SxS Shopping Recommendations

[GATORB8]

Considering picking up a side by side. The Jeep is my wife’s DD, so she’s concerned about getting the interior filthy on trips, and has some weird aversion to flipping it.

Considering picking up a SxS to abuse.

I love the mod process, and doing the work myself. Cost isn’t a huge issue, but I don’t want to get stupid.

Any of y’all have recommendations? 4 door the way to go? New vs used? Best way to get a good deal on new?

If I’m going cash on used, thinking $15k ish, +$5k on initial upgrades.

East coast, so rock/trail, no dune/desert bombing.

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[GATORB8]

Anyone?

 

[Jim1964]

By yourself or in company? Reason being the NA brands Polaris and CanAm are kings in performance and ride. But not in reliability. If I was riding in a group and wanted to be top dog I’d run one of those.

If I was riding alone and wanted to get home I’d ride a Honda, or anything Japanese.

Above are generalized of course. All manufacturers make some better than others.

I prefer myself 2 seaters for maneuverability and breakover advantage.

Some trails are width limited, know if that affects you before buying. I prefer a 60” wide machine personally because it’s less restricted but still wider/ more stable than the 50” ones. 72” might as well get a Jeep.

I wouldn’t buy used myself. Too much abused stuff.

 

[GATORB8]

By yourself or in company? Reason being the NA brands Polaris and CanAm are kings in performance and ride. But not in reliability. If I was riding in a group and wanted to be top dog I’d run one of those.

If I was riding alone and wanted to get home I’d ride a Honda, or anything Japanese.

Above are generalized of course. All manufacturers make some better than others.

I prefer myself 2 seaters for maneuverability and breakover advantage.

Some trails are width limited, know if that affects you before buying. I prefer a 60” wide machine personally because it’s less restricted but still wider/ more stable than the 50” ones. 72” might as well get a Jeep.

I wouldn’t buy used myself. Too much abused stuff.

Thanks for taking the time to reply!

We’d likely be in parks (Uwharrie, Gulches, Windrock, etc) if we aren’t in a group with local friends. We don’t have personal property to run on.

Since it’s all trail and rock in the region, I figured a Turbo would be wasted. Our only experience is at a Polaris Experience in WV in XP4 1000s, and that seemed to be plenty of power (at the time).

We don’t have kids, although my wife has plans of bringing nieces/nephews and friends. I’m not really convinced anyone would enjoy a full trail day in a back seat.

At least where we’ve taken the Jeep, there doesn’t seem to be a ton of trail width requirements, although some parks are ATV/UTV only.

I have a lifted golf cart for yard and around the neighborhood, so I don’t really have any need for a utility. Should I scratch any of the combo sport/utility combos off the list, or is there value to be found there? The Pioneer 1000-5 looked like an interesting compromise between a 2 door and 4. I’m sure it’s extra miserable in the rear.

Beyond motor, it’s been hard to tell what’s really necessary trim wise. Being used to Jeeps, I’d like to have the right diffs/power train, axle shaft and gear reduction kits seem like fun “upgrade projects”. Any recommendations there?

If I order new am I looking at MSRP+ 3 months, or is it worse than that in the current market?

 

[Jim1964]

I would give the Honda Pioneer a good look, either the 1000-5 or the 700-4. Yamaha also has a comparable model with a utility bed that has convertible jump seats. I favor crossover utility/ sport machines myself, although the pure sport machines are more entertaining.

Just my opinion, but rear seats suck no matter what. The long wheelbase rigs the kids won’t be able to see forward over the front seats. The short wheelbase rigs like the Pioneer the elevated rear seats give better visibility but more motion.

You can go as crazy over the top with mods as your wallet will stand, but it’s not necessary. If you’re interested in doing typical trail rides, they’re all up to it. Big motors and tires are really useful IF you’re mud bogging or in the dunes. Otherwise….

Your choices for running gear are not really there; which is to say in a specific model, it is what it is. Pretty much everything except Honda is belt drive. Belt failures are a thing. Amongst the belt drives, Yamaha stands alone insofar as I’m aware in having a belt drive under constant tension with a separate clutch. That’s superior because others slip the belt to clutch. Which increases wear and heat.

I don’t really know what the market availability is today, but it’s probably tight. If I could have found the SxS I wanted last winter, I’d be riding it in Utah today. Instead, I’m in a JL.

Best of luck on your shopping journey. There’s some pretty good forums out there, but I’m not current on which ones are balanced enough to make a recommendation. Much like car forums, there’s a lot of partisan brand bias.

 

[GATORB8]

I would give the Honda Pioneer a good look, either the 1000-5 or the 700-4. Yamaha also has a comparable model with a utility bed that has convertible jump seats. I favor crossover utility/ sport machines myself, although the pure sport machines are more entertaining.

