UTV Gift Ideas plus much more

[desrtrat256]

There is quite a bit of UTV talk on RDP so I figured I would drop this here. Some neat gift ideas in the Holiday Buyers Guide as well as some good articles on how to fix your Turbo S suspension and so on. Enjoy. Im all ears for story ideas, new products you find useful or just cool UTV stuff.

December 2020 Vol. 7 Issue 12 - UTV Sports

This December 2020 issue is brought to you by our great partners. Please check them all out in the magazine or at: https://www.utvsportsmag.com/advertisers-partners/

www.utvsportsmag.com

 

[MeCasa16]

Well there goes hours of my day...

 

[desrtrat256]

Thats what the goal is haha.

 

[MeCasa16]

Turns out buying one of these machines is just the gateway to throwing money at it. Now I know why guys who like boats, also love these. I'd be curious to hear your @desrtrat256 opinion on the first changes you would make to a 2021 can am XRC RR.

 

[desrtrat256]

Turns out buying one of these machines is just the gateway to throwing money at it. Now I know why guys who like boats, also love these. I'd be curious to hear your @desrtrat256 opinion on the first changes you would make to a 2021 can am XRC RR.

Some times the cheapest part is purchasing the car. with that said, leave it stock and go play with it. Find out what you like and don't like about the car. Change the things you don't like.

From a safety standpoint, real 3" 5 point harness and a good closed faced helmet are a must for me. With the helmet you will probably want fresh air and communication.

The Havasu sxs chop is bad and getting worse, a spring kit will help a lot. Full shock valving or stage 1 million shocks from shock therapy are not needed. You can do more for cheaper with other shock people like SDG, double E Racing or Russ Wernimont if you decide you need shock work.

From my experience, most people that say they are "aggressive drivers" aren't. Its a relative term. The front bulk head braces are good insurance but far from necessary for most.

Spare belt in a clean case like the Savage case, the tools and knowledge to change it in the field, a first aid kit, and decent sized fire extinguisher. Go get lock in the desert, find your way home and have fun doing it.

Oh, the S&B particle separator will pay for itself in air filter changes quickly if you ride in a group. learn to service your own clutches after every ride. 95% of belt breaking issues are driver error.

 

[sintax]

Turns out buying one of these machines is just the gateway to throwing money at it. Now I know why guys who like boats, also love these. I'd be curious to hear your @desrtrat256 opinion on the first changes you would make to a 2021 can am XRC RR.

thats one of the things i never understood about the whole SxS community. Its similar to the same dudes who buy these dualsports like the KLR or XRL and try to ride them like you'd ride a proper dirt bike.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Turns out buying one of these machines is just the gateway to throwing money at it. Now I know why guys who like boats, also love these. I'd be curious to hear your @desrtrat256 opinion on the first changes you would make to a 2021 can am XRC RR.

How much do you want to spend? for $20K it will be dialed with everything upgrade you can imagine.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

thats one of the things i never understood about the whole SxS community. Its similar to the same dudes who buy these dualsports like the KLR or XRL and try to ride them like you'd ride a proper dirt bike.

People LIKE buying the extra stuff for them and making it their own. No one is twisting your arm.. you can buy the thing and go have fun with it right off the showroom floor.


Plus there is a warranty
Plus you can finance it
Plus it fits in a normal trailer/toy hauler.
Yes it wont do a 100 MPH wheelie, but you also don't have to spend $2K rebuilding the trans every other trip.

It is the same reason every boat on the lake is not a $500K DCB.


15 years ago people had $30K into $10K Rhinos. You can buy a new car for $15K now that will destroy that $30K Rhino (that is now worth $6K) at everything.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Some times the cheapest part is purchasing the car. with that said, leave it stock and go play with it. Find out what you like and don't like about the car. Change the things you don't like.

From a safety standpoint, real 3" 5 point harness and a good closed faced helmet are a must for me. With the helmet you will probably want fresh air and communication.

The Havasu sxs chop is bad and getting worse, a spring kit will help a lot. Full shock valving or stage 1 million shocks from shock therapy are not needed. You can do more for cheaper with other shock people like SDG, double E Racing or Russ Wernimont if you decide you need shock work.

