ATV Kawasaki Brute Force 750 2011 design

ATV Kawasaki Brute Force 750 2011 design

Kawasaki Brute Force 750 ATV is always impressive as the cruiser motor model 4x4i ($ 8,849), which etrim suitable form in all-terrain road. from the previous review in January 2010 version so I can not mention the details too much, but this unit is one of the favorite features is equipped with powerplants ATV - Kawasaki liquid-cooled, 90-degree, fuel injected, 749cc V-Twin. Other highlights include dual A-arm front suspension, the suspension is fully independent dual A-arm rear, and 1,250 pounds of towing capacity impressive. For 2011 Brute Force 750 4x4i are available in a wide selection of attractive colors: Royal Dark Red, Green woodsman, and painted Ruby Red Metallic.

Fall ATV Riding in Ontario's Near North

With summer a distant but fond memory, we thought it was high time to get out for a little autumn ATV adventure. As luck would have it, we had the opportunity to visit one of the most ATV-friendly areas in North America – Ontario. Specifically, we were heading to an area known as Ontario’s Near North, a region absolutely teeming with ATV trails.

Using Toronto as our home base, we loaded up the car and headed to our first destination – North Bay. We began our three-hour journey by pointing the car north on Hwy. 400. It doesn’t take long at all to escape the hustle and bustle of Toronto and the changes in scenery are jarring. Gone are the crowded streets and imposing skyscrapers, replaced by lush farmland, clear lakes, vast forests and the rugged Canadian Shield.

Here’s the view from our car on the way up to North Bay.

The most shocking change, however, was the colors. Fall had just arrived in Toronto and the leaves on the trees were only beginning change from green to gold. However, the further north we travelled the more intense the change was. By the time we turned onto Hwy. 11 about an hour north of Toronto the landscape was a rich palette of red and gold set against a clear blue sky. This had the makings of an awesome trip.

You know a restaurant is popular when it builds its own bridge to accommodate its customers.

We stopped for a bite to eat about half way to North Bay, just north of Orillia at a legendary spot right on the side of the highway – Webers. Webers is an institution in this area, slinging burgers and fries since 1963. It’s so popular the owners actually had a bridge built over the highway so drivers heading north or south could stop in! After picking up our food we sat at a picnic table in the back and took in the fall colors, but an old train car is available for indoor dining.

After filling our bellies we continued the rest of the way to North Bay where we met up with the rest of our party at the Best Western North Bay. We got the keys to our rooms, relaxed and were able to check our email thanks to the free Internet connection. The indoor pool was enticing, as was the sauna and exercise facility, but we bypassed all that in favor of getting a drink at Joso’s Restaurant. The rest of the team soon joined us so we settled in for a night of fun and good food. Hotel General Manager Ruth St. Phard even joined us for a little while for a few laughs before heading off to our rooms for some shuteye before hitting the trails.

Sleep was fitful as we were as excited as a kid on Christmas to start riding. The team was gathered and we headed east on Hwy. 17 for a 30 minute drive to Mattawa, an entryway to the expansive Voyageur Multi-Use Trail System (VMUTS). We met up with some locals at Draper’s Bakery & Café for a cup of coffee and a BLT. Glen Draper is the proprietor and he also happens to be one of the driving forces behind the trail system.

“We have 300 kilometers of well-maintained trails,” says Draper. “We’re working towards a huge market. We have 3,000 kilometers mapped with GPS coordinates and we’re going through the process right now with the conservation authorities to have them all approved.”

If you’re not sure exactly how much 3,000 kilometers is – it translates to more than 1,850 miles. That’s more than a 100 miles longer than distance between Chicago and Los Angeles and it’s all available to be ridden by anybody right now! We were absolutely blown away to hear this and thrilled to start our two-day ATV journey.

Parked behind Draper’s was a fleet of brand new Honda ATVs just begging to be ridden, provided by Honda Canada. Honda is a huge supporter of VMUTS and Draper was rightfully singing its praises.

