2016 Yamaha YXZ1000R SE Ride Impressions

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Luke is shredding the dunes in Glammis aboard Yamaha's all-new and highly anticipated YXZ1000R SE featuring a 3-cylinder 998cc engine churning out an impressive 115 horsepower and an industry-first sequential shifting manual transmission. Then Luke provides his opinions of the YXZ1000R pointing out exactly what he likes and what you may not like about this vehicle after getting a YXZ1000R on our home turf and spending some time out at our top secret test track.

[@marcoradat]

The commentary on this review was spot on. The Y is absolutely not a do it all or for everyone machine. But for those of us that want a drivers car there is absolutely nothing better on the market.

[@matthewboadway406]

Absolutely agree. Definitely the best purist drivers car.. love it

[@georgefales7964]

If your not a true driver look elsewhere but if you can drive this is hands down the best sxs

[@NCMudman]

Great reveiw Luke!!! With me, as much as I think this SxS is a phenomenal contender in the market, I'm one of those that it simply isn't for me and where I live and ride... BUT I can't wait to see what's next from Yamaha!!

[@makm.4595]

I've been using mine for the past four months all the way from hitting the rally track at least twice a weak and out for aggressive dune bashing on every weekend, whatta machine. a very well built UTV and quality is just incredible. i surely wouldn't need more power and the fact that Yamaha is running a N/A engine makes it a whole lot better imo

[@tsd852]

Getting mine Tomorrow cant wait for that yellow color !

[@franksandoval640]

Nice review...now I just need to decide which color I want!

[@tylerdavis6200]

With trail riding and hill climbing out in the trails also? I think everyone is dying to see that!

[@donbement7747]

Hands down the best review so far on the YXZ. Its definitely not an all around sxs unfortunately, one that can run the Rubicon trail one day and Glamis next like the XDS or XPT can.

[@DougFordsr]

paddle shifters would be an interesting addition

[@luisapalopoli4091]

non ho mai visto tanta potenza........e tecnologia incredibile ma vero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@Clay0577]

They are durable! I can attest to that. My neighbor has one and beats the living piss out of it. 4000 miles and NO issues. I have an X3 and i hope it is as reliable as his machine has been.

[@kylestewart8354]

I was kinda hoping yamaha designers would have used the name and styling cues off the legendary Banshee. With the high reving tone of this engine and being purposely biult for wide open spaces,namely the dunes. I think it would have been perfect.

[@stang1970]

i seen, rode with one on the trails for the first time this past weekend. That thing sounds mean! And the owner just banged the gears. You could here him hit the rev limiter a few times. The slower trails didn't require him to shift a lot. Just kept it in the right gear to keep it from lugging. He could wind it out a little if he had to, but he wasn't constantly shifting it. And from coming off dirt bikes and sport quads (non of them were autos or cvt) and getting into the side by side I don't mind shifting at all. I find the lack of shifting a little boring. Our group had a wildcat, 4 turbo can ams, a couple of turbo polarises, a half dozen 1000s, and a few 800s and 900s. And guess what... 2 1000s broke their belts that day. the wildcat and a commander. on the trails the turbos dont run away from any of the other NA 1000s. They just cant take advantage of the HP The bottom line is everyone had fun and ALL the machines will get the job done. We also talked with a yamaha rep a couple of months ago and he told us that they do have a turbo model in the works and they are going to have an auto with a manual mode tranny. Both should be out the next model year

[@6slayer6sam62]

I would love to see one of the yellow ones sitting next to a mint yellow tri-z....ugggggh...that'd be amazing.

[@quadmania59]

Yamaha for the win

[@chybagus]

I really like how you guys said it's not for everyone. I do mostly rocky trails and rock crawling and rarely get into dunes. I'm guessing it cannot crawl like a Rhino?

[@AcidicJO]

You guys got some incredible shots of this thing in action. Beautiful camera work guys. That being said I'm a fan of the YXZ. But same as some of the other you tubers, this machine just doesn't work in these east Texas trails and mud holes. Perhaps if they produced a fully automatic version. It's only logical they make variations on this machine in the coming years like Popo has the Highlifter. And Can-am has the XMR.

[@dirttraxtv]

+AcidicJO Would be nice to see a one thousand with a CVT to go in the Wolverine and Grizzly.

[@jayminer9416]

+Dirt Trax Television I own a Wolverine, and that is really my only complaint with it.....power. It just needs a small kick in the pants to make it perfect. Drop a de-tuned version of this engine (or any of the Apex series twins), get it up to around 70hp and they'd be in the middle of Polaris/CanAm's market. If I see something like that come to the showroom i'll be trading up.....