From my experience, most people that say they are "aggressive drivers" aren't. Its a relative term. The front bulk head braces are good insurance but far from necessary for most.

Spare belt in a clean case like the Savage case, the tools and knowledge to change it in the field, a first aid kit, and decent sized fire extinguisher. Go get lock in the desert, find your way home and have fun doing it.

Oh, the S&B particle separator will pay for itself in air filter changes quickly if you ride in a group. learn to service your own clutches after every ride. 95% of belt breaking issues are driver error.

All great info.

 

[Bpracing1127]

People LIKE buying the extra stuff for them and making it their own. No one is twisting your arm.. you can buy the thing and go have fun with it right off the showroom floor.


Plus there is a warranty
Plus you can finance it
Plus it fits in a normal trailer/toy hauler.
Yes it wont do a 100 MPH wheelie, but you also don't have to spend $2K rebuilding the trans every other trip.

It is the same reason every boat on the lake is not a $500K DCB.


15 years ago people had $30K into $10K Rhinos. You can buy a new car for $15K now that will destroy that $30K Rhino (that is now worth $6K) at everything.

2k lol. Try 10-15k lol

 

[sintax]

15 years ago people had $30K into $10K Rhinos. You can buy a new car for $15K now that will destroy that $30K Rhino (that is now worth $6K) at everything.

I understand the customization aspect, but that last line is really my point. Why not just buy a purpose built truck or buggie if go-fast is your game. If you want to haul hay around your ranch, putt around the desert a SxS is a good option.

for the base price of a rzr or can-am you can get a pretty decent pre-running or buggie

 

[riverroyal]

I understand the customization aspect, but that last line is really my point. Why not just buy a purpose built truck or buggie if go-fast is your game. If you want to haul hay around your ranch, putt around the desert a SxS is a good option.

for the base price of a rzr or can-am you can get a pretty decent pre-running or buggie

easy, warranty. It doesnt break. (maybe) 120 miles on less than 10 gallons, great for all over, hard, dunes, street, rocks. Resale, always someone to buy it.

 

[MeCasa16]

How much do you want to spend? for $20K it will be dialed with everything upgrade you can imagine.

I want to spend as little as possible, but I also want it to be dialed in. I had a great conversation with @desrtrat256 at his shop one day and I think he brings a ton of experience and expertise, so I feel like his advice is pretty great. I also just need to learn a lot more about the machine and servicing it as well. I look forward to the whole process. It’s just such a different beast than the 450x’s I’ve had dialed in over the years. I’m going to have to beg one of you guys to show me how to do some of this stuff so I’m not doing it my first time in the middle of the desert.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I understand the customization aspect, but that last line is really my point. Why not just buy a purpose built truck or buggie if go-fast is your game. If you want to haul hay around your ranch, putt around the desert a SxS is a good option.

for the base price of a rzr or can-am you can get a pretty decent pre-running or buggie

No one wants the maintenance and hassle associated with maintaining a purpose built car.

We are taking about people that get a new phone every other year and a new car every 3-4 years. They can buy a SXS, with a warranty, and drive it.

I like the SXS because I don’t care about going 100 in the dirt. Yes it is not a purpose built car, but that means I can order parts and replace whatever brakes on it.

The best SXS to buy is a lightly used one. I'm only buying a new one this time because I got a huge discount and it is a brand new car. My current car I bought used, and with all the mods I did have less into it than a new one of the same model.

 

[sintax]

easy, warranty. It doesnt break. (maybe) 120 miles on less than 10 gallons, great for all over, hard, dunes, street, rocks. Resale, always someone to buy it.

Warranty sure, if you leave the thing alone, which no one does.

as far as "doesnt break", thats nonsense. My buddies smoke belts almost every time they go out it seems. The belt is prob my largest issue with them.

