As we climbed through the mid and high end of the power, we were smiling from ear to ear.
Strapping Into The Belly Of The Beast
We obviously couldn't wait to jump in and begin some much-anticipated testing. We were blindfolded and delivered to a secret test location...well, not really. Kawasaki hauled a few of the units out to the vast landscape of Sand Hollow State Park just north of St. George. This location featured a spectacular dune landscape, numerous technical rock-crawling areas and a plethora of high-speed trails where we could really let the Teryx stretch its legs. Mike Newsom joined me for this event, and together we pushed this machine to its limit in an effort to report back to you our well-tested results. I actually think we were both shocked by the outcome.
Once we were given the keys and pointed in the right direction, we strapped on our helmets and jumped in the seats Bo and Luke style. Instantly, we could feel this thing was roomy. Neither Mike or I are small guys, especially in bulky cold-weather jackets, but neither one of us ever felt cramped in the cab area of this unit. A turn of the key and the big V-twin quickly responded with a deep growl. Mike shifted the selector into high range and slammed the pedal to the metal. Sand was instantly launched into a respectable roost, and as the rpm increased, the scenery began passing at a much faster rate. It wasn't until we gained much-needed traction on the hardpacked trails that we experienced the full potential of the powerplant. As we climbed through the mid and high end of the power, we were smiling from ear to ear. In a matter of seconds we were bouncing off the rev-limiter at top speed as we hurdled the Teryx through what seemed like an eternity of suspension-devouring whoops. As we cruised at a maximum of 48 mph, it's clearly obvious that there's plenty of corked-up power that needs to break free. I'm sure the aftermarket companies will take care of that by the time more of these units hit the showroom floor.
With two 200-plus-pound guys in the cab (before a Famous Dave's catered lunch) and a slew of camera equipment in the bed, the suspension completely instilled a look of amazement onto our faces. Never missing a beat, we charged hard through the rough terrain with the pedal pinned to the floor. I dove into the turns faster and faster with confidence. Even as Mike safely stood behind his camera yelling, "Faster, faster!" while I blasted out of a corner on two wheels, the fear of tipping over never crossed my mind. The suspension performed flawlessly keeping the machine pointing straight and rubber-side down as it soaked up everything St. George threw in our direction. For a completely stock unit the suspension was truly impressive.
Locating an area that looked like a testing ground for some serious rock-crawling rigs was just what we needed to continue our test. Before Mike could even extract his camera, I found myself lodged midway up an extremely steep 12-foot climb that was absolutely littered with loose sand and rock. A quick pull of the front diff-lock handle had all four 26-inch Maxxis tires clawing away at the face of this wall and I was up in seconds. Now, I personally would rather have a pushbutton locking front differential over the variable locker that the Teryx comes equipped with, but it isn't enough of an issue for me to consider it a negative. Regardless of my preference, the system worked impeccably for us.
Flying through the air is where the Teryx shines above virtually any other side-by-side I've previously ridden. The weight bias has to be almost perfect because this thing stayed completely level as Newsom repeatedly launched it some 60 feet into the air. I've taken my fair share of jumps in various side-by-sides and almost every time the front end starts to drop as soon as the wheels leave the ground. That definitely isn't the case with the Teryx. Feel free to jump with confidence in this unit. I know we did!