When I get to a place for the first time and know it like home, this is when I know my journey will be over
– Unknown

There are always two people in every picture: the photographer and the viewer.
Ansel Adams

I was born lost, and take no pleasure in being found
- John Steinbeck

Camoplast Tatou 4S Tracks     

In this day in age when everything has to be multi-capable, multi-taskable….basically able to do more things than the one it’s originally designed for, why waste a bunch of money on a four wheeler you can only drive for 3 seasons?

I know I’ve grown up riding four wheelers my whole life, but these expensive toys usually just sat in the barn all winter long. Come late fall, once the ground got too soft, we usually winterized our machines rather than tear up the trails with deep ruts. We were raised with the Tread Lightly mentality ingrained in our heads and knew that riding most of the smooth trails we spent long summer hours rolling along would ruin them quick once the ground got soft.

Most of us were too poor to afford to have multiple machines that would keep us out playing all winter long. Snowmobiles are a blast to ride, but with Michigan winters not being known for piles of fresh powder, we might only have a few good weeks of quality riding on the sleds and couldn't see spending that much money for only a few months worth of riding.

Is there anything in-between the two that could keep one machine available all year long?

Yes! In steps Camoplast, the maker of track systems for ATV’s, UTV’s and multiple other applications. You’ve probably seen these systems at any snow resort you’ve been to. Camoplast also makes the same snow groomers you see keeping the ski runs freshly groomed for your skiing and snowboarding addictions that will be right around the corner.

We had the pleasure of trying out one of Camoplast’s newest track systems on an Articat 700efi ATV recently. Bolting the tracks on was easy enough and consisted of unbolting the stock tires, lining up the track systems which were marked very clearly with simple directions as to which track went on which hub, and tightening down all the necessary bolts.

Total time might have taken an hour, give or take a few beers. Once we had them installed and knew what to expect, I bet you could do it by yourself in under 30 minutes if you were using air tools to speed the unbolting process of the lug nuts.

Riding the Beast – Where the Real Fun Starts

If you’re looking for only one thing to make your machine turn every head you pass, this is the easiest modification you could do. Imagine pulling up to one of the watering holes in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with this four wheeler and expect to clear the establishment of its patrons. Make sure you’re not in a hurry anywhere you go because you’ll be answering questions when ever you stop.

Even driving down the road with this beauty on our trailer, we lost count of the amount of people rubber necking at our ATV. Now remember, this Articat was bone stock, right off the showroom floor except for the addition of the tracks.

We joked that we should have plastered the thing with stickers just so people would check out the website to see what it was all about.

If I owned a bar that catered to ATVer’s or snowmobilers, or just wanted to get peoples attention, this would be the first on my list of Fun Ways to Advertise.  If we had a Toy Hauler that could house this beast, I know we would turn heads everywhere we went.

Our main reason we wanted to test these Camoplast Tracks right now in the fall was they’re billed as all-season tracks. Sure they’ll allow your ATV to keep up with your buddies snowmobile for half the price of a nice sled, but are they only for winter time use?

We were a bit skeptical at first because of how big the lugs are in the track system. I thought there would be no way they could turn on grass, dirt or heaven forbid asphalt without tearing up the surface or the track itself.

What we learned was just the opposite. The wide platform of the track makes for an amazingly smooth ride. Almost smoother than the stock tires which were pretty aggressive to begin with.

One advantage we found very quickly with the tracks on was the length it added to the ATV. The rear tracks extend much farther back than the stock tires, almost acting like an extended swingarm which are common on hill climbing machines. Once we realized how much more climbing ability this gave us, we couldn’t wait to find steeper hills to test the ATV on.

Inclines that would have flipped the stock ATV over backwards, were now no match for the Articat with the Tatou Tracks. One incline we tried was so steep, we couldn’t stay seated on the machine and had to prop one foot on the rear rack to stand almost straight up on; yet the ATV still wanted to climb steeper.

The added weight of the tracks also helps to hold down the front end which would normally want to rise up in the air on an incline that steep. This added weight can also be a hindrance when it comes to tight turns, but not enough to complain about. The tracks will add a few feet to the turning radius because of their extended length, but with almost every Trail ATV on the market coming with reverse these days, this is not really even worth noteing.

Since I mentioned the added weight of the tracks, I should mention that we noticed with the tracks installed, we had to use a touch more throttle to maintain the same cruising speeds as we could achieve with the smoother rolling resistance of the round tires. But again, these are more for snow, mud or off trail riding where you normally would just be spinning your tires wasting much of your power.

With the tracks on, hills that we would normally have to throttle up spinning and tearing up the trail, we could now crawl right up with very little throttle usage and no spin what so ever. I would bet that if we would have had two machines side by side, the one with the tracks could win the hole shot every time due to its ability to hook up with the surface and not waste energy spinning tires.
 

We also wanted to see if we could actually catch air with the tracks on the big Articat 700! Granted an ATV this big isn’t usually something you’re regularly launching off the ground, but hey, we had these two machines to test, so why not really test them!

With a big smile from ear to ear, we were able to get all four tracks off the ground numerous times. I’m not lying when I say even I was amazed at how much air we got! The most amazing thing was how easy it was to accomplish it and how smooth the landing was.

Something tells me if we can rip these things up for a few hours of constant abuse, they’ll stand up to the normal everyday use the average rider is going to put them through.

After hours of riding, jumping and having fun, the Tatou 4S Tracks looked as new as they did when we pulled them off the trailer.

Conclusion

We spent a few hours tearing up the hills of the local ski resort (Yes, we had permission…LOL) and never once found an area we couldn’t ride or concur. We found that tearing up and down the hills was very smooth and felt much more stable than riding the same areas with the stock tires.

One area that was boggy because of the recent rains we’ve experienced was easily crossed with little to no damage to the ground. Something that wasn’t possible with the tires on the ATV. The tires instantly wanted to dig in and tear up the surface, yet with the tracks on, we would just float right over the bog.

Are these Tatou 4S Tracks for everyone who owns an ATV? I’d say it would depend on the type of riding you do. If you have a Sport ATV and ride mostly on groomed tracks or tight trails, then you’d probably find these to slow you down.

But if you’re more the recreational rider who rides all sorts of trails, uses the ATV for work, play and snow removal, than these would be a great investment. Many of us Michiganders have cottages up north where we escape to every chance we can. If I was in this boat, I’d order my Tatou 4S Tracks tonight.

You would save money in the long run by not having to maintain the snowmobile and not have to accessorize both machines. Why not devote all your hard earned money into one machine and make it the ultimate year round trail boss! I guarantee you’ll turn every head at the dunes, the next trail ride or at Tip-Up-Town this January when you show up with these tracks on your machine.

If you do a lot of riding in sand, or along the coastline where you might encounter many bogs or muddy, sandy areas, then these would be ideal for your machine.

Camoplast makes multiple models of tracks to fit most ATV’s and even models for your UTV! Check out their website to see some really cool looking options they offer. If you’re interested in any of the specs for your personal ATV, check out your local dealer to see if they could order you a set of tracks from Marshall Distributing.

We left out all the specifics because the Camoplast site does such a good job of listing them and showing detailed diagrams of their various models.

Every Miles A Memory would like to say a huge thank you to Marshall Distributing for allowing us the afternoon of sheer enjoyment on this beast!

Thanks to the Local ski resort who also allowed us to tear up their hills with smiles so big you’d think we were a couple of kids on recess. They know who they are but we’ll leave their name unmentioned so they don’t get flooded with requests from other riders asking to ride on their property.

Every Miles A Memory