Anyone on the board UTV experts? My daughter graduates college in 4 weeks and this opens up some funds for me to buy something fun. I live in Ruidoso NM and can legally drive an UTV around town, we're surrounded by National Forests so there's plenty of trails and rock climbing to do, and then about an hour away there are dunes to be had. I'm leaning toward a Yamaha yxz 1000 ss or a Kawasaki KRX 1000. (Polaris and Can Am's seem to be harder to find right now) The YXZ has the SS sport shift paddle shifters and no belt where the KRX has the CVT auto transmission and is belt driven. Both are in the same price range although I think I can get a winch included with the YXZ. The KRX seems to be a better rock crawler and the YXZ more visceral fun to drive according to reviews. Anyone have any thoughts?
I don't have a UTV but have had quads. Any thought to the Honda version of those machines? I know years ago belt drives were frowned upon, but more because of water than sand and rocks. I think either transmission would be fine. I'd go with riding comfort if it's a tossup, I know some of the UTVs don't have as much leg room as others. For quads we've been happy with Honda. Not sure I'd go with Polaris on anything because of the horror stories.
If you haven’t bought one by July, go to Lake City, CO for vacation and test drive some on real terrain. Lake City is the gateway to the Alpine Loop and everyone takes their 4WD, UTV, ATV there to run the passes and see the mtn wild flowers. There will also be packed camping grounds with “UTV Experts” and you could walk around asking the same questions you posted here. the city itself is beautiful, one of the best kept secrets in CO, imo. Seems more Texans know about it than Coloradans.
Thanks, I spend time each year between Telluride, Ouray, Lake City and Silverton riding my dual sport Yamaha on the forest roads and passes. So much great riding to be had there. Rented a 4 seat RZR last year (had my GF and her kid with me). Plan is to have my own rig this year.
Had a few UTVs when I was younger. Not sure what positions I was in…I guess side by side at some point. Free clinic cleared that **** up quick. JJ Walker and a young Jay Leno were there too.
I have a Polaris Ranger with a hydraulic unit up front for a bucket and winch and hitch n the back. It does great for what I use it for: off road and mud, brush hog the land etc. I’m going to place an order soon for a can am looking at getting a can am defender max x mar, it’s two rows and is pretty damn awesome.
Yeah I hear those Can Am's are the cream of the crop. A little more than I want to spend but I would consider one for sure if I wanted to up the budget ~5k
They only have a 6m warranty and recommend an annual maintenance that runs $350. I’m leaning towards the extended warranty for $1800. I need to check out the Polaris version of the Can Am Defender X MR, but am strongly leaning towards placing an order for the Can Am. I didn’t know that you are exempt from sales tax if you are buying the vehicle for an ag exempt property.
It really depends on what you want to use it for and what upgrades you would want to do. I have a couple RZR, I swear by Polaris and have since late 90s. I love Yamaha too, the YXZ is comparable, I stay away from Kawasaki but have heard the quality has gone up over the years. Honda is starting to get into the side by side market, they will always be durable. If you want sport cruising type, I’d go with the YXZ if you can’t get Polaris
I hear most UTVs are money pits but I guess it's still cheaper than a Boat or RV. I'd still wait for more electric options since I think UTV's are perfect for that type of shift.
Most toys are money pits, if you stay on top of your maintenance and take care of them you can mitigate some of the cost in repairs
See, when you have to do maintenance on your toys, it becomes a job. The moral is don't buy a toy you can't afford to pay someone to maintain. Like a helicopter or ridable drone.
I enjoy getting my hands dirty too, but only when I feel like it. Having a monkey on my back to fix X toy for a calendar date gives me anxiety. Money can’t buy happiness but it can buy piece of mind.
