Newsletter1015

The Rooster October 2015

Ah, Smell That Mountain Air! by Mike Bacon & Paula Espolt!

Since Paula had to work we couldn’t make the Havasu Weekend trip, so Paula suggested we go break in the new RZR. We loaded up Saturday morning and went up to Miller Canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains for the day. We arrived to find mid 70’s temperatures and a nice cool breeze.

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Being a refined lady Paula had to paint her fingernails on the way up. No self-‐respecKng lady of upbringing would ever be seen riding in the dirt without painted nails, it just isn’t done! Once unloaded and aOer a brief talk with the local Rangers we climbed up to the top of the ridge, crossed a small stream, and went east unKl we found a change in the trail. The normal trail turned in to a street-‐legal only road, but there was a side trail that was medium difficulty.

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Whats New

The sand season is almost here. The sand show is this weekend, and we have trips planned to Flagstaff, Dumont, Anza, and Glamis coming up soon.

Flagstaff Cinders Trip

This trip is just over a week away. Make your plans now to join in or plan on reading about it in next month’s newsletter.

Not a RZR

Yamaha has announced a new sport side by side that is designed to attack Polaris RZR’s market share. Check it out on page 5.

THE ROOSTER A monthly update from the Inland Empire Offroad Association


We followed this trail up and over a couple of hills and through some challenging areas and came out at the Pinnacles Staging Area. We could have conKnued on east from there to Lake Arrowhead, however since we were by ourselves we decided to turn around and go back towards Miller Canyon.

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�� We followed the ridge trail west unKl we reached Lake Silverwood then proceeded down and skirted the shoreline over to the dam. We ran in to a couple of people along the way, mostly dirt bikes and 4x4’s. It was a very clear day and we could see for miles!

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Upcoming Events

• September 25-29: pre-season trip to the Cinders in Flagstaff

• October 15-18: Early Season Dumont Weekend

• October 23-25: Mona Bacon Memorial Spook Run

• October 30-November 1st: Halloween at Glamis

• November 20-30th: Thanksgiving at Glamis

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�� !Once we reached the parking lot by the dam we turned around to work our way back. Because we were by ourselves we avoided the black diamond trail. We arrived back at the Miller Canyon Staging Area and loaded up. We had been out about 4 hours and we drove a li@le over 30 miles. Even with traffic it only took us an hour and ten minutes to get home. It was a great day and we had a great Fme! Can’t wait to go again!

The Sand Show is Coming: For the 17th year in a row, the Sand Sports Super Show is coming back to the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. Many members will be walking around checking out the event, so take the opportunity to catch up with friends and check out the latest dune stuff for the new season.

Show Schedule:

Friday September 18th: 4:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Saturday September 19th: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Sunday September 20th: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

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We will try for a unique course this year covering many areas we have never been to before. It will be fun and challenging! Prizes will be awarded to the best, and worst poker hands, as well as many others! We have many unique, interesting prizes! We are going back to awarded prizes, however prize donations are very welcome! Saturday night will be a pot-luck Hot Dog Wheenie Roast. Hot Dogs and Buns will be supplied. Please bring your favorite side dishes to share! Salton City Golf Course is located approximately 1 mile west of Hwy 86 off the Borrego Salton Seaway/ Hwy S-22. From Hwy 86 turn west on to Borrego Salton Seaway/S-22 at the AM-PM Truck Stop. Go approximately 1 mile to Sunrise Drive and turn Left. Follow Sunrise Drive 1/2 mile to the end and turn right on Saundra St. Follow Saundra St. 1/4 mile to Desiree St and turn Right. Go 100 yards on Desiree St to Laura St and turn Left. Follow Laura St down the hill about 1/4 mile to the end. At the turn continue going straight up on to the dirt. Camp will be straight ahead about 50 yards, next to the trees. For you GPS freaks, the coordinates are: 33 15.942’ N—115 59.371’ W. People will start arriving on Friday morning. Hope to see you there! Any questions please call Mike Bacon at 951-315-7351. !

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Yamaha’s Shift in Side by Sides by Paul Kastle!On September 1st, 2015 Yamaha announced their long anticipated new vehicle in the sport side by side market. Looking back in the relatively short history of side by sides, there was a time where the most popular ones at Glamis were Yamaha Rhinos. There were a few Polaris Rangers out there, and a whole bunch of golf carts, but the Rhino had a corner on the sport side by side market. Then Polaris came out with the RZR, and everything changed. Through a well timed strategy of subsequently improving annual product releases, the RZRs took over as the side by sides of choice at the dunes. Despite new competition from Can-Am and Arctic Cat, Polaris has the dune market. With their return to the sport side by side market, Yamaha is looking to regain a market that once was theirs."

Yamaha’s strategy is centered around the 2016 YXZ1000R, which lacks a catchy name but not much else. It has a three cylinder 998 cc engine, with dual overhead cams and 12 valves. It has a 11.3:1 compression ratio, an impressive 10,500 RPM redline, and produces a reported 112 horsepower. The engine isn’t what people will be talking most about though, since it is coupled to a 5 speed manual sequentially shifted transmission, making it the first side by side with a clutch pedal. By eliminating the belt and continuously variable drive that other side by sides use Yamaha claims a 20% increase in efficiency, not to mention eliminating a notorious weak link. One might wonder where the weak link is, and what will break under shock load what would be absorbed by belt slip in other side by sides. Yamaha has

an answer to that as well, with their Over-Torque protection system which claims to eliminate spike loads to the front drive case on hard impacts. It uses Yamaha’s On-Command 4wd system, which allows the driver to select 2wd and 4wd full diff lock modes with the twist of a knob. Having five speeds to choose from boosts the top speed to a claimed 80 MPH. Some websites are already claiming that the gearing allows 100MPH if the electronic limiter is disabled. "

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Much of the rest of the vehicle is impressive as well, although similar to the RZR in many ways. The suspension has 16.2 inches of front travel and 17 inches in the rear, which are some big numbers, especially for a vehicle its size. It also has 2.5 inch diameter shocks on all four corners, which are bigger than many of us have on our sandrails. "

The tables below compare the specifications of the RZR1000XP and the YXZ1000R, so you can look at the numbers and see how similar the machines are. The difference in drivetrain will be the deciding factor, and it will be interesting to see how the market reacts, and perhaps even more interesting to see how Polaris and other manufacturers respond. As horsepower (and transmission) battles heat up, it could be a good time to be in the market for a side by side.

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RZR XP 1000 EPS YXZ1000R

Engine Type DOHC Twin Cylinder DOHC Three Cylinder

Displacement 999 cc 998 cc

RPM Redline 8300 RPM 10,500 RPM

Transmission Automatic Belt Drive 5 speed sequential manual

Front Wheel Travel 16.0 inches 16.2 inches

Rear Wheel Travel 18.0 inches 17.0 inches

Dimensions (LxWxH) 119 in x 64 in x 73.75 in 122.8 in x 64.0 in x 72.2 in

Wheelbase 90 in 90.6 in

Ground Clearance 13.5 in 12.9 in

Weight 1369 lb (dry) 1445 lb (dry)

Warranty 6 month 6 month

MSRP From $20,299 From $19,999

This month we’d like to thank Mike Bacon for writing an article. Hopefully we will have more content next month as there will be more trips for people to write about. I will need more help writing articles and taking pictures this season, as our trips to the dunes will be limited by our early December arrival. Have a great start of the season, and I look forward to seeing your articles and pictures in the months to come. -Paul, Melissa, and Allie.

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