Teryx4 800 - Initial Impressions

The Rhino has been sold for a couple of weeks. I miss hanging out here, constantly searching for the next mod... lol!

My new 2014 Teryx4 800 is just totally new and different. I have not yet had it on a big ride yet to put it in the mud and water, but I have put about 25 miles on it cruising the pasture, making a couple of blasts down the straight-aways, and just getting to know the big girl.

I mean, straight up, this thing is a tank compared to the Rhino. It looks like a monster, but it is mainly the width and the height that is so much bigger than the Rhino 700. This thing is about 62" wide, and the way the cage is makes it look big. But length and wheelbase it is not much different than the Rhino. You can see the height and width difference of the Teryx next to my buddy's Rhino 700 with a 2" lift and 27" tires.





The Good

At this point, I feel like I can say that the new 800 motor in this Teryx would absolutely keep up with my built 734cc Rhino in a short drag race. The Kawi v-twin has great low end and mid range power, and it accelerates this 1600lb beast along pretty quick for a tuna boat. It has the wet centrifugal clutch similar to the Yamaha. My built Rhino would walk away at higher speeds because it was unlimited and the Teryx is governed to 50mph.

Comparing power is hard to do so all I can really tell you are some things I notice: The Rhino 700 with a JBS sheave (and especially mine with it's built, high compression motor) puts power down more abruptly and harder from a dig if you just punch it and hold the gas to the floor. For example, a stock Rhino 700 with a JBS sheave feels like it will almost pull the front wheels off the ground because the "hit" of power comes of strong and abrupt.

Not so with the Teryx 800. The motor idles lower, first of all (around 1200rpm), and it is a lot more smooth even it you floor it and hold it floored. Now it is not hurting for power as it will almost idle up smaller square-faced obstacles with very minimal pedal with over 650lbs of people on board. My Rhino with the rear seat and the same passengers would need a little more pedal as the front wheels approached the same obstacle, and the the front would pop up over.

The Rhino just felt like it put the power down harder and more abrupt whereas this Teryx seems more smooth. That is not a good or bad assesment, as sometimes you want different kinds of power. For the mud and with big tires, maybe you want the snappy power. But on the other hand, low range in the Teryx is much lower so IDK.

The build quality on the Teryx is superb. It's built like what a Yamaha owner or a Honda owner would expect. IT has huge axles, quality electrical connectors. I thoroughly go through my bikes when they are new and di-electric grease the electrical components as we ride in a lot of water and mud. Wires and connections look good, so do the grounds and most vents. I was not impressed with the older Teryx 2 seaters and thought they felt "cheap" compared to my Rhino. The new Teryx4 is a completely different and better machine.

Take a look at under the dast. I had to remove some fasteners to get to this point (which could be a negative) but I will group this as a positive because it shields the electronics much better than the Rhino which has the dash just wide open.



You can see that everything looks sturdy and well thought out. Notice how all the ground wires come together. The dash panel covers all of this and drops down well below that round tubing and fits snugly against the inner fender and firewall. I believe this will better protect the electronics from mud and water splashing. Did you notice how high the engine air intake is situated in the car?



They say you don't want to get water in a Kawasaki twin cylinder motor, and I have no intentions of trying that out. Again, I like how the intake is well shielded and high in the chassis. The Rhino 700 also has a good air intake that is pretty high, but it is not all that well shielded. If you hit deeper puddles at speed, the Rhino would get water in the airbox. It was never a problem and easy to drain but if you didn't keep an eye on it, you could get in a bind.

Overall, the Teryx4 800 has a lot of strong components. The radiator is huge and easy to get at for cleaning (hint hint Yamaha).


The Bad

This Teryx will be a pain to work on. There, I said it!

Just getting to the engine took me like 45 minutes of removing the seats which are bolted in (the seat bases come out for under-seat storage with a lever kinda like the Rhino), but to take the seat out requires 4 10mm bolts per seat. Then to get the center console out, there are around a dozen plastic rivets (the same ones that are used on the Rhino to hold the CVT exhaust vent to the roll cage). Then you have to really work at wiggling that console out of the car as it gets hung on the emergency brake and the dash and it was just generally a pain. I am used to popping out the seats on my Rhino and then lifting the console up and out for unrestricted access to the motor.

Once you finally get that console out, then there are several thick rubber sheets that lay on top of the motor and snap together. I suppose this is for sound and steam insulation. These pieces were also somewhat difficult to get lined back up for re-installation of the console.

Look what is under the center console. Notice the rubber shields.




Remove them and this is what you see.



After all that, you still do not have a clear view of the engine or clutch. Do not take for granted how quickly and easily accessible the engine is on your Yamaha Rhino 700!

Speaking of which, the Teryx doesn't come with a basic tool kit like the Rhino. Don't expect to pull this console or get to the spark plugs on the trail without a couple of basic tools.

Also, the CVT belt housing does not come with a drain plug!

The charging system is not very robust, either. My best research shows the Teryx to have a 350-380w stator, while the Rhino 700 has over 400w of power.


