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Some say the golden age of ATV’s spanned from the late 1970s throughout the late 1980s. The focus shifted from 3-wheelers to 4-wheelers. At that time, both vehicles were mostly ridden for recreational purposes. And oh, how people loved them. Then the 90’s kicked in, and the safety concerns rose up.

It became a dark era for the ATV’s with a sports heritage. Until 1999, when Honda put stop to it, by introducing the TRX400EX for model year 1999, also known as the Sportrax and Fourtrax 400EX. The Honda TRX400EX was a game changer on several levels. It had been a while since the last sports oriented ATV had been released. At the time, most recent ATV’s were more focused on farmers than on racers, so racers used to ‘recycle’ the older two-strokes from the golden days.

The Yamaha Banshee was still popular - still a great collectors item these days - but that was about it. Those two-stroke days seemed to come to an end, when Honda showed the potential of the four-stroke for ATV’s. It was much easier to ride, with more ridable power at a lower rpm, and it finished at a higher rpm.

At Honda, they learned a lot from producing the 250R. For the TRX400, they made a way more rigid and stiffer swingarm, which gave this ATV more speed and stability on bumps and whoops. Today, the TRX400 is turning into a true collectors item, symboling the era of simplicity, and the era of fun. Are you one of the lucky few who still owns a Honda TRX400EX? Find TRX400 parts at CMSNL.com to keep it running.

READY TO WIN 2 VIP MOTOGP 2026 TICKETS?
With full LCR Honda hospitality access!

This is your chance to step behind the scenes of MotoGP, as an exclusive guest of the LCR Honda MotoGP team, and experience top-level racing up close!

Place an order at CMSNL.com between June the 22th and July the 5th, 2026, enter the code JOINTHERACE26 at checkout, and you’ll be entered into de draw to win:

- 2 VIP tickets to a MotoGP race of your choice*
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*Choose from any MotoGP race still remaining on the 2026 calendar.

READY TO JOIN THE RACE?
Racing and motorcycle parts are one. We love to keep classic and modern bikes running by supplying parts, but we also have a big passion for mechanics and technology. The racing world has always been the pioneer in terms of both. So our connection to racing isn’t so strange. And we’d love to share that connection.. with you!

Terms & Conditions:
- Orders may be returned in accordance with our normal return policy
- Returned orders will automatically be withdrawn from the price draw

THE UNBEATABLE FRENCHMAN 🇫🇷

With the toughest one-day off-road race in our shadow, being the Erzbergrodeo, we look back at an outstanding performance in the world’s toughest off-road endurance race. There are multiple demanding offroad races in this world. But most will think of the Dakar Rally.

And few know - and have ridden - the Dakar Rally like Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel. He started riding offroad bikes when he was little. While he made a side step to skateboarding - another big talent of Stéphane - he eventually turned his attention to riding offroad again. He made his Dakar Rally debut in 1988, on board of the Yamaha YZE750. He claimed his first stage victory that year, and was also crowned Enduro World Champion.

From that moment, he showed the world that he meant real business. And that he was there to stay. In 1991 he won the Dakar Rally due to his consistent riding, and overall great performance. One year later, he would take the top step again.

After a break in 1994 due to renewed regulations, he later returned to the Dakar with the Yamaha XTR860TR. In total, he won the race six times, which makes him the record holder for most motorcycle victories in the Dakar Rally. Stéphane and Yamaha turned out the be a golden combination. His performance and their technology ensured that Yamaha is still the most successful Japanese brand when it comes to winning manufacturers within the Dakar Rally.

THE ROTARY ROAD TO HISTORY ▶️

To mass produce a wankel rotary-powered motorcycle. Some designed prototypes or plans, few have attempted actually producing one, even less have succeeded. Suzuki was one of the brave brands to try. Launched in 1974. the Suzuki RE5 was a fascinating motorcycle due to its unique and complex engineering, and its distinctive and almost futuristic aesthetic. If you had ‘a thing’ for mechanics, the RE5 caught your interest.

This single-rotor engine with a displacement of 497cc provided the power equivalent of a much larger traditional engine. It produced approximately. 62 horsepower, and a good dose of torque. The smoothness of the engine is what stood out. Sadly, the design of the entire motorcycle didn’t quite came together yet. Normally, a single rotor engine is lightweight, which would be one of the unique selling points of the motorcycle. Sadly, the complexity of the Suzuki RE5, and its numerous subsystems, resulted in a heavy-weight motorcycle.

The rotary design made the engine prone to overheating. It ran so hot, that it required a massive radiator to cool down. It also needed a complex dual-shell exhaust system with special cooling air intakes. Otherwise the rider could get burned, or nearby components would melt. The complexity of the Suzuki RE5 engine didn’t stop there. It used a dual-stage carburetor, which had two barrels that open at different times to balance performance and ridebility. It also had two separate oiling systems. One for the engine internals, and another to inject oil into the intake to lubricate the apex seals.

It was a bold mechanical gamble. It may even have been the boldest move of the brand, ever. It was criticized as being too expensive, over-complicated, and even underpowered. Though it wasn’t the commercial success they were after, the RE5 engine is now a prized collector’s item. And well.. we know it’s personal.. but let’s be honest.. The sound of a rotary engine. That’s just something else.