“We’re very fortunate with organizations like Honda because without the support of these manufacturers, organizations like ours…we can’t exist,” says Draper. “How do we get volunteers on the trails? Most of the people that have their own ATVs want to go ride. The carrot is what Honda has recognized is loaning us those ATVs to have a safe maintained trail. Now we can say ‘we’ve got a nice ATV for you to ride, will you come and help us?’ And they jump on the opportunity.”

We excitedly jumped on our Hondas and rode right through town until we hit the trails. It should be mentioned that the town of Mattawa is exceedingly ATV friendly, allowing ATVers to ride on public roads so long as they use proper hand signals and follow the rules of the road. Even local restaurants and accommodations welcome ATV riders with open arms. As Mattawa Voyageur Country Tourism Development Co-ordinator Mike Stiell tells us, it’s not uncommon to see a half dozen ATVs parked in front of a local restaurant.

Well-constructed bridges help connect the trails and protect all the local waterways.

It didn’t take long after hopping aboard the Hondas that we hit the trailhead and the real fun began. We were welcomed by a canopy of trees that were raining down multi-colored leaves. It smelled just like you’d expect it to – earthy and fresh. We played around all morning, darting here and there on wide-open trails. Because we were riding on a Monday the trails were almost empty. We only saw a couple of ATVs and a few hikers all day long, but you can expect to run across more people on the weekend or during peak summer weeks.

Besides the seemingly infinite trails at our disposal, most impressive was how well maintained everything was. Northern Ontario is home to hundreds of lakes and rivers and all the water crossings on this trail system featured a sturdy, honest-to-goodness bridge. That may not sound like a big deal, but we’ve seen so many hastily-built bridges over the years that we’ve come to appreciate quality when we see it.

We were fortunate to have a guide with us, but the trail system is so well marked with easy-to-find signage that it would have been pretty simple to find our own way. Our goal for the first day was to reach a lookout that we were told provided an incredible view. We were not disappointed. The lookout is basically a large wooden deck built on one of the higher points of the trail system. The view it provides is breathtaking – especially in the fall. You’re treated to a kaleidoscope of colors as the trees amble down to the valley below.

This view was well worth the effort it took to reach the lookout.

Of course, the VMUTS is about far more than the views. ATVers are lavished with a varied system of trails that has something to offer for just about anybody. Wide-open areas for high-speed riding; tight tree-lined and rock-strewn paths with sharp turns; steep climbs and descents that will test your nerves; even deep and silty sand washes. We found all that and more within 20 miles. Who knows what else we’d find if we had time to explore everything.

It was easy to find places to get a little dirty.	Wide and varied trails for high-speed fun were also in abundance.

After logging some serious miles the first day we headed off to the beautiful Moosehead Estate and Retreat for some much-needed nourishment. Located on the shore of Lake Champlain, this history-rich century home serves as a restaurant and bed and breakfast and was the perfect place to wrap up our first day on the trails. Following dinner we checked in to our rooms at the Valois’ Restaurant and Motel for some hard-earned sleep.

Two fishermen were casting their lines as the morning fog lifted off the Ottawa River.

Because Mattawa is low lying and surrounded by the Algonquin Highlands and Laurentian Mountains, the town is covered by a foggy mist in the early mornings. When it starts to break up and the Ottawa River reveals itself it’s a sight to behold. That’s the view we got to take in as we enjoyed an early breakfast. It’s hard to start a day any better than that.

The goal for the second day was to reach the mica mine for a little subterranean exploration. However, we had plenty of trails to investigate before got there. We were feeling a little more comfortable on the second day and the speeds started to increase as we tested the limits of our ATVs and our resolves. Bouncing over rocks and other trail debris while leaving a wake of fallen leaves was a top priority and it brought no shortage of smiles to our faces. Spend a day like this and life feels very good indeed.

On the way to the mica mine we took a short detour to check out a gorgeous lake that is connected to the trail system. A camping area is located right off the trail, but the lake was deserted and offered us a perfect place to enjoy lunch, which was provided by Draper’s Bakery & Café. We were tempted to jump in for a swim, but Ontario lakes can be pretty chilly in October so instead we fired up the ATVs again and continued on our journey.

