Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ successful alliance with Suzuki Motor Corp. has enabled both brands to expand their product lines in the U.S. market and to share development costs for select models such as Kawasaki’s Prairie 700 and Suzuki’s QuadSport Z-400.

The alliance will now include a side by side utility vehicle. Suzuki will be marketing its own branded version of the Kawasaki-built MULE 3010 4×4 utility vehicle.

Kawasaki pioneered the off-road utility vehicle market when it introduced the first MULE utility vehicle in 1988, and today the line consists of four models, all of which are built at Kawasaki’s manufacturing facility in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Yamaha has been absolutely silent on this but we have some pretty solid scuttle the company is coming with a cross-over model which marries the best features of the 450 Kodiak with the independent rear suspension of the Grizzly 660.

Whether or not the new Sport Ute will be completely based on the Grizz chassis with a sleeved down engine or whether it will be a Kodiak with a different rear clip, we’re not sure.

One thing’s certain. This new model will fill a gaping hole in the market for Yamaha. Many consumers have felt there’s been just too big a gap between the Kodie and the Grizzly and have gone shopping the competition in the 500 to 600cc range.

If you’ve ridden a 2004 Grizzly, you know how good Yamaha’s IRS is. Improvements this year have made it one of the best riding ATVs in the biz. We think this new one will be a huge bulls-eye for the Big Y.

Some of the All-Terrain Vehicle crew were recently invited to the Lapland region of Northern Finland to get a look at what the country has to offer for both summer and winter motorized recreation.

We were pleased to see fabulous enthusiasm for motorsports all over Scandanavia – particularly in the central and northern parts of Finland, Sweden and Norway, where the terrain looks a lot like the northern parts of the United States and many areas of Central Canada.

Our good friend, Joni Launonen, of Rovanami, Finland sent us some shots of himself testing a two-up Traxter in a swamp near his home.

There are plenty of trails to ride in these countries and All-Terrain Vehicle magazine will be featuring a story soon on how you can get an all-inclusive travel package to ride ATVs there. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime trip for ATV enthusiasts.

For more information check out www.northern-europe-inc.com

Team Splash’N Dirt rode their ITP/Yamaha Canada YFZ-450 to an impressive victory in the Les 12 Heures d’Endurance De La Tuque quad race. The speedy Pelchat brothers, along with team mate B. Prevost, took an early 2 lap lead after the first 4 hour interval and never looked back. At the end of the 12 hour race Team Splash’N Dirt finished an incredible 7 laps ahead of the next closest competitor and still looked as if they had more in the tank.

Sixty teams were on hand to participate this year including two all-female teams and a male/female team. Thousands of spectators flocked the small Quebec town of La Tuque to see the race many people are calling the toughest ATV race in North America.

In just it’s third year the 12 Hour Endurance race has doubled its entries and has seen competitors travel from as far as France and Belgium in order to take a crack at the $5,000 1st place prize. By the way – Team Sentier Quad walked away with $2,000 cash as the 1st place female team. Congratulations to M. Tanguay, M-E Turmel and A. Villeneuve who also happened to be riding a Yamaha YFZ-450.

Be sure to get a copy of the June issue of All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine to get the full scoop on this truly amazing race.

For more information on this race or how to be involved next year call (514)252-3050 or email fqcq@fqcq.qc.ca

We first laid eyes on Kymco’s ATVs last October at the Supertrax Snowmobile & Powersports Show in Minneapolis. Surrounded by some of the coolest looking Kymco motor scooters we’d ever seen was the Mongoose 250.

This full-sized Sport ATV uses a 249cc single overhead cam 4-stroke connected to a belt driven CVT transmission. Yup, a unique combo in this class but good enough to win the 250 class in the Spanish Baja Desert Endurance race last October and, although the Mongoose isn’t a hardcore Sport Performance offering, it’s beautifully detailed, high quality plastic, excellent wheels and tires and familiar engineering probably cloned from some of the 4-wheelers we know and love in North America.

Kymco has been around since 1963 and, by 1998, had rolled its six millionth motorcycle off the assembly line. The company also produces 50 and 90cc Mongoose kids’ models and a rack equipped MXer 150 featuring a CVT tranny, reverse and electric start. New for 2004 is the full sized Utility MXU 250, powered by a 249cc 4-stroke, driving through a continuously variable transmission.

All Kymco ATVs come with a 12 month warranty and are distributed by STR Motorsports in Inman, South Carolina. You can contact them at 800-845-7007 or check the web at www.kymco.com

In an effort to offer its customers more choices, excellent value and to better control their destiny as an ATV manufacturer, Arctic Cat has designed and will assemble its own ATV engine. It’s called the 650 H1, and it will debut on a new Arctic Cat 650 H1 4×4 Automatic.

The liquid-cooled, single-cylinder 641cc four-stroke features the Duramatic automatic transmission (with Hi-Lo range), electronic push-button 2WD/4WD and engine braking. It’s fed by a 40mm Keihin carburetor with electric choke.

With liquid cooling and a thermostatically controlled auxiliary fan, the H1 engine delivers consistent operation in all conditions. The name “H1” comes from its hemispherical-shaped cylinder head and single-cylinder design.

The 650 H1 engine will be assembled near the corporate headquarters in Thief River Falls at a new, state-of-the-art 24,000 square foot facility. The Engine Division was conceived in the summer of 2000. Three years in the making, the engine is scheduled for a debut later this year.

The H1 was designed and built using the latest manufacturing technology to ensure exact, quality standards. Likewise, each new engine will be thoroughly tested before being placed in an ATV.

E-TON America’s youth ATV line has been specifically designed to offer the widest range of vehicles available for youth riders. Most ATV manufacturers essentially shrink down an adult ATV for the youth market, but E-TONs youth products have been built from the ground up and are specifically engineered for young riders.

Features like youth size grips and controls, seat heights for various sizes and advanced electronics separate E-TON from the rest of the pack by offering youth riders the features they need for their current size and level of experience.

According to D.A. Schiets with Schiets Motors, E-TONs youth ATV line is unique because they are built for youth as young as 6 years of age. The whole family can take their ATVs for a spin and enjoy quality time together outdoors.

While keeping the riders safety in mind, E-TON has included safety features such as a wireless remote start/remote shut-off switch that allows parents to maintain direct control over their childrens off-road experience without having to overshadow their childrens fun. Other features include a floorboard, rear hydraulic disc brake, brake lights and more keeping in mind safety and fun.

To find an E-TON dealer near you, visit www.etonamerica.com.