| UTV Off-Road Magazines Eliminator
When Can-Am challenged UTV Off-Road Magazine and four other media outlets to a build-off competition centered around their all-new turbocharged Maverick X ds, we were excited to showcase their new offering. The new 121hp Side-by-Side is an industry first, built for speed. To us, this kind of performance is perfect for the dunes and wide-open desert, which just so happens to be the majority of our driving time. With that in mind, we set out to build what we think is the best looking and functional driving Maverick around, suited for this type of terrain.
What Would You Do To A Maverick? #WWYD2AM For this competition, the five media outlets would get their hands on the first 2015 Can-Am Maverick 1000R Turbo X ds prior to dealers or other media outlets. This would give us about a month to build our vision of the ultimate Maverick Turbo. The completed builds would be showcased on Can-Ams Facebook page to be voted on against the four other custom built Mavericks.
The Build We were contacted by Can-Am while we were at the First Annual UTV Dune Invasion in St. Anthony Idaho Dunes. We spent some time driving in the sand in a turbo and non-turbo machine, and it was obvious what our Maverick had to be. Dunes are fun, but there is no comparison when you add a turbo. Horsepower is everything in the sand, and the extra torque that the new Maverick has would be beneficial climbing the big dunes. It is built for dunes and wide-open desert, and we think this is Can-Ams primary target for their new flagship sport Side-by-Side. Shortly after getting the call from Can-Am, we searched out Doug Tyler from TMW Off-Road to see if he would be interested in taking on the project. TMW primarily focuses on Polaris RZRs — and they build amazing XP 1000s — but they decided to take on this project with us. We knew with TMWs style and attention to detail that this Maverick Turbo would turn some heads while out on the trail or in the dunes. And, of course, we couldnt have completed the build without the help of our amazing partners. In addition to TMWs craftsmanship, we added products from companies that we feel are some of the best in the industry.
To start the build, TMW Off-Road kept the 2-inch diameter cage that is seen on the factory Maverick. Keeping the Maverick tough looking in appearance adds to its powerful stance. TMW kept similar lines on factory B-pillars but added their own flare and lowered the cage for a sleeker look. Holding close to their signature style they are known for on their RZR cages, the lines flow down and attach to the rear bumper and tie into the rear frame section just behind the rear differential. All of TMWs cages open at each intersecting tube, allowing accessory wire to be run through the cage. Since this Maverick has the addition of the intercooler positioned between the driver and passenger seats, adding a harness bar was a challenge. Their elegant solution routed the bar around the intercooler, keeping the mounting points low where they should be for the harnesses.
On the front of the Maverick, TMW kept it simple on the front bumper, keeping it tight to the front as possible. Approach angles are important when off-roading, and the last thing you want to happen is to get hung up on an obstacle before your tires even get a chance to do their work. TMWs bumper is set back from the front tires to ensure it doesnt touch the cliff wall first upon approach. Once the cage and bumpers were complete, TMW sent the parts off to the powdercoater to get a bright, two-stage Shocker metallic candy green color.
After stripping the new Turbo Maverick down, TMW began the installation of our aftermarket parts. A Trinity Racing Stage 5 Dual exhaust was installed, along with a Rockford Fosgate audio system, lighted LED whips from Smart Whips, KC HiLiTES 40 C Series LED light Bar, Flex Series LED lights on the front bumper and green KC Cyclone LED accent lights on the underside of the Maverick. We added some great accessories from Assault Industries, including their Stealth Series panoramic center mirror, side mirrors with green bezel, helmet locks, suede steering wheel with green stitching, fire extinguisher/mount, and their heavy duty Maverick tie rods.
To give our Maverick some extra ground clearance while exploring the desert floor, we mounted up 30 GMZ Kahuna tires wrapped around their LiteLok beadlock wheels. When we visit the sand bowl of Glamis or other dunