Our buddy, Goose Bellows, has been riding on portals for a while now, and he rides hard. If anybody’s going to put SuperATV’s GDP Portal Gear lifts through the wringer, it’s him.
I purchased SuperATV’s GDP 6″ Portals for my 2014 Can-Am Maverick XRS awhile ago. The ride quality, mud holes I can conquer, and trail riding is unmatched.
The first year of owning my Maverick I was running 34” mud tires with just a bracket lift and it did pretty well. I noticed one of the issues was once I started going to the bigger tires. Even with aftermarket clutches I felt I needed a lower gear to properly turn the tires. At the time, the only way to get a gear reduction was to install a Can-Am 6×6 transmission. I did’nt like that option because my transmission was doing just fine.
I had first seen the SuperATV Gear Driven Performance 4” Portals while I was deployed in the Middle East, Active Duty USAF. They were an interesting concept to me. Prior to owning a SxS, I had always built big mud trucks and had to run big drop transfer cases. The portals are essentially a mini transfer case at the wheels. At first I was skeptical because of the leverage being extended out and downward. It does put a lot of pressure on the ball joints, steering, and pretty much everything except for the axles. But you can’t beat having axles staying at stock angles.
By the time I returned home from my deployment, SuperATV had released 6” portals and I had to have them. I always wanted to be one of the biggest and baddest rides out there in the mud truck world. But I wasn’t going to stop there. Once I purchased my 6” portals, I bought 9.5r22s BKT 171s. That is a 40” tractor tire on a Maverick. The best part was I was only running a 3” bracket lift and the 6” portals.
The portal install on my Maverick was pretty easy. I would have to say the most difficult part was removing and installing the longer brake lines.
The first ride with the portals was actually at the filming of a local country rap singer’s music video. The song and video weren’t great but it was a pretty fun day. The biggest mud hole at the venue was a cake walk. Other SxS’s on 34s and 35s were having to give it all it had to get through the hole. I barely had to try because of the 45% gear reduction and 40” tires.
Most people know I ride very hard and I expect my equipment to perform at all times. One of the things I like doing is jumping or riding out wheelies over hill crests. At the end of the filming, I gave it a shot on a small hill side. I was amazed at how I pulled the front tires up easily and that nothing broke or bent. From that point on, I knew the 6” portals could handle most of what I was going to ask of them.
Anyways, back to my Maverick and portals. Since receiving the new portals, I have had zero issues with them. My Maverick has been through hell—anything from being jumped, rolled, driven through lakes/rivers, and giant mud holes over the doors. I’ve even been so stuck that it took three winches all snatched blocked to pull me out. The strength and durability of these portals are astonishing.
I have heard stories from other people saying they hate the portals and even SuperATV as a company. I, on the other hand, think their products and customer service are top-notch. Everything has a breaking point. We all know this. But with how hard I ride, the portals and all of SuperATV’s products are great quality. And they stand behind them 110%.
If you would like to see pictures and videos of just how hard I ride with my 6” Portals, feel free to take a look at my Instagram @Buckin_Crazy or hashtag #lilBuckinCrazy
Thanks for the review Goose!
