Stories tagged: suzuki

I recently read an article on Dirtwheels.com about the 2012 Sport ATV BUYER'S guide, that reminded me of a conversation that Mike and I were having just a week or so ago. Deciding which sport ATV is the best to purchase is tough right now. You want to make the right choice especially if you are buying a brand new machine that you will be keeping for awhile. When we buy a quad we ride it until it can no longer be ridden so buying something that will last is important. Also choosing the quad based on your favorite types of riding is essential.

Overall we decided that the YAMAHA RAPTOR 700R is the best quad to purchase if you are looking for general use. Dirt Wheels thought the same thing. The Raptor has all the power you will need, a nice tall stance and has a reputation for great handling. So for the average Joe who will rarely hit the track and spends most of his time riding the trails (like me) It's the go to quad. Too often I see riders picking up a quad that has been optimized for the track and are unhappy with its overall abilities in other scenarios. Most of the track optimized machines should be left alone unless you are one of those riders. I must add I have very limited experience with the Can-am machines in the article but was very impressed that they took 2,3 and 4th the guide.

The saddest part for me with the new 2012 models is that Suzuki is not coming out with a new Machine. All of the other names are trying to expand their models and Suzuki is sticking with the Z400. Do not get me wrong I have one parked in my garage right now and love the Quad. I am just disappointed that I wont get to see the next generation for at least another year.

What type of attributes are you looking for in a sport Quad? Out of the new models (see link to article below) which do you think is the best?

Click Here to see the article so you can see a better review of each Quad.

For this episode we visit Lake Fork up Spanish Fork Canyon.

Few things on earth are better than taking a nice day off and hitting a dirt road on my quad. Monday morning around ten my wife, brother in-law and I and all headed up American Fork Canyon for a ride. Lauren and I moved to Highland around a year ago and have found AF Canyon to be an awesome resource for outdoor recreation. We have been Hiking, Fishing, and Jeeping over the last month and loved it. The Jeeping was great and we wanted to hit the trails for a quad ride.

Unfortunately it was an impromptu ride and I didn't take the camera so the documentation is weak, the good news is it just means Mike and I will need to head up soon and make a Podcast out of it. We took the Suzuki Z400 and the Honda 400ex which in hindsight was not the best decision. The main road consists of mild rough spots that were a ton of fun on the sport quads and some nice open trail where we could really let loose. However the canyon has dozens of off break trails that are better suited for Jeeps or bigger quads, so when Mike and I go back we will take our big quads. Most of the break off trails were fairly aggressive and a bit rough for our two-wheel drive quads. The bigger quads offer such a softer ride and open a much larger can of fun when coming to the bigger rocks. With the smaller quads we spent most of our time dodging the aggressive trails rather than enjoying them. On three different trails we turned back because I did not want to beat up the machines to much. However we road for several hours and still barely scratched the surface of where we could ride.

The main dirt trail leads you all the way to Midway which really cool. The negatives are that the trail is insanely dusty in spots and the Canyon in general is overcrowded. We were out on a holiday which didn't help but overall its a bit busier than I would like. The more off break trails you can head down the better off you are, but no matter what you will get stuck behind the occasional slow mover. The Canyon is Gorgeous and offers a lot of different types of riding. There are also a few different spots where you can look at old abandoned mine shafts which is pretty cool. If you live in Northern Utah county this is a really great place to ride.

My dad decided he didn't want his Bike anymore, so Jared talked him into selling it and buying a new quad. Bless that boy, it worked. So I now have a brand new 2005 Suzuki Z400 to play with. The 10 hours of break in time is gonna feel like forever. Man do I wanna open this thing up.
There are some more Pictures here.