School me on side by sides...Polaris RZR's

None of them show anything. A guy struggling with a big rock, a start on a hill, a guy in a pond, and a bunch of people that cant make it up a 5ft mud wall.

Could be tire advertisements, or suspension advertisements. Not really saying much.

How does water effect an internal clutch?

 

One of my riding buddies is an absolute Yamaha junkie, he's competitively raced R6's, has owned Yamaha's on AND off road vehicles. He's good friends with a Yamaha dealer owner so he ALWAYS get his shit 'at cost'. He started going to Glamis with a bunch of dudes annually for at least 6 yrs now, if not longer. He owns a Rzr and loves it, apparently the crew he rides with locally and at Glamis are mostly Rzr junkies as well because he JUST went out and picked up their all new 1000 TURBO.......yea, you read that right. LOL!

Apparently, his 85+HP Rzr wasn't enough so he had to have the 110HP version.....if the Yamaha was even close to being as competitive as these Rzr's, there is no doubt in my mind he'd have bought one of those instead.

As for the claims that these things are a steady source of repairs for dealers, unless we're talking solely internal engine mechanicals, look at the way they're being utilized, not exactly rocket science that shit is gonna get busted.....or am I thinking of this wrong?

 

FWIW, all of my coworkers in Alaska that own SxS's have Polaris. Even the Yamaha junkies. The older guys get decent reliability and the younger guys are always fixing shit. But the younger guys could break an anvil too so it is probably not the machine.

 

The Yamaha has been out for 4 months. I guess everyone that is upside down in their Polaris is just supposed to dump it and go buy the Yamaha? Just because everyone has a Polaris now, that is no reflection on the YXZ.

Like I said earlier, the OP already made up his mind before he posted so we are not going to sway him either way. The Internet told him the YXZ is junk so he won't listen to people that actually own these things and ride them.

Funny thing though. If you bought the Yamaha, you wouldn't have to change all the inferior parts out that Polaris comes with. The Yami comes with full doors, good seats and solid parts.

Please,please please don't call Polaris one of the big 4. Just because the Japanese quit developing SxS (because they were paying for the lawsuits) and Polaris ran free for years does not mean they can build anything like the Japanese. Do you really think Prostar engines are quality? Go to a Polaris dealer and ask them why they stock replacement engines. Look up all the recalls they have on engines. Breaking cranks, valves ect. I feel like I'm in another dimension where wall mart is now Bloomingdales!

 

It seems every one of those vids in the other thread showed some dipstick as clueless as a bunch of automatic car drivers, suddenly equipped with a manual, that have no idea how the gas pedal is connected to the rear wheels, the steering wheel is connected to the front wheels or how technique can overcome obstacles...let alone, how to use a clutch.

In your 4th vid, look at the tires. Put those mudders on the YXZ and let's see what happens. I'm bettin' dipstick woulda made it with the appropriate tires.
Given a competent driver, I think the YXZ woulda made it as is.

More on point, is that the kind of wheeling you intend?

On another note, you seem to be misled concerning the YXZ's purpose. Just cuz all the tests have been done on the west coast doesn't mean that's the only place the YXZ is viable. What it means is, that's where the publications are HQ-ed. The YXZ is made in GA, an area with a relatively small "dirt" market when compared to the west coast and hardly the Capital of the Printed Word for All That Is Motorcycle.

Go sit "in" a YXZ, then go sit "on" any other SxS.
The others might as well be big, tandem quads with backrests and a steering wheel. Oh, wait. That's exactly what they are...

The YXZ is the ready to eat apple, the others are the bitter-to-eat-unless-you-take-the-time-to-peal-it orange.
Just sayin'

 

Here is something else to consider. The basic engine that is used in the Yami, is now boosted to 180 hp in the 2017 Yami snowmobile. Think the other guys engines could live with a warranty boosted to those numbers from the factory.

 

You can tell he's new/timid/sucks cause he keeps letting off the moment the rear wheels are about up and over.

 

The Honda is great if you are only on flat land. The second you go off road (even playing around going slow) they are almost unsafe, the ride is really that bad. I would go Kaw or Yamaha in a utility SXS. They both hold up well unlike the Polaris/Arctic Cat/Can Am. Im not talking about extreme offroad either, just some tame trails and the Honda is out of its league. The Honda also has the worst ergonomics of any SXS made right now. The seats are terrible and the dead pedal (where you put your left foot) is in such a weird place it doesn't make sense. Just the fact that they are still using nets instead of doors tells you something also.

