I’m the perfect age to have experienced the entire evolution of ATVs and UTVs. I remember the days when very few people even knew what an ATV was. Gas stops were especially entertaining for my step dad and I because there always seemed to be someone coming over to check out what in the world we had in the bed of our little Toyota pickup. My little ATC 90 three-wheeler was without a doubt must-see-stuff, the big fat knobby balloon tires, puffy black inviting seat and bright shiny red fenders turned a lot of heads and we sure did answer a lot of questions whenever that fun-looking machine was in the back of the truck. Most people had no idea something like that even existed.
Now days it’s common to see ATVs and UTVs everywhere, I haven’t answered a what-in-the-world-is-that-question in a long time. That is until the YXZ1000R was invented. I’m certainly not comparing the slowest ATV of all time with the fastest, but the YXZ, especially with its new sharp special edition color options, is a new kind of vehicle that seems to bring familiar looking smiles to the faces of everyone that sees it for the first time, the same kind I witnessed when I was just 10 years old while we proudly boasted of just how All-Terrain capable my mighty little ATC 90 three wheeler was.
They say history repeats itself. With its unique rear trailing arms, oversized shocks that are so massive they have to stab through the front hood in order to fit, aggressive Yamaha YFZ and Raptor-like styling, sports car interior with a big inviting sequential shifter on the center console and a ferocious-looking fire-breathing triple cylinder engine that resembles something you would see in a muscle car, it’s the gotta-get-a-closer-look-at-this-thing of our modern time, and it’s usually followed with, the question, “Yamaha makes this?”
Even me, with over thirty years worth of riding and racing just about every ATV and UTV that has ever been made, when I look at the YXZ I’m still stunned that it’s not some one-off concept vehicle, these incredible off road machines are actually for sale at Yamaha dealers! I still can’t believe it. Even more mind-boggling for me, is the fact that I’m lucky enough to get to test ride the YXZ at epic ride spots like the one I just came back from at Superstition Mountain in El Centro, California, where nine of us got a better understanding of just how capable the YXZ truly is.
Killer Looks & Outstanding Performance
We were treated to a 45 mile loop created by Yamaha’s product testing manager, Pat Biolsi, who definitely knows his stuff. Pat has been torture testing Yamaha ATV and Side by Side products for sixteen years. Besides putting a killer course together he led our group, and I for one was happy to give chase. Pat can wring out a bike, quad or UTV with the best of them, so trust me this was not a leisurely trail ride. Pat’s 45 mile loop featured a variety of gnarly desert terrain, but the YXZ seemed to make everything we encountered seem more like flat easy terrain.
My initial review of the Yamaha YXZ1000R was done at Glamis, so I really appreciated the chance to put the machine through its paces in something other than simple sand. Pat’s lap didn’t disappoint, it included rock climbs and descents that carved their way through mountain crevasses, sand dunes, plenty of whoops and a super-long dry river bed that wound its way through 15 miles of intense high-speed fun. One 45 mile lap was cool, but doing it again after a catered lunch was even better!
What I learned
I knew going in that, regardless of which color combo you like, the YXZ’s unique head-turning looks tells only half the story. The Yamaha YXZ is the top-shelf performer in the UTV scene, especially when it comes to desert terrain like we charged through in Southern California, but after this ride, I’m that much more convinced that this one-of-kind off-road machine is indeed the king of the high-performance side-by-side machines. There’s nothing out there that offers a ride quite like the YXZ does.
The future is now, and if you follow what I’ve said about this machine you already know how much I absolutely LOVE it, and now, after this last ride day – more than ever! The harder you push the YXZ the better it performs. Winding every shift to 9 to 10k RPM seems unthinkable, but I’m here to tell you that seems to be the YXZ’s sweet spot. It wants to be driven harder than you originally think you can drive it. Not only does the naturally aspirated 12-valve, 998cc triple-cylinder rev to the moon and back but the machine handles the high-speeds more like a trophy truck than a UTV. As impressive as the punch the engine packs, its 17” of wheel travel, fully adjustable Fox Podium 2.5 shocks and dual caliper hydraulic disc brakes on every wheel sounds, it’s how well everything works together as one combined package that amazes me.
There is no body roll whatsoever, and never a sensation of being even remotely out of control, it’s solid, planted and true even while hammering the machine through whoop-infested turns at high speeds. From my early three-wheeler riding days, to high-performance sport quad days to current UTV days, I never would have imagined being able to aggressively blitz through rough terrain at speeds that might get you a ticket on the freeway! What’s even cooler is I’m not sore, no blisters, and even after 100 miles, I wanted to take off on another lap!
Add the industry’s first 5-speed sequential shift manual transmission to the experience and let me tell you – you feel like a rock star off-road racer every time you pick off a gear. Speaking of shifting, I tried out a YXZ with the Rekluse Clutch Kit, which you can get for $750. It’s not really needed in high-speed rec riding or racing, since you’re really never in a situation where you’re crawling around at a slow speed, but the innovative Rekluse system lets you maneuver around at slow speeds better than you might think. If you’re one to tool around at ride events, traverse very technical terrain, perhaps frequent stop and go maneuvering on hills you’ll want this set up for sure. You’ll be able to do all the above without ever having to worry about stalling it, and it wont hinder or reduce the performance of the engine at all. I liked it better than I thought I would.
Keep the SE’s Coming!
It’s not major news when a manufacturer offers a new special edition model or two to their line up, but when it’s a Yamaha it sure seems like it to me. Yeah Yamaha’s new YXZ1000R SE in Silver Metallic and Blaze Red Metallic painted exterior and interior with color matched seats and A-arms with 14” color matched beadlock wheels sure looks cool, and certainly compliments their Orange and Black, Blue and White and Yellow 60th Anniversary option, but I’m more excited about these SE models because the boys at Yamaha usually put together epic ride intros each time they create a new color option. It’s a great way to lend some valuable exposure to the brand, and a legit excuse to get out and ride, I’m all for both, so keep the new colors coming!
View additional details about Yamaha’s new SxS models, along with their full lineup at YamahaMotorsports.com. Follow Yamaha at facebook.com/YamahaMotorUSA, twitter.com/YamahaMotorUSA, and instagram.com/YamahaMotorUSA