I have not spent much time with a Can-Am, but i'd say the RZR's are only "decent" at those things you mentioned, and thats a hard maybe. The length of the wheel base, and track width are the two major issues I see with it. Even if you're running an extended arms to fix the track width problems, you still have the wheel base issues that the suspension design just cant get away from. Any decently deep woops and the cars upsetting itself. I understand its not a purpose built machine, for the money a few of my buds have into theirs, its very unimpressive.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I want to spend as little as possible, but I also want it to be dialed in. I had a great conversation with @desrtrat256 at his shop one day and I think he brings a ton of experience and expertise, so I feel like his advice is pretty great. I also just need to learn a lot more about the machine and servicing it as well. I look forward to the whole process. It’s just such a different beast than the 450x’s I’ve had dialed in over the years. I’m going to have to beg one of you guys to show me how to do some of this stuff so I’m not doing it my first time in the middle of the desert.

He is spot on. And there are many hacks to get some of the nice to haves for a lot cheaper. Learn to service the car yourself (they are easy to work on) learn what wears out, clean the clutches out every couple hundred miles and check them for wear, swap fluids and filters more often than recommended and use the car but don't abuse it.

They all need springs for sure. A good set of springs will transform the ride and handling. Comms are great to talk to friends on the trail, and you can do it on the cheap for $600-700, or you can spend $1500 for a "kit"

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Warranty sure, if you leave the thing alone, which no one does.

as far as "doesnt break", thats nonsense. My buddies smoke belts almost every time they go out it seems. The belt is prob my largest issue with them.

I have not spent much time with a Can-Am, but i'd say the RZR's are only "decent" at those things you mentioned, and thats a hard maybe. The length of the wheel base, and track width are the two major issues I see with it. Even if you're running an extended arms to fix the track width problems, you still have the wheel base issues that the suspension design just cant get away from. Any decently deep woops and the cars upsetting itself. I understand its not a purpose built machine, for the money a few of my buds have into theirs, its very unimpressive.

A lot of people waste a lot of money on crap that does not make the car any more durable or perform any better. That is on them. Upgraded doors, wraps, flashing lights, new steering wheels, skid guards, massaging seats, don't do anything to help performance.

If you are smoking belts you are abusing the car, or something is misaligned. That said a belt change takes 10 mins. These cars take use, but not abuse. If you abuse them, they will break.

In Havasu you can't run much more track width or wheelbase anyway If you are doing a lot of trail running. The SXS do not have the all out speed of a dedicated off road car, but they are extremely nimble when set up right.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I will add that my car is nothing too special, but I spent money on it where it counts. I have done many long trips in it, and last weekend did 200 miles in the car in 1 day spending about 10 hours total in the car. 40 miles of that was in the worst torn up washes outside Havasu.

I ended the day feeling great. No aches, no pain, no fatigue, not beaten up, and the car was in 1 piece. We had 1 punctured tire and and 1 broken axle in the group on that trip.

 

[DC-88]

Years back I wasn't a big fan either- but the fact they are mass produced , able to be financed, can be insured with full coverage that adjusters can deal with, and parts and service are available almost anywhere have been the key factors to the explosion. I would not want one for the dunes, but for steep and tight desert trail riding the current (19' turbo s dynamax ) one we have is amazing. The stuff we've gone up and down in ours is insane . The seats suck, and it needed a couple grand in bolt ons to be safe to maintain on the trail, but other than that you are cruising somewhere between a rocky off camber mountian goat hillclimb ridge crawl in 4L to 50 +- mph in total comfort and reliability as long as you don't get stupid in them. For me it's a reliable way to get out there and do destination rides with friends and family, not get my rocks off romping on it. Compact in size, easy to load up , and turn key. If I want to get a rush I'll drive my boat , ride my dirtbike, or go surf some good waves or something rather than see how quickly I can break the $33k golf cart. I like looking at all the basic and useful add ons, as well as seeing how others set theirs up. I still need the pci comms and new front seats -

 

[MeCasa16]

I will add that my car is nothing too special, but I spent money on it where it counts. I have done many long trips in it, and last weekend did 200 miles in the car in 1 day spending about 10 hours total in the car. 40 miles of that was in the worst torn up washes outside Havasu.

