Performance and Maintenance

Part of the fun in ATVs and Side x Sides is spinning wrenches from time to time and installing modifications.  We’ve seen all manner of modifications over the years, from highly modified mud runners, to powerful motocross racers designed to soak up the biggest jumps with ease, to rock crawlers that can climb crab-like over boulders we can’t even walk up.  The owners always love their ride, and they also love to talk about it, but we’ve never heard anybody brag about their oil filter.

No performance shop has won more races and championships than CT Racing.  From national ATV championships, stadium championships, SCORE, Best in the Desert, AMA Supermoto, and even on other continents, they’ve won it all from the humble beginning of ATV racing up through today.  Whether on two-strokes or four strokes, CT Racing has consistently provided complete performance packages that make tons of power, but are reliable as well.

Through the years we’ve worked on just about every ATV or Side x Side ever built.  In that time we’ve also collected quite a few tools, but there are a few that we use all the time.  If you’re planning on doing much riding you can expect to use a few tools also, and we’ve put together our list of the “dirty dozen” tools we recommend you include in your tool box.  Own these and you can do just about any job in the off-road world.

ATVs and UTVs used for racing, trail riding, heavy hauling and nearly every other application share at least one trait: they pose significant challenges to the fluids that protect them.  Despite spending thousands to purchase and modify their machines, some enthusiasts mistakenly see no reason for premium fluids when servicing their ATVs and UTVs.  Synthetic motor oil, grease and other high-quality lubricants, however, are formulated to meet the challenges posed by ATVs and UTVs better than lower-cost conventional fluids.

Ever had that feeling your ATV or Side x Side didn’t know where it wanted to be on the trail, darting from one side to the other like a beagle chasing a rabbit and you were just along for the ride? You’ve most likely got a front end alignment problem, but luckily a quick and easy adjustment can keep you on the straight and narrow.

If you’ve got either a dirt toy or a band with an Axle in it, sooner or later you’re going to have problems. Just ask Slash and the other guys from Guns-N-Roses. Recently, when we came limping back to the shop with our Can-Am Commander, we had a dysfunctional axle of our own. Luckily for us, our axle problems were much easier to solve than those of Slash and the boys, and the only therapy needed was a little help from the guys at Gorilla Axle.

If you’re the owner of a Can-Am Commander you have a lot to be happy about. In all of our miles and testing with our Commander we haven’t found much negative to say about them. They have great power, excellent ergonomics, and over-the-top features that put many other UTVs in the runner-up position. The handling of the Commander is also very good, but several times we did wish that the base and XT packages had the precise steering and flat cornering of the X package. Fortunately, that flat handling is only as far away as your local dealership.