Just my opinion, but rear seats suck no matter what. The long wheelbase rigs the kids won’t be able to see forward over the front seats. The short wheelbase rigs like the Pioneer the elevated rear seats give better visibility but more motion.

You can go as crazy over the top with mods as your wallet will stand, but it’s not necessary. If you’re interested in doing typical trail rides, they’re all up to it. Big motors and tires are really useful IF you’re mud bogging or in the dunes. Otherwise….

Your choices for running gear are not really there; which is to say in a specific model, it is what it is. Pretty much everything except Honda is belt drive. Belt failures are a thing. Amongst the belt drives, Yamaha stands alone insofar as I’m aware in having a belt drive under constant tension with a separate clutch. That’s superior because others slip the belt to clutch. Which increases wear and heat.

I don’t really know what the market availability is today, but it’s probably tight. If I could have found the SxS I wanted last winter, I’d be riding it in Utah today. Instead, I’m in a JL.

Best of luck on your shopping journey. There’s some pretty good forums out there, but I’m not current on which ones are balanced enough to make a recommendation. Much like car forums, there’s a lot of partisan brand bias.

Thanks!

 

[3TV]

I've owned several side by sides, and live in Utah, where we have 50" wide trails, rock crawling, dunes, and open desert.
We need a 50" wide machine for the 50" width restricted trails. There are two choices, the Polaris Rzr Trail and the Can Am Maverick Trail. I've owned both, and the Maverick is a far better machine than the Rzr in this category. For a 50" wide SxS the slower and more techincal the trail, the better they do. If your thing is riding on a narrow trail at <5 mph, scratching and clawing over rocks, then a 50" machine will work well. If you don't need a 50" wide machine though, don't get one. Suspension is horrible, power is limited, and except for their ability to fit on a 50" wide trail and crawl through nasty terrain they are unimpressive.
On the other extreme are the 72" wide machines, and the new Polaris that is 76" wide. Power is very impressive, as is suspension and handling. Expense is right up there as well. A Can Am is $32K and the newest Polaris is $40K. On a nearby desert race course I drove the section from the start to the first pit in our Jeep Mojave and it took an hour and a half at a quick but comfortable pace. The suspension bottomed out hard, multiple times. The next weekend I drove the same section in my Cam Am X3 XRC, also at a quick but comfortable pace, and it took 20 minutes, and was much smoother and more comfortable than the Jeep, and I never felt that I was pushing it at all. The XRC is also far more capable as a rock crawler than a Wrangler, unless the Wrangler is highly modified and on at least 40s.
In the middle are the 60" to 66" wide machines, which are mid way in suspension and power as well. They sound like the best class of machine for you to be looking at. If I were looking for a machine in that category I would consider either the Polaris RZR Pro XP, or the Yamaha Wolverine RMAX2 1000. The Polaris will have better performance. The Yamaha will be more reliable.

 

[GATORB8]

I've owned several side by sides, and live in Utah, where we have 50" wide trails, rock crawling, dunes, and open desert.
We need a 50" wide machine for the 50" width restricted trails. There are two choices, the Polaris Rzr Trail and the Can Am Maverick Trail. I've owned both, and the Maverick is a far better machine than the Rzr in this category. For a 50" wide SxS the slower and more techincal the trail, the better they do. If your thing is riding on a narrow trail at <5 mph, scratching and clawing over rocks, then a 50" machine will work well. If you don't need a 50" wide machine though, don't get one. Suspension is horrible, power is limited, and except for their ability to fit on a 50" wide trail and crawl through nasty terrain they are unimpressive.
On the other extreme are the 72" wide machines, and the new Polaris that is 76" wide. Power is very impressive, as is suspension and handling. Expense is right up there as well. A Can Am is $32K and the newest Polaris is $40K. On a nearby desert race course I drove the section from the start to the first pit in our Jeep Mojave and it took an hour and a half at a quick but comfortable pace. The suspension bottomed out hard, multiple times. The next weekend I drove the same section in my Cam Am X3 XRC, also at a quick but comfortable pace, and it took 20 minutes, and was much smoother and more comfortable than the Jeep, and I never felt that I was pushing it at all. The XRC is also far more capable as a rock crawler than a Wrangler, unless the Wrangler is highly modified and on at least 40s.
In the middle are the 60" to 66" wide machines, which are mid way in suspension and power as well. They sound like the best class of machine for you to be looking at. If I were looking for a machine in that category I would consider either the Polaris RZR Pro XP, or the Yamaha Wolverine RMAX2 1000. The Polaris will have better performance. The Yamaha will be more reliable.

Thanks, I appreciate the information!

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