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New Yamaha Side x Side?


Mr. Sandman
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  • 2 weeks later...

i wasn't expecting to be impressed. the photos sure don't make it look cool. 112hp with Manual could be ok, but depending on weight, even with manual may still not be enough for the dunes.

Still no idea what the suspension is. That will be a huge deciding factor in how it will do. You don't see too many Wild Cats out there as most don't like the way they look. Yamaha might be in the same boat.

Manual could be a cool push of the market.

Still don't know the price either....

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A 3 cylinder with a manual/auto option (which I think it'll be both) will have more torque and lose less power through the drive line than a CVT. also more potential with a turbo. With that being said without good suspension to get that to the ground its useless. The only place ill go from my rzr is to a rail..but I still think its interesting to see new stuff and competition.

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They have had a long time to do R&D and know what the competition sells the most of. I wouldn't count them out of the game at all. I don't like the look but the teaser video shows them ahead of a RZR in the desert.It's all speculation until the unveiling in September but I like new stuff coming out. It pushes the competition to up their game.

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  • 4 weeks later...

looks like the rear suspension isn't good. Won't be able to compete with RZR, Maverick, or wildcat. They could be targeting the trail market more also.

Adam, you may want to retract that after reading this report;

The rumors began swirling over a year ago – Yamahawas reportedly working on a game changing sport side-by-side – and ever since the first teaser videos were released in early June, the entireUTV industry has been at full attention.

On September 1st, the rumors became reality as Yamaha unveiled a sport side-by-side that had been in development for years. Preceded by a number of leaked photos that only added fuel to the rumor mill fire and created a posting frenzy on every UTV-related forum on the Internet, the 2016 YXZ1000R appears to be everything for which sport UTV enthusiasts have hoped.

From its industry-first, fully manual transmission and 3-cylinder 1000cc motor, to its completely tunable, huge FOX 2.5 Podium shocks, this side-by-side looks poised to raise the UTV industry to a whole new level.

With a quick search on Google, you can find all the specs you need on this new machine from Yamaha, but what you may not find is a ride report from someone who has actuallydriven it. Considering it was just introduced a little over a week ago, it is going to take a short while for the production units to get into the hands of the general public.

Fortunately for us, we had a brief opportunity to drive the new YXZ before it was released and came away with a smile on our face and some immediate impressions of Yamaha’s newest creation.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Shifting: What can we say? We love the fact that the YXZ has a sequential shift transmission! Coming from a sport quad background, and having spent years in a six-speed, manual shifting race machine, this is the single coolest feature about the new YXZ1000R.

sCarsential shifter. The shifting mechanism itself has a solid, firm feel to it, and it gives you confidence as you are shifting through the gears, due to the fact that the transmission is mounted directly between the driver and passenger, resulting in the shortest route possible between the shifter and transmission. Had Yamaha put an H-pattern shifter in this side-by-side, we would have been disappointed – instead, they went with the perfect setup for a machine like this. Plus, no CVT system means no belts to worry about, and less HP loss between the motor and rear wheels.

First gear is all the way forward, with the remaining gears straight back. With all of the quick shifting we were doing in the desert and in the dunes, we never missed a shift. This is the best feeling transmission we have used in just about anything we have driven.

Reverse gear is easy to use as well, and is actuated by a small paddle lever to the left of the steering wheel. Similar to a Raptor, you hold the lever in and shift into first to activate reverse. To go back into

New Electric Cars Salefirst, you just shift down once more without the lever, and you are back in first gear.

We have been asked if we think the transmission will hold up, and we have to answer that question with a resounding “YES”. Yamaha knew what the consumer would do to this machine, and they have provided a drive train that will hold up to the abuse their consumer base will no doubt put it through.

We did a number of straight-line accelerations through the entire gear set, and it was exhilarating to slam through the gears and feel the YXZ continue to pull with every throw. With such a short shifter, you can almost leave your hand on the console and just tap the shift knob with your fingers for each shift. Downshifting was just as easy as upshifting, and it provides some added control on deceleration.

In the dunes, where you need to be able to shift quickly to adjust to your terrain and situation, the YXZ also excels, and we can’t wait to spend more time with it in our favorite place to ride! Having the power and RPMs at your command adds a true sport element to driving a side-by-side, and this makes spending time in the driver’s seat a fun and interactive experience.

Power: We drove our unit in its stock configuration, and were impressed with the power right out of the box. The three-cylinder motor revs quickly and combined with the manual shift transmission and 27” Maxxis Big Horns, gets this machine moving through the gears at a quick enough pace to easily break the tires loose on each shift. We love the high revving motor, and the bright white shift light comes on at around 10,000RPMs, which cues you in on when to shift to achieve maximum performance. The stock muffler sounds good, and knowing Yamaha, they have designed it to do its job efficiently, but we can’t help but wonder what this motor will sound like once the aftermarket gets ahold of it!

