As we were splashed through the spillway of a small northeast Texas lake, pounded the trails surrounding the lake and slogged through some pretty deep mud holes, the line between work and play became increasingly blurred.
We were in northeast Texas to test ride the new Massimo 700 and MSU 800 side-by-sides from Massimo Motors and we did our level best to stay focused on the task at hand.
But it’s hard to work when you’re having so much fun.
“Whoa,” you say, “back up. Massimo who?”
Irving, TX-based Massimo Motors is an up-and-coming off-road vehicle company that wants more than just a toe in the burgeoning side-by-side market. Originally the company targeted the farming and ranching community (a handful of its vehicles are only available at Tractor Supply Co. stores) with its off-road products, but is now going after the lucrative recreation segment with the release of several bigger cc engines and vehicles. Massimo wants that toe to be a foot and then kick the door wide open as it continues to release more and bigger machines.
By far the largest segment of its business is side-by-sides, but Massimo does offer two different ATVs, a 500 and 800. It has more than a dozen different side-by-sides in its lineup with more coming, said Massimo Motors national sales manager Dylan Smith.
Units Hand Built
The vehicle parts are made in China but the vehicle is hand-built in the United States at Massimo’s headquarters in Irving. Not all parts are sourced in China, however, as some, such as the CVTech clutch, used on the MSU 800 side-by-side and 800 ATV, comes from Canada.
The rhetoric about Chinese-made off-road vehicles like side-by-sides and ATVs seems to ebb and flow here in the United States. Two complaints we hear about the made-in-China argument is quality and the availability of parts.
Massimo Motors has heard those too. Smith points out that “all parts are warehoused in our Irving, TX, headquarters so that we can provide expedited shipping efforts. All Massimo products are back by our exceptional parts and service availability in more than 600 motorsports locations.”
He said the turnaround for parts is about 48 hours.
And then there is the pricing of the Massimo vehicles. For example, the Massimo 700 with electric power steering has an MSRP of $10,495 while the base mode is $9,295.
Smith said the price point of Massimo’s vehicles is an “obvious attraction.”
Let’s Talk Vehicles
But enough about that, let’s talk vehicles.
Although Massimo brought along five different machines from its 500 ATV to a four-seater and more, we spent most of our day in northeast Texas driving the Massimo 700 and MSU 800. We did get some seat time on the 500 ATV, but for now we’re going to focus on those two Massimo side-by-sides.
The 800 comes with a 55-horsepower V-twin 800cc EFI liquid-cooled engine that definitely has a different powerband and sound than the 686cc EFI single-cylinder liquid-cooled four-stroke 700, which has a horsepower rating of 35. The power difference was noticeable and the 700 has more of a tractor sound than the 800. The 800 was smooth, responsive and builds power quickly. When we could stretch its legs, we could hit 50 mph.
The 700’s power is decent and builds more slowly than the 800, which is somewhat typical of a 35-horsepower engine.
We heard rumblings of a new Massimo 1000cc V-twin coming in October but didn’t have many details by the time we went to press with this issue. The little bit we did hear was that the 1000 is the 800 with a big bore kit and there will be a sport (two-seat) and utility (four-seat) version. We also heard rumors that the new 1000 should be about 75 hp and the vehicles will be equipped with the CVTech clutch. Perhaps by the time you’re reading this, there will be more details on www.massimomotor.com and check our webpage for updates. The new vehicles will be unveiled at the AIMExpo in Florida in October.
The 700 comes with doors while the 800 uses nets. The 800 has more of a sportier look with its distinctive headlights, bumper and seats. Both side-by-sides have bucket seats with the headrest on the 800 built into the seat while the 700’s headrests are attached to a bar above the bucket seats. The grab bar for the passenger on the 700 extends from the roll cage on the right side, while the 800 has a grab bar directly in front of the passenger seat and comes with a nice grip on the handles. The seats on the 800 have a little bit of a wrap-around feeling and both vehicles have shock strap seat belts.
Automatic CVT
The gearshift is different than what you would find in most side-by-sides, resembling more like that in a sports car. However, this is not a stick-shift vehicle, as Massimo has an automatic CVT with On-Demand 2WD/4WD (simply push a button on the dash) and H, L, N and R gears.
There is an independent double A-arm suspension both front and rear with both the 700 and 800 offering 7 inches of travel. They come with Massimo racing shocks which have three settings. We felt the ride was set up a little better on the 800 compared to the 700 but to be fair, we didn’t play with the shock settings on the 700. The ride on the 800 shows what is possible, however, as far as comfort goes.
Interestingly enough, the 700 has more ground clearance—14 inches, compared to the 800’s 12.5 inches. All that clearance was nice to have when we were “muddin’.”
Although Massimo’s side-by-sides might be considered price point vehicles, they come with some impressive amenities such as high/low beam headlights, turn signals, hazard signals, a windshield (which can be folded in half), side mirrors, a horn and even a license tag bracket and tag light. All those amenities will make the Massimo vehicle street legal in some locations. Of course, you should check your local and state requirements.
Additionally, all Massimo side-by-sides come stock with a 3,500-lb. winch along with a hand winch remote with a 20-foot cord that can be tucked away inside the cab when not in use.
The 700 has an EPS option and we found the EPS to work well.
Four versions of the 700 are available: 700 base ($9,295), 700 EPS ($10,495), 700 four-seater base ($10,895) and 700 four seater with EPS ($11,995). The MSU 800 retails for $10,495.
Basic as it may sound, one of the key indicators for us as to how a vehicle rates in our book is, is it fun?
Massimo passes that test.
