We know, from our ride at the Glamis Dunes last October, how the Yamaha YXZ1000R does the dunes.
We had yet, however, to see how the YXZ1000R performed in a little harsher environment—the desert. That chance came this week at the Superstition Mountain OHV riding area in southern California.
And, if possible, we may be even more impressed with the newest Yamaha side-by-side than we were after our ride at Glamis. We got to see how the YXZ1000R handled rocky terrain, serious whoops, chop/stutter bumps and high speed desert running.
We spent our 80-mile day in the 2016 YXZ1000R Racing Blue/White w/Suntop version ($19,999 MSRP), although there were Blaze Orange/Black w/Suntop ($19,799 MSRP) in our group.
Just about everyone in the off-road biz knows about the YXZ1000R, with its new 998cc inline triple engine mated to an industry-first 5-speed sequential shift gearbox with On-Command 4WD and impressive Fox Podium RC2 Shocks suspension front and rear.
Riding the desert, with some dunes mixed in, gave us a chance to experience how much of the engine’s power is getting to the ground (a lot) compared to power-robbing sand. The day’s ride also helped us experience the front and rear suspension in lots of situations, such as whoops, rocks and high-speed running over choppy trails and one or two or three drop-offs that should have been spine tinglers but weren’t. One word describes that experience: incredible.
We’ll have more details in an upcoming issue of Dirt Toys Magazine.
