Last time I was in the bookstore they had "Dirt Wheels" and "ATV/UTV connection" and one "UTV" magazine. I browsed thru them in about 20 min for all three. Not much information and lots of ads. Back in 2000 I subscribed to them all but after about 2006 or 07 they really got bad so I let them expire and use the internet.

 

Don't expect to read a lot of unbiased articles in any UTV/ATV magazines, or for that matter auto magazines. Hot Rod may be the best car magazine. Don't expect honest criticism , when the magazine is plastered with adds from a given manufacturer. They lost me when Motor Trend picked the Chevy Vega as COTY.

 

Chevy Vega for COTY? Why, it was a first with an aluminum block. We know how that worked out for them. Motor Trend has improved. Road and Track went south. Car and Driver is a lot of fun. And Autoweek isn't too bad either.

Do Can-Am engines run piston rigs against hard coat aluminum?

I do like honest assessments. I noticed in Dirt Trax video they tested a Can Am 570 MXR. First they said your riding priority is mud bogs, and the bike isn't the best trail rider (tires?). Then they criticized the fact that Can Am left the winch off as standard equipment. Can't have a mud bike without a winch. Pretty objective observation I thought.

I picked up a new Dirt Wheels today. It has a RZR Turbo test, a Honda TRX480R test, A Yamaha SE side by side test, an update on their Scrambler project, and the UTV buyer's guide.

It is true magazine walk a fine line between criticism and advertising clients. Magazine are a source of product information. And the accessory ads can be informative if you are looking for hard surface tires, or a turbo for your Arctic Cat diesel.

Maybe Dirt Wheels is the last mag standing?

David

 

I bought a brand new Vega Gt in 1973 for the wife. Stared burning oil within 4 months. Steel rings in an aluminum bore with no metal sleeve won't last as I and many others found out about this engine. Sold it and bought a 74 Nova with a 350.She ran it for over 10 years with basically no problems. Another funny thing about the Vega is that in 75(when they finally used steel cylinder liners) they really pushed their standard 65,000 mile warranty to regain sales,but the damage was done.. You find them now on the drag strips..

 

We've made the calls, visited the newsstands and gotten to the bottom of who's still standing in the ATV print magazine industry:

Ask the Editors: Are ATV Print Magazines Still Around? - ATVConnection.com

 

Surprised there are that many left.