Stupid sxs's and why do I need one?

Chevy_man

Chevy_man

Leftjizz
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First! :flipoff2:



So what sxs's are worth looking at and why do I want one? I've honestly never looked too hard, but the polaris general looks like what I would want.

I've driven rangers and can-am's. The can-am's are stupid noisy so race radios are a must for sanity. Rangers are slow as shit and ride like a covered wagon.




Main job would be to plow snow on the sidewalk/parking lot. 5' wide blade would be handy.

Second job is my wife is scared to death of dirtbikes. My kids are pansy asses when it comes to noise and don't like dirtbikes because they're "too loud". So the wife would be able to drive the kids while I dirtbike to scenic camping spots that I could drive a truck too so long as I don't like the paint.


May do some icefishing if there's no snow. Already have a beater indy 500 with studded track for cold weather fishing though.




What brands/models should I be looking at? I really don't want a 4 seater as I'll just drive the damn Jeep at that point. I'm thinking 2 seater and get at least one of my kids onto a bike.
 
YotaAtieToo said:
Get a used rhino for $5k and see if you even like them first.
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This, a buddy of mine went out and bought a new SXS. After a few trips out he decided he wanted to go back to his Jeep and get a buggy.


Also, if noise is an issue with dirt bikes I am not sure the SXS will be better. The ones I've encountered on the trail didn't seem much quieter but they could have been running modified exhausts.
 
Rhino will not be quiet and will be harder to get aftermarket parts for, its been a few years since production of them stopped. The engine on them is under the seats so in addition to noise you get to enjoy heat too.

I have a Rzr 800 now and its quieter than the rhino I had but still took a little insulation in certain areas to make quiet enough to carry on a conversation at 10mph (engine cover, trans tunnel, firewall).

Couple buds of mine have Rzr 1k and General 1k and they are both ok at low speeds noise wise but the engine does sound off when you get into them even with stock exhaust.

Best thing to do would be drive a few different brands and see which one fits your noise/work/$ requirements.
 
Wulf said:
Also, if noise is an issue with dirt bikes I am not sure the SXS will be better. The ones I've encountered on the trail didn't seem much quieter but they could have been running modified exhausts.
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One of my biggest complaints with my RZR. It is straight up obnoxious, the nature of the CVT means the engine is always on the loud end. You can't really shift it up and quiet it down like a bike. I think that's one of the reason the race radios became so popular in them. You basically have to have an intercom to talk to your passenger.
 
crazybluerider said:
One of my biggest complaints with my RZR. It is straight up obnoxious, the nature of the CVT means the engine is always on the loud end. You can't really shift it up and quiet it down like a bike. I think that's one of the reason the race radios became so popular in them. You basically have to have an intercom to talk to your passenger.
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I didn't understand why it seemed like everyone is always ripping around and speed boating them over rocks til someone explained that it was almost necessity with the CVT instead of a regular automatic
 
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i just bought a new Yamaha Viking for my ond man to use around his property. its nice and simple. it makes a great wheelchair for him. all my friends have them and they are always bugging me to get one but i havent been sold on them honestly. they cost so much and dont seem to hold up after a season or two of hard use.
 
I will say that I seriously looked at a Polaris general XP and nearly pulled the trigger. They defiantly have something with that platform and they know it which is why it carries that big price. I walked away because i decided to focus efforts on my current build after the girlfriend made a good point. If i got out on the trail every weekend with a SXS I would never touch the truck again.
 
Yamaha is a no go, it's 150 miles to a dealer I'll actually buy from. If I get one used I'll end up looking in SLC because it's only a 8 hour drive and prices are half of what I'm finding here. There are so few for sale people are asking 90% of new price and getting it locally.


I was looking for the Honda rancher of the SxS world. Simple, quiet, cheap...


We have a Honda/Polaris dealer in town. I was hoping someone would tell me how awesome the Honda 670 pioneer is, but I have yet to find someone that owns one besides the dealer. They're selling talons and generals/razors like they're going out of style.
 
