PROJECT POLARIS RZR UPDATE #1

PROJECT POLARIS RZR UPDATE #1

Polaris has created some of our favorite UTVs and the 2019 RZR XP Turbo S Velocity is high up on the list. Check out our test HERE!

We have spent hours abusing the UTV in the desert, tight wooded trails, rocks, and more to see how it will fair. So far we are quite impressed. The long-travel suspension is smooth, power is potent and comfort is apparent. However, upgrades can always be added to any machine. We couldn’t leave this machine stock!

The goal of this build is to have an RZR that can get lost in the rocks, hunt through the wide-open desert and make it back to camp safely. This requires parts from many manufacturers in our industry.

Our first stop was to BFD Off-Road in Ramona, California for some proper protection. They built and installed a very strong roll cage to our desired specs. We wanted headroom for taller operators, intrusion bars, and bracing to handle multiple rollovers without issue. They finished off the roll cage with a brilliant textured silver powder coating from American Powder Coat.

Next, we rounded up our parts from Assault Industries. They sent over these parts:
– Hellfire Grill for RZR XP Turbo S
– Ghost tinted sun visors
– Bomber Convex center mirror
– 350R leather steering wheel
– Steering wheel hub
– Quick-release steering wheel adaptor
– Steering wheel removal tool
– Adventure rack
– Quick-release UTV fire extinguisher kit
– Rugged off-road cooler bag
– Sidewinder Convex side mirrors

PROJECT POLARIS RZR UPDATE #1

Installing the Adventure Rack was the most time-consuming of the group, and we had to grind the mounting brackets to fit with the new BFD cage mounts. However, it works great now that it is installed, and fitting the Rugged offroad cooler back there is perfect!

We moved onto the convex side mirrors which don’t take too much time to install, but a helping hand is good for final adjustments. We had to remove the roof of the BFD cage to install the clamps for the Ghost-tinted sun visors and the Bomber convex center mirror. Upon installing the visors, we realized that mounting the center mirror up wouldn’t work very well. We would have to pull the center mirror too close to the driver and passenger for it to work properly.

PROJECT POLARIS RZR UPDATE #1

Installing the quick release fire extinguisher kit took little time, but we ended up taking some sandpaper to the quick release pull handle mounting holes to make it operate smoother and easier to pull.

Finally, we took our new steering wheel removal tool from Assault to the stock wheel to take it off and install the new steering wheel hub. Once the new adaptor was bolted down, we installed the quick release hub and the 350R steering wheel.

The 350R wheel has a profile that puts the steering wheel closer to the driver, and the installation of the quick release system might push the steering wheel too close to some drivers. Only testing will tell us that answer in time! The easiest install was the Hellfire Grill. Slip it into the grill slots, mount two screws into the plastic facia and it is installed.

The last step, for now, was installing a set of Tusk UTV Barrier Pro Fit doors from Rocky Mountain ATV/MC.  Doors can sometimes be simple to install and other times quite tricky. These full Tusk doors require you to take part of the hinge system from the stock doors and the latches to install on the new doors and door mounts.

Fortunately, we have had a lot of experience mounting doors so we made the changes quickly and spent a bit of time on alignment. There are six different points of adjustment on these doors to make them fit correctly. You have the door mounts that connect at the roll cage mounts, and a lower frame mount that are both adjustable.

Then, the upper and lower door hinges are adjustable, the latch is as well as the striker plate. Getting these all in perfect harmony is an interesting feat. Some trial and error will always be required!

More parts will be finding their home on this build, so stay tuned for part two!

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