I’m working on a sxs collection!

[Tflynn]

first I want to say, I’ll never get rid of my 700. It is still in my opinion the best rig out there...for what it’s designed for. That being said, over the past year or two the 700 was leaving me wanting more in the trail riding department. Suspension travel and “altitude sickness” (2014 owners know what that is) were two things that I just couldn’t fix to my satisfaction.

So I decided it was time for a trail only machine, but still keep my beloved 700 for ranch work of course. I considered a p1000 but decided against it for a few reasons. I’m still leery about the transmission after seeing what so many of you had to go through, even though they allegedly have a fix for it, we’ll see on that. Then there was the water ingestion thing. Then I’d have to buy shocks for it, chop the cage, get full skids, has anyone put bucket seats in one of these?? Because I want those too, etc. All of these things are fixable/doable but shoot when you add up the time and money, the p1k just wasn’t calling my name.

So, if it was not going to be a Honda, because there’s ONLY TWO CHOICES!! (Honda are you listening?) that meant it was going to have to be a ...belt drive ugh. When it comes to belt drive there’s only one manufacturer that knows how to do it right and that is Yamaha. Now the choice was clear, it would be a Wolverine RSPEC.

This is a 2018 with the proven 708 engine and more suspension travel then the new X2 with the 850

I must say this thing is awesome off road. Perfect suspension, good power (to me anyway), awesome brakes, responsive steering, bucket seats, ton of storage, the list goes on! I wish Honda had a comparable machine but as we know, they dont.

 

[Plumber32]

first I want to say, I’ll never get rid of my 700. It is still in my opinion the best rig out there...for what it’s designed for. That being said, over the past year or two the 700 was leaving me wanting more in the trail riding department. Suspension travel and “altitude sickness” (2014 owners know what that is) were two things that I just couldn’t fix to my satisfaction.

So I decided it was time for a trail only machine, but still keep my beloved 700 for ranch work of course. I considered a p1000 but decided against it for a few reasons. I’m still leery about the transmission after seeing what so many of you had to go through, even though they allegedly have a fix for it, we’ll see on that. Then there was the water ingestion thing. Then I’d have to buy shocks for it, chop the cage, get full skids, has anyone put bucket seats in one of these?? Because I want those too, etc. All of these things are fixable/doable but shoot when you add up the time and money, the p1k just wasn’t calling my name.

So, if it was not going to be a Honda, because there’s ONLY TWO CHOICES!! (Honda are you listening?) that meant it was going to have to be a ...belt drive ugh. When it comes to belt drive there’s only one manufacturer that knows how to do it right and that is Yamaha. Now the choice was clear, it would be a Wolverine RSPEC.

View attachment 79097

This is a 2018 with the proven 708 engine and more suspension travel then the new X2 with the 850

I must say this thing is awesome off road. Perfect suspension, good power (to me anyway), awesome brakes, responsive steering, bucket seats, ton of storage, the list goes on! I wish Honda had a comparable machine but as we know, they dont.

Congrats awsome machine. I'm considering snagging one up before they are gone.

 

[Tflynn]

Congrats awsome machine. I'm considering snagging one up before they are gone.

Thank you. Coming from a 700 it’s got great power but I think coming from a 1000 it might feel a bit underpowered. But I really like it and seems very well built. Clean welds, great fit and finish, and so much fun!! Can’t say enough about the suspension

 

[Plumber32]

Thank you. Coming from a 700 it’s got great power but I think coming from a 1000 it might feel a bit underpowered. But I really like it and seems very well built. Clean welds, great fit and finish, and so much fun!! Can’t say enough about the suspension

Yep. I've spent some pretty good time in one, @CumminsPusher out west, and my brother picked one up a few months back. Very capable machine.

 

[CumminsPusher]

Yep. I've spent some pretty good time in one, @CumminsPusher out west, and my brother picked one up a few months back. Very capable machine.

f***

 

[DG Rider]

f***

@CumminsPusher...a man of few words.

 

[DG Rider]

I'm reluctant to say until I peek at one, but as awesome as the old X2 was, the new one might be better suited to my needs.

 

[CumminsPusher]

Congratulations @Tflynn We really like the Wolverine it’s an awesome machine! Perfect everything for the woods

 

[Tigermark]

first I want to say, I’ll never get rid of my 700. It is still in my opinion the best rig out there...for what it’s designed for. That being said, over the past year or two the 700 was leaving me wanting more in the trail riding department. Suspension travel and “altitude sickness” (2014 owners know what that is) were two things that I just couldn’t fix to my satisfaction.