I ended the day feeling great. No aches, no pain, no fatigue, not beaten up, and the car was in 1 piece. We had 1 punctured tire and and 1 broken axle in the group on that trip.

That's impressive.

 

[riverroyal]

Warranty sure, if you leave the thing alone, which no one does.

as far as "doesnt break", thats nonsense. My buddies smoke belts almost every time they go out it seems. The belt is prob my largest issue with them.

I have not spent much time with a Can-Am, but i'd say the RZR's are only "decent" at those things you mentioned, and thats a hard maybe. The length of the wheel base, and track width are the two major issues I see with it. Even if you're running an extended arms to fix the track width problems, you still have the wheel base issues that the suspension design just cant get away from. Any decently deep woops and the cars upsetting itself. I understand its not a purpose built machine, for the money a few of my buds have into theirs, its very unimpressive.

not non sense at all. 1600 miles on mine, zero issues. Belt lasted 1200 miles and changed it do being safe. $175 and 15 minutes. Never a issue in deep whoops, seriously does great. You need to ride in a few others.

 

[desrtrat256]

I come from the Class 1, trophy truck, real prerunner world, now in UTVs. The yearly cost to maintain a UTV is a fraction of time and money of a big car, parts are cheaper and on the shelf when they break, supported by a huge aftermarket and the best of all, I can go 100mph through the desert, rock crawl in moab, adventure ride for a week around the grand canyon and run glamis all with the same car. Not 1 custom built car/jeep/truck/buggy for each style of riding. Thats the selling point for me.

MeCasa, feel free to hit me up with any questions, I can gladly help guide you in what i deem is the right direction and companies to buy from and how to service things. My job is literally to work on these things, play with them, break them, fix them then write about it.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

That's impressive.

If I were you I would look at better harnesses, upgraded springs at a minimum, wheels and better tires, a chase light that can be seen from the rear, the durability upgrades that @DLC mentioned around the front bulkhead, and rear radius rods, A good front facing amber light bar mounted on the shock tower, maybe A pillar lights, (I don't think you need a windshield light bar), a radio, intercom and headsets, a spare tire, tools, and some storage.

The amber front and rear chase lights really help when you are out with a group. The dust can get very thick, and you don't want to run into anyone, or have anyone run into you. The rear chase light can be pretty inexpensive, $100 or less. I would spend the money for a good front facing, low mounted amber driving light though. It makes all the difference in the dusk and dark. I would say if you are trying to control costs, don't bother with a high mounted light bar over the windsheild. You will only use it rock crawling in the dark if there is no dust.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Years back I wasn't a big fan either- but the fact they are mass produced , able to be financed, can be insured with full coverage that adjusters can deal with, and parts and service are available almost anywhere have been the key factors to the explosion. I would not want one for the dunes, but for steep and tight desert trail riding the current (19' turbo s dynamax ) one we have is amazing. The stuff we've gone up and down in ours is insane . The seats suck, and it needed a couple grand in bolt ons to be safe to maintain on the trail, but other than that you are cruising somewhere between a rocky off camber mountian goat hillclimb ridge crawl in 4L to 50 +- mph in total comfort and reliability as long as you don't get stupid in them. For me it's a reliable way to get out there and do destination rides with friends and family, not get my rocks off romping on it. Compact in size, easy to load up , and turn key. If I want to get a rush I'll drive my boat , ride my dirtbike, or go surf some good waves or something rather than see how quickly I can break the $33k golf cart. I like looking at all the basic and useful add ons, as well as seeing how others set theirs up. I still need the pci comms and new front seats -

If I could make a suggestion, if you have not had the suspension done, do that before the seats. The seats magically get more comfortable once the suspension works correctly.

 

[beerrun]

We are in the market right now we want to do the destination rides i really thought i wanted the can am lower wider but everyone is saying get the razor

 

[DLC]

In the next 6-10 months there will be a lot of really nice cars up for sale with the release of the speed car, as an example - RD had a sweet built out can am and sold it due to the RG speed car.
buying new is nice if you plan to keep it for 5-7 years, if you want to just try it buy a used one, Take your time and look you will your car.

