This an excellent "real world" use review. Thanks for putting this out there. I'm looking to purchase one of these and this is all good information to know.
After watching your video and reading a couple of forums on talk of the vulnerability of this RZR model. I decided to install a screen on the backside of the radiator. I used some heavy pet resistant vinyl window screen material. I cut it to fit and glued the corners to form a box. The top of it is held on by the radiator hold down points and the sides with zip ties. I left the bottom mostly open. I just got back from San Rafael Swell. It seemed to work good. I could hear a lot of small rocks hit the wheel wells on this trip, so I believe this might have saved me from this problem. Being 50 miles from camp, It would not have been good to have a problem. I kept careful watch on the motor temperatures, which mostly ranged from 190* - 206*. The weather was a warm sunny 80*. And we were doing a lot of of rock crawling and hill climbing. We put over 200 miles on the RZR on this trip and all went well. I hope Polaris comes out with a permanent solution, but for the meantime, I think I'll stick with this.
I have this same machine and I have a really inexpensive fix for the rocks issue. I took a 16 inch square piece of 1/4 inch rabbit wire or chicken wire along with some zip ties and placed it right behind the radiator. Very, very easy to do. It will stop just about all the rocks and anything small enough to go through is not big enough to worry about.
Rodger Thomas Where are you placing your zip ties and are you having to do any shimming for this to work? I recently bought my machine and have already put 700 miles on it. No leaking radiator yet, but the way we've been riding lately, I definitely want to fix the flaw before I run into the same problems.
The center console does not have to be removed to lube the drive shaft. The rear grease fitting is accessible from the left rear in front of the rear tire. The front grease fitting is accessible from access holes in the skid plate..........
I, and several others I know have the same problem getting it into reverse... Sometimes you have to move the gear selector just right to get it to engage into reverse. A little annoying but not a big deal.
Regarding the design flaw-is Polaris working on a fix? Or is this something we will have to figure out? I would ask that anyone having a fix,post it here to share. Thank you for the great review.
I doubt they're going to do anything. I think using sprint car nomex honeycomb protectors and shimming the fan so it fits over the honeycomb may be the home-made solution. I called them today and they won't do anything for me, I have to go through my dealer to try to get a warranty claim but that doesn't fix the problem (even if they did cover the repairs). Ron the Painter
If this is a common problem and enough people complain,maybe they will change the design or come up with a fix in the future. I found your video searching for info on the 900 trail. I'm getting ready to buy one. I want to take care of any issues as soon as I get it. Would you mind posting a video on your "fix"? This might be good information to share on the rzr forums as well.
loved the video, watched it doing research into which machine i would buy. i ended up buying this exact one. i only have 150 miles on the machine so far, does the suspension loosen up a little mine is rock solid right now and its on its lowest setting? Also my steering wheel is tilted to the right a little when going straight, I think thats a fairly common problem so far. Thanks for your video very very helpful!!!!
Have you experienced rock hits on the rear radiator? I bought a 2016 rzr trail with 650 miles on it and could smell a slight antifreeze smell, I did research on this and found others were experiencing rock hit on the rear radiator surface. As I was replacing the radiator I found 7 hits. Three that were plugged by the previous owner by using some type of putty. One of those plugs was leaking. The narrow track and lack of a wheel well curtain or radiator guard were thought about to be the cause by others.
Sorry for the delay in responding. Yes, if you look at my other videos, I had a radiator punctured on the trail from behind and it took 5 months to get a replacement. I put sprint car racing nomex honeycomb mesh over it (shown on the other video) and it has been working properly for the year and a half or so since I did it. No damage since.
how do you like your Polaris plow? I just got the glacier 2 system and I love it. by the way, i have a Polaris bush bar with the plow mount. just takes lots of patience to get it mounted into the plow mount haha
+Cory Sloan It's good. We had 20" of wet snow here and the berm from the city plow was formidable. Our neighbor's steep driveway was a foot and a half deep in snow so it got pretty good use this winter.
Thinking about buying one of these for the trails on my farm here. I've had a Ranger and Ace 500 and have never seen the need for Power Steering. Do you feel that you really need it?