So I decided it was time for a trail only machine, but still keep my beloved 700 for ranch work of course. I considered a p1000 but decided against it for a few reasons. I’m still leery about the transmission after seeing what so many of you had to go through, even though they allegedly have a fix for it, we’ll see on that. Then there was the water ingestion thing. Then I’d have to buy shocks for it, chop the cage, get full skids, has anyone put bucket seats in one of these?? Because I want those too, etc. All of these things are fixable/doable but shoot when you add up the time and money, the p1k just wasn’t calling my name.

So, if it was not going to be a Honda, because there’s ONLY TWO CHOICES!! (Honda are you listening?) that meant it was going to have to be a ...belt drive ugh. When it comes to belt drive there’s only one manufacturer that knows how to do it right and that is Yamaha. Now the choice was clear, it would be a Wolverine RSPEC.

View attachment 79097

This is a 2018 with the proven 708 engine and more suspension travel then the new X2 with the 850

I must say this thing is awesome off road. Perfect suspension, good power (to me anyway), awesome brakes, responsive steering, bucket seats, ton of storage, the list goes on! I wish Honda had a comparable machine but as we know, they dont.

Awesome machine! I spent good seat time in @CumminsPusher machine in Idaho. I want one also before there all gone!

 

[Tflynn]

Awesome machine! I spent good seat time in @CumminsPusher machine in Idaho. I want one also before there all gone!

You could probably negotiate a good deal on one now that the new X2 is out. I'm sure dealers want to make room for them.

And another thing. I just have to say this forum is so much better than the wolverine forum!

 

[CumminsPusher]

You could probably negotiate a good deal on one now that the new X2 is out. I'm sure dealers want to make room for them.

And another thing. I just have to say this forum is so much better than the wolverine forum!

Lol. I did sign up over there to look at a couple things before we purchased but didn’t seem to be much going on. Not really anything cool and no shenanigans

 

[Tigermark]

You could probably negotiate a good deal on one now that the new X2 is out. I'm sure dealers want to make room for them.

And another thing. I just have to say this forum is so much better than the wolverine forum!

That’s cause we’re cool and like to have fun, and accept people for who they are and whatever machine they ride!

 

[Deluxe700]

That’s cause we’re cool and like to have fun, and accept people for who they are and whatever machine they ride!

I couldn't agree more @Tigermark ...More like a bunch of friends.

Let us know how you get along with that "rubberband" drive on the Yamaha and how it is compared to the trans on the P700. I do agree that Yamaha has the best machine out there after the Honda's. If I couldn't have bought a Honda, then Yamaha would have been my 2nd choice.
Congrats on the new Machine..

 

[Choogsbro]

Lol. I did sign up over there to look at a couple things before we purchased but didn’t seem to be much going on. Not really anything cool and no shenanigans

Join hotrodforums.net. James makes many performance add-ons for Yamahas. Those D-bags that run the wolverine forum are bunch of dicks. Not the members just the guys running it. At least that's my opinion for what it's worth. If you slug the wolverine wet clutch and use James milled sheave with his set-up you'll love the Wolverine even more.

 

[Choogsbro]

Another must for the Wolverine is the JBS radiator guards.

 

[Tflynn]

I couldn't agree more @Tigermark ...More like a bunch of friends.

Let us know how you get along with that "rubberband" drive on the Yamaha and how it is compared to the trans on the P700. I do agree that Yamaha has the best machine out there after the Honda's. If I couldn't have bought a Honda, then Yamaha would have been my 2nd choice.
Congrats on the new Machine..

After spending a little more time with the rubber band drive (RBD) I thought I'd try to answer this.

First the good points of a RBD-
1. You always have instant power. No lugging the motor waiting for a shift (this is why I always recommend people get a deluxe 700 with paddles)
2. There is a low range, very nice
3. I don't know for a fact, but I believe I read something somewhere that said RBD's put power to the ground more efficiently. This feels true on the butt dyno although I can't say for sure because I might just be feeling the 20hp advantage the wolverine has.

And the bad-
1. It's noisy. Certain engine speeds are worse then others but there's always a whine
2. From a dead stop I think the P700 engages smoother. The more abrupt engagement of the RBD can be an asset on the trail but annoying when trying to inch it up a bit while parking it in the shop. But putting it in low range does help.
3. And finally, the RBD does have a lifespan. People have reported getting 8000 miles or more on a belt (only on a Yamaha that is) which is great. But my p700 transmission will last longer.

