Kawasaki Teryx 750 press intro Jan 08
I was invited to go along with Jeff Henson the Sr Editor of ATV & SXS Illustrated Magazine and Television to Sand Hollow State Park for the Kawasaki Teryx 750 Side x Side press introduction. This is a new side x and I couldn’t wait to see if it would live up to all the hype. Just flying into Saint George UT was very different. The small airstrip is on top of a plateau overlooking the town. It is a stunning sight as the small plane pitches sideways banking around the airstrip. After landing we were whisked away by a limo and driven to our hotel for a press intro and dinner.
I had one of the best riding days of my life at Sand Hollow State Park in Saint George, Utah. That place is absolutely amazing. It reminds me of Coral Pink Sand Dunes which is also in Utah. I would have to give the new Kawasaki 750 Teryx a big 2 thumbs up. It has good power, excellent ergonomics and probably the best stock suspension in the industry. The machine is fun to ride in the dunes but may need some power modifications if that is your main purpose but when you take it off to the trails is where it shines. This thing is truly an exceptional rock crawler. It is very stable with it’s mid-chassis mounted engine and sport tuned suspension. This is truly a winner for Kawasaki. If you get a chance to ride one do not turn it down. I think I should get some frequent flyer miles for all the air time I had in the Teryx. Read on for my Tale of the Trail.
Up early and off to Sand Hollow for some fun. As we arrive at our riding area there are lots of Teryx 750’s for us to look over. We choose a red and black one for our 1st ½ of the day ride. Jason our Kawasaki Guide headed us off to the coral colored dunes for our 1st look at the very scenic OHV Park. The dunes were gorgeous even though the skies were overcast. The Tyrex seats were very comfortable, even with 2 good size guys in the vehicle. The ergonomics were laid out very well. I especially liked how they had the full locker lever on the console. It was in easy reach of the driver plus as you pulled it back it was ratcheted so it would stay locked in what ever position you pulled it back to until you pushed the button on the top to release the lever. If you pulled it back all the way with the switch set to 4x4 it was a full locker. We would test this later to the limits. We ran around the sand for a bit to get comfortable with the handling and then drove around to the top of a cliff overlook where the Kawasaki staff had set up a closest to the pin golf event. They had driven a circle in the sand at the bottom of the cliff with the Teryx and put a flag in the middle of the circle. We each got to hit 2 balls that we put our name on to see who was closest to the pin. Needless to say Jeff and I did not win but it was a fun event. The Kawasaki guys said it was interesting finding all the balls in the sand.
Riding around in the sand we felt we could have had a bit more power going up the steep dunes. But in all fairness to the Teryx 750 we were running at stock air pressure plus the sand at Sand Hollow is very fine. They also had some rain the day before which bogged it down some as well. The machine handled very well on side hills and dropping off the edges of the dunes as well as flying very straight in the air.
Jason wanted to show us some of the rock crawling prowess of the Teryx next so off we went to the east side of the Park. This area reminded us of Moab Utah which is probably the 4x4 rock crawling capital of the southwest. Jason had picked an almost straight up rock to climb for the 1st obstacle. When I saw him lining up for it I thought no way, but he hit the gas and flew right up the side. Coming down the other side was even steeper but the Teryx handled it with ease. He asked if anyone else wanted to try it to which everyone said OF COURSE!!!! Next was a water fall wedge with a twist at the top, He came to within about 2 feet from the 4 foot waterfall and hit it full throttle. The Teryx launched skyward, hit on the bottom rails and bounced to the left as it clawed it’s way to the top with ease. The suspension along with the full lockers makes this machine an excellent rock crawler to say the least. The machine in front of me had to make a couple of attempts to make it to the top. It wasn’t because the machine couldn’t make it, but if you didn’t hit the correct line or hit the gas full throttle it wouldn’t quite make it to the top. When It was my turn I saw why the guys in front of me had trouble. It was intimidating. I just listened to Justin’s instructions on lining up and let her fly. Wow he was right. It climbed to the top with ease. We did lots of other obstacles before heading back to the tent for lunch.
On the way back we headed back along a fence row that was major whooped out. We were going about as fast as possible on this section. It was interesting watching the suspension of the Teryx in front of us. The machine would get pushed sideways at times but the rear shocks would soak up the bumps and correct the vehicle very well. There were several times that we bottomed out the front shocks but they were not adjusted for this harsh of riding conditions. The seat belts would also grab you as you were being thrown around which was a little annoying but again we were driving more aggressive than most people would ever drive. The belts grabbed the passenger more than the driver because the driver had the steering wheel to hang onto but the passenger had to hold onto a handle that is up on the right roll cage or at the top of the cage between the driver and passenger. You could easily fix this by installing a 4 point harness system to hold you in place in the bucket seats better. What a blast racing down this long whooped out section. It was a good thing Jeff was driving since he is a pro desert racer. This kept us up with the leader, even pushing him some.
After a great lunch we were back on the trails. We headed back to the dune area with our group for a while. Jeff and I headed off on our own to find some unique terrain. We found a spot in the dunes with some great rocks to test the climbing ability some more. This thing is a terrific rock climbing machine. We found a near vertical waterfall and wanted to see it the Tyrex could make it to the top. I wasn’t sure if I could make it as I looked at it from the bottom. I noised up to it and stabbed the throttle, as the front wheels cleared the top it hit hard on the bottom, twisted to the left, grabbed the rocks and climbed to the top. That was a blast, so I had to do it again. We did many more hard obstacles to test this machine to the limits and it came through every time.
As we were riding around the dune area we came across some of the other riders that were jumping a couple of the dunes. It looked like fun so we had to join them. Jeff got out to take some action shots as I sped away to the starting line for the jump. I asked one of the other riders how he was hitting the jump. He said hit the gas and don’t let up. I wasn’t sure about this but thought what the heck I have a full roll cage so off I went. The bank we were hitting was only 10 feet or so tall but it was straight up. As you hit the bank the front would blast through the sand and you were airborne. Yaaaa Whooo !!!!!! I exclaimed as I landed. I was amazed how soft the landing was, the rear suspension soaked up the landing like a trophy truck. I must have done 20 + jumps at these 2 spots and never felt out of shape at all. This thing flys very well. Even if you do come down on 1 front tire a little hard it straightens right up when the rear hits.
There was one mishap at the jump area. One rider was coming in the opposite direction dropping down the face of the jump when his front drivers side tire dug into the sand, I think he hit the breaks. The Teryx did a complete barrel roll landing hard on the rear top drivers side roll cage continuing through the roll and ending up on the passenger side. The driver came out of his seat belt in a hurry stood up yelling I’m OK, I’m, OK. Whew, that roll took one heck of a hit but there was slight damage to roll cage but the structural integrity held up. After a hit like that though you would want to replace the cage just the same as if you crash and hit your helmet hard on the ground. It was impressive that the roll cage held up with such a hard impact. The Kawasaki Teryx 750 is the only side x side that meets SAE regulations as a roll-over protective structure. I don’t think the people at Kawasaki wanted anyone to actually test the roll cage but I have to say it did an excellent job of protecting the occupant unlike some other brands may have.
At this point Jeff needed to do some things back at the tent. When we arrived a couple of other test riders said they found a jump where you went 60 feet in length in the air. Some said “Yea right”. I said I had to see this and headed off with the group. The spot was in the back of the dunes near where we had the golf contest. The riders found that if they went up the opposite dune as high as they could go and turned downhill pinned the throttle that when they hit the jump it would launch them about 60 feet. I was a bit skeptical on the 1st run as it was scary holding it wide open to full speed and hitting the jump but they were right. OMG!!!! What a rush. I admit I didn’t hit it at full speed the first time but after that I was on it all the way. It was an unbelievable sight as there were 4 machines doing a figure 8 one after the other for about an hour. It was fun watching as I got to the top of the dune I would wait until the Teryx was about to cross the trail at the bottom of the dune before I would nail the throttle. One of the guys watching said it was amazing standing at the top of the jump area seeing a Teryx fly by about every 5 seconds. All this abuse and not a single one of the Kawasaki 750 Teryx machines broke.
Next we started jumping from the top of a straight down dune that was probably 80 feet high. This one was a little un-nerving to me as you could not see where you were going until you dropped off the side of the dune, but I did it over and over until it was time for us to get back.