I think it helps on long trips. It certainly helps with the bigger tires I put on recently (see my other videos on that). If you are maneuvering in really tight areas it's good. But if you're mostly driving on open trails and roads without a lot of tight stuff, it might not show much benefit. The EPS model comes with some other upgrades though.
allegroracing just a quick question about your air box. what kind of filter are you running and has dust ever got by the air filter and thur the intake down in the motor.
My RZR is still all stock so I'm using the factory paper air filters (They're cylindrical). I do remove them and blow them out (from the inside) with gentle compressed air periodically then change them at the regular intervals. They seem to filter very well and they have a rubber grommet that attaches to the air tube that is tight. They're kind of pricy but seem to filter properly. I haven't had the engine apart but don't suspect the filter isn't working. I'd be concerned if I was using an oil-based filter where the oil was the main filtering element (like a K&N style filter).
@allegroracing. I just bought the same rzr . I was wondering where you recommend getting my accessories from. Ill need a windshield and roof first. Im going to go with a 2 piece windshield the lower half can be removed to let some airflow through what do you think
+dennis a Unfortunately I don't have a good answer. After we bought the initial accessories from Polaris, I haven't replaced or updated any of them. I imagine a RZR forum would be a good source though. There don't seem to be any shortage of accessories out there. It does seem that the plastic windshields universally scratch and become opaque when driving into the sun. I've ridden with machines with "glass" windshields and they work very well. My half windshield can be polished with plexi-polish and a low-speed buffer but that has to be done pretty regularly to keep it fairly clean.
Good review but..... some things I want to know are... is it stable at speeds and how tippy is it over all. All so what is the top speed for that 900 trail if you have got it to there ? And is this your frist side by side u have owned?
James rubicon Hey James, I own the identical RZR900 trail and have to say that I am very surprised by how stable this UTV is. I have pushed it to the limits by taking it off of mild jumps, up and down steep hills, and done some pretty aggressive trail riding as well. If you search my videos you will see a few short clips.
It's not "tippy" in a practical sense but if you got it into a position where it was leaned over and then hit something it would probably flip over. It's top speed (was in the video) is 65MPH. It's pretty stable (but the tires are squirmy) at that speed but it subject to buffeting and not aerodynamic. Sudden changes of direction are to be avoided. And yes, this is my first side-by-side and I'm loving it! James rubicon
allegroracing Agreed. I rode up in the mountains at the RZR Rally in Taylor Park, CO on a difficult trail where a muddy embankment was approx. a 65-70 deg. angle. Keep in mind I was used to driving a 64" machine, so didn't think much about tipping until my 50" machine started sliding down the embankment. To my surprise, (I kept my foot on the gas also), it righted itself as soon as it hit flat ground again. Now, if I'd hit a rock at the top of the embankment, the story might have been a little different, but there wasn't and all is good! :)
+Jordan Shaw--- well put it this way, I don't wanna be a dick but you made no sense when you made that comment; it was completely irrelevant to the situation. I don't wanna be mean dude, sorry.
I just bought one! Have 2 videos of it on youtube! have a quick question. have you ever had any noise from your rear shocks? i have 202miles on mine now and the driver side rear shock wont be quiet! saw you have over 1k miles on yours and was just curious. thanks, zach
+ZachManZ71 Not that I know of. I'm pretty sure it's all the plastic panels flexing and rubbing against each other. Always worth checking that something isn't rubbing that isn't supposed to though. Two months later, I'm still waiting for a replacement radiator!
+ZachManZ71 No but after I eventually get the radiator I'm going to have the dealer inspect the engine for damage and file a warranty claim if anything has happened.
Arizona. I believe Utah is the other state where it can be made legal. Needs here are: 1. Street registered, 2. Full coverage insurance, 3. A horn, 4. Rearview mirror, 5. License plate and license plate light. Car registration is pretty expensive here but the RZR is only something like $25/yr plus $25/yr to game and fish for an off-road registration. The full-coverage insurance is somewhere around $200/yr.
+Mark Lurk My main issue right now is that it's been over 2.5 months and my RZR has been sitting rusting in my driveway waiting for a radiator from Polaris. They don't seem to care or to want to do anything about it. That aside, the 50" can go places the larger ones can't go but not visa versa. If you are going to drive on the street, the 1000s are faster (75+) and they can be "drifted" (something I wouldn't do with the 50"). If you have a decent number of 50" only trails, that would be the way to go but install some nomex honeycomb material for sprint cars behind the radiator because the 50" definitely has a problem with rocks hitting the back of the radiator.