Overall

Who knows! I just got this machine and just got my paws on it to see what it was really like. If you want, I can post up some further thoughts in a few months after I really put it through the wringer. But so far, I'm really digging it. Yamaha should make a nice 4 seater like this.



You guys have fun.
And don't laugh at me too hard if I break down.

Let me know if you have any braking issues with it.
My buddy just bought the 2 seater for his daughter and when we went riding this last Saturday she was climbing a hill and got scared and stopped half way up the hill.
once she pushed on the brakes the machine slid down backwards pretty fast and the rear brakes would not hold, we tried it forward and they would lock right up and skid but backward didn't even try to lock up.
even on flat ground we would get going in reverse and hit the brakes and the same thing, only the fronts would skid but in forward they would all lock up.
Kawasaki told him it was a front to rear weight ratio thing but we call Bullshit, it's very unsafe if you climb a hill and can't make it then you want all wheels to stop and not slide to the bottom of the hill and possibly roll.
Just something to check.
thanks

Thanks for the update chris,nice ride!

No issues with the brakes.
This has the wet brake like a lot of the later Kawasaki utility wheelers and front discs. The brakes do not feel quite as progressive as the Yamaha 4 wheel disc brake system; however, the brakes are plenty strong. I went up some pretty good inclines trying out the 4WD, so I had to stop when it spun out in 2WD to shift into 4WD. The brakes held fine.

Very NICE Chris. How is the in cab noise compared to the rhino ?

She has the same wet brake in the rear, the park brake lever in the rear also moves when pushing on the brakes which activates the cam inside.
The slave cylinder pushes a cam with 6 bearings inside that slide out when applying pressure.
Just saying you might want to check it out next time you are in it without the 4 wheel locked in.
Scared the Hell out of us

The Teryx is quieter idling and at very slow speeds compared to a stock Rhino 700. I'm not sure if it because the twin cylinder has a deeper tone or what, but the Teryx is quieter for stuff around the yard.

Inside the cab, the noise definitely gets up there as the speed increases. It's drivetrain noise. I'd say it is similar to a Rhino once you get up to 15-20mph.

The Polaris Ranger 900 is the quietest vehicle I know of.

Thanks Man ! Keep us posted !

Very nice ride and wonderful write up.

nice Chris  like the look of new ride , now on the laughing   thing can't say I won't  but I will help any way I can but still be laughing:lol!:        told you

Just wondering Chris, does the family like dumping off into those big-ole mud-holes you like so well? Nice looking ride all the same, have fun with it.

its good to get an honest review...Thanks Chris!  So many times all you hear is "This new thing i bought is so much better than my old thing."  And you dont really get a good representation of how good or bad it is because the guy is basically trying to sell himself on it still.  I have many times thought about getting the T-4.  But it really would just be to big for where i ride.  I could widen my trails and go through all of that.....but the Rhino does what i need it to do and its way cheaper 

Thanks for sharing!!!

Well, I can't believe my eyes!!! It's pretty tho. Seems like I would have got a text over this from my buddy!!! Lol. 

Good buy tho. We had one on A ride the other night and he bought me for a spin. Seats were really comfy and rode very well. I know we always looking for the next upgrade or next big thing, and Chris found a big one. Congrats on the new machine. Now, get it muddy!!!

great writeup and pics chris, glade u like it and nice to hear from ya keep it up and stay in touch with us

chuddly wrote:

its good to get an honest review...Thanks Chris!  So many times all you hear is "This new thing i bought is so much better than my old thing."  And you dont really get a good representation of how good or bad it is because the guy is basically trying to sell himself on it still.  I have many times thought about getting the T-4.  But it really would just be to big for where i ride.  I could widen my trails and go through all of that.....but the Rhino does what i need it to do and its way cheaper 

Key word, cheaper!
Full disclosure, I wrote a check for $18K after taxes and fees to put this Teryx on my trailer. Talk about a gut check! I could have written this on our farm account and saved about $1500 in sales tax, but being self employed puts me at a little higher risk of being audited, and justifying this to Uncle Sam might not be so easy when it doesn't even stay at the ranch or get used but a few times a year for actual work. The outgoing 750cc Teryx4 can be had for about $2500 less in my area, but you miss out on the Fox shocks, the longer stroke 800cc motor, and the LED headlights. Finally, the 800 is geared a little lower than the 750 from what I read, and knowing me, this dude will have some bigger tires.

banchee6 wrote:

Well, I can't believe my eyes!!! It's pretty tho. Seems like I would have got a text over this from my buddy!!! Lol. 

Good buy tho. We had one on A ride the other night and he bought me for a spin. Seats were really comfy and rode very well. I know we always looking for the next upgrade or next big thing, and Chris found a big one. Congrats on the new machine. Now, get it muddy!!!

Eric! You better believe I'm gonna get this thing in the mud and water! That's why I pulled the plastic off a new machine to di-electric grease a bunch of those connections and to look for any weak links. The seats in this bad boy are super comfy, and this 4 seater is going to be a blast for those night rides.







