Nope. I am afraid I can't do that. You see I have seen too many people running on opinion walk into a dealership and plunk down a lot of money with certain expectations and find out they bought something totally unsuited to what they really need or want. Now if you have a fat wallet, that is cool, you flash your plastic and get something else. But for those uf us with limited funds, I find it way better to fully understand the issues, know how it is going to be used, and have already some idea as to where I will be using it. I can't justify the mistake, and can't afford to fix it over night. What all this does, is create another person who is totally against our sport. When we have an opportunity to be of real service to someone, then we should do it. Even if you have to open their eyes a little. Much of this problem goes back to the instant gratification mentality and not wanting to put in time doing research. I don't care if he buys the company... but what I do care about is that we as seasoned enthusiasts take the time to mentor and help someone who is at least asking the questions. It may be the wrong questions, but at least they asked. What I have found out over the years. is that this type of person is either a wanna be who is dreaming, but does not have the funding to actually make the purchase, or they have already made their decision and come here for justification. Our opinions either enforce that or they don't. Very small percentage are honestly looking for help. That is where I come from....

 

You're half right.

 

At the time of the posting I was completely right.

Anyone have any seat time in the new Viking??? It looked good on paper and seems like it will be a good replacement for the Rhino.

 

I have sat in one in the showroom, but have not driven one. On one hand they have upped the seating to 3 and it is wider, but the trick of leaning the middle seat back, while it probably works for "normal" sized people, guys like my size are not going to work. Unless the middle passenger is your grandson who likes to smell of armpits. Good try Yamaha, but for us big boys, it is a fail.

This is not to say that the Polaris 3 wide seating is any better. Drive train is classic Rhino. Probably balanced a little better with moving the engine back a little to accommodate the seating.

It should at least be as good as the Rhino, and a big hit because it is larger than the Rhino by quite a bit. BUT, if you expect to go head to head with a Maverick or a Polaris Razor, the answer is Nope. It is going to need a bigger motor with some beans to keep up. Suspension looks to be an improvement. Yamaha always worked well, I don't see this one being any different. I think it is worthy of close consideration. But you need to fully understand the market it is going for, and judge whether your riding needs fall in that category. If not, then you might be disappointed. Or better served looking elsewhere.

 

I was just commenting that you said Yamaha had the Rhino and the Mule, Mule is Kawasaki.

 

Got me! Total brain failure there.

 

I saw it as competition for the Polaris Ranger, Can-Am Maverick, Honda Pioneer, and Kawasaki Teryx. Judging from displacement it's not much competition for any of the bigger displacement machines other than the Honda Pioneer.

 

I don't know.. It depends on what is important to you or the guy buying them. To some, it may be performance, to others, it may be totally leaning to doing work, or reliability etc. Now I'll admit the Honda big red is one UGLY beast. But I own a rubicon ATV that has the same transmission combo and can attest that it is bullet proof. Also, my Honda always starts and does it's work with no complaints. I cannot say the same about my Yamaha. You get just the tiniest bit of old fuel in the tank and you have issues. Either a trip to the dealer to have him clean/rebuild the carb or you spend hours doing it yourself. Not exactly what I had envisioned when I started riding ATV's in the first place. So I'll go back to my initial comment. There isn't a perfect machine that is right for everyone. We all have likes and dislikes and use them differently, so just from a comparison point of view, you end up comparing apples to oranges.

 

For those of you that haven't seen a Viking parked next to a Rhino, this picture should give you an idea of scale when it comes to these two UTVs. The Viking is clearly aimed at the Polaris Ranger market.

 

The original poster was asking for " best for long rides good gas milage and a nice cab heat ac and sliding windows". I don't see anywhere where he was asking about a UTVs ability to work. He does mention the Kabota, but then says he "Doesn't want to go tractor speed". So I'm going to assume that he wanted a UTV for recreational use.

I've owned a number of UTVs, and I'll stick to what I know. I've owned an '06, and '07 Rhino, and wasn't too impressed with them. I didn't like the max speed of 40 mph in stock form, did not like the limited suspension travel, and I thought it was kind of tippy. It was still fun, but left me underwhelmed with UTVs enough that I sold our last Rhino in '07 and didn't buy another UTV until 2012.

In 2012 I bought a Rzr 900 XP. That was a nice UTV. Great power, great handling, and good suspension. The rear suspension did tend to kick in whoops though.

In 2013 I upgraded to a Wildcat 1000. That was a really nice UTV. Good power, good handling, and great suspension. It didn't matter what bump you hit. It didn't matter if you didn't know how to drive, or what line to take across a tough obstacle. The suspension would make up for anything you did wrong. The V-twin motor vibrated a lot though. The parallel twin Polaris engines are smooth as silk in comparison.

In 2013 my wife and I also bought a Rzr 800 LE that we have used on 50" wide ATV trails in the mountains. That little UTV has been great. We have used it more than any of the others. It is great to motor along a tight technical trail in the Rocky Mountains, with your wife, or your father, or one of your son's riding beside you, just taking your time and talking to each other. I really like the Polaris lock and ride accessories, they are top quality, and fit like they are supposed to. This little UTV is surprisingly capable; it may scrape its belly at times, but it just keeps going. We have been able to routinely get 150 miles to a tank of gas. A friend has a Rzr 570, and he gets 180 miles to a tank of gas.

Just recently I upgraded the Wildcat 1000 to a Rzr 1000 XP. This UTV has the best suspension of any UTV I've owned, great handling, and great power. The build quality is impressive, and there is more room in the cab with the adjustable seats.

If I were to only pick one UTV right now though, it would be the little Rzr 800 LE. The fact that it will fit pretty much anywhere an ATV will fit out weighs the extra power and suspension of the Rzr 1000 XP. Polaris makes cab enclosures for all of their UTVs.

The only UTVs we have had problems with have been both Yamaha's and the Arctic Cat. All three Polaris UTVs have been completely reliable.