How do you like your RZR?

briank1985 · 2011-09-01 20:26:20

So we are looking for a Side X Side. We are trying to pick between the Rhino 700 and a RZR 800. I Like the looks of the RZR that sport look, however we do Tow sometimes, and snowplow every year. I have yet to drive one or the other. How is the power of the 800? We have a Grizzly 660 now. Thanks for the input.

riverdad · 2011-09-01 20:38:10

We love our Rzr - We have towed a trailer over 300 miles on an extended campiong/ride in Central Idaho. I plow lots of snow in S Eastern Idaho and did I say, we love our RZR!

Badley · 2011-09-01 21:34:35

Rhino will give you more utility, but the RZR is way more fun.

briank1985 · 2011-09-02 12:37:07

Thanks for the replys. Now are the RZR's still belt drivin Transmissions? I know they had problems with them getting wet and slipping when in the water.

Badley · 2011-09-02 14:06:55

I think all SidexSides are belt driven and if the belt gets wet the will slip. A lot of Southerners snorkel their CVT and intake so they can submarine

3TV · 2011-09-07 17:13:47

briank,
I've owned two Rhino 660s, and frequently went riding with a friend that had both a Rhino 660 and a Rhino 700. Right now I own a Rzr XP 900, which admittedly is not the same Rzr you are considering. I've owned 3 Grizzly 660s and 2 Grizzly 700s, and a bunch of other Yamaha's, all the way from dirt bikes to ATVs. I've owned all of the other brands of ATVs as well, and I don't consider myself brand loyal, and really just try to tell it like it is. Keeping in mind that my Rzr is not quite the same as the Rzr you are considering, maybe I can still give you a comparison between the Rhino and the Rzr.

I must say that I wasn't too impressed with the Rhino. I had lots of problems with fuel delivery because of pieces of plastic crud in the gas tank from the factory. This caused plugged fuel filters, plugged jets, and vapor lock issues. I've never messed with a carburator so much to get a vehicle running correctly, but once dialed in it was at least fair. My carburated Rhino 660s were faster and ran better than my friends fuel injected Rhino 700. Reliability otherwise was quite poor as well, and my Rhino's left me stranded three times. Build quality left a lot to be desired. These things vibrate and rattle like crazy, and they're very loud to ride in. Suspension quality is poor, stability is poor, handling is poor, all being compared to just about anything else (ATVs, motorcycles, Jeeps, etc). Power is extremely poor, and this was the biggest complaint I had about the Rhino. They were just incredibly gutless, and quite frankly boring to drive.

In comparison, the Rzr XP 900 is a major step up in quality. Vibration, noise, and rattles are much much less. Steering is easier. Handling is night and day better. Power is the biggest difference though. A Rhino has something like 36 HP, and the Rzr XP has 88 HP. That is a difference you can feel right now. I shouldn't even have to mention how much better the suspension is, ... 7" travel vs 14" travel. Serviceability is much easier, with easy access to spark plugs, dip sticks, and the air filter.

In the years since the introduction of the Rhino Yamaha has done nothing to really improve it. Polaris has made improvements in build quality regularly. At this point the latest Rzr side by side is so much better than the Rhino that it is hard to even describe the differences. You ask if I like my Rzr? The answer is a resounding yes.

[edit] Just noticed my signature is from when I owned the Rhino. Time to get that changed. There is also one thing I like better on the Rhino than the Rzr. I think the ultramatic transmission in the Yamaha is a better design. The clutching on the Rzr is better for performance, but I like the Ultramatic transmissions design that keeps the belt from engaging and disengaging, ... it is always engaged. That makes for a smoother start up and better engine braking.

RANGERDALEXP · 2011-09-07 18:26:57

I think all SidexSides are belt driven and if the belt gets wet the will slip. A lot of Southerners snorkel their CVT and intake so they can submarine

I think the Honda Big Red is Automatic :?: ....

Badley · 2011-09-07 21:05:32

Not sure about the Honda trans. I agree about the Rhino, especially the trans 3TV - I do miss it, although I went with a Dirty Dawg Clutch on my RZR S and the wife's 4 and it makes a huge difference. I set it up for crawling - it engages much smoother and at a lower RPM, and I can engine brake almost to a stop.

RANGERDALEXP · 2011-09-08 10:42:30

Not sure about the Honda trans. I agree about the Rhino, especially the trans 3TV - I do miss it, although I went with a Dirty Dawg Clutch on my RZR S and the wife's 4 and it makes a huge difference. I set it up for crawling - it engages much smoother and at a lower RPM, and I can engine brake almost to a stop.

Another Happy Dirty Dawg Customer . I just wished he would find a new guy to Redo his website and make it more like his old one was :idea: ....

3TV · 2011-09-08 11:53:01

Just another example of how things have changed in the UTV world. Rhino's used to be the top dog, and where ever you went you saw 10 Rhinos for every other side by side you saw. Now you see at least that many Rzr's for every Rhino. At the recent "King of the Mountain" UTV race, which is an endurance race that includes tight woods, hillclimbs, mud, and other obstacles, there were 19 UTVs that entered the race and 18 out of 19 were Rzr's. I know this is a racing venue, and you were not interested in racing, but this is what I am seeing everywhere, including the dunes and the trails. Pretty much everyone has gotten away from the Rhino. Unfortunately, this is a market that Yamaha owned, but has let it be taken away from them.

As for the Big Red transmission, it is the same engine and transmission as in the Honda Rincon. The transmission is a three speed automatic transmission that is geared too tall for the Rincon. I don't see how it would work any better on an even heavier vehicle like the Big Red. I cant imagine a big UTV that is geared too tall, and has no low range, could work very well at plowing snow, or any kind of work for that matter.

RANGERDALEXP · 2011-09-09 16:41:06

Just another example of how things have changed in the UTV world. Rhino's used to be the top dog, and where ever you went you saw 10 Rhinos for every other side by side you saw. Now you see at least that many Rzr's for every Rhino. At the recent "King of the Mountain" UTV race, which is an endurance race that includes tight woods, hillclimbs, mud, and other obstacles, there were 19 UTVs that entered the race and 18 out of 19 were Rzr's. I know this is a racing venue, and you were not interested in racing, but this is what I am seeing everywhere, including the dunes and the trails. Pretty much everyone has gotten away from the Rhino. Unfortunately, this is a market that Yamaha owned, but has let it be taken away from them.
As for the Big Red transmission, it is the same engine and transmission as in the Honda Rincon. The transmission is a three speed automatic transmission that is geared too tall for the Rincon. I don't see how it would work any better on an even heavier vehicle like the Big Red. I cant imagine a big UTV that is geared too tall, and has no low range, could work very well at plowing snow, or any kind of work for that matter.

I would not really consider the rhino the top dog back in 2004 or 2005. They were $1500 cheaper then the Rangers but Stock power and suspension along with Top speed was always better then the Rhino back then. Even the 2004 Ranger 500 had a top speed of 44 then. I think why there were more Rhinos was because of price and the Yamaha name.

I looked real hard at the Rhino and the Ranger Xp in 2005 and every spec on paper was better then the Rhino 660 in every way and it was not even EFI till 2007 when the 700 came out. My friend bought his Rhino limited 660 a few months latter and had to put a bunch of money just to match my speed after I gave him a big spanking on a long ride. A year after he bought it I asked why he bought the Rhino instead of the Ranger Xp and his reply was it was a lot cheaper and now he would have bought the Ranger instead. I also drove his and gone on long rides with him and was never impressed with the ride quality or the stability.

I like the RZR's and would consider the new Rzr 900xp but it would not suit my needs on how I use my Ranger Xp. The future replacement for my 2005 would be another Ranger Xp because mine is used 50% for play and 50% for hauling stuff around and doing work on a friends 240 acre property.....

Another thing I have considered was putting $4,000 into a rebuild and update to the one I have now. There are things I like better on the 2005 and 2006 models in comparison to the new ones like the 2 piece rear end and transmission and the lay out of the storage system. The newer ones have no under hood storage....

3TV · 2011-09-10 05:48:05

I was referring to "top dog" in sales, not performance. I agree, the Ranger XP had the Rhino beat in performance from day one.

Just one more thing to think about for how far side by sides have came in the last 4 years... The 2007 Rhino in my signature had a $7000 aftermarket suspension system on it, with top of the line Elka shocks and 14" of suspension travel. My 2012 Rzr XP 900 also has 14" of suspension travel. The stock suspension on this Rzr XP works better right off the showroom floor than the Rhino did with an extra $7000 thrown at it.

#1 2011-09-01 20:26:20

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#2 2011-09-01 20:38:10

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#3 2011-09-01 21:34:35

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#4 2011-09-02 12:37:07

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#5 2011-09-02 14:06:55

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#6 2011-09-07 17:13:47

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#7 2011-09-07 18:26:57

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#8 2011-09-07 21:05:32

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#9 2011-09-08 10:42:30

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#10 2011-09-08 11:53:01

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#11 2011-09-09 16:41:06

Re: How do you like your RZR?

#12 2011-09-10 05:48:05

Re: How do you like your RZR?

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