I got around to installing a few beginner mods.

The first was a Warn Provantage 4500-S winch. I have always been a motoalliance customer, having purchased four Viper winches from them in the past few years. The Viper Max 5000 was very nice on my Rhino, and it got a workout.

But this time I wanted to try something new. I got the biggest and baddest winch Warn makes for a wheeler. It came with a dashboard switch, a corded remote, mounting plate, and 50' of synthetic line.



I'm kind of OCD and nuts in the head, so installation took me triple of what it would take a normal person. Once I chose a mounting location for the contactor, I measured and remeasured the heavy battery cable and cut it to length, then wrapped the wires in flexible loom. The winch mounts different on a Teryx4 than it does on a Rhino. The bracket clocks the winch up and 90 degrees rearward (mounting feet facing forward).







The dash mounted switch included with the winch was the wrong switch. The instructions showed a completely different DPDT switch and the wiring harness was not set up as such. I made a call to Warn informing them of the mix-up and they immediatly sent me the correct switch.

But I'm kind of impatient at times. And I had a much cooler double lighted switch on hand from the OTRATTW. With a little custom wiring, I was in business!


Next up was a fused power distribution block. Again, I like my wiring neat and organized, so I found this Blue Sea block that has both a negative and positive buses for up to 12 circuits.





These are not 100% finished pics, so excuse the lack of heat shrink on that one cable on the positive side. This block is hot all the time, which is ok for my use.

My first accessory was a dome light. Gotta start small, you know? lol

ChrisH wrote:

But I'm kind of impatient at times. And I had a much cooler double lighted switch on hand from the OTRATTW. With a little custom wiring, I was in business!

Next up was a fused power distribution block. Again, I like my wiring neat and organized, so I found this Blue Sea block that has both a negative and positive buses for up to 12 circuits.

Great job, Chris  
Steve S would be proud!!!

lookin good...im gonna send you radiator shields

I know what you mean about SUCKS there is no CVT drain plug. My little brothers 750 used to get stuck in the creek all the time when we would ride and he would try to hang with the rhino. The CVT exhaust at the back of the motor was really low and water would get in it and then the belt would get wet and slip like crazy. I am pretty sure they changed this since then his was a 2010-2011 or at least I hope they did as much as you play in the water. V-Twin is a different animal always hiding its potential till you need it then it shows up to play!

08Rhino450SE wrote:

ChrisH wrote:

But I'm kind of impatient at times. And I had a much cooler double lighted switch on hand from the OTRATTW. With a little custom wiring, I was in business!

Next up was a fused power distribution block. Again, I like my wiring neat and organized, so I found this Blue Sea block that has both a negative and positive buses for up to 12 circuits.

Great job, Chris  
Steve S would be proud!!!

Darn Tootin' I'm proud! Chris, you have been a very busy boy. All very nice work. Now you just have to figure out what you are going to do with the 11 empty fuse slots, eh?

FYI Chris...ScottWv knows a lot bout the trex, he keeps his dads runnin, he is a great resource to call, plus 1 hell of a helpful guy. I don't know shit but know people who do...lmao

The CVT intake and exhaust on the Teryx look about on par with a stock Rhino 700. They are vented a couple of inches above seat height. So just like on the Rhino, if your butt is getting wet, then you need to get to high ground QUICK! This is about 30" above the ground. It works OK for me for most rides.

The no CVT drain is just ignorant. Heaven knows I used it plenty on my Rhino. But that was mostly because my Muzzys kept melting my CVT pipes or deforming them to the point where the tube didn't fit properly in the rubber coupler and they'd leak bad. That was the only thing I truly did not like about the Rhino 700 - the exhaust routing. Even stock motor and stock exhaust burns those CVT tubes and the next thing you know you got a wet belt in just over floorboard deep water! UGH!

When I pulled the console out of my new Teryx to look at all this engineering and find out how deep I could go, I noticed something peculiar: There is an O2 sensor in the exhaust header! I read around on the 'net and these buggys have a closed loop fuel injection system. I don't know of the capability for adjustment but it appears there is real time auto tune going on.

thePayne wrote:

I know what you mean about SUCKS there is no CVT drain plug. My little brothers 750 used to get stuck in the creek all the time when we would ride and he would try to hang with the rhino. The CVT exhaust at the back of the motor was really low and water would get in it and then the belt would get wet and slip like crazy. I am pretty sure they changed this since then his was a 2010-2011 or at least I hope they did as much as you play in the water. V-Twin is a different animal always hiding its potential till you need it then it shows up to play!

I just have two questions...after ALL THAT PAPER you dropped on the rhino...would a four-seater cage not been more econimical ?? ...and...are there any openings , or , room in the parsonage ???  My gig doesn't let me play as much !!!


AND ,  just so EVERYBODY KNOWS...my last statement , wuzz said in jest !!!!

Scott, how dare you come into MY OWN FORUM and bring that logic? 
:-)

Chris  nice work as usually from u , keep the build up pics coming