We raced all the way back to the tent area swapping places and cutting up. I hated to see the day come to an end.
Look for a full review by Jeff in the next issue of ATV & SXS Illustrated Magazine and Television. Also don’t forget to check out their website at http://www.atvillustrated.com
Read MoreI had one of the best riding days of my life at Sand Hollow State Park in Saint George, Utah. That place is absolutely amazing. It reminds me of Coral Pink Sand Dunes which is also in Utah. I would have to give the new Kawasaki 750 Teryx a big 2 thumbs up. It has good power, excellent ergonomics and probably the best stock suspension in the industry. The machine is fun to ride in the dunes but may need some power modifications if that is your main purpose but when you take it off to the trails is where it shines. This thing is truly an exceptional rock crawler. It is very stable with it’s mid-chassis mounted engine and sport tuned suspension. This is truly a winner for Kawasaki. If you get a chance to ride one do not turn it down. I think I should get some frequent flyer miles for all the air time I had in the Teryx. Read on for my Tale of the Trail.
Up early and off to Sand Hollow for some fun. As we arrive at our riding area there are lots of Teryx 750’s for us to look over. We choose a red and black one for our 1st ½ of the day ride. Jason our Kawasaki Guide headed us off to the coral colored dunes for our 1st look at the very scenic OHV Park. The dunes were gorgeous even though the skies were overcast. The Tyrex seats were very comfortable, even with 2 good size guys in the vehicle. The ergonomics were laid out very well. I especially liked how they had the full locker lever on the console. It was in easy reach of the driver plus as you pulled it back it was ratcheted so it would stay locked in what ever position you pulled it back to until you pushed the button on the top to release the lever. If you pulled it back all the way with the switch set to 4x4 it was a full locker. We would test this later to the limits. We ran around the sand for a bit to get comfortable with the handling and then drove around to the top of a cliff overlook where the Kawasaki staff had set up a closest to the pin golf event. They had driven a circle in the sand at the bottom of the cliff with the Teryx and put a flag in the middle of the circle. We each got to hit 2 balls that we put our name on to see who was closest to the pin. Needless to say Jeff and I did not win but it was a fun event. The Kawasaki guys said it was interesting finding all the balls in the sand.
Riding around in the sand we felt we could have had a bit more power going up the steep dunes. But in all fairness to the Teryx 750 we were running at stock air pressure plus the sand at Sand Hollow is very fine. They also had some rain the day before which bogged it down some as well. The machine handled very well on side hills and dropping off the edges of the dunes as well as flying very straight in the air.
Jason wanted to show us some of the rock crawling prowess of the Teryx next so off we went to the east side of the Park. This area reminded us of Moab Utah which is probably the 4x4 rock crawling capital of the southwest. Jason had picked an almost straight up rock to climb for the 1st obstacle. When I saw him lining up for it I thought no way, but he hit the gas and flew right up the side. Coming down the other side was even steeper but the Teryx handled it with ease. He asked if anyone else wanted to try it to which everyone said OF COURSE!!!! Next was a water fall wedge with a twist at the top, He came to within about 2 feet from the 4 foot waterfall and hit it full throttle. The Teryx launched skyward, hit on the bottom rails and bounced to the left as it clawed it’s way to the top with ease. The suspension along with the full lockers makes this machine an excellent rock crawler to say the least. The machine in front of me had to make a couple of attempts to make it to the top. It wasn’t because the machine couldn’t make it, but if you didn’t hit the correct line or hit the gas full throttle it wouldn’t quite make it to the top. When It was my turn I saw why the guys in front of me had trouble. It was intimidating. I just listened to Justin’s instructions on lining up and let her fly. Wow he was right. It climbed to the top with ease. We did lots of other obstacles before heading back to the tent for lunch.
On the way back we headed back along a fence row that was major whooped out. We were going about as fast as possible on this section. It was interesting watching the suspension of the Teryx in front of us. The machine would get pushed sideways at times but the rear shocks would soak up the bumps and correct the vehicle very well. There were several times that we bottomed out the front shocks but they were not adjusted for this harsh of riding conditions. The seat belts would also grab you as you were being thrown around which was a little annoying but again we were driving more aggressive than most people would ever drive. The belts grabbed the passenger more than the driver because the driver had the steering wheel to hang onto but the passenger had to hold onto a handle that is up on the right roll cage or at the top of the cage between the driver and passenger. You could easily fix this by installing a 4 point harness system to hold you in place in the bucket seats better. What a blast racing down this long whooped out section. It was a good thing Jeff was driving since he is a pro desert racer. This kept us up with the leader, even pushing him some.
After a great lunch we were back on the trails. We headed back to the dune area with our group for a while. Jeff and I headed off on our own to find some unique terrain. We found a spot in the dunes with some great rocks to test the climbing ability some more. This thing is a terrific rock climbing machine. We found a near vertical waterfall and wanted to see it the Tyrex could make it to the top. I wasn’t sure if I could make it as I looked at it from the bottom. I noised up to it and stabbed the throttle, as the front wheels cleared the top it hit hard on the bottom, twisted to the left, grabbed the rocks and climbed to the top. That was a blast, so I had to do it again. We did many more hard obstacles to test this machine to the limits and it came through every time.
As we were riding around the dune area we came across some of the other riders that were jumping a couple of the dunes. It looked like fun so we had to join them. Jeff got out to take some action shots as I sped away to the starting line for the jump. I asked one of the other riders how he was hitting the jump. He said hit the gas and don’t let up. I wasn’t sure about this but thought what the heck I have a full roll cage so off I went. The bank we were hitting was only 10 feet or so tall but it was straight up. As you hit the bank the front would blast through the sand and you were airborne. Yaaaa Whooo !!!!!! I exclaimed as I landed. I was amazed how soft the landing was, the rear suspension soaked up the landing like a trophy truck. I must have done 20 + jumps at these 2 spots and never felt out of shape at all. This thing flys very well. Even if you do come down on 1 front tire a little hard it straightens right up when the rear hits.
There was one mishap at the jump area. One rider was coming in the opposite direction dropping down the face of the jump when his front drivers side tire dug into the sand, I think he hit the breaks. The Teryx did a complete barrel roll landing hard on the rear top drivers side roll cage continuing through the roll and ending up on the passenger side. The driver came out of his seat belt in a hurry stood up yelling I’m OK, I’m, OK. Whew, that roll took one heck of a hit but there was slight damage to roll cage but the structural integrity held up. After a hit like that though you would want to replace the cage just the same as if you crash and hit your helmet hard on the ground. It was impressive that the roll cage held up with such a hard impact. The Kawasaki Teryx 750 is the only side x side that meets SAE regulations as a roll-over protective structure. I don’t think the people at Kawasaki wanted anyone to actually test the roll cage but I have to say it did an excellent job of protecting the occupant unlike some other brands may have.
At this point Jeff needed to do some things back at the tent. When we arrived a couple of other test riders said they found a jump where you went 60 feet in length in the air. Some said “Yea right”. I said I had to see this and headed off with the group. The spot was in the back of the dunes near where we had the golf contest. The riders found that if they went up the opposite dune as high as they could go and turned downhill pinned the throttle that when they hit the jump it would launch them about 60 feet. I was a bit skeptical on the 1st run as it was scary holding it wide open to full speed and hitting the jump but they were right. OMG!!!! What a rush. I admit I didn’t hit it at full speed the first time but after that I was on it all the way. It was an unbelievable sight as there were 4 machines doing a figure 8 one after the other for about an hour. It was fun watching as I got to the top of the dune I would wait until the Teryx was about to cross the trail at the bottom of the dune before I would nail the throttle. One of the guys watching said it was amazing standing at the top of the jump area seeing a Teryx fly by about every 5 seconds. All this abuse and not a single one of the Kawasaki 750 Teryx machines broke.
Next we started jumping from the top of a straight down dune that was probably 80 feet high. This one was a little un-nerving to me as you could not see where you were going until you dropped off the side of the dune, but I did it over and over until it was time for us to get back.
We raced all the way back to the tent area swapping places and cutting up. I hated to see the day come to an end.
Look for a full review by Jeff in the next issue of ATV & SXS Illustrated Magazine and Television. Also don’t forget to check out their website at http://www.atvillustrated.com