We found one ATV trail that led us to this beautiful and largely uninhabited lake.

As expected, the trail led directly to the mica mine. Everybody unloaded, grabbed a flashlight and headed underground. Abandoned mines are generally a little creepy and this one was no exception – helped no doubt by the hundreds of bats we saw dangling from the rocks. Still, it was fun to poke around and explore, but before long the ATVs were calling our names and it was time to head for home.

Here’s the entrance to the mica mine. Make sure you bring a good flashlight before you go exploring.

Our trip back to town was loads of fun. We had all the pictures we needed by then so we just played around and soaked it all in before we had to leave. Like school kids during the final days of summer vacation, the end was near but it was awfully hard to let go. You can bet we'll be back to see even more of the fantastic Voyageur Multi-Use Trail System.

ATV Four Play Unveils Mini Motocross Quad

ATV Four Play has launched its new Pitster Pro Mod Package, which alows parents whose children race ATVs in the youth classes to customize a national-level rolling chassis that is capable of receiving five different engine packages to compete in three separate youth classes in the AMA ATV national series.

ATV Four Play builds upon on the popular Pitster Pro quad as the base for the Pitster Mod. The long-travel ATV Four Play A-arms on the Pitster Mod are 2.235 inches wider on each side and are the first mini quad to accept Fox’s new Generation II Float X Evol front shocks. ATV Four Play adds its signature chromoly long-travel swingarm, which is two inches longer than the stock Pitster swingarm and allows for 10.5 inches of rear wheel travel with either a dual-rate Fox Podium X or Elka shock.

The stock Pitster chromoly frame is retained, but ATV Four Play adds up to 24 gussets to strengthen weak points while still maintaining the right amount of flex. The frame is adapted to fit the large radiator off Yamaha’s YFZ450 sport quad.

According to ATV Four Play, having five engines to choose from is what makes this youth race quad an affordable, long-lasting performance option for motocross families. ATV Four Play’s Pitster Mod’s has the capabilities of interchangeable engine mounts to accept engines from: Kawasaki’s two-stroke, 65cc KX65; KTM’s two-stroke, 65cc 65SX; Suzuki’s two-stroke, 85cc RM85; Honda’s two-stroke, 85cc CR85; and Honda’s new four-stroke, 150cc CRF150R.

Tom Skladzien, owner of ATV Four Play, says having the option to choose an engine lets parents keep the same long-travel chassis for several years and simply swap the engine out when its time for their racer to step up a class.

“The CVT class is great,” says Skladzien. “But the chassis is very expensive to make competitive and it is a frustrating class for most parents. There are so many variables with these machines. The clutching, building the engine, pipes, rollers, belts etc. Most of the time, as ‘mini quad parents’ we find ourselves not having as much fun as we should because these CVT’s demand a lot more maintenance and finesse than your typical Japanese shifter engines require. You buy these CVT quads for $1,700-$1,800 dollars and you find yourself putting $6,000 more into them. And at the end of the day, you’re still a CVT.”

Except for the CRF150R, Honda’s new high-tech mini dirt bike engine, all of the power plants available for the Pitster Mod have been winning races in dirt bikes for decades. The two-stroke engines are lighter, more competitive and have a broader availability of parts and modifications. The 65cc engines are competition legal for the AMA 70 mod class, the 85cc engines are legal for the AMA 90 mod class, and the 150cc four-stroke can compete in the AMA Super Mini class.

Customers have several options for ordering a Pitster Mod from ATV Four Play. You can buy a complete quad that is fully suspended with motor mounts of your choice but without the engine. Or customers can go “Ala Carte” and order a chassis with ATV Four Play suspension parts and then customize it with your choice of shocks, wheels and tires.

The Mod Racer Starter Kit includes the following options for $4,999: Pitster Pro chromoly chassis; spindles, hubs, braking systems, rotors, plastics, gas tank, stock axle and rear wheel hubs, rear sprocket with chain guard, ATV Four Play long-travel a-arms, swing arm and anti-vibe steering stem, 24 frame gussets, powder coated frame, motor mounts for customer engine choice and mounts for all electronics.