I see a lot of cars that have a lot of cool do dads added but when you actually look at the car, some of the basic car functions parts are shot, like the shock springs are dead collapsed but the stereo kicks ass! Which is fine if you just plan to ride the island, head to Bunker bar or up to bison.
so keep it stock or throw do dads at it, up to you.

setting up a sxs is no different than anything else, you can buy a used buggy and then have a set of issues to deal with. The sxs is nice due to warranty, I have a 6 year warrant on mine and one stop shopping any dealer Accross the country, with a buggy you have specific items like a transmission guy, a motor guy, a shock guy etc at least I did on my buggy.

can am needs a few items to eliminate weak areas such as - lower a arms, rear radius rods, dbl shear middle radius rod, bulk head and shock tower support

weather you get a can am or a rzr or a speed car etc

i want
intercom headsets / helmets and car to car radio
windshield or fresh air to helmet
belt temp gauge
lights, whips, dome light
S&B filter to prevent air filter from getting dirty
spare tire and a mount
gps

my wife likes the heated seats....

 

[desrtrat256]

If I were you I would look at better harnesses, upgraded springs at a minimum, wheels and better tires, a chase light that can be seen from the rear, the durability upgrades that @DLC mentioned around the front bulkhead, and rear radius rods, A good front facing amber light bar mounted on the shock tower, maybe A pillar lights, (I don't think you need a windshield light bar), a radio, intercom and headsets, a spare tire, tools, and some storage.

The amber front and rear chase lights really help when you are out with a group. The dust can get very thick, and you don't want to run into anyone, or have anyone run into you. The rear chase light can be pretty inexpensive, $100 or less. I would spend the money for a good front facing, low mounted amber driving light though. It makes all the difference in the dusk and dark. I would say if you are trying to control costs, don't bother with a high mounted light bar over the windsheild. You will only use it rock crawling in the dark if there is no dust.

To play devils advocate on a few things here, why wheels and tires? The XRC comes with beadlocks that look good (pure opinion based) and are pretty durable. It also comes with 32" liberty tires. Not the lightest of tires but not a bad tire by any means.

I whole heartedly agree with you on the chase lights and front lights. No need for an upper bar, they are useless in dust which is what we have a lot of in Havasu. Baja Designs makes the cleanest and best 10" upper shock mount that I have seen. That or 2 quality A pillar lights is more than enough for the night cruises.

 

[DLC]

We are in the market right now we want to do the destination rides i really thought i wanted the can am lower wider but everyone is saying get the razor

go sit in each car to see what you and your wife like. If wanting to do destination rides think about storage such as - cooler, tool bag, spare tire, clothes bags and extra fuel

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

To play devils advocate on a few things here, why wheels and tires? The XRC comes with beadlocks that look good (pure opinion based) and are pretty durable. It also comes with 32" liberty tires. Not the lightest of tires but not a bad tire by any means.

I whole heartedly agree with you on the chase lights and front lights. No need for an upper bar, they are useless in dust which is what we have a lot of in Havasu. Baja Designs makes the cleanest and best 10" upper shock mount that I have seen. That or 2 quality A pillar lights is more than enough for the night cruises.

Sorry, you are right on The RC, I forgot that is what he has here LOL. I agree, no immediate need for tires and wheels. I run 30" Libertys and feel they are a good tire for Havasu. I am under 50 lbs per corner on my RZR with a beadlock wheel.

I would suggest new tires on a car that comes with Big Horns though. They are just too easy to puncture in Havasu in my opinion.

I just bought a Baja Design front light bar to install on my Speed car if and when it arrives . @DLC has sold me on it with his shock tower mounted 10" bar. The thing is worth its weight in gold, and actually ends up being not very expensive compared to buying 5 other lights to mount everywhere else.

 

[DLC]

Warranty sure, if you leave the thing alone, which no one does.

as far as "doesnt break", thats nonsense. My buddies smoke belts almost every time they go out it seems. The belt is prob my largest issue with them.

