Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has long touted its ATV and Side-by-Side (SxS) vehicles as being the toughest of their kind, and now a third party study conducted by ADP Lightspeed has proved that claim. More specifically, the ADP Lightspeed study shows that Yamaha has the most durable belt driven drivetrain in the industry.

“A lot of companies say they make the toughest ATVs, but now Yamaha can clearly prove that claim in our CVT transmission system,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha’s ATV and SxS group marketing manager. “The ADP study proves once and for all that our vehicles have the best CVT drivetrain reliability in the industry.”

Yamaha’s claim is based specifically on an ADP Lightspeed competitive comparison study of Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) belt components reported in warranty and non-warranty repair order records for 2007 to 2010 model year CVT belt-driven 4×4 ATVs with engines 400cc and above.

Yamaha’s reliable Ultramatic® automatic transmission system features an exclusive centrifugal clutch that allows the drive belt to remain under constant tension providing a key point of durability – something that sets it apart from competing models. Also exclusive to Yamaha’s Ultramatic system is the one way sprag clutch that not only aides in durability but provides the most natural feeling four wheel engine braking for maximum traction and rider confidence. This exclusive system is used in Yamaha’s toughest, most off-road capable ATVs and SxS vehicles including the Grizzly 700 ATV, Grizzly 550 ATV, Grizzly 450 ATV and Rhino 700 SxS vehicle.

A video on Yamaha’s website demonstrates how the Ultramatic system works as compared to the competition:
http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outdoor/products/advantages/534/1/0/advantages.aspx

ADP is a leading provider of integrated computing solutions to auto, truck, motorcycle, marine and recreational vehicle dealers throughout the world.

About ADP Lightspeed
ADP Lightspeed, based in Salt Lake City Utah, is a part of ADP Dealer Services, which provides integrated computing solutions to over 25,000 auto, truck, motorcycle, heavy equipment, powersports, and recreational vehicle dealers throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. ADP, with nearly $9 billion in revenues and about 560,000 clients is one of the world’s largest providers of business outsourcing solutions. For more information www.adplightspeed.com.

About Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A.
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., (YMUS) a leader in the motorsports market, makes the toughest, most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding product offerings also include motorcycles, outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles, boats, outdoor power equipment, race kart engines, accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products are sold through a nationwide network of dealers in the United States.

Headquartered in Cypress, Calif., since its incorporation in 1976, Yamaha also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia, as well as factory operations in Tennessee and Georgia. For more information on Yamaha, visit www.yamaha-motor.com

[GrizzlyCentral.com]

[RhinoForums.net]

2012 Sportsman 500 H.O.- Polaris Pursuit® Camo

Additional features on the limited edition model include:

• Photo-realistic Polaris Pursuit Camo
• Engine Braking System (EBS)
• Kenda K590 25-inch tires
• Available July 2011

2012 Sportsman XP® 850 H.O./550 EPS-Orange Madness

Additional features on the limited edition model include:

• Orange Madness automotive-style paint
• Black Carbon Fiber pattern side panels
• Custom cut & sew Orange and Black seat
• Color-matched painted front and rear suspension springs
• Electronic Power Steering (EPS)
• Lock & Ride front storage box
• 14-inch machined black cast aluminum wheels with Carlisle AT 489 II tires
• Available October 2011

2012 Sportsman XP® 850 H.O./550 EPS-Browning® Polaris Pursuit® Camo

Additional features on the limited edition model include:

• Photo-realistic Polaris Pursuit Camo
• Electronic Power Steering (EPS)
• Rear work lights
• Rear rack extender
• Hand/thumb warmers
• 2500 lb. winch
• Lock & Ride gun scabbard
• 14-inch Polaris Pursuit Camo steel wheels with Carlisle AT 489 II tires
• Available July 2011

2012 Sportsman Touring 850 H.O EPS-Bronze Mist

Additional features on the limited edition model include:

• Bronze Mist automotive-style paint
• Driver handguards
• Driver hand and thumb warmers
• Passenger hand warmers
• Mirrors
• Polaris 2500 lb winch
• Rear storage box
• 14-inch machined black cast aluminum wheels with Carlisle AT 489 II tires
• Available August 2011

Good news today as Polaris leaks some news on their new 2012 Sportsman Limited Edition!

Sportsman® 550 EPS – Browning® LE

• Photo Realistic Polaris Pursuit® Camo
• 14″ Polaris Pursuit Camo Steel Wheels with Carlisle AT 489 II Tires
• Electronic Power Steering (EPS)
• Rear Work Lights
• Lock & Ride® Gun Scabbard
• 2500 lb. Winch
• Rear Rack Extender
• Hand and Thumb Warmers

Discuss this new Limited Edition here: http://www.polarisatvforums.com/forums/polaris-atv-news/18348-2012-sportsman-limited-edition-preview.html

I found this new cool piece of gear today and had to share. If it works it should be as regular a piece of riding gear as a helmet! I hate it when we spend a day shooting down dusty trails and end up eating dirt all day, or go to the dunes and get a mouth full of sand the first time your buddy decides to roost you. I have always tried bandannas but they never work, they always fall off or end up flapping in the breeze. That’s why I am so excited about this new piece of gear. On top of that, they look cool too!