Currently, ATV Four Play is working with Hetrick Racing to develop a race-ready package for the KX65 engine and their exhaust. The Hetrick Racing packages may be available for the 2011 season. Fox and Elka are the current shock options for the Pitster Mods, but ATV Four Play may be able to accommodate another shock brand at a customer’s request.

The standard chassis and body components on the production Pitster Mod from ATV Four Play include: Tarantula Performance Racing’s new front bumper and Race Safer Pro nerf bars; ATV Four Play’s Generation II Soft Bars; ATV Four Play’s chain guide and chain slide; Streamline stainless steel brake lines; stock Pitster axle, axle carrier and brake plate.

For additional information about ATV Four Play’s new Pitster Mod, visit ATVFourPlay.com.

Good Friends in Powell River

One of the things that attracted us to Powell River was its friendly people. When we were tourists, everyone we met went out of their way to make us feel welcome. After we purchased our cabin, we wanted to become more involved in our new community. We did that by joining groups with similar interests. One of those is the Powell River ATV Club.

The first time I remember meeting Dave was at a presentation he organized about the Roosevelt Elk relocation program. After another club meeting, Dave and his wife Marg invited us over for a Christmas party. Since then, we've become really good friends. We try to get together when we're both in town for chats, dinners and the occasional Powell River Kings hockey game.

Dave has a background in forestry and working at the mill. He was born in Powell River, moved away, and then back. Marg is a nurse and still does a bit of casual work. They are really family oriented, doing lots of things with their grown kids and especially their grand-kids. Dave has been president of the ATV Club for several years now, and with Marg's help, has organized lots of fun rides, events and trail building activities. You can read more about the Club here:

ATV/BC "Powell River ATV Club"
Powell River ATV Club Website
Powell River ATV Club on Facebook
Powell River Peak "ATV Riders on Track for Access"

Dave and Marg are always having us over to their house, even for Christmas dinner. When we have them over, it's at the cabin. We are usually part of their summer boat shakedown cruise on Powell Lake. Look at the wonderful welcome Wayne gave them this year! And there they were, bearing lots of gifts, including dinner all ready to prepare.

They also brought a bird feeder and a squirrel feeder that Dave had made but they no longer needed. He is very talented, especially at wood carving. Dave is one of those "jacks of all trades" that are so prevalent in northern communities. And Marg is right there beside him. They are my idols in many respects.

So, this Wednesday Friends Day I would like to introduce you to Dave and Marg, our good Powell River friends. Thanks for all your help, advice, stories, and of course, friendship. -- Margy

Up the Lake on Wheels

Impossible, you say? Well, not really. But this is one adventure I didn't get to participate in except for launch and recovery. Wayne and John used our cedar log raft to tow their quads up to the head of Powell Lake for three nights of camping and two days of riding. But first, the raft needed a bit of modification to make it go faster.

The weather needed to be timed for no rain (makes tent camping easier) and calm water (makes towing easier). To be ready for such a window, Wayne and John decided to tow the quads up and preposition them at our cabin. For the next few days, looky-loos in Hole in the Wall had something new to catch their attention.

On Sunday morning, John arrived with his dog Bro ready to go. They weren't sure how long it would take, but estimated five hours. But first, John set up our Campion to push the raft. He thought it would be easier to handle and faster that way. So with lots of extra gas (for the quads and boat), tents, sleeping bags, tons of food, our trusty BBQ, and our tin boat, off they went.

At the head, they were able to tie up to the old logging dock and offload the bikes right there. Pretty slick. Just tie up once and you're done. Otherwise, they could have used the barge ramp. They set up camp right there since they wouldn't be in anyone's way. All logging has shut down for now and Plutonic Power has completed their transmission line installation.










There are extensive logging roads that start at the head of Powell Lake, but they can't be reached from anywhere else. John and Wayne rode for hours each day to dynamic viewpoints, the mill's old snow survey cabin, and cool mountain streams perfect for a cooling swim.

Wednesday was return trip time. This would be a longer trip, all the way back to the Shinglemill Marina in one day. The first leg down to our cabin took about five and a half hours. From the cabin, John, Mom and I went down the lake in his boat while Wayne slowly plugged along.