I have not spent much time with a Can-Am, but i'd say the RZR's are only "decent" at those things you mentioned, and thats a hard maybe. The length of the wheel base, and track width are the two major issues I see with it. Even if you're running an extended arms to fix the track width problems, you still have the wheel base issues that the suspension design just cant get away from. Any decently deep woops and the cars upsetting itself. I understand its not a purpose built machine, for the money a few of my buds have into theirs, its very unimpressive.

your buddy might be pushing his car to much, last Saturday on our 200 mile ride LOF said if I drive my car at 65 mph going back up Mohave wash I seem to always smoke a belt but driving up at 55 the belt is fine. The wash is really torn up w/ wash board bumps

they have a belt temp gauge to watch the belt temp!

 

[beerrun]

go sit in each car to see what you and your wife like. If wanting to do destination rides think about storage such as - cooler, tool bag, spare tire, clothes bags and extra fuel

We want a 4 seater and then delete the back seats

 

[MeCasa16]

We are in the market right now we want to do the destination rides i really thought i wanted the can am lower wider but everyone is saying get the razor

We went to the factory demo ride for can am when it was in standard wash. It sold us. My wife was a hard no on the Rzr..

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

In the next 6-10 months there will be a lot of really nice cars up for sale with the release of the speed car, as an example - RD had a sweet built out can am and sold it due to the RG speed car.
buying new is nice if you plan to keep it for 5-7 years, if you want to just try it buy a used one, Take your time and look you will your car.

I see a lot of cars that have a lot of cool do dads added but when you actually look at the car, some of the basic car functions parts are shot, like the shock springs are dead collapsed but the stereo kicks ass! Which is fine if you just plan to ride the island, head to Bunker bar or up to bison.
so keep it stock or throw do dads at it, up to you.

setting up a sxs is no different than anything else, you can buy a used buggy and then have a set of issues to deal with. The sxs is nice due to warranty, I have a 6 year warrant on mine and one stop shopping any dealer Accross the country, with a buggy you have specific items like a transmission guy, a motor guy, a shock guy etc at least I did on my buggy.

can am needs a few items to eliminate weak areas such as - lower a arms, rear radius rods, dbl shear middle radius rod, bulk head and shock tower support

weather you get a can am or a rzr or a speed car etc

i want
intercom headsets / helmets and car to car radio
windshield or fresh air to helmet
belt temp gauge
lights, whips, dome light
S&B filter to prevent air filter from getting dirty
spare tire and a mount
gps

my wife likes the heated seats....

We were going up Mohave wash last weekend and I look over and this guy is sipping a glass of red wine and dipping vienna sausages in Grey Poupon over in his Can Am at almost 60 MPH through the ruts.

 

[DLC]

Warranty sure, if you leave the thing alone, which no one does.

as far as "doesnt break", thats nonsense. My buddies smoke belts almost every time they go out it seems. The belt is prob my largest issue with them.

I have not spent much time with a Can-Am, but i'd say the RZR's are only "decent" at those things you mentioned, and thats a hard maybe. The length of the wheel base, and track width are the two major issues I see with it. Even if you're running an extended arms to fix the track width problems, you still have the wheel base issues that the suspension design just cant get away from. Any decently deep woops and the cars upsetting itself. I understand its not a purpose built machine, for the money a few of my buds have into theirs, its very unimpressive.

if you don’t drive them like a poor mans trophy truck they will last and perform great! that is hard to do when your zipping around getting sideways and drifting the car in turns And pushing your driving abilities.

 

[MeCasa16]

To play devils advocate on a few things here, why wheels and tires? The XRC comes with beadlocks that look good (pure opinion based) and are pretty durable. It also comes with 32" liberty tires. Not the lightest of tires but not a bad tire by any means.

I whole heartedly agree with you on the chase lights and front lights. No need for an upper bar, they are useless in dust which is what we have a lot of in Havasu. Baja Designs makes the cleanest and best 10" upper shock mount that I have seen. That or 2 quality A pillar lights is more than enough for the night cruises.

So far I love these wheels and tires. I’m hoping I can find a cheap take off for my spare..