I decided to be the guinea pig and ordered a few today.  Some riding buddies and I will be taking our first trip of the season in search of the dusty trails we always seem to find.  When we get back I will follow up with a full review with pictures and any details we find.  This should be fun, its a good reason to plan a trip and also try out a cool new product.  Keep an eye out in the coming weeks for my review.

New Yamaha Sport ATV Owners Can Order Free Custom Kit Online

CYPRESS, Calif. – March 1, 2011 – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., the number one maker of sport ATVs, is extending its industry-first promotion with One Industries to offer free customizable graphics kits to new customers across the country. Initially available as a test promotion in select states last fall, now anyone who buys a new 2011 or prior year Raptor 700, YFZ450R, YFZ450X or Raptor 250 model ATV through June 30, 2011, can order this free kit online at http://oneindustries.com/yamahaoneidpromo/

There are seven unique kits available for each model in different colors, styles and designs. Riders even have the option to customize their own kit by adding their name or race number. Photos of the kits and more information about this limited time promotion is at: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/sport/atv/atvgraphics.aspx

“Following our initial Yamaha-One Industries custom graphic kit offer, we’re extending this program to make it available to any customer across the country,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV/SxS marketing manager. “This program gives Yamaha customers an added level of personalization – at no cost – whether their sport is riding sand dunes on a Raptor 700, MX on a YFZ450R, or trails on the Raptor 250. This is another example of how Yamaha continues to be the leader in the sport ATV world.”

Ordering at http://oneindustries.com/yamahaoneidpromo/ is simple and requires only a vehicle identification number and Yamaha warranty registration. The only costs are a $5 handling fee and shipping when placing an order.

Are you in the market for a extended swingarm for your Raptor 700 and want something you wont be replacing after 1 season of riding? Check out the new JD Performance Raptor 700 Swingarm. JD Performance will build this arm to your length specs and powder coat it to any color you want including chrome. You wont see another arm like it. This arm is the JD Performance quad tube design and is as stong as it gets. Give JD Performance a call and order yours today.

www.jdperformance.net

HILLSDALE, Mich., (Jan. 17, 2011) – Call it the “Little motorcycle company that could.” Or, better yet, the “Little American-made motorcycle company that did.”

Despite a trying economic climate and an overzealous U.S. government approach to protect kids from ingesting lead, Michigan-based Cobra Motorcycles’ hard-working staff of just over 30 people did everything in their power in 2010 to keep the dreams of young motocross racers alive throughout the United States and rest of the free world.

“Two-thousand and ten will go down as a turning point year for Cobra – and a turning point for the better,” said Cobra President Sean Hilbert. “We saw great advances for the Cobra King 50 and, especially, the Cobra CX65, continued our industry standard successes at national-caliber competitions here and overseas and continued to expand upon the great heritage of the Cobra motorcycles.”

Hilbert said quite honestly that the motivation at Cobra is a direct byproduct of the effort Cobra kids put in at home and on the competition motocross tracks around the world. “If anyone around here ever starts feeling sorry for themselves, that we’re over-worked or whatever, all it takes is a weekend road trip to an amateur national or even a run down to RedBud for a local amateur race to see how hard a seven-year-old and his dad work together to reach their goals.

“Kind of puts things in perspective when you know Cobra’s got the guys’ backs,” explained Hilbert.

2010 championships for Cobra came at all of the major American amateur MX nationals, including: Oak Hill and Lake Whitney, Texas, Nevada’s Mini GPs, Ponca City (Okla.), Loretta Lynn’s AMA Amateur MX National Championships in Tennessee, Branson (Mo.), Arizona’s Amateur MX Open and the Mini Os in Gainesville, Fla. Cobra also again enjoyed a great deal of success north and south of the border – and overseas – as the iconic junior MX brand continues to expand globally. International championships for Cobra came in Mexico and Canada, Australia, the UK and the MX Master Kids in the Belgium, solidifying the fact the Cobras are – hands down – the finest competition mini bikes on the planet.

A first in 2010 for Cobra was the effort put forth by Illinois’ Chase Sexton, who scored the company’s first podium at Loretta Lynn’s on the revolutionary Cobra CX65. Sexton then backed that up with the CX65s first-ever major national victory when he won the 65 class at the Mini Os at Gatorback MX Park in Gainesville, Fla.