John and I hurried down so we could serve as Wayne's landing crew. We met up at Kinsman Beach (right where the adventure began) and John used his ramps to offload the bikes from the raft to the shore. Pretty slick! Swimmers out on a warm summer day thought so too.

In addition to John and I, Helen and Ed came down to serve as a welcoming committee and quad shuttle crew. Then off Wayne went, to take the raft up to John's cabin, another hour away. It was quite an adventure, the coming, the going and the riding. Maybe next time I'll be able to tag along. -- Margy

Beginner's Loop

Our friend Jeanne came back to visit us in Powell River. On her last trip, she had her first quad ride on a forest service road. Today we decided to introduce her to an easy trail close to town. We parked near Edgehill School at the head of Abbotsford Street. From there, we took the Edgehill Trail system through large stands of trees with an understory as beautiful as any in the area.

This handy launching point can be used to reach any area east and south of town. Even though it's an easy trail, there are a few challenging spots for the novice rider. The first is a hill with some turns and rocky patches, but Jeanne put her quad into 4X4 and crawled up like a champ. Our speed wasn't fast, but that gave us time to thoroughly enjoy our surroundings. We rode the rest of the trail and a short logging road to the entrance of the Washout Trail.

It's been raining lately, so the Washout Trail was dotted with big puddles. In places, the Wednesday Trail Building Group has created bypasses on drier soil to prevent damage to the area. Their hard work was just highlighted in this month's Rider's West Magazine. Thanks everyone for making our backcountry more accessible.

At the well marked junction we turned up the Blue Trail. This trail has also been the location of work by the dedicated ATV group. Jeanne is standing by one of the two new bridges they built last fall with a combination of volunteer workers, donated supplies and a $3000 grant from ATV/BC. But it's not just a quad trail. The Blue Trail is a multi-use for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders as well. It's also an interpretive trail used to teach the youth of Powell River about their forest environment. Once back on the Duck Lake Forest Road, we backtracked to our parking spot and ended a wonderful day in the bush.

Do you want to explore the great outdoors in Powell River? Would you like a book full of maps like this one? There's a great map book written by Dave, the president of the Powell River ATV Club. It’s called the ATV Trail Guide and costs $25. If want a copy, you can contact Dave through the ATV/BC website. The guides are also available in Powell River at Quality Parts, Guy's Cycle Works and the Edgehill Store. All profits support trail maintenance and building activities. -- Margy

Available Online - Up the Main

A Great Book
for the Outdoor Enthusiast

Up the Main

Coastal BC Stories

Travel up the main logging roads for an unparalleled backcountry experience. Whether you go by ATV, motorcycle, mountain bike, car or on foot, you can find clear mountain streams, hidden lakes and uncrowded campsites. Read Up the Main by Wayne Lutz and ride along with us.

Go to www.PowellRiverBooks.com for ordering information or use one of our trusted partners.

Kindle version $5.99 USD at Amazon.com
iPad and Ebook $1.99 USD at Smashwords.com
Print version $16.95 USD at Amazon.com

Tony Lake Tour

Yesterday Wayne and I took advantage of a warm sunny day to go quad riding. Our destination was the Knuckleheads Recreation Area so we could play in the snow before it's all gone. We started at our usual offloading spot on Dixon Road south of town. There's a nice wide turnout that holds our long double ATV trailer just right.

The first part of the ride was on Goat Lake Main. It's been a while since we've come this way and I was surprised at all of the recent logging. Things must be picking up in the forestry industry. It was interesting to see the different slash areas, some freshly cut, some with very small trees recently planted, and others with growing trees varying in age from 5 to 100 years. Forest management is very important to ensure it is a renewable resource.

At Tin Hat Junction we turned right on Stillwater Main and then left to the Knuckleheads. There's pretty good signage so we followed along until we reached A Branch. This is the smaller road leading up to the free public mountain recreation cabin, but well before that destination we found the snow we were looking for. It wasn't deep, but enough to keep us from making any more forward progress. We stopped by a small waterfall to enjoy our lunch.