Just two weeks ago I pulled the trigger on a new Yamaha Wolverine. So far around 50 miles on the odometer and 6 hours or so on the clock. It going to be an okay ride for what we got it for but have two issues sorta already mentioned.

Low speed running around the exhaust noise is livable. Anything much above 30mph, forget it. Ya damned sure will not be sneaking up on anything.

Issue number two is the heat coming up from the engine cover between the seats. This might be okay in the Fall and Winter months but sucks in July.

I can imagine in a year or two or sooner I'll be selling or trading this thing for something else.
 
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i bought a polaris ranger a couple months ago and i like it. Its fairly quiet since the engine is under the bed. it will run just under 60 mph (soc model) and the bed can haul 1000 pounds
 
what about the roxor. im interested in them as well but im big and tall and wondering about getting my fat ass in it and be comfortable. my exwife had a cj7 and that was doable, granted that was dang near 10 years ago. the other is a mule fxt pro. in norther az it seems every sxs i see is a polaris.

RUGER
 
Why not a regular 4 wheeler?

Just curious, did I miss something?

We were going to get a sxs for trail riding but then found many of the trails available to us are not wide enough for a sxs ended up buying a second 4 wheeler.

For the money they are hard to beat.

CVT does suck but with custom tuning springs and weights you can often get them to act like you want.

Recently bought a 2005 with a 700 kawasaki v-twin. Stupid cheap because people don't understand carbs anymore. 4800 miles on it. With custom CDI box and custom tuning the CVT I bet I don't have $1000 in it. It is dependable and stupid crazy fast.
No problem pushing snow or dirt with it. Easy for anyone to drive and it only weighs like 620 pounds. Great for moving trailers, pulling cars and trucks.

It is quiet, the throttle is adjustable to dial it back for the little kids. Only problem we have is the little kids find it hard to steer. (like 10 and under)

I have heard it said of the ATV world that if you want to have fun ride a Polaris, if you want to actually get there and back ride a Honda. As far as dependability everything else is in between.
From what I have been around I would have to agree that to be true.
 
Just know that if you get a beater, it will ride like hell. The newer ones ride pretty soft from the factory. Especially the generals.
 
jhama78 said:
Rhino will not be quiet and will be harder to get aftermarket parts for, its been a few years since production of them stopped. The engine on them is under the seats so in addition to noise you get to enjoy heat too.

I have a Rzr 800 now and its quieter than the rhino I had but still took a little insulation in certain areas to make quiet enough to carry on a conversation at 10mph (engine cover, trans tunnel, firewall).

Couple buds of mine have Rzr 1k and General 1k and they are both ok at low speeds noise wise but the engine does sound off when you get into them even with stock exhaust.

Best thing to do would be drive a few different brands and see which one fits your noise/work/$ requirements.
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Theres still plenty of aftermarket support from clutch kits, long arm kits to cdi upgrades.

The engine is actually between the seats. My friends teryx are much hotter.

The rhino is slow, doesn't articulate like newer sxs's but they are built like little tanks. That's why they are still seen on the trails hanging right with rzr's, teryx's and commanders...😁
 
CJunk said:
Just two weeks ago I pulled the trigger on a new Yamaha Wolverine. So far around 50 miles on the odometer and 6 hours or so on the clock. It going to be an okay ride for what we got it for but have two issues sorta already mentioned.

Low speed running around the exhaust noise is livable. Anything much above 30mph, forget it. Ya damned sure will not be sneaking up on anything.

Issue number two is the heat coming up from the engine cover between the seats. This might be okay in the Fall and Winter months but sucks in July.

I can imagine in a year or two or sooner I'll be selling or trading this thing for something else.
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They make a 12volt fan that mounts into the housing and draws air in from the riding compartment and pushed out the back. A couple friends run them...a wolverine and a teryx...and claim they make a huge difference.

The other good part is the fan is reversible so in the winter you can pull warm air in off the engine.

For the exhaust they make (or you can make one) a silencer that the muffler dumps into.
 
If I were in the market for a new sxs I'd give the cf moto zforce and the roxor a close look....depending on what you want. I've driven them both and for the price well surprised. Myself I'd probably go with the cf moto.
 
