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Each year we put in thousands of miles and countless hours riding, wrenching on, and basically living with new ATVs and Side x Sides. While there are a lot of great machines we enjoy on the trails and track, there are always a few that stand out and deserve recognition as being the best of the best. After much debate, consideration, and consternation here are the machines our staff picks as the best models of 2013.

As much as we like climbing over obstacles, exploring trails, and swimming through mud on a utility ATV, nothing gets us back to the roots of why we began riding in the first place like spending time on a great sport ATV.  It’s riding just for the sport of it.  There is no hitch for hauling around work or racks for toting hunting gear, but it is riding for no other purpose than to enjoy the moment.  No company understands that better than Yamaha. 

Can-Am’s Outlander Max 650 so impressed us during our first test rides, we named it ATV of the YEAR last season. There isn’t a single feature that puts it over the top, but as a package, it works extremely well and on the trail it feels as if you’re born to be behind its handlebars. While there have been Outlander Max models for many years, some even so well equipped we call them “trail luxury” ATVs that can be considered the trial Cadillac CTS of the trails, the Outlander Max 650 is something special.

While western desert and dune riders rejoice as cooler weather creates prime riding conditions, the rest of the country prepares for Mother Nature’s worst as winter bites down. That doesn’t mean riding season is over for everyone outside the southwest though. There are still jobs to be done, wood to be hauled, hunting season is still open, and a trail ride through a white, wintery landscape reveals a quiet beauty all its own.