[@mrstevek118]

What’s it like off-roading on the trails

[@dodgethishemi]

I really wish someone would do a review on the YXZ while doing a trail ride. Every single review is about wide open or bombing down a smooth fire road. What about when you have to really slow down, crawl up a hill side or do some technical driving. Is first gear too tall to crawl? Does the motor not like it? Does it feel like a low range and can actually appeal to those that are just sand rats? So many things come to mind. I hope you guys test this machine out more soon as I would really love to see how it does.

[@50calgold]

Thats just it. If youre not in the sand or flat dirt it sucks. They never survive long out side of the one environment it was built for.

[@Gitohandro]

what do you call these type of vehicles?

[@mack_titan]

Finally a manual trans in UTV...thank you Yamaha!

[@davidrecker9228]

+CRM6718 Renli RL1100 cc and Renli RL1500 cc dune buggies are 5 speed. I own one. But I'm thinking of buying one of these.

[@mack_titan]

+David Recker Interesting, how do they hold up to abuse? The problem I found is "parts" or lack there of. Besides most of these Chinese brands are not CARB compliant in CA.

[@christophermezzanotte8762]

why not a Grizzly 1000 cc, or a 1000 mud Edition Grizzly or something like that or something like a renegade 1000 Style is there going to be a Grizzly 1000 cc and if it is going to happen when

[@hammerhome7879]

The only thing I WANT to be changed is the width , it looks too narrow. I've seen KZbin races where it stays flat but wants to high side. Yamaha , a few more inches per side please , like your track width Quads. Please and Thank you !

[@jdwinton5411]

it looks like the driver's side rear axle is bent on the blue and white one...

[@MotoProductions]

Cant wait till side by sides make one super crazy because there cool now but not so impressive.

[@roycemccarthy5771]

I love the looks of this machine. But I live in Maine an there are very few sand dunes to ride on. Another strike against it for me is the exposed engine. At a cost of 25,000 it isn't in my future.

[@XxBigDAWG22xX]

you can get these for under 20,000.

[@anythingadrenaline4515]

These are 4x4 right?

[@hattemghanoom9557]

I drived It the one problem that I hated about yxz that when you jump it lands on front of the bumper not on the rear but it's copy of the raptor 700r and yfz 450r but I liked it

[@forrest225]

+Hattem Ghanoom I think most of the SxS's do that. I've heard you can tune it out of the larger rzr's with the adjustable suspension. I don't know about the YXZ though.

[@mikemota8280]

You guys think 14.5k. For a 2016 with like 800hr is a good price

[@integrags98]

Dirt Trax television i have a question did you ever hand any problem with the light bracket on a grizzly 700 eps se 2016 ? mine snap and yamaha don't want to pay. they say that i hit something and i didn't

[@dirttraxtv]

No problems yet, but we'll keep an eye on it.

[@integrags98]

+Dirt Trax Television thank you

[@lukehair3818]

Yxz vs Maverick anytime soon????

[@dirttraxtv]

+Luke Hair Will have to wait for next season to watch that one!

[@BackRoadGarage]

my uncles yxz busted a cv joint the other day after jumping 50 feet in the air and some other stuff

[@jayminer9416]

+LeDerpySquid Yeah.....that'll happen.....

[@dougburrell1100]

Way to go Yamaha that is bad to the bone

[@tylerdavis6200]

Yxz 1000 non turbo vs rzr 1000 xp non turbo. Head to head?

[@XxBigDAWG22xX]

the rzr is a bit fast but you have 144 hp vs 115 Hp. the rzr 1000 non turbo is a little slower. Yamaha can usually handle high speed turns smoother with out it feeling like it will roll at any second. be ready to replace the clutch in the Yamaha though. almost everyone I know burnt the first one up. not from poor design but learning to drive it. I'm from the eastern us so we have a lot of technical trails than require tight turns and lots of hills. this just from personal experience.