My Mrs. saw a YouTube video of a super up one was like that looks fun. When I told her it probably had $50k in upgrades to do what she wanted to do she noped out of there quick.
 
I've had dirtbikes, 4 wheelers, 3 wheelers, a rzr, you name it for the last 16 years. They have all came and gone except the Honda ATC 110 3 wheeler which was the first "toy" I bought and is a blast to ride. A 2012 rzr 900 xp was the last one I bought and sold, I had it 3-4 years and barely used the thing, in laws had one and riding in it was alot of fun at st Anthony sand dunes and we had 2 young kids so figured it was time to let the dirt bike and 4 wheeler go for more of a family type vehicle. We used to go to st Anthony's or the Oregon coast dunes every year, life has happened and we havent been now for 4 years. I doubt I put 200hrs on that RZR but I sure dumped a bunch of time and money into it, I did setup a plow for it which was handy as hell these last few years for moving snow out of my long driveway and back patio and that's where it got 75% of its use. I didnt take the plow off of it until like April this year and took it out trail riding twice before I sold it a few weeks ago.

I've always hated the cvt clutches, I put all the cocksucker deluxe clutch parts with full adjustability onto this machine and yes it was a ton better than a stock machine but I still didnt like the principle of it. Like others have mentioned your either at idle, at 3/4 of the rev range holding a steady cruise or just under the rev limiter when your accelerating. I honestly would like to try one of the SXS like the Yamaha's with a real clutch and transmission. Like others have mentioned heat was a issue also, the later model 1000s and such are built on a longer chassis and have more room between the engine and the seats than the 900's so they arent as bad. I had half doors, a windshield, and a full soft top for it that I would install in the winter and just with that I couldn't imagine needing to install a heater into it. Jean's, boots, and a hoodie is all I would have on inside of it while snow wheeling and depending on how cold it was outside sometimes I would have to take off the hoodie. Summer months would be half doors and just the windshield, I had planned on taking the windshield out for more airflow because you'd get swampass and swamp back from the engine heat, this was in shorts and a tshirt.

I bought the rzr when my blazer was torn apart with no axles under it and I was busy building vehicles for everyone else but myself. We used it for snow wheeling, trail rides, up in the mountains, etc. Everytime we took it out either myself or my wife would say " I sure miss the blazer and wish we were in it right now". Since the blazer has been back together we would take it out 98% of the time over the rzr. In my opinion the only place the rzr is more fun is out at the sand dunes.

I would really like another dirtbike one of these days, i should to get somewhat back into shape but it would probably kill me at this point being fat, out of shape, and older now :rolleyes: Only way I would buy another sxs is if I needed one for around the property like a ranger or if I was to move into a small town where you could use it as a DD.
 
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Thumping said:
They make a 12volt fan that mounts into the housing and draws air in from the riding compartment and pushed out the back. A couple friends run them...a wolverine and a teryx...and claim they make a huge difference.

The other good part is the fan is reversible so in the winter you can pull warm air in off the engine.

For the exhaust they make (or you can make one) a silencer that the muffler dumps into.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I will be looking into this. Mainly the noise issue.

I probably should mention as for the heat issue, some of it is sort of my fault. I added the plexiglass windscreen to this little ride. It has a couple of "little bit" open options or wide open. Of course closed all the way down. This aftermarket windshield is creating a bit of a vacuum behind it drawing the heat up from the engine. Fully opened seems to eliminate that air pocket keeping that excess heat down and back.
 
CJunk said:
Thanks for the info. I will be looking into this. Mainly the noise issue.

I probably should mention as for the heat issue, some of it is sort of my fault. I added the plexiglass windscreen to this little ride. It has a couple of "little bit" open options or wide open. Of course closed all the way down. This aftermarket windshield is creating a bit of a vacuum behind it drawing the heat up from the engine. Fully opened seems to eliminate that air pocket keeping that excess heat down and back.
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Yep...I tried a standard one piece windshield...nope. Too dang hot without air flow.

You can get a nice stainless steel piano hinge at Lowe's and make it a folding windshield.
 