 

[desrtrat256]

We want a 4 seater and then delete the back seats

The new Polaris Pro has rear fold down seats to make a flat surface out of the back. Our camera crews loved it so much, I am currently building one for them right now.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

We want a 4 seater and then delete the back seats

Best decision ever.

 

[DLC]

We were going up Mohave wash last weekend and I look over and this guy is sipping a glass of red wine and dipping vienna sausages in Grey Poupon over in his Can Am at almost 60 MPH through the ruts.

dude that is total BS !!! I don’t like gray poupon it’s yellow mustard all the way!

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

So far I love these wheels and tires. I’m hoping I can find a cheap take off for my spare..
View attachment 948121

FYI.. They absolutely suck in the sand. Awesome otherwise.

 

[DLC]

So far I love these wheels and tires.

buy all four take off‘s if you can find a set!

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

dude that is total BS !!! I don’t like gray poupon it’s yellow mustard all the way!

Sorry my brain was rattling so much I couldn't focus.

 

[DLC]

We went to the factory demo ride for can am when it was in standard wash. It sold us. My wife was a hard no on the Rzr..

my wife said the same thing at the sand show in 2018, I was kinda sold on the rzr and I let her choose what car to get.

 

[PlanB]

I want to spend as little as possible, but I also want it to be dialed in. I had a great conversation with @desrtrat256 at his shop one day and I think he brings a ton of experience and expertise, so I feel like his advice is pretty great. I also just need to learn a lot more about the machine and servicing it as well. I look forward to the whole process. It’s just such a different beast than the 450x’s I’ve had dialed in over the years. I’m going to have to beg one of you guys to show me how to do some of this stuff so I’m not doing it my first time in the middle of the desert.

Do everything in your garage that you might have to do out in the desert. I have had my X3 apart a few times doing a lot of mods, so I know exactly how to do this stuff if something breaks. I also know exactly what tools I need to take a lot of the stuff apart. There is also a few tricks I figured out along the way as well like unbolting the rear shocks from the trailing arms to make it easier to bolt the hubs back on.

 

[sintax]

if you don’t drive them like a poor mans trophy truck they will last and perform great! that is hard to do when your zipping around getting sideways and drifting the car in turns And pushing your driving abilities.

I'm sure thats a totally valid point. My crew is pretty rough on desert gear, and "poor mans prophy truck" is just exactly how they get treated. Someones always having to fire up the buzz box to weld someone up at the end of the day.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

Do everything in your garage that you might have to do out in the desert. I have had my X3 apart a few times doing a lot of mods, so I know exactly how to do this stuff if something breaks. I also know exactly what tools I need to take a lot of the stuff apart. There is also a few tricks I figured out along the way as well like unbolting the rear shocks from the trailing arms to make it easier to bolt the hubs back on.

X1000. Pop the belt on and off in the garage so you aren’t dumbfounded in the dirt. Jack it up front and rear to at least figure out good jack points before you do it on the trail. Get any specialty tools to leave in the car and make the job easier.

Any clutch tool to make the belt swap easier are probably a good idea. Throw a fresh box cutter or razor knife in to remove any belt shreds, also carry a scotch brite pad to scuff up the clutch surfaces when you change the belt.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I'm sure thats a totally valid point. My crew is pretty rough on desert gear, and "poor mans prophy truck" is just exactly how they get treated. Someones always having to fire up the buzz box to weld someone up at the end of the day.

I can see why you are a little put off by them then.

 

[desrtrat256]

I am a big fan of the Savage case. It keeps your spare belt clean with plenty of room for the tools specifically needed to change the belt. Toss in the factory secondary compressor and go. Its also owned by a San Diego Fireman who is a good dude so I like supporting him as well.

