The new DS is great on wide trails

The new DS certainly looks intimidating. I hopped on and gave the start button a hit; "BAM!", the DS fired right up and idled nicely, even though it hadn't been ridden in a few days. Right away I felt very comfortable. The seat is cushy, the handlebars and foot-pegs in the right spots -- basically it fit me like a glove.

I took it out for a quick ride and was immediately impressed with the power and handling. The 653cc Rotax punched out the power like a well-tuned two stroke, and man, did it pull hard, with power to spare! Okay, it was time to put it in the garage for the night - I had to get packing for a three-day stint in the dunes starting the next day. The next morning, I fired it cold to load it on the trailer next to the other quads, and it fired right up on the first try. I have never seen an ATV that started so easily. Compared to having to kick-start an ATV, the electric start is really a plush feature. This quad is going to spoil me.

That afternoon we arrived at the East Dunes campground in Sand Lake, Oregon. Sand Lake is the northern-most area of the Oregon Dunes, which on a good day is only an hour from my house. Needless to say I spend a lot of my time there. After getting all suited-up in my crash, er, riding gear, I headed out to the dunes to see what this baby was made of.

I had to contain myself going through the campground -- keep calm, I am almost there. After a quick parade to show off the DS, I hit the sand and punched it, grabbing gears and literally hauling @$$! I thought to myself "hmmm… this quad rips." I rode for a little while until I got to the beach area, the coast of the Pacific Ocean bordering the SLRA Dunes. I found several ATV's already doing flat drag races. I stopped to measure up the "competition", consisting of an early DS 650, a couple of Banshees with pipes and other go-fast goodies, a MXed-out Honda 400ex, Suzuki Z-400, Polaris Predator, a couple of Raptors and a Cannondale Speed.

I was approached by the rider on the Speed, asking about the Baja-X. He informed me that he owns the other DS in the just-for-fun races, and told me he was the clear winner in the drag races they had been doing on the beach, and said, "If you can beat me, you can beat them all."

We lined up; he led the start; I punched the DS 650 Baja-X and it leaped into action. I was taking him with a clear lead, and then passed the Cannondale Speed effortlessly. The rider came over and said, "Well, that's a big improvement to the old DS, I think I'm going to have to trade in the Old Yeller and get a New X." I stayed for an hour racing the other quads, and the Bombardier DS 650 Baja-x impressed me thoroughly. It was the fasted quad on the sand that day.

I eventually ran out of people to race, and moved on to other challenges. The shocks sucked up everything, in fact the faster I went, the better they worked. Two Thumbs up.

Auto-Meter Tach & Ignition	Check out that beefy chain and sprocket!

Drag racing uphill, I beat my buddy on his "built" Banshee, and I would have beaten him even worse if I had a set of paddle tires instead of the stock Ohitsu's. After riding with the Banshee boys and showing them up with a big 4stoke, they were whining about their thumbs hurting, and headed back to camp. I continued to ride, as the DS is one of the most comfortable ATVs out there. I can attest that it is also the only ATV that is "all day ridable", stopping only to sleep for 6 hours and a quick bite to eat.

I rode for three days straight. I hated giving it back to Bombardier; in fact, I am probably going to purchase one. It is hands-down the best desert & sand ATV to hit the market (of course, in my opinion.)

Happy Trails,

Jarret Gleason

1. Nerf bars
2. High pressure gas front shocks (HPG)
3. Aluminum skid plates for A-arms and engine.
4. Exclusive seat design.