+allegroracing 2.5 months? That is pathetic customer service. Man, I'd be pissed if I paid over 10k for a machine that destroyed its own radiator and then I couldn't get it replaced.
+allegroracing If you have a loan on this you may want to check out the FTC Holder Rule - consumer protection law protecting us from manufacturers that have flaws in the manufacturing which cause defects etc.. You can stop making payments, they can't harm your credit rating and then take back the faulty item and refund all your money. May be worth looking into.
Yes, extremely. It doesn't look like it would do much but it is the right height to keep the blast of wind off your chest and also deflects the wind stream above visor level (using a full-face helmet). That allows me to crack my visor without risking rocks or debris hitting me in the face. This is more of a thing at speed and driving it on the street but it really does keep the airflow off your upper body while still leaving plenty of air. The only downside has been how easily it scratches...on steep trails driving into the sun, the scratches make it opaque and it's hard to see through/over. I polished it with a low-speed automotive polisher and plexiglass polish and that helped but direct sun is a problem with it.
Mine has three modes, open rear differential, locked rear differential (which binds up in tight turns) and the 4WD mode. That mode creates a lot of driveline binding in tight turns. On some of the trails I drive on, I have to switch it to open rear diff (turf mode) to make the turn.
That's funny! I took a hammer and bent my Polaris winch plate in order to get the bolts to slide through. Then tightened the bolts to get the plate to bend back:). Hated that rip off winch for way too much money. Made to fit your vehicle! Not really!!!!
I recently had to remove the front diff for a rebuild...so I had to deal with that stupid plate again. I figured after 4 years of it being bolted into place and heat/cool cycled every day it would have bent back. NOOOOOOOPPPPEEEE!!! Damn thing still had to be bent with a crowbar to stick the last bolt through lol.
do you think you have problems because your trying to cheep out and install the parts yourself??? use a mechanic dummy! i have the same machine and i have none of the issues you do.
Craig O'Toole Given I'm a graduate of the British School of Motor Racing Mechanics Training program, worked as a mechanic for many years, owned and maintained a number of racecars and am primarily responsible for the maintenance on my vintage warplane and work in the auto industry doing technical training (look at my other videos). No, it's not a lack of mechanical aptitude or ability. The problems have all been with defective parts (I didn't even begin to list all the problems I had). Primarily the lack of proper welding jigs on parts, parts that were not actually compatible with the configuration of RZR I had and parts that were damaged or warped as-delivered from the factory. I had two different plow frames due to the first one coming from Polaris with a major component welded 3/4" out of position. Even the rear roll bars were not jigged correctly and I had to grind out the holes. That's ridiculous for factory made parts that are advertised as "fully compatible." I got racecar parts from tiny specialty manufacturers that worked better than the mass-market Polaris parts. And the crummy windscreen was simply bad materials. The dealership agreed that the accessories are "weld and grind" and they even have a specialist at the dealership who "they have to leave alone while he's installing those."
+Ray K Agree, agree, agree! Raced and worked on everything over the past 20 years! Polaris is a problem child. The problems were often never the same model to model but build quality was a common issue among all of the problems. By the way I would tell anyone that Polaris ignores consumer complaints and their shift mechanism is a poor design.
This an excellent "real world" use review. Thanks for putting this out there. I'm looking to purchase one of these and this is all good information to know.
griffn1 yes great vid learned alot
After watching your video and reading a couple of forums on talk of the vulnerability of this RZR model. I decided to install a screen on the backside of the radiator. I used some heavy pet resistant vinyl window screen material. I cut it to fit and glued the corners to form a box. The top of it is held on by the radiator hold down points and the sides with zip ties. I left the bottom mostly open.
I just got back from San Rafael Swell. It seemed to work good. I could hear a lot of small rocks hit the wheel wells on this trip, so I believe this might have saved me from this problem. Being 50 miles from camp, It would not have been good to have a problem.
I kept careful watch on the motor temperatures, which mostly ranged from 190* - 206*. The weather was a warm sunny 80*. And we were doing a lot of of rock crawling and hill climbing. We put over 200 miles on the RZR on this trip and all went well.
I hope Polaris comes out with a permanent solution, but for the meantime, I think I'll stick with this.
