Shane Redline
New Member
Can the Yamaha YXZ become a Baja 500/1000 car?
If so, paddle or 5 speed?
If so, paddle or 5 speed?
Can the Yamaha YXZ1000 make the Baja.
- Thread starter Shane Redline
- Start date
dezertracer
Member
i think it can be a very capable car and I would choose the 5speed manual
Has?? Am I missing something? Of course it can with the right build, prep, and team. I am a longtime Yamaha fan and love the motor/trans setup but was disappointed with the suspension design for desert purposes. The narrow width of the front a arm pivots is a major weakness IMO. I believe the rear can be made to work good with some tweaking and would do everything within the rules to get some more wheelbase.
george.felix
George
Wouldn't be my first choice. Here is a Rzr 1000 vs Factory sponsored Yamaha. You decide. I think probably someday just not ready today...
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sand shark
Well-Known Member
All the talk about having no belt and shifting gears still has not equated to domination in the desert. Whatever advantage the Yamaha has without a belt is lost with the the suspension set up. The Yamaha has plenty of power, especially after a pipe, turn and gear reduction.
I have been disappointed that Yamaha has not really taken an interest in desert racing.
I have been disappointed that Yamaha has not really taken an interest in desert racing.
george.felix
George
It's a mediocre desert car. Baja would be a huge challenge. Finishing on top is a longshor without a Robby Gordon type make over. I ageee it's fast in the straights as u can see in the video but completely loses it once it gets rough. For those who don't know that's one of Yamahas top drivers and builders against an average joe in a Rzr 1000 bootstrapping along. Not impressive. Staggs may do better but Yamaha at Baja is a handicap you don't need in an unforgiving place like that. But it could change quickly as we see with Arctic Cat.
bluediamond
Active Member
Savage put his Yamaha on the podium at the last race and Staggs wasnt very far behind . .Those two guys have a much better starting spot this weekend and i bet you will see one of them on the box in the NA class this weekend. To me the proof is in the pudding.
That was a mostly stock car with a top short course racer that has limited R&D in desert racing a Yamaha. I would expect it to do much better in the rough next time.
450grl
The First Lady of SXS - UTVUnderground Approved
It's funny that you are judging the YXZ in the desert based on a few very select videos and instances. Fact is.....I took a basically stock suspended, stock motor, bone stock chassis YXZ and placed 7th in a very competitive class in Vegas to Reno last year. I am not a seasoned desert racer, we had ONE chase truck, zero test time, and we built that car in a week. LOL! Gunner Savage podiumed in the MINT 400 this year, in his YXZ - crickets on that one. Jeff Pahleygi ran his YXZ in the Baja 1000 last year and was going good until an aftermarket parts failure. If you are saying the YXZ can't hang in the desert, lets just look at what you are comparing it to.......4-seat, lengthened chassis that have WAAAAY more wheelbase and are practically Class 10 cars, which, IMO should never have been allowed in the same class as regular length. two seat chassis to begin with. On top of that, I doubt any RZR can podium in the desert unless it's been completely torn down and rebuilt from the ground up - hell, they can't even finish a short-course race unless a ton of stock parts are replaced with aftermarket. True production car to production car, the YXZ would dominate in the desert - in a TRUE production class - based on reliability and build quality alone. Desert racing classes, as they are now, are NO accurate representation of ANY manufacturer in the UTV classes because the rules allow SO much custom fabrication and work to be done. That being said, the YXZ will be on the podium more and more, despite the bus-length chassis we have to compete against, because it is a solid machine and fully capable of kicking some ass. It seriously makes me laugh when I hear people say it sucks in the desert......
Yes it is. That's how Yamaha should build them.
george.felix
George
First of all it was just my opinion as of today. Second the question wasn't which is a better car in stock form. It was is a Yamaha a long distance Baja car. I assumed it implied competitive on a relative basis. My opinion is a 4 seat Rzr or Can Am is a better choice. If Yamaha gets serious about desert cars say with a 4 seat then that could change. A lot of factors decide the outcome of a race so that's not an accurate evaluation in only a few cases. When Yamahas are on the box on a regular basis that would change my mind. Corry yours was the first Yamaha I've ran heads up so maybe it was just a bad hair day for Yamaha. I'm sure will be some at utvwc.
bluediamond
Active Member
Andre issac was the winner of the Naturally Aspirated class today in a YXZ. Thats two races in a row on the podium with the fraction of the entry numbers. Super disipointed about not a single update, Not one all day on this class. George I never got to hear how Shelby did in her debut either.
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george.felix
George
Agree Andre and Staggs looked really strong and while it's not baja a lot of cars didn't even finish. Staggs was in a great spot most of the race to get in the box as well and looked super fast from where I was watching. Maybe the tide is turning.....
I'll post about Shelby's race on another thread soon.
I'll post about Shelby's race on another thread soon.
Unless you were able to see the trackers live after a couple laps it was hard to know for sure who was leading. With all the wrecks delaying starts the lead row was damn near back before the last row took off. After the race was over it took them quite a while to determine who won and caused a lot of confusion in post race tech.
I think they can and will be competative, but it does take time and testing. In pure stock form, not in baja, however the Weller's are testing parts and I'd think given a nice massage of the front suspension it would be on par with the other non-stock cars.
Corry, this is purely an ignorance based question, but on the surface it doesn't appear that Yamaha has engaged in desert racing as much as Polaris and Can-Am, at this point. I base this on nothing more than seeing your involvement as well as Greaves. We see Polaris sponsoring racing and events (no doubt because of Joey & Mad Media) and Can-Am stepped up at KOH this year. Obviously you know know a lot more, but do you see them willing to become as involved as Polaris/Can-Am?
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450grl
The First Lady of SXS - UTVUnderground Approved
It's true Yamaha hasn't put in the effort (racer support wise) that Polaris has for years, and Can Am seems to be doing this past year in the desert. But historically, Yamaha has not had a UTV to compete it until 2016, so they are still coming into their own in regards to UTV racing. They have stepped up big time this year in short-course (as well as desert), which is a huge step for them (bLU cRU bonus money of $15,000 to any Yamaha Champion in LOORRS, TORC, $7500 for any Yamaha Champion in the Regional Series, WORCS and BITD!). Plus, Jason won the $5000 bonus for being the top Yamaha to finish in KOH. I believe as a whole, Japanese companies are more conservative all around when it comes to things like that, so I'm actually very excited to see what Yamaha is doing for their racers (and any Yamaha racer) this year. I do believe they have an interest in the desert, but I think one step at a time. They also tend to focus their money and efforts on creating a solid machine, that tends to speak for itself, rather than skimp on that end and spend it elsewhere......
HUGE CONGRATS to ISAACS for putting his Yamaha on top of the box in the Prod UTV class this past weekend - and for Staggs for his excellent finish. 2 Yamahas in the top 10, 1 with a win....not bad given the numbers, and not surprised at all....
Most of all, very cool to see different manufacturers on the podium this past weekend......just great for the sport all around!