Handling: There was so much Internet banter going around about whether this new machine would have trailing arms or a-arms, and while both have their advantages, in order to compete with the current crop of sporty UTVs, good suspension was going to be key. Yamaha designed their own unique rear suspension that combines the features of both trailing arms and a-arms, and gave the YXZ the benefits of trailing-arm style travel with a-arm style cornering. In essence, it’s the best of both worlds. Not only can the YXZ handle long whoop sections with ease, it can also corner like the true sport UTV it is.

In the desert, where g-outs and whoops are common, the YXZ can handle most obstacles with ease, meaning you don’t have to get off the skinny pedal very often. In the situations where we did need to use caution, the YXZ still performed better than we had hoped. We usually prefer our own suspension setups a bit stiff, and it seems that Yamaha has set this machine up for our particular driving style (lucky us!). With the full adjustability of the FOX Podium shocks, getting this machine tuned and dialed in to individual consumer preference should be very do-able. The FOX shocks are fully rebuildable too, which means saving a ton of money by never having to buy upgraded shocks. These shocksare the upgrade!

In the dunes, the YXZ shines. There is very little body roll, thanks to the front and rear sway bars, and combined with the low center of gravity, the YXZ feels like it’s glued to the terrain. We didn’t get to spend a ton of time behind the wheel in the dunes, but the time we had was spent pinned, flying through some of the largest bowls we could find.

We feel it is important to note that we ran the stock Maxxis tires in the dunes, and they performed very well. We also switched between 2 and 4WD (which is another awesome feature on the YXZ) quite a bit, just to see which we liked the best. For the big dunes, we preferred 4WD, but for the smaller dunes, we had fun sliding the back end around and steering with the throttle, so we kept it in 2WD in the smaller stuff.

Ergonomics: The cockpit is extremely comfortable, and we were very happy to see that the seat and the steering wheel are adjustable. The seats are comfortable, and the grippy fabric on the side bolsters helps to hold you in your seat while you are driving. The seats are situated low in the chassis, and the interior of the YXZ sort of just wraps around you, giving you a feeling of security without sacrificing roominess. With the adjustability of the seats and wheel, even the tallest of drivers should feel comfortable and find room in this machine.

The steering wheel has a solid, sporty feel, with zero play in the column. The instrument gauge panel, with its white-faced tachometer and shift light reminds us of a Yamaha R1street bike cluster. It looks great and adds to the sport element of the whole machine.

Since its release, there has been a lot of criticism regarding the front hood design from those who are used to how UTVs have looked in the past. However, Yamaha doesn’t design anything without a reason, and the front end of the YXZ is no different. Forward visibility in the YXZ is fantastic, due to the sharply sloping nose that offers a clear view of the terrain in front of you. Not only is this important when going fast, but also for anyone who dunes or hill climbs, as seeing over the hood is critical when cresting a steep hill or spotting a line through the bowls.

The factory sunroof (another very cool feature – thanks Yamaha!) was also designed in such a way as to offer excellent visibility when approaching a hill-climb or dune face. With the top valance portion set back a bit, drivers can get a good view of where they need to go without having to bend forward in their seat and strain to see out from under the roof.

SUMMARY

With all of the unique and well thought out features found on the Yamaha YXZ1000R, we could probably write for days – and, we will get the chance to do so over the next few months. However, for now we just wanted to share a bit of our behind-the-wheel experience in a machine that will surely set a whole new bar for any future models being released in this rapidly evolving and exciting industry!

MSRP: Starting at $19,799

SPECS

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i'm very interested to see one, and hoping to get a chance to drive one.

I love Yamaha. But, I think this thing is straight up FUGLY.

The listed travel on the suspension is close to the RZR but so is the Maverick. The Maverick suspension isn't as good as the XP1000. It is very close, and most people that have the Maverick aren't complaining that i have heard. I still don't think the YXZ will ride as good as a RZR, and a RZR with the rebuild kit will most likely smoke it... This is all my opinion of course.

I believe the motor is proven and should be a solid piece, but time will tell if the transmission and clutch will end up holding up. Yamaha (and others) say they have been tesing for 2 years so i think (being Yamaha not Polaris) that their testing resulted in a good product. We will see. The Power claims seem to have been proven wrong, with pulls only getting in the low 80s. That isn't much more then a 2015 XP1000. hoping more information comes out on that.

I love the step forward of sequential shifting, but for whatever reason the Yamaha just doesn't have me all jazzed up about it. I'll be happy if i'm proven wrong. It will have to be crazy badd a$$ to get me to sell my RZR with everything I have done to it know, but another strong product in the market can do nothing but help us and what we do.

I'm still surprised that we didn't see Yamaha at the UTV Invasion in Idaho. I was really hoping for a look there.

If they are good, then I'll have one on my list to get as a desert ride. My RZR is for dunes.

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