[@jordandavidson4796]

If it was semi-auto then It would be a top contender side by side, surpass the maverics and RZR's

[@dustinjohnson1236]

I think for trail ridding the shifting would get old and by time you get in the right gear to keep the rpms up you would already be threw the corner. just my opinion

[@gregrowe1168]

+Dustin Johnson This machine in my opinion, has too much of a niche market.  Obviously its high performance but when you build something that nobody else offers, its a bit of a gamble whether people will buy it.  I think sales numbers will be disappointing.  The claims it makes about cvt transmissions being less efficient are false as well.  There is loss whether you have a manual or auto trans.  This machine can't touch the new turbo maverick and turbo rzr.  It basically is on par with the non-turbo 1000cc versions.  They all claim basically the same hp as this so you get the same performance whether you have this manual clutch or a cvt auto.  Yamaha claiming they couldn't build a cvt system durable enough for this machine is complete bs.   They have snowmobiles that make a lot more hp than this and they're all cvt machines.  I'm not even sure this machine would be good for racing either.   A very skilled rider might be able to get it to outperform a cvt rzr or maverick but one missed shift and he loses. Or worse yet, fries the clutch and doesn't even finish.

[@dustinjohnson1236]

I agree with you if you look up on youtube granted it isn't official a race between this and the razor in a drag race this loses because you have to shift. I feel like They just put a motorcycle motor/trans in it so they wouldn't have to design a motor to save on cost.

[@dustinjohnson1236]

+Greg Rowe and you loose power with any transmission even with just the rear end you loose power. and with this your gonna have to rev the piss out of it because it is such a high reving motor where with a Polaris it has more low end grunt

[@stang1970]

+Dustin Johnson sorry but its a new engine..... try again

[@scottyneely]

How fun would a paddle shifter be on this ? Probably double the price

[@PistonheadAsh]

You ask and they deliver!

[@theresonly1truth138]

can you upshift/downshift without the clutch?

[@zrthia1754]

Why, that is retarded. Sure you can but you will damage the transmission. It's never worth it.

[@zrthia1754]

Well, number 1 you have to start with the clutch. Then you can also only go up a gear at a time. And it's a automatic in the "Manuel mode." I wouldn't ever want to drive one claiming it's a automatic.

[@theresonly1truth138]

Zrthia gd

[@rockinrichud1]

first to say they saw the bent rear axle.

[@davidheitman7004]

your right. i bought a 1000-5 honda. and i live in vegas. i have quads to. i'm a dune guy. desert runs. if i wanna go nuts i get on a quad. if i wanna dick around with friends and talk in the dunes with a radio on? this is great. like off the chart.. she ain't pretty! but she brings my friends into gods country with a memory to take home! yamaha makes a nice machine! i like it!

[@gersonrivera9630]

Nice . Yamaha 👍👍

[@50nick83]

polaris needs to make a manual transmission rzr

[@Southernbread686]

so basically I can ride it on dirt or sand but not woods hills or Mud? guess I'll keep the xp

[@racer65069]

I think it's not the good machine for technical trail and mud.

[@jadebylund7061]

Don't get me wrong I love this side x side but will yamaha stop with the " our manual clutch style transmission puts 93% of the power to the wheels, much more than a typical Cvt style transmission would". anyone who has seen the yxz race the rzr 1000 knows that the yxz is slightly slower furthermore there have been many dyno runs of both side x sides and the rzr typically puts down 1 to 2 more horsepower. when you consider both of their horsepower at the crank. the rzrs cvt is actually more efficient than the yxzs. now I would rather drive the yamaha because to me it's more fun but don't keep overstating the efficiency of your tranny yamaha.

[@gregrowe1168]

+Jade bylund I've seen this machine go against the turbo rzr and maverick and they flat out smoke it. The non-turbo 1000cc machines are about equal in performance with the Wildcat being a little slower because it has a little less hp. The manual clutch does nothing to enhance its performance, it is the same as the cvt. Yamaha also claiming they couldn't build a cvt system that could handle the power is bs too. They have snowmobiles that produce a lot more than 112 hp and they are all cvt auto machines. Yamaha thought outside the box with this machine. Just say that you wanted to build something different, not make claims that you can't prove.

[@stang1970]

+Greg Rowe polaris has been struggling with the belts and clutches getting to hot. even the new ones have a different set up. They didnt claim they couldnt, they thought the manual would be less problematic

[@BackRoadGarage]

+Jade bylund are you comparing a turbo rzr to a naturally aspirated yxz? if so there's a reason for that 1-2 more horsepower

[@XxBigDAWG22xX]

+LeDerpySquid I don't think he is but yes if so they have a reason but. with the Yamaha I'm sure in the near future they will have a different gear ratio version for trail. if they do it will eat rzr's in trails. I see so many issues with the rzr maverick and the wildcat on trails where I live that it half way bothers me to even consider them. clearly it all depends on how they are treated but I can say that most people are going to do something they shouldn't a few times and I don't think J want a 15,000$ ride sitting dead in the water needing two grand worth of parts to get it driving again.