On the way down we decided to take a side road to Tony Lake. I've always wanted to go there and this was a perfect time. Along the way we discovered seven Roosevelt Elk grazing in a recent slash. There's lots of open space for grass to grow and fewer trees to hide hunting cougars. They are magnificent animals. So stately and seemingly unafraid. Elk are very social. The group was split when we passed by. The group of four on the hill were waiting for their herd mates to return. Here's a short video.

At Tony Lake there was a small campsite that we had all to ourselves. Wayne tried a few casts, but the water is shallow with lots of underwater snags. I hiked around to take pictures in this lovely spot. We took t a different way out to return to Goat Lake Main. Even on such a beautiful day we saw very few people in the back country. What a wonderful way to relax and enjoy nature. I invite you to come share in one of British Columbia's best kept secrets. -- Margy

Like a Virgin ...

"... for the very first time," goes the Madonna song. Our good friend Jeanne had lots of firsts this week here in Powell River. She had her first tin boat ride on Wednesday, she went to her first hockey game on Thursday, and on Friday she topped it off with her first quad ride.

A first ride is very important so we went to two experts for advice. We asked John about possible destinations with no logging and easy roads. When we met Dave (president of the Powell River ATV Club) and Marg for the hockey game, we continued our discussion. Dave and Marg are currently giving classes for youth in our community about ATV safety. What's good for kids is even better for adults, if we will only listen.

After all the input we decided on Southview Road. Usually it's our access road for Theodosia, but today it would be our destination. We parked in our usual turnout and offloaded the two quads. Wayne gave Jeanne her initial instructions and monitored her first solo. Being a flight instructor, he's used to this role. After Jeanne demonstrated a working knowledge of starting, forward and reverse, he released her for a short ride up and down the road. After three laps he turned her over to me.

I was the lead for the ride while Wayne remained with the truck. I took Jeanne at a slow pace up Theodosia Branch 2. Usually we are going so fast we don't appreciate the thick stand of second growth trees along the way. We turned off on Theodosia Branch 6, a smaller less traveled route. When it narrowed even more and started climbing over rocky terrain, we opted to return to the larger dirt road.

We continued up Branch 2 to the bridge just short of the seven kilometre mark. It was a good place to stretch our legs and enjoy a pop in the warm sunshine. From a viewpoint you could see down to Okeover Inlet and its many oyster farms. After our short break we headed back down the way we came. In about two klicks we saw a good looking guy hitchhiking. What a surprise, it was Wayne.

On the way back we found a flat, mossy quad trail heading into the bush. Wayne had already hiked it to make sure it was safe for Jeanne to try. In just a few metres, Jeanne experienced what it's like on a quad ride through the rainforest undergrowth so typical in our area. She was amazed at the experience.

Having access to the backcountry is so important for Powell River residents and visitors alike. We are fortunate in Powell River that the Regional District and ATV Club are so supportive. -- Margy

Squirrel Creek Bridge Ride

Today we opted for a warm truck rather than our quads for a ride into the bush. Our destination was the Squirrel Creek Bridge up the Eldred River valley. Well, that's not technically true. We went to where the Squirrel Creek Bridge used to be before it was removed by helicopter by Plutonic Power to transport to their run-of-river project in Toba Inlet. Now access to this portion of our back country is cut off.

We followed Goat Main all the way from the junction with Dixon Road south of Powell River. It's a major logging road and is easy to drive, except for the last few kilometres that are water barred to help prevent erosion by streams crossing the roadbed.

Along the way there are beautiful sights. Lakes with brilliant reflections. Forests in many shades of green. Snow capped peaks sparkling in the sunlight. Sheer granite cliffs glistening after yesterday's rain. And lots and lots of roaring creeks and streams. We are so lucky here in Powell River to have so much beauty within a day's reach. It is sad that several more of our main routes into the back country might be lost.

The following are a few shots from today's trip.

















If you love the outdoors, come join us to explore Powell River's wonderful back country. Want to learn more about it? Take a look at Up the Main and ride along with Wayne and I on the many roads and trails our region has to offer. -- Margy