for a full report in an upcoming issue of All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine.
While discussing details on the current Pure Sport marketplace with top BRP execs at the April Can-Am intro, the topic of a Can-Am 450cc Pure Sport cast in the mold of the YF-Z 450 Yamaha, 450R Honda and Suzuki’s new 450 was approached with cagey grins and secret whispers.
In fact, in a very brief “spy-shot” corporate video clip, a flat-black, hot rod Sport 4-wheeler was shown testing in Valcourt while the promise was made of an announcement concerning it before the end of the year.
Stay tuned…
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