 

[CumminsPusher]

After spending a little more time with the rubber band drive (RBD) I thought I'd try to answer this.

First the good points of a RBD-
1. You always have instant power. No lugging the motor waiting for a shift (this is why I always recommend people get a deluxe 700 with paddles)
2. There is a low range, very nice
3. I don't know for a fact, but I believe I read something somewhere that said RBD's put power to the ground more efficiently. This feels true on the butt dyno although I can't say for sure because I might just be feeling the 20hp advantage the wolverine has.

And the bad-
1. It's noisy. Certain engine speeds are worse then others but there's always a whine
2. From a dead stop I think the P700 engages smoother. The more abrupt engagement of the RBD can be an asset on the trail but annoying when trying to inch it up a bit while parking it in the shop. But putting it in low range does help.
3. And finally, the RBD does have a lifespan. People have reported getting 8000 miles or more on a belt (only on a Yamaha that is) which is great. But my p700 transmission will last longer.

From some people I’ve heard it doesn’t have enough power or speed. My experience with one in the woods is that it’s pretty on point, always predictable and plenty.
So let me ask you how you’ve felt about power/speed from the machine.

 

[Tflynn]

From some people I’ve heard it doesn’t have enough power or speed. My experience with one in the woods is that it’s pretty on point, always predictable and plenty.
So let me ask you how you’ve felt about power/speed from the machine.

I have been completely satisfied with the power and speed of the wolverine. 52 mph is plenty fast enough for me even in the high desert. And if one day it isn't, I know I can get over 60mph with a few mods. I've been happy with the power and I'm still in the break in period so I've been really trying to baby it. In fact I've never even floored it yet, talk about self control! It's never hesitated or bogged on a hill and it's always broke the rear tires loose when I wanted to so I can't ask for much more than that. The power difference at high altitude is just night and day compared to the p700. I'm sure someone from the pure sport world would say it's under powered but for me and my type of riding it's great.

What did you think of the new 850 compared to the 708?

 

[CumminsPusher]

I have been completely satisfied with the power and speed of the wolverine. 52 mph is plenty fast enough for me even in the high desert. And if one day it isn't, I know I can get over 60mph with a few mods. I've been happy with the power and I'm still in the break in period so I've been really trying to baby it. In fact I've never even floored it yet, talk about self control! It's never hesitated or bogged on a hill and it's always broke the rear tires loose when I wanted to so I can't ask for much more than that. The power difference at high altitude is just night and day compared to the p700. I'm sure someone from the pure sport world would say it's under powered but for me and my type of riding it's great.

What did you think of the new 850 compared to the 708?

Motor was smooth and quiet, in fact the machine overall was quieter then the p1000 even but I didn’t like the drive-by-wire and power just didn’t seem there for what it’s supposed to have. I think the 708 might out drag it honestly (at least the 4-seater we drove which is heavier) Steering didn’t have enough input. Except for quality and quietness (and of course those damn nice buckets like the wolvie) I wasn’t impressed. Suspension was much better then stock Pioneer but NOTHING like the R-Spec.
We love the little Wolverine but just didn’t the 850. Looked into 850 x4 seriously when having problems with P1000 but we went another Pioneer for a reason.
For the money I think one of the best rigs in the woods if only two seats are needed is what you just bought, it just comes setup with everything. I would NOT trade ours for the 850-4. It’s just a blast.
Maybe the x2 850 is better and maybe the x4 R-Spec when it comes out would be better but I figure just better suspension.

 

[Choogsbro]

After spending a little more time with the rubber band drive (RBD) I thought I'd try to answer this.

First the good points of a RBD-
1. You always have instant power. No lugging the motor waiting for a shift (this is why I always recommend people get a deluxe 700 with paddles)
2. There is a low range, very nice
3. I don't know for a fact, but I believe I read something somewhere that said RBD's put power to the ground more efficiently. This feels true on the butt dyno although I can't say for sure because I might just be feeling the 20hp advantage the wolverine has.

And the bad-
1. It's noisy. Certain engine speeds are worse then others but there's always a whine
2. From a dead stop I think the P700 engages smoother. The more abrupt engagement of the RBD can be an asset on the trail but annoying when trying to inch it up a bit while parking it in the shop. But putting it in low range does help.
3. And finally, the RBD does have a lifespan. People have reported getting 8000 miles or more on a belt (only on a Yamaha that is) which is great. But my p700 transmission will last longer.

JBS extreme sheave kit with od weights and slug the clutch and it will crawl.