Just for reference, I spent a full day last month riding the Polaris, Kawsaki, Yamaha and Honda SXS at an offroad park. This was a private test and not open to the public so I was not lead around at 5mph by a leader. When doing back to back comparisons, the Honda was by far the worst machine in the bunch. One of the new Kawi SXS have that same fold down rear seat and offer a much better ride.

 

I have a polaris ranger 900 xp , here are my thoughts.
performance, excellent
durability , horrible, in under 900 miles I have replaced all the wheel bearings and u joints on the drive shaft.

quality, poor. the body panels are the most fragile plastics they could find.
the way every thing is held together with what I would call drywall screws.
nuts are not welded so you need 2 wrenches on every thing.
I don't know what tools is takes to work on it, metric or sae, I end up using both.

Also the belt drive is terrible, it's the most jerk pos I have ever used. you cannot backup just an inch or 2 without is jerking back. backing up to a trailer and anything else that you need to be careful with is very difficult.

Forward is the same jerky ass shit.

It's all or nothing with the belt.

Wish i would have waited to get the new Honda.

 

Don't come in here with your real world relevant experience! We have YouTube telling us the facts! You both should be ashamed.

 

PeopleOftenLearnAboutReliabilityIssuesSoon.

 

Hadn't seen that before.

 

Piece Of Lousey Ass Really Idoitic Shit is what we used.

 

I threw the idea around for a while. I drove a RZR out in Havasu. Lots of fast washes, hill climbs, jumps. I kept saying the same two things in the same order:

"There's no way this is going to end well."
"Holy shit! I'm still alive!"

I couldn't get over how capable the bone stock unit was. I drove a modded out one, and I was blown away again.

So, like you, the RZR found it on the 'must procure' list. After adding up the cost of a new unit and all of the accessories I'd want, I was halfway to the price of a new Corvette. I decided I have enough expensive hobbies and have shelved the idea for now.

 

Maybe I got lucky with mine. Knock on wood, it's been reliable. Granted, it only gets used about 8 hours a month, so my story might change in a few years Yes, PITA to do the simple maintenance tasks on it and makes ya question the idiot engineer behind a lot of it. Not complicated, just tedious. Body panels seem fine to me. Bouncing off trees and son rolling us over, it's not any more scuffed than my KDX dirtbike. Paint spider-webbed behind right front fender from rollover, but it's an off-road toy, not a cruise night show piece. Yet to have wheel bearing issues, or any others for that matter. A-arm bushings should be ok for another year, then I expect to replace them. We don't beat on it; no sweet jumps, mud over hood, or playing submarine in the thing. Still don't regret buying it. Wifey and kids wanted to get out in woods with me, but none of 'em took to bikes or ATV, but they load up for every trip with the RZR.

 

And that's the kinda stuff I'd be doing. Mild trail riding, hills, creek crossings.....no submersing, no mud bogs...I'll probably be dodging mudholes like potholes on the highway. I'll be the guy in a line of 20 RZR's that's trying to do a u-turn mid-trail and head the other direction when the going gets tough, with a "meet yas back at camp."

Im still kicking around the idea of whether or not to get a SxS. But it won't be the Yamaha. It's just not made for what Im looking for. Kinda forgot to add that the girliefriend or 15 yr old future stepson, wouldn't be able to work a clutch anyway. They will of course want to take it for a spin at some point.

I'd like to have another HD, '15-16 Road Glide Special....that's damn near the cost of the RZR I want after a few accessories.

I may buy a RZR and it may get out of the garage twice a year.....how's the saying go, "it's better to have toys and not need them, than to need them and not have them."

 

You haven't bought one yet ?

 

If you want something a bit more all around practical grab a Honda Pioneer 1000 5 seater deluxe. They are the cats ass. They go 68mph have powersteering, load leveling suspension, paddle shifters and sport mode to get a bit silly and they look the business.

It's not a RZR OR Wildcat but lots of fun off road and have a dump bed and room for 5. The 6 speed auto trans is bad ass and no belts.

 

If i didn't have to do all this silly work stuff, I may have. Worked 13 hrs yesterday....came home for 2 hrs....went back in at 8pm til 3 am....22 hrs in one day or some chit. Like I said, if/what I buy, will probably just sit....so reliability definitely won't be an issue. lol.

Im actually reading up on 'rumors' of new sport SxS's that may come out by Honda or Kawi, and maybe wait for a game changer. I saw that the Honda tranny is the shit. With that tranny, the Yami 6-speed, speculation is Polaris will be coming out with something other than CVT/belt drive....not that it'll be worth a damn though.