2014 Rzr 4 800 Review

2014 Rzr 4 800 Review

REVIVING A 2010 POLARIS RZR 4 800

It has now been over a decade since Robby Gordon chopped and stretched one of the original Polaris RZR 800s and turned it into a pit cart for getting around at the NASCAR racetracks where he was competing. Polaris immediately put the concept into production and started a segment as popular as any in the sport. Over the years Robby has also helped Arctic Cat develop a great sport machine in the Wildcat XX, and now has ventured out and started building his own branded UTV called the Speed SxS.

We still see those original Robby Gordon Edition RZRs out there and recently had one in our shop for a once-over and a little TLC. This specimen had over 5000 miles on it. It still ran well but had a few issues. Here's what reviving a 2010 Polaris RZR 4 800 involved.

The GBC Dirt Commanders are smooth-rolling and very durable. Some Yamaha and Polaris machines come with these premium tires as an upgrade. They worked great on the RZR 800.

MAINTENANCE TIME

Our main order of business was to put some new rubber on this RZR, so while we had the wheels off, we did some much-needed maintenance. After greasing all of the suspension bushings, we added a couple pumps to each wheel bearing. We used the Machine Integrations wheel-bearing greaser. What a time-saver! The fresh grease will hold us over a few more miles until we change out the wheel bearings with new parts from All Balls Racing. Although this car didn't need it, you can replace all of the A-arm bushings and shock bushings with new products from Energy Suspension for under $200. Energy Suspension also has sway-bar bushings and motor mounts for this and most Polaris models.

Machined Integrations makes these handy wheel-bearing greasers that help with maintenance of any UTV wheel bearing. The $43 tool can save you hundreds in new bearings.

At each corner, we installed a new set of DP brake pads, which you can find at Dennis Kirk. The brake rotors were slightly grooved but not severely, so we left them alone. Dennis Kirk does sell rotors for this machine and most others. Brake pads for this RZR have a retail price of $37.95 for the front or rear at www.denniskirk.com.

To bring back a little shine to the RZR, we went back to an old favorite—Maxima's SC1 spray. Not only does it make your machine look great, it smells good, too.

TIRES

Since this machine has been retired as a trail machine, it has become a neighborhood cruiser and the tires have taken a beating. In fact, several sets were worn through on a mix of hardpack dirt, asphalt and concrete. The owner wanted something a little smoother-rolling, so we ordered up a set of GBC's Dirt Commanders. This is the same tire that comes stock on several Yamaha and Polaris recreational machines.

The tire has a uniform tread patten that rolls super smooth and has great traction in all conditions. We mounted the meats on the stock Polaris wheels and stayed with the stock 26×9-12 front ($160.04) and 26X11-12 ($185.62) rear sizing. With a machine this old, you don't want to tax the drivetrain and suspension components with tall, heavy tires.

Right away, we loved the difference the GBC's made. The machine actually rolled smoother and quieter than it had in years. The traction is so predictable, you can slide the machine without fear of tipping or climb up steep off-camber trails with full confidence.

Yuasa batteries come stock in a variety of brand-new machines. You can get them as a replacement for every UTV made. Find a dealer at www.yuasabatteries.com. If we ever run into a machine that's giving us starting problems, we keep an Antigravity Batteries jump-starter in the glove box.

BATTERY

As the chassis and motor had been abused over the years, so had the electrical system, lights, audio, etc. Multiple batteries had been replaced. For the next chapter of this RZR's life, we installed a made-in-the-USA Yuasa YTX20HL battery, which is fresh-pack maintenance-free, Absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) unit. With 310 cold-cranking amps, the battery fires up the old RZR better than new. The battery was slightly smaller than the stocker, so it fit in the stock battery compartment easily. This battery does what it needs to; the machine starts every day, and we love it. You can get Yuasa batteries at Dennis Kirk for around $75.

GBC Motorsports has tire choices from mild to wild no matter what type of terrain you ride in. For all-around comfort and traction on machines with not much power, the Dirt Commander will provide that. If your dealer doesn't carry them, visit www.greenballtires.com.

VERDICT

If you are nursing an old machine like this along, there are plenty of resources for parts to help you out. The new products we installed make each portion run and work as well as possible. If you need to get deeper into changing parts out but need to do it on a budget, Power Sports Nation ([420] 371-7002) can help as well. PSN stocks a huge inventory of used, mostly OEM, parts that you might need. From tires and shocks to engine parts and axles, they have it all; however, for the consumable parts that we installed on this Robby Gordon RZR, GBC, DP Brakes and Yuasa were the right places to go. Our machine drives better with fewer rattles, and the battery cranks it over like new. We can't wait to see this machine in another 5000 miles.

One item that was the most worse for wear on this ride were the brake pads. We swapped out the stockers with new ones from DP Brakes, and it now stops better than new.

CONTACT:

GBC Tires: www.gbcmotorsports.com

Yuasa: www.yuasabatteries.com, (866) 431-4784

Machined Integrations:
www.machinedintegrations.com, (603) 420.8871

DP Brakes: www.denniskirk.com, (800) 969-7501

Energy Suspension: www.energysuspension.com,

(888) 406-2330

Power Sports Nation: www.powersportsnation.com, (420) 371-7002

All Balls Racing: www.allballsracing.com,

[email protected]

See UTV Action's guide to the best used UTVs here: https://utvactionmag.com/used-utvs/

2014 Rzr 4 800 Review

Source: https://utvactionmag.com/2010-polaris-rzr-4-800-robby-gordon-edition/

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