Sand rail or SXS or dual sport?

RiverDave

RiverDave

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In reading the comments on the SSSS I saw a lot of the same comment “liked going when it was a sand show” and of course “now it’s the SXS super show”.

It got me to thinking about what I run and why.. I grew up as a kid on 3 wheelers and quads.. we had a beam car rail (heavy car definitely not a sand car, think old school high jumper) with an 1835 that was done up by Ramsey in San Marcos (there’s a name a few old timers should recognize).

I had a few friends with pretty legit pre runners.. I remember my first ride in one I actually got to thinking “I wish my dad was still alive to experience this”. Big big long travel shit like that he never got a chance to go in..

Then I got a Monster edition Teryx.. my buddy had a teryx that was done by Long Travel industries. I took my wife off-roading in that thing once and she basically looked at me and said “fix it”. Brian at LTI long travelled the car and put interior and a cage etc on it. It actually went down for a few iterations but that’s aside the point.

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Actually found an old
Thread if ya want more details on the original build.. https://www.riverdavesplace.com/forums/threads/my-teryx-long-travel-industries.40657/

After that it went back for half doors, and whips and lights and and and and and.. lol. After the third or fourth motor in it if I finally gave up and sold it to a friend whose wife just cruises around town with it.

After that I bought a ranger crew and had my buddy Barker build it. He is one of the better fabricators in the ole USA that thing snowballed to a point that was more or less a long range / overland vehicle.. there is so much shit behind the scenes on this thing I’ll start a different thread. Long story short this car was one of the smoothest riding cars I’ve ever been in and you could take your friends beers tools you name it.. (my favorite vehicle I have owned ever).

While she was a big girl she got around pretty good after we regeared it and was incredibly functional.

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Yes that’s a floor jack on a skid on the back.. (one of a million little things)
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After that built a turbo RR. Can Am that was pretty over the top..

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I’m gonna skip ahead a bunch of NA rzr 1k’s and other cars I bought as interim cars for trips or just to goof around in and say I ended up with a speed el jefe rg that is loaded. (We can talk speed vs the rest on another thread.. it’s twice the car IMO)

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Which brings us full circle.. some
Of these sxs’s are as large as pre runners.

I can’t help but wonder if my next adventure is a dual sport?? I’m just not sure how’d they do with some of these smaller billy goat trails we have out here in havasu etc..

Wife wants one of those new Polaris 1,000’s with the heat and AC and have barker build it like my previous ranger.. lol.

Who runs dual sports or pre runners? Why vs a SXS?pros and cons?

RD
 
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I have a buddy building a 2024 Canam Defender and im curious how it rides and the seating position for long rides. The AC and hopefully sealed cabin would be a great thing to have, but then you are disconnected from the elements and i would feel like i was just watching a video instead of enjoying the outdoors. I like to ride fast and just cant slow down on trails. My Pro-r really soaks up the terrain and is setup on 35's for the desert any really does it well. .
 
megadesertdiesel said:
I have a buddy building a 2024 Canam Defender and im curious how it rides and the seating position for long rides. The AC and hopefully sealed cabin would be a great thing to have, but then you are disconnected from the elements and i would feel like i was just watching a video instead of enjoying the outdoors. I like to ride fast and just cant slow down on trails. My Pro-r really soaks up the terrain and is setup on 35's for the desert any really does it well. .
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Polaris has a new one that is a 1,000.. it isn’t a ranger it’s called something else, has a steel belt that is good for the life of the car. That is the one IMO.. the defenders were cool
When they came out. The expeditions are really good looking but kinda gutless?

That new 1,000 thing is the nuts
 
RiverDave said:
Polaris has a new one that is a 1,000.. it isn’t a ranger it’s called something else, has a steel belt that is good for the life of the car. That is the one IMO.. the defenders were cool
When they came out. The expeditions are really good looking but kinda gutless?

That new 1,000 thing is the nuts
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I get it but at what point do we say its too much money? A built Polaris expedition will run you north of 50k. And you really cant drive it long distances on the road like a Bronco or heep to a trail. Colorado and Utah you cant run them on the road like we do in AZ. I think with the economy and inflation we have seen the top of the market for toy sxs and if they don't start making them street legal in all 50 states there isn't much more growth for them.
 
