Petrolhead Dai Evans has certainly spent a lot of time with his sleeves rolled up servicing, maintaining, and repairing engines and utility vehicles over the last 40 years. Whilst motorcycles were his main business by choice for 25 years, Polaris quad bikes and utility vehicles overtook his love of motorcycles to become his family’s main revenue stream. Now with his son Llewellyn and additional fully-trained technical support staff, Dai’s business Usk and Wye Valley ATV Ltd is well set to meet the expected growth in his home trading area of South-East Wales and the Forest of Dean.
The Polaris brand of agricultural, utility and sports equipment also includes military off-road vehicles, and it was from this sector that Dai received an unexpected phone call from the Polaris HQ back in 2014, asking if he could undertake service and operational training work overseas. Having an adventurous mindset along with a deep understanding of the Polaris products, Dai set off on travels across the world, spending time in Botswana and European countries where Polaris products were being used by the military and security forces.
More recently, Dai is a resident race mechanic for Polaris International and private quad racing teams, where he can be seen at Weston-Super-Mare beach racing events, as well as running his Polaris dealership. Mainly supplying products for farming and commercial use, this year, Dai has also supplied a number of Ranger utility vehicles set up for snow clearance. Customers like Hitachi Rail at Bristol and the giant McCarthy Glen shopping mall need their large car parks cleared and safe once snow falls, otherwise, hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of business a day is lost. The Ranger cab provides warmth and comfort, even with the doors open, and the manoeuvrability and dependability, combined with carrying capacity, provides a reliable workhorse even on cold wintry days.
Dai has recently taken the decision to expand both his Polaris stock and increase his parts and showroom area. He explained: “We are not into flash buildings and expensive overheads; we are a family-run business and our customers want off-the-shelf parts for older, perfectly-serviceable Polaris machines, plus sound advice on reliable vehicles for the future. Word-of-mouth works well for us as does the reliability and trust in the Polaris range.”
For further media information on Polaris ORV products, please contact the Polaris Britain Media Office on +44 (0)1525 270100 or email us at press@polaris-orv.media.
About Polaris
As the global leader in Powersports, Polaris Inc. (NYSE: PII) pioneers product breakthroughs and enriching experiences and services that have invited people to discover the joy of being outdoors since our founding in 1954. With annual 2019 sales of $6.8 billion, Polaris’ high-quality product line-up includes the Polaris RANGER®, RZR® and Polaris GENERAL™ side-by-side off-road vehicles; Sportsman® all-terrain off-road vehicles; Indian Motorcycle® mid-size and heavyweight motorcycles; Slingshot® moto-roadsters; snowmobiles; and deck, cruiser and pontoon boats, including industry-leading Bennington pontoons. Polaris enhances the riding experience with parts, garments, and accessories, along with a growing aftermarket portfolio, including Transamerican Auto Parts. Polaris’ presence in adjacent markets includes military and commercial off-road vehicles, quadricycles, and electric vehicles. Proudly headquartered in Minnesota, Polaris serves more than 100 countries across the globe.