And there was Stilez Robertson – all seven years, 62 pounds and 52 inches of him – who tore it up this year, winning major amateur MX national titles at Lake Whitney (Texas), Las Vegas’ World Mini GPs and the Amateur Open of Motocross in Arizona. His effort brought his overall win total to 20, tying Cobra’s Adam Cianciarulo for the most wins ever on a Cobra 50cc bike – and Robertson still has another competition year to go on his Cobra King 50!

Those great performances where highlighted in August by the two titles that Jackson Turpin and Gage Linville secured at the AMA National Championship races at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in central Tennessee. Both boys turned in flawless performances and put an exclamation point on both of their 2010 race seasons. Both will be back in the Cobra Camp for 2011 to contest for more 50cc and 65cc titles.

And on the ATV side of things, Cobra’s Eli Hopkins, Corey Heath and Hunter Hart all had bang-up competition seasons on their ECX line of Cobra quads cycles. Hopkins, who not only beat the competition to win the 2010 50cc AMA-ATV Motocross Championship, did so while also battling Juvenile Diabetes. Heath (ATVA 90cc Auto Jr.) and Hart (GNCC 90 Mod) both won major ATV titles as well.

Cobra’s engineers also had a banner year in 2010. For the first time in recent memory the King 50 received a full chassis and bodywork facelift. By all accounts the new look and feel were a home run, with the added benefit that both the King 50 and the CX65 were made ergonomically similar in 2010 to create a seamless transition between the two bikes for Cobra racers. And speaking of the CX65, it received an all new engine for 2010 that helped power Cobra Kids to an unprecedented number of wins and podiums.

“All-in-all it was a banner year at Cobra and for the kids all over the world running our bikes,” said Hilbert. “We came in to 2010 with a lot of questions – like is mini bike racing at the national level on the verge of extinction? Cobra, along with its great riders and families, is proud to say that ‘No, mini bike racing’s not extinct.’ And you need look no further than a dad driving home, kid asleep next to him – with his trophy – and a Cobra in the back of the truck … ready to do it all over again in 2011.”

Defending Champs and Title Contenders Return for Yamaha in MX and Cross-Country Racing

CYPRESS, Calif. – January 13, 2011 – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., is pleased to announced its 2011 ATV race team members including: Bill Ballance, Traci Cecco, Taylor Kiser and Walker Fowler in the Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) series; Thomas Brown in the ATVA/AMA National Motocross series; and Dustin Nelson in the revamped QuadX Series as well as the World Off Road Championship Series (WORCS). The MX racers will compete on the high-performance YFZ450R while the cross-country teams will continue to race the trail-optimized YFZ450X.

“Yamaha is proud to continue to support the sport of ATV racing and so many great competitors, from the record-holding veterans and returning champs to up-and-coming riders and future champs,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV/SxS group marketing manager. “Racing has always been at Yamaha’s core, and our high-performance machines and stellar race teams are a result of Yamaha’s ongoing commitment to the sport. We’re looking forward to another exciting season in 2011.”

Bill Ballance, who holds an all-time record nine GNCC championships, leads Yamaha’s cross-country team into the 2011 season with a slightly heavier focus on managing Ballance Racing while also continuing to race the YFZ450X at select events. Traci Cecco, the winningest women in cross country ATV racing, returns to recapture her crown after a third place overall finish in the 2010 GNCC season. Taylor Kiser, GNCC’s second place overall finisher in 2010 is returning with the single goal of earning his first ever XC-1 pro class championship. Walker Fowler is looking to add a XC-2 championship to his resume in 2011.

In AMA ATV motocross racing, Thomas Brown will represent Yamaha aboard his YFZ450R. Brown, who finished sixth overall in 2010, will be looking to move up within some steep competition. In addition to Team Yamaha, Brown will receive guidance and support from Bill Ballance as the newest member of Ballance Racing.

Dustin Nelson, the four-time QuadX Series Champion, is returning to the West Coast series for 2011 with hopes of extending his dominating streak. The newly renovated series recently announced a new name, logo and schedule, which can be found at http://www.quadxseries.com/. Nelson, who recently signed Josh Row under the Nelson 94 Racing headline, is also refocusing his own efforts on the WORCS series, in which he placed fourth overall last year.

This totally custom Warrior is about as sweet as they get so it had to be our January Ride of the month. Congrats to 87warrior917.

97 warrior. Basically has every mod you can get. +2 ASR a arms not installed yet. Heres the mods so far…

366, JE 10.50:1, Mild P&P, Kimble White +1 valves, 3 angle valve job, Kimble White HD springs & keeper, Stage 1 Hotcam, Edlebrock carb, Pro-design filter w/ adapter, Yoshimura RS-3 Full exhaust, KG clutch w/ extra plate, Bigbear oil cooler, +2 ASR a arms, SS brake lines, +3 Lonestar swinger, Billet lonestar carrier, Banshee rear, Durablue +2+4 axle, EBC brakes, ITP baja wheels, Razr2 (x4), IMS pegs, Pro Taper SE bars, MSR perch, Pro-Armor kill switch, Billet bling.