[@yamaharidr450]

YAM-AHA

[@EricFB]

Dear Yamaha: Please make something half way between the YXZ and the Rhino. Rhino is a tractor and this thing is a wide open race machine. Lets see a sporty trail rig. Thank you.

[@XxBigDAWG22xX]

Yamaha wolverine. it will go anywhere that your rzr 800 and 900 tails will go. absolutely love mine. climbs way better than the rzr if your are just lugging along. my local trails are so technically and tight that you don't have to have a big motor to climb the hills you just have to fit it in tight places.

[@jayminer9416]

+XxBigDAWG22xX I have a Wolv too, it freaking shines in the tight woods!!!! The only place my friends S 900 got away was on the straights. I plan on adding slugs, weights, and a sheave to the CVT, then a PC5 and HMF Swamp slip on.....thats about all you can do sans motor work. Cams may be in the future....

[@kiphansenkh]

why does he keep saying "yamaha" like that

[@84regalhookshard64]

ok so im a little bias ( polaris tech) i was stoked to drive the yxz, i really thought i wanted to shift, turns out it sucks, the trans shifts kinda wierd, seating and suspension are awesome, the suspension is going to hold up very well, but its no very fast, a 900 ranger is way faster 0-40 which is kinda sad for the " world first true sport sxs." prolly because you have to shift. but whatever the case, if you have ever been in an xp1k or xp turbo, its a no brainer.

[@BackRoadGarage]

+84regal hookshard yeah right your full of it my uncles yxz eats those stupid gaylaris's

[@84regalhookshard64]

+LeDerpySquid yea, you can lie to everyone else, but me and you both know that's B's man

[@BackRoadGarage]

84regal hookshard sorry bud but its really not bs theyre not that good stock but his isn't stock

[@84regalhookshard64]

+LeDerpySquid well then I guess your whole argument is invalid lol. either way, we have drag raced the xp1k and turbo against the local Yamaha dealers yxz, not one time did the yxz win. like I said prolly don't help you have to shift.

[@BackRoadGarage]

84regal hookshard all depends on the driver though too

[@DoctorYoda2]

Yeahmahaw 😂

[@Adam_Newman]

yamaha needs an automatic transmission option !

[@themfknightrider420]

+strpl2 autos are junk

[@BackRoadGarage]

+themfknightrider420 ikr

[@v8worshipper8]

first

[@v8worshipper8]

awsome UTV btw

[@shanemb3]

Machines made for desert riding don’t work for most of the country

[@Jeepboy454]

Its funny, they are paid to talk up about their Unit... But I went to 5 different dealers that sell the Yxz and they all told be to stay away and not to buy one!! So I went with the 2016 rzr1000 Turbo.. A 100% better unit.. and with the lower gearing I had installed and the Highlifter package.. NO YXZ can keep up, on speed, mud, snow or sand.. this movie makes me laugh, because if Yamaha really knew what their dealers were saying about the YXZ unit..

[@BackRoadGarage]

+Jeepboy454 I seriously doubt that your beating custom yxzs maybe stock ones though

[@Jeepboy454]

+LeDerpySquid dude any time, snow, mudding, sand anything you can think of.. I would put up my 2016rzr 1000xp highlifter in any type of terrain. they are talking about a stock Yamaha.. so let's stay stock for stock buddy..

[@kellismallwoood1637]

Butt Hurt Pooplaris bitch... Hope you know your "Highlifter" Rzr aint got genuine Highlifter parts... They are made in mexico just like pooplaris...

[@2003evodave]

No one believes your fairytale story that five Yamaha dealers told you to not buy their products. More likely they told you to get out of our store you annoying kid.

[@jpchavero1]

Scripts man. Smh

[@corvettecraver]

I really don't understand all the hype. Their product is slower than the rzr 1000s which have been on the market since 2014. Yamaha said it took forever to produce so they could keep the vehicle up to Yamaha par. Bullshit! Yamaha par sucks. I own a 09 Yamaha raptor 700r. It broke down once in the three years I've owned it but my Polaris had never given me crap. Sorry Yamaha, I'll keep my rzr and not that fugly xyz

[@kellismallwoood1637]

Your Pooplaris is manufactured in mexico...

[@kylefitzgerald4419]

Just another ugly yamaha product. Their atv's and utv's used to look good until 2016 came along.

[@TheXJthatCould]

Don't get me wrong, I like Yamaha...but this thing is ugly as fuck

[@jayminer9416]

+TheXJthatCould I said the same about the Maverick and Scrambler.

[@y0manda]

It looks like a stink bug. This machine is ugly!

[@hunterjanovsky5616]

Right