Savage UTV Tool Kit

You know the difference between someone who is prepared out on a ride and someone who is not? A Savage Case. Savage changed UTV spare belt storage when we introduced our belt cases to the off road industry. Our products have been brutally tested in the toughest of terrains, and are used by...

www.savageutv.com

 

[Flyinbowtie]

It is interesting to see the change over the last 40....holy crap did I say that? 40 years in the OHV world.
We built our first buggies in 1983, when the 2180 VW turbo engine by Bernie Bergeman was the alleged king of Sand Mountain.
My first car had a 2300 Ford Pinto out of a wreck. Bus trans, Sandhawk Chassis from a place in AZ. Ran them in a riverbed with big bald Terra Tires, and paddled them up after the first trip to Sand Mountain in fall of 83.
At Sand Mountain, there were a handful of Jeeps...as it real, steel bodies Jeeps, and a couple of death trap water pumpers, and 3 or 4 dozen of the ATC thingies, which were slow and rutted up the mountain. We hated them, then bought a couple for kicks...
But the money went into the buggies., I swapped in a Esslinger Engine with w turbo.
Sold that car. Not fast enough.
Built a new one this time from scratch, with a Buick 225 V6 and a bunch of Kenne Bell stuff. About then the first Quads were showing up, and man they were a pain in the ass, but our kids were coming along, so we bought a few, for the kids..and I started gathering pieces to do a turbo on the Buick.
Then my friend, who owns a trans shop, got an idea.
A Cadillac FWD trans hooked to a Small Block Chevy. In the rear, on a Bus Torsion, with everything else scratch built.
And the V-8 rush was on. Built the first one in 1991, a prototype sorta.
I sold the V-6 car with the turbo pieces to a friend we hooked on the sand.
I built the first of my 2 V-8 cars, 375 HP on the engine with a 150 shot. About the time it got boring I was already dreaming of the new one, by then the quads were freaking everywhere, and everyone hated them chewing up the Mountain, even though we had a few in camp...for the kids, ya know. The Banshee came out, eldest son went nuts, saving his money...and bought one in 1994.
And a guy came along and wanted my car. I sold it. It almost paid the the 360 Sprint Car 368 cheater I had planned,
It dynoed 640 at 7400. Car weighed 1560 with 2 gallons of fuel. She ran pretty good.
By then 3 other of my friends were building cars like mine, one, a old dear friend stuffed an blown 414 Rodeck in his. He never pushed it hard.
I pushed mine, and some guy who wanted to race saw the big red bowtie tail light going by him up the face at night said, "Man, that bowtie looked like it was flyin when you paseed me.
Thus the name was born.
About then we saw the first Rhino at the Mountain. I talked to a guy with one, he was from around here and had put some whacky supercharger kit on it. He wanted me to drive it. I came back and told everyone in camp that this was gonna be the next new thing, that they would be the new quads...that since ya didn't have to build it all ya needed was to sign up...stand by.
And then the back went south and the rail went away (we called them "rails" by then) and I thought I was done.
And the long travel 2500 lb 800 HP cars became the norm, and they don't call them rails anymore, LOL.
And I was right about the Rhino being the harbinger of the new thing.
I miss the big HP, but the Turbo S will take us places the Rail was not designed to go, it ain't nearly as exciting, but it fits in a toyhauler. It doesn't sound anywhere near as bad ass as my uncorked 12.86 to 1 368 did, but it doesn't require 110 octane fuel.
It is a trade off.
They all are.
I'd love about 300HP in this thing, but my wife wouldn't ride very much, just like it was with the last rail. So...we do different stuff. we ride desert, and mountains, and explore places I won't tell you about or show you unless you are with us and I swear you to secrecy. It is fun.
It is a trade off. Comparing one type of machine to another is fun, but ya gotta be real about it.

 

[riverroyal]

We are in the market right now we want to do the destination rides i really thought i wanted the can am lower wider but everyone is saying get the razor

Blasphemy

 

[Flyinbowtie]

I love the way the Can Am looks, love it.
Tried like heck to make it work but my back is a mess, and while the seating position is good, getting in and out is not, and we do that a lot. That, and after being in the XP1K Cindy didn't like the look out the front end, she is...well she is kinda short, and said that she couldn't see the front end and the view out the "windshield"... made her uncomfortable. So the Turbo S was it. We like the Two seater, it is nimble and will go in tight places, but the 4 seater is cool too.
Try them both before you buy if you can, decide and have fun.