To me, it's all dependent on where you run.

You need different power to weight ratios for different places.

In Glamis, more power and less weight is key.

The SxS's I've been in out there were total slugs. Went out with @sndsamplr right when he got his new one, and we both looked at each other like WTF is this shit? 🤣

He sold that thing in short order.

Now if you're gonna run desert hard pack? SxS's are GREAT. They eat up the miles and can tackle most any terrain. And a belt may last you five years or more!

Dual sport cars are just that. They can do both. A Honda/Subi powered one would be light, with more than enough power for the sand, and still durable enough for the desert. But it's difficult to beat 4wd independent suspension for the really rough stuff. That's where a SxS shines.

Now if you have Deep pockets, and can afford a true sand car, then you are gonna get the same adrenaline rush in the sand as you would on a quad or a dirt bike! And suspension that will swallow up the whoops.

If you're going that route, then your St Anthony's bound. Glamis dunes are too small and too tight for a real sand car.

So coming back full circle...

It all depends Where you are gonna run.
 
megadesertdiesel said:
I get it but at what point do we say its too much money? A built Polaris expedition will run you north of 50k. And you really cant drive it long distances on the road like a Bronco or heep to a trail. Colorado and Utah you cant run them on the road like we do in AZ. I think with the economy and inflation we have seen the top of the market for toy sxs and if they don't start making them street legal in all 50 states there isn't much more growth for them.
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I coulda swore I saw SXS on the road in Utah on my last Rv trip? Actually several of the states between az and Montana?
 
Given this is a Glamis dunes / sand forum - I'll take a lightweight sand car with HP over a sxs or dual sport any day.
But if I lived in Havasu and did not do the dunes much and did more hardpack - it would be hard to beat a SXS...over the counter parts, street legal, small, great suspension.
 
wesinls said:
Given this is a Glamis dunes / sand forum - I'll take a lightweight sand car with HP over a sxs or dual sport any day.
But if I lived in Havasu and did not do the dunes much and did more hardpack - it would be hard to beat a SXS...over the counter parts, street legal, small, great suspension.
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You if the Honda / subi mentality or more Ls
 
A sxs is the best bang for the buck currently. My old bones are moving, slowly, toward one and away from my beloved two wheelers. Rails, both dual sport and sand have their place but with so many one off parts, poor transmission choices, and difficulty buying new ones, it takes the right buyer to own one, which is as it should be. 05-06 had brand new long travel rails from any number of manufacturers showing up in every camp. Financed and poorly operated. The bar to owning a rail had become attainable by so many people that there was a huge push for everyone with a welder to start putting out a sand car.
 
The thing I love with my SxS is the versatility. I can go rock crawling, hard pack desert, trail running, and dunes with 1 machine that easily fits down small trails or in a toy hauler.
I’ve transitioned back away from only dunes and remember how much fun the rest or the world is to ride.
If I got out of side by sides it would be for a jeep or some other street legal trail rig and a bike or quad for dunes.
 
You can’t beat a well built sand car in the sand. Take that same car to the hard pack and that shit will break. Step it up to a dual sport. What do you consider a dual sport? A sand car with boxed arms and coil over bypass on all four corners? No, that’s still just a sand car. Now a pre runner. A lot of nice class 1 style cars in the sand. They don’t dune like a sand car but can eat up the hard pack. Now look at prices. What does a new sand car cost? What does a pre runner cost? Now break something on one of these cars and how hard will it be to find parts to repair while out at the desert? These are the reasons why SXS’s are popular. You can purchase 1 toy to do everything. The higher end cars are getting a lot better in the sand but still kick ass in the hard pack along with trail riding and rock crawling. You want bang for your buck? A SXS is the ticket. Break a part, go to the dealer and get that part over the counter. Does it suck to break belts? Yep, but what does a good cv joint cost? How about rebuilding transmissions? I miss my sand cars but sure don’t miss the maintenance and repairs that came along with them. I’m pretty stoked with my Pro R.
 
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