****JavaScript based drop down DHTML menu generated by NavStudio. (OpenCube
Inc. - http://www.opencube.com)****
Sport UTVs:
DuneFest 2010
View of DuneFest 2010 from the top of Banshee Hill
The five-day 2010 DuneFest
event was filled with fun
activities for the whole
family including ATV & UTV
Racing, Sand Drags, Poker
Run, Treasure Hunt, Show N’
Shine, Drive-In Movie Night,
Charity Auction, Freestyle
Shows and evening
entertainment featuring Rock
The Dunes on Friday and
Saturday nights.
Vendor
Row was packed with
businesses offering the
latest in ATV and UTV parts
and accessories, clothing,
crafts, and food booths.
Other than some paddle
tires from
Fullerton Sand Sports
and mirrors from
Axia Alloys, the
Commander was completely
stock. I put about 100 miles
on the Commander over the
weekend, and also displayed
it in the vendor area with
Got Sand? The Commander
does great in the dunes.
Lots of power (I went up
Banshee Hill several times)
and a smooth ride. The
shocks are pretty good for
stock. Smooth ride, but when
you get aggressive, you can
g-out just like any other
factory shock. I really like
the Fox shocks on the 1000
X. They are top of the line
and if I had my choice I
would get these.
Unfortunately the 1000 X
won’t be available until
later this Fall.
It will be fun to see who
can get long travel done in
time for the
Sand Sports Super Show
next month. My Commander
will be in our booth as well
as my
race Teryx.
I did line up with a
stock RZR S and race up a
pretty steep/long hill. We
both had paddles, but the
Commander needs a little
clutch work to really shine
with the 26″ Sand Blasters.
The Commander was just ahead
of the RZR S most of the way
up until the last bit. The
Commander just kept going
(nice torque) and the RZR S
slowed down considerably.
There is a YouTube video
that one of the
RZRForums.net guys took, but
it is real far away and hard
to see what I am talking
about. The RZR guys are all
happy that the RZR didn’t
lose by much, and it is
funny to read the “brand
loyalty” on some of the
forums. In my opinion, the
RZR S and Commander 1000 are
both great machines, but
they are really not in the
same class – sport vs.
sport/utility.
Can-Am, Yamaha, Arctic Cat and Kawasaki were all there with their
newest ATVs & UTVs and most were giving demo rides. As you can imagine,
Can-Am was swamped with demo rides for the Commander. These events are a
great opportunity to take different UTVs out for a spin to see how they
feel instead of just looking them over in a dealer showroom.
Can-Am, Yamaha, Arctic Cat and Kawasaki were all there with their
UTVs and ATVs
I also hooked up with
Muzzys and took their
850cc RZR and
999cc Teryx out for a spin. Both setups are big improvements over
stock, but the 999cc big bore Teryx is in a class by itself. I ran
around a bit in the Teryx while Rob tried out the Commander. After Rob
headed back to camp I headed over to Banshee Hill. First I tried it in
4WD just to get the feel. Wow, that was impressive. Headed back down and
put it in 2WD to see what would happen. It flew right up almost as fast
in 2WD as in 4WD. The torque is HUGE. If you have a Teryx and want to go
fast in the dunes, this setup is for you. Much more power than a stock
Commander 1000. I sure hope to upgrade my 840cc Teryx to this setup this
year. My Commander went home with Muzzys so they could do some R&D on an
exhaust. Stay tuned for that. Just like all the other UTVs, Muzzys will
have the best setup for performance and sound.
Muzzys 999cc Big Bore Kawasaki Teryx
Muzzys 850cc Big Bore Polaris RZR
The racing was pretty entertaining.
Tractor pulls. Last Man Standing. Rules
are real lose. Pretty much just put a
helmet on and run what you brung. Eric
Nichols won the Last Man Standing UTV
race in his MCX Turbo Polaris RZR S.
Only thing they need to think about is
splitting up the turbos in their own
class. Kind of hard to put a turbo RZR
in the same class as a Teryx or Rhino.
And the Redline single seater shouldn’t
have been able to compete in a SxS race.
They did have some pretty cool prizes
and there wasn’t a ton of competitors.
Last Man Standing UTV Race
Eric Nichols won the race in his MCX Turbo Polaris RZR S
Overall, I had a great time at DuneFest 2010. It is a well organized
event with lots to do, and the dunes are filled with UTVs. For additional
information go to
www.dunefest.com or call the Reedsport/Winchester Bay
Chamber of Commerce (541) 271-3495 or (800) 247-2155.
