We sure are glad manufacturers tend to make their products better each year, if not yesterday’s Kawasaki-backed group ride through the snow-covered mountains within the Hatfield McCoy Trail System wouldn’t have happened. Instead of sitting at home waiting for spring we were muscling a shiny red 2016 Teryx 800 LE through the snow-covered mountains of West Virginia and loving life.
Both of us dressed in layers with helmets and gloves in hand, my test-riding-teammate John Pellan and I reported for duty where the Kawasaki trailer awaited us in a shopping plaza parking lot. There within the high mounds of parking-lot-snow we got our first look at the fleet of Teryx LE’s that our group would be roosting snow with.
Before heading out we learned what made the 2016 Teryx different from last year’s model. The new graphics with color-matched components caught our eyes, as did the new aggressive hood and front bumper design, which is said to make maintenance easier and has less of a chance of getting hung up in rugged terrain. Also all the 2016 LE and Camo Models come with four LED Lights built into the snazzy new hood design, and all four feature low and high beam power. The Teryx has never looked better, but enough of the visual treats, it was time to put our red Sweet Sixteen Terryx 4 through the paces out on the trails.
The Teryx is a hit because it serves more than one purpose. Whether it’s used as a workhorse around the property or sport riding on an adventurous getaway it does both quite well. On this outing it was all about conquering the snow-covered mountains of West Virginia all while keeping warm and dry as possible. As most of you have heard, many states in the east got a lot of snow, but by the time we got there the two feet of snow that the Logan, WV area received had melted down to a slushy foot of the white-stuff. Since we were the first of two groups and local riders were probably at work or pulling snow from their roof tops, virgin snow-covered trails awaited us.
As we set out on the Rockhouse Trail System and headed to Gilbert for lunch the throaty 783cc V-Twin spun the 27” Maxxis Bighorn 2.0 tires through the snow with ease. The Teryx 4 powered up each hill effortlessly and in complete control despite the slippery conditions Mother Nature put in front of us. Even though some trails were carved into the side of cliffs and we traversed them in the slippery snow the wide-body-chassis and the center-mounted-engine kept us stable, planted and in complete control. As the speed increased we noticed how comfortable and easy the new steering wheel and electronic power steering made controlling this 1618 pound machine. We were comfortably railing turns and other times backing in the rear in controlled addictive power slides. Braking and throttle control is pretty precise in the Teryx thanks to an actual throttle cable setup instead of a drive by wire system, and dual-piston caliper hydraulic disc brakes up front with heavy duty steel-braided brake lined. Braking in the rear is not as good, as a sealed internal wet brake system is used. We would like to see disc brakes throughout, but the rear system does impressively boast maintenance-free life long dependable braking, and that’s not a bad trade off at all.
We drove all day long and at the end of the day it felt like we just started. That’s thanks to the adjustable FOX Podium 2.0 remote reservoir shocks found on all corners of the proud Teryx. The shocks are adjustable for spring preload and 24-way compression damping. This allows the driver to tailer the ride to the terrain or his or her personal preference all while offering 8” of plush travel in the front and 8.3” in the rear. What’s more the new seats are very comfortable and make day-long journeys like ours a pleasure.
You would think after splashing through cold mud, braking through ice-topped water holes and blasting through slush, and snow we would be cold and wet, but we’re happy to report that just wasn’t the case. And with no dust, we were just about as perfectly clean as we were when we took off from the parking lot in the morning. This is thanks to the great mud protection planning that went into the Teryx lineup, and especially thanks to the full doors that are used. Half doors are like having a screen front door on your house in the winter if you ask us.
Teryx LE
I realized at the end of the day that this was the first four passenger SxS machine I have tested that didn’t have me begging to switch back to the smaller more nimble and fun two-passenger model. That’s maybe because one of my favorite things about the Teryx is how Kawasaki utilized the same durable “X-frame” for both models. With this, both the two-seater and the four-seater have the same wheelbase, so if you opt for the four-seater, you don’t have to sacrifice the maneuverability which is typical with a longer wheelbase machine.
The model year 2016 Kawasaki Teryx has plenty of all-new great features, like tilt steering, an over-molded steering wheel, electronically controlled speed sensitive power steering, new improved seats with driver seat tool-less adjustment, and even new spiral-bevel gears in the rear differential to lower drive chain chatter, but perhaps the best thing is what wasn’t changed and the fact that you still get a 3-Year warranty – the best in the business! For a more detailed review of the many things that remain unchanged from last year’s model, click over to our 2014 Teryx 800 Review.
I thought that our ride in the Kawasaki Teryx was going to be a simple ride and review and then it would be on to the next big project. But with the limited amount of time spent in the vehicle and the amount of fun we had, all I can think about now is planning a cross country trip with a few friends and a few Kawasaki Teryx LE’s If you don’t hear from us in a couple weeks, just know we had a smile on our faces when we left.
To experience your ride off into the sunset, see your local Kawasaki dealer and take a closer look at the well-made, rugged over-built Teryx for yourself.
