In the December 2016 issue of Dirt Toys Magazine (page 38), we wrote a story titled “Gun & Grizzlies,” describing our adventures at Arizona’s Gunsite Academy near Prescott.
We mentioned in that article that along with alternating our riding time on the new Yamaha Grizzly and shooting all manner of guns we also spent some time on the 2017 Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE.
So if our first story was about guns and Grizzlies, then this time around it’s weapons and Wolverines. We spent three days at Gunsite, learning about how to sight in and shoot pistols and rifles and when we weren’t doing that we rode around on the expansive grounds of Gunsite on the Grizzly and Wolverine.
There was no terrain or obstacles too difficult for the Wolverine to handle at Gunsite but it was fun to reacquaint ourselves with the rec-utility side-by-side. Interestingly—and oddly—enough, it was quite rainy during our time in Arizona, especially at Gunsite. That did add a little variety to the riding. In fact, on one day we rode some in the rain and watched as the rain turned the trails into a greasy mess … which just added to the fun factor and allowed us to use at least one of the Wolverine’s features that we hadn’t needed to until that point—4WD.
Top Of The Food Chain
The R-Spec EPS SE is on the upper end of the Wolverine food chain and because of that gets all sorts of goodies the base model doesn’t. Those upgrades include beadlock wheels, additional chassis and A-arm protection, extended overfenders, a soft grip steering wheel and underseat storage along with Flat Silver painted bodywork with color-matched high back seats. This Wolverine also comes standard with a suntop and KYB full adjustable piggyback shocks.
The Wolverine uses the same 708cc (this is the correct cc; we made an error in the Grizzly story saying the engine was 706cc) liquid-cooled DOHC engine as what is found in the Grizzly. Because of the weight difference between the Grizzly and Wolverine, the engine feels a little more powerful in the ATV but it is still a fine powerplant for the side-by-side.
It’s not a jump-off-the-line feeling when you press the throttle but more of a build-power-steadily all the way through the powerband. If you keep in mind what the purpose of this vehicle is as a rec-utility side-by-side, you’ll quickly understand that this Yamaha 700 will get you to most any hunting or fishing spot and still allow you to have plenty of fun on the trails to and from those spots. And if you need this vehicle to do any bit of work, it’s plenty capable of doing that too with its 300 lbs. of bed capacity and 1500-pound towing capacity.
Two of the Wolverine’s standout features are Yamaha’s electric power steering and On-Command 4WD. We have written fairly extensively in past issues of Dirt Toys about Yamaha’s On-Command 4WD so we won’t go into details here. But it is so easy to use and is very responsive when changing from 2WD to 4WD to Diff Lock (and back again) modes. Turn the knob (easy to use with gloves on) and it’s done.
Dry To Muddy
On that day when it really rained and the trails went from somewhat dry(ish) to a muddy mess, we went back and forth between 2WD and 4WD quite often just to see how the Wolverine would handle the mud. Like a champ. And we could easily tell the difference when we were in 2WD vs. 4WD, which is important because it gives you the confidence to tackle what’s on the trail.
Again, there weren’t too many obstacles or tight, twisty trails on the Gunsite property, but the EPS did well when we could find anything where the vehicle needed a little assist. There were a couple of sections of trail that had some nasty ol’ ruts (some were small but got bigger as more rain fell during our stay) and the EPS shines in those spots because it takes the jarring out when you hit the ruts.
The Wolverine also offers all-wheel engine braking but we didn’t encounter many opportunities to see it work because there just weren’t many big descents. We were reminded, though, that when in 2WD the vehicle engine braking affects the rear only whereas in 4WD/diff lock engine braking applies to all four wheels.
Although there were only a few rocks and roots to contend with, along with those ruts, we did adjust the KYB shocks a bit. Even with 9.7 inches of travel in the front (there is 10.6 inches of travel in the rear), we bottomed out the front suspension on a deep “V” in the trail (read: small downhill, fairly big rut, then a small uphill). We mentioned that to the Yamaha officials riding with us, we adjusted the front shocks and it was much better the next time through. And there was still more adjustment available if needed.
The adjustment settings available with the KYB piggyback shocks are high- and low-speed compression damping, rebound and preload.
One more feature in the KYBs that was pointed out is the extra downstroke, which means when you’re going through the ruts, the tire stays on the ground.
In another bit of irony—and something we’ve appreciated in the past on sunnier rides—the suntop helped keep the rain off us although its primary purpose is to shield from the sun.
With an MSRP of $14,799, the Wolverine R-Spec EPS SE is a good buy, especially considering the additional features you get with the SE. Compared against its competition with comparable features, this Wolverine is very competitive price-wise.