Great review! Good info and it was nice to have someone that is well spoken. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to post. I have the exact same machine and your videos have been very helpful.
I have this same machine and I have a really inexpensive fix for the rocks issue. I took a 16 inch square piece of 1/4 inch rabbit wire or chicken wire along with some zip ties and placed it right behind the radiator. Very, very easy to do. It will stop just about all the rocks and anything small enough to go through is not big enough to worry about.
Rodger Thomas Where are you placing your zip ties and are you having to do any shimming for this to work? I recently bought my machine and have already put 700 miles on it. No leaking radiator yet, but the way we've been riding lately, I definitely want to fix the flaw before I run into the same problems.
The center console does not have to be removed to lube the drive shaft. The rear grease fitting is accessible from the left rear in front of the rear tire. The front grease fitting is accessible from access holes in the skid plate..........
Good to know thanks!
I, and several others I know have the same problem getting it into reverse... Sometimes you have to move the gear selector just right to get it to engage into reverse. A little annoying but not a big deal.
Love my 2015 RZR 900'EPS Trial
from Az. too, plenty of trails here to ride .
Regarding the design flaw-is Polaris working on a fix? Or is this something we will have to figure out? I would ask that anyone having a fix,post it here to share.
Thank you for the great review.
I doubt they're going to do anything. I think using sprint car nomex honeycomb protectors and shimming the fan so it fits over the honeycomb may be the home-made solution. I called them today and they won't do anything for me, I have to go through my dealer to try to get a warranty claim but that doesn't fix the problem (even if they did cover the repairs). Ron the Painter
If this is a common problem and enough people complain,maybe they will change the design or come up with a fix in the future.
I found your video searching for info on the 900 trail. I'm getting ready to buy one.
I want to take care of any issues as soon as I get it. Would you mind posting a video on your "fix"? This might be good information to share on the rzr forums as well.
+Ron the Painter I recently posted a video that's linked in the text above.
loved the video, watched it doing research into which machine i would buy. i ended up buying this exact one. i only have 150 miles on the machine so far, does the suspension loosen up a little mine is rock solid right now and its on its lowest setting? Also my steering wheel is tilted to the right a little when going straight, I think thats a fairly common problem so far. Thanks for your video very very helpful!!!!
Great video thanks for sharing.
Allegroracingthanks for your feed back
Awesome video and rzr man but I think my favourite part is that 911 in the back😏 is that the turbo?
Have you experienced rock hits on the rear radiator? I bought a 2016 rzr trail with 650 miles on it and could smell a slight antifreeze smell, I did research on this and found others were experiencing rock hit on the rear radiator surface. As I was replacing the radiator I found 7 hits. Three that were plugged by the previous owner by using some type of putty. One of those plugs was leaking. The narrow track and lack of a wheel well curtain or radiator guard were thought about to be the cause by others.
Sorry for the delay in responding. Yes, if you look at my other videos, I had a radiator punctured on the trail from behind and it took 5 months to get a replacement. I put sprint car racing nomex honeycomb mesh over it (shown on the other video) and it has been working properly for the year and a half or so since I did it. No damage since.
how do you like your Polaris plow? I just got the glacier 2 system and I love it. by the way, i have a Polaris bush bar with the plow mount. just takes lots of patience to get it mounted into the plow mount haha
+Cory Sloan It's good. We had 20" of wet snow here and the berm from the city plow was formidable. Our neighbor's steep driveway was a foot and a half deep in snow so it got pretty good use this winter.
Thinking about buying one of these for the trails on my farm here. I've had a Ranger and Ace 500 and have never seen the need for Power Steering. Do you feel that you really need it?
I think it helps on long trips. It certainly helps with the bigger tires I put on recently (see my other videos on that). If you are maneuvering in really tight areas it's good. But if you're mostly driving on open trails and roads without a lot of tight stuff, it might not show much benefit. The EPS model comes with some other upgrades though.
allegroracing just a quick question about your air box. what kind of
filter are you running and has dust ever got by the air filter and thur
the intake down in the motor.