Just saw this sub-forum and this post.

Just so you know, the Yamaha Wolverine is extremely quiet. The wife and I talk the entire time we're trail riding, unless the stereo is on. The X2 is a nimble machine that can handle some decent obstacles, has a bed, and the factory shocks are much more comfortable than the X4. However, top speed is only like 53mph, and it's not going to impress you off the line if that's what you want.

So, quiet, 4wd WITH Diff Lock, dump bed, 2-seater, nimble...and locally for us you can buy one brand new for $11,500.
 
CJunk said:
Thanks for the info. I will be looking into this. Mainly the noise issue.

I probably should mention as for the heat issue, some of it is sort of my fault. I added the plexiglass windscreen to this little ride. It has a couple of "little bit" open options or wide open. Of course closed all the way down. This aftermarket windshield is creating a bit of a vacuum behind it drawing the heat up from the engine. Fully opened seems to eliminate that air pocket keeping that excess heat down and back.
Click to expand...

I have noticed my X4 gets pretty hot in the cab with the full windshield when we're not soaking the engine in water every ten feet. Road riding is awful in the summer. I just use my foot to hold the driver's side door open and let it air out. Overall I find it livable and just put 200+ miles or so on it in WV this past weekend.
 
Ksand said:
i bought a polaris ranger a couple months ago and i like it. Its fairly quiet since the engine is under the bed. it will run just under 60 mph (soc model) and the bed can haul 1000 pounds
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A single cam will do just under 60? I have a new '20 single cam 1000 and am not sure it will do much over 40, although I haven't tried to top it out yet. If it'll do at least 55, I may take my chances for a mile and half on the main road here to get tot the back roads where I can get down to the river.

Either way, I am really glad I got my Ranger. It is perfect for around the property, and fun to tool around in the woods. I got the full cab and heater for the winter. For the OP, I do not think you can enclose the General. That may or may not be an issue for him if he's planning on plowing snow and ice fishing out of it.
 
300sniper said:
A single cam will do just under 60? I have a new '20 single cam 1000 and am not sure it will do much over 40, although I haven't tried to top it out yet. If it'll do at least 55, I may take my chances for a mile and half on the main road here to get tot the back roads where I can get down to the river.

Either way, I am really glad I got my Ranger. It is perfect for around the property, and fun to tool around in the woods. I got the full cab and heater for the winter. For the OP, I do not think you can enclose the General. That may or may not be an issue for him if he's planning on plowing snow and ice fishing out of it.
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My buddy has a 2019 Ranger 1000 XP Crew and it'll go about 65mph.

You can enclose a General, but it's going to cost $$$$$$.
 
Chevy_man said:
First! :flipoff2:
So what sxs's are worth looking at and why do I want one? I've honestly never looked too hard, but the polaris general looks like what I would want.

I've driven rangers and can-am's. The can-am's are stupid noisy so race radios are a must for sanity. Rangers are slow as shit and ride like a covered wagon.

Main job would be to plow snow on the sidewalk/parking lot. 5' wide blade would be handy.

Second job is my wife is scared to death of dirtbikes. My kids are pansy asses when it comes to noise and don't like dirtbikes because they're "too loud". So the wife would be able to drive the kids while I dirtbike to scenic camping spots that I could drive a truck too so long as I don't like the paint.

May do some icefishing if there's no snow. Already have a beater indy 500 with studded track for cold weather fishing though.

What brands/models should I be looking at? I really don't want a 4 seater as I'll just drive the damn Jeep at that point. I'm thinking 2 seater and get at least one of my kids onto a bike.
Click to expand...

I'm in exact same boat.

I bought my wife Canam Maverick Trail 800 DPS. It's a 50" wide machine so her and my daughter can go on 50" two track trails instead of beat out gravel roads.

I do wish I had a 4 seater occasionally just for going fishing or exploring etc. but I think I might just buy another Mav Trail.

Some friends of ours have a General and it is awesome, car like interior, great ride and power.
 
I'm looking at the pioneer 500 now.

No CVT, Honda so just change oil regularly, and cheap.


​ Just gotta test drive one.
 
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