My RZR is still all stock so I'm using the factory paper air filters (They're cylindrical). I do remove them and blow them out (from the inside) with gentle compressed air periodically then change them at the regular intervals. They seem to filter very well and they have a rubber grommet that attaches to the air tube that is tight. They're kind of pricy but seem to filter properly. I haven't had the engine apart but don't suspect the filter isn't working. I'd be concerned if I was using an oil-based filter where the oil was the main filtering element (like a K&N style filter).
@allegroracing. I just bought the same rzr . I was wondering where you recommend getting my accessories from. Ill need a windshield and roof first. Im going to go with a 2 piece windshield the lower half can be removed to let some airflow through what do you think
+dennis a Unfortunately I don't have a good answer. After we bought the initial accessories from Polaris, I haven't replaced or updated any of them. I imagine a RZR forum would be a good source though. There don't seem to be any shortage of accessories out there. It does seem that the plastic windshields universally scratch and become opaque when driving into the sun. I've ridden with machines with "glass" windshields and they work very well. My half windshield can be polished with plexi-polish and a low-speed buffer but that has to be done pretty regularly to keep it fairly clean.
+dennis a super atv should have you covered in most situations, if not then try seizmik
Good review but..... some things I want to know are... is it stable at speeds and how tippy is it over all. All so what is the top speed for that 900 trail if you have got it to there ? And is this your frist side by side u have owned?
James rubicon Hey James, I own the identical RZR900 trail and have to say that I am very surprised by how stable this UTV is. I have pushed it to the limits by taking it off of mild jumps, up and down steep hills, and done some pretty aggressive trail riding as well. If you search my videos you will see a few short clips.
It's not "tippy" in a practical sense but if you got it into a position where it was leaned over and then hit something it would probably flip over. It's top speed (was in the video) is 65MPH. It's pretty stable (but the tires are squirmy) at that speed but it subject to buffeting and not aerodynamic. Sudden changes of direction are to be avoided. And yes, this is my first side-by-side and I'm loving it! James rubicon
allegroracing Agreed. I rode up in the mountains at the RZR Rally in Taylor Park, CO on a difficult trail where a muddy embankment was approx. a 65-70 deg. angle. Keep in mind I was used to driving a 64" machine, so didn't think much about tipping until my 50" machine started sliding down the embankment. To my surprise, (I kept my foot on the gas also), it righted itself as soon as it hit flat ground again. Now, if I'd hit a rock at the top of the embankment, the story might have been a little different, but there wasn't and all is good! :)
I've had the same problem with mine when i put it in reverse sometimes it takes a second for it to actually pop into gear.
How is that the same problem? There talking about the radiator being punctured and squeaky rear end and you're talking about a bad transmission....
+Caden Norris I don't even know what ur talking about I don't even remember watching this video
+Jordan Shaw--- well put it this way, I don't wanna be a dick but you made no sense when you made that comment; it was completely irrelevant to the situation. I don't wanna be mean dude, sorry.
+Caden Norris its good it sounds like just misunderstood what he was saying idk but it is what it is it doesn't really matter
Ever wish you went with a 60”?
I just bought one! Have 2 videos of it on youtube! have a quick question. have you ever had any noise from your rear shocks? i have 202miles on mine now and the driver side rear shock wont be quiet! saw you have over 1k miles on yours and was just curious.
thanks,
zach
+ZachManZ71 Not from the shocks but the rear body is really squeaky.
+allegroracing is there any fix for the squeaking
+ZachManZ71 Not that I know of. I'm pretty sure it's all the plastic panels flexing and rubbing against each other. Always worth checking that something isn't rubbing that isn't supposed to though. Two months later, I'm still waiting for a replacement radiator!
+allegroracing did they cover your radiator under warranty? I might have the same issue you're having
+ZachManZ71 No but after I eventually get the radiator I'm going to have the dealer inspect the engine for damage and file a warranty claim if anything has happened.
What state did you get the street registration and license tag? Is it easy in your state?
Arizona. I believe Utah is the other state where it can be made legal. Needs here are: 1. Street registered, 2. Full coverage insurance, 3. A horn, 4. Rearview mirror, 5. License plate and license plate light. Car registration is pretty expensive here but the RZR is only something like $25/yr plus $25/yr to game and fish for an off-road registration. The full-coverage insurance is somewhere around $200/yr.
thank you
trying to decide between the 50 inch vs the 60 inch are or have there ever been a time you wish you had the wider 900? have you riden the 60 inch?
+Mark Lurk My main issue right now is that it's been over 2.5 months and my RZR has been sitting rusting in my driveway waiting for a radiator from Polaris. They don't seem to care or to want to do anything about it. That aside, the 50" can go places the larger ones can't go but not visa versa. If you are going to drive on the street, the 1000s are faster (75+) and they can be "drifted" (something I wouldn't do with the 50"). If you have a decent number of 50" only trails, that would be the way to go but install some nomex honeycomb material for sprint cars behind the radiator because the 50" definitely has a problem with rocks hitting the back of the radiator.
+allegroracing 2.5 months? That is pathetic customer service. Man, I'd be pissed if I paid over 10k for a machine that destroyed its own radiator and then I couldn't get it replaced.
+Barack Hussein Osama It's now been three months and nothing. The machine is rotting at the dealership now waiting for parts.
+allegroracing If you have a loan on this you may want to check out the FTC Holder Rule - consumer protection law protecting us from manufacturers that have flaws in the manufacturing which cause defects etc.. You can stop making payments, they can't harm your credit rating and then take back the faulty item and refund all your money. May be worth looking into.
+Patricia Noel Thanks, I didn't have a loan but that would be good information for anyone else who had the problem.
hello , is the half windshield helpful? Thanks
Yes, extremely. It doesn't look like it would do much but it is the right height to keep the blast of wind off your chest and also deflects the wind stream above visor level (using a full-face helmet). That allows me to crack my visor without risking rocks or debris hitting me in the face. This is more of a thing at speed and driving it on the street but it really does keep the airflow off your upper body while still leaving plenty of air. The only downside has been how easily it scratches...on steep trails driving into the sun, the scratches make it opaque and it's hard to see through/over. I polished it with a low-speed automotive polisher and plexiglass polish and that helped but direct sun is a problem with it.
allegroracing great , think ill buy one , thank you great vid I subscribe, we have the 1000 s & really like it
Is it For sale
its AWD not 4WD. shouldn't bind unless the rear wheels slip
Mine has three modes, open rear differential, locked rear differential (which binds up in tight turns) and the 4WD mode. That mode creates a lot of driveline binding in tight turns. On some of the trails I drive on, I have to switch it to open rear diff (turf mode) to make the turn.
Exact machine I'm getting
That's funny! I took a hammer and bent my Polaris winch plate in order to get the bolts to slide through. Then tightened the bolts to get the plate to bend back:). Hated that rip off winch for way too much money. Made to fit your vehicle! Not really!!!!
I recently had to remove the front diff for a rebuild...so I had to deal with that stupid plate again. I figured after 4 years of it being bolted into place and heat/cool cycled every day it would have bent back. NOOOOOOOPPPPEEEE!!! Damn thing still had to be bent with a crowbar to stick the last bolt through lol.
allegroracing well that is Polaris made for our vehicle!
do you think you have problems because your trying to cheep out and install the parts yourself??? use a mechanic dummy! i have the same machine and i have none of the issues you do.
Craig O'Toole Given I'm a graduate of the British School of Motor Racing Mechanics Training program, worked as a mechanic for many years, owned and maintained a number of racecars and am primarily responsible for the maintenance on my vintage warplane and work in the auto industry doing technical training (look at my other videos). No, it's not a lack of mechanical aptitude or ability. The problems have all been with defective parts (I didn't even begin to list all the problems I had). Primarily the lack of proper welding jigs on parts, parts that were not actually compatible with the configuration of RZR I had and parts that were damaged or warped as-delivered from the factory. I had two different plow frames due to the first one coming from Polaris with a major component welded 3/4" out of position. Even the rear roll bars were not jigged correctly and I had to grind out the holes. That's ridiculous for factory made parts that are advertised as "fully compatible." I got racecar parts from tiny specialty manufacturers that worked better than the mass-market Polaris parts. And the crummy windscreen was simply bad materials. The dealership agreed that the accessories are "weld and grind" and they even have a specialist at the dealership who "they have to leave alone while he's installing those."
+Ray K Agree, agree, agree! Raced and worked on everything over the past 20 years! Polaris is a problem child. The problems were often never the same model to model but build quality was a common issue among all of the problems. By the way I would tell anyone that Polaris ignores consumer complaints and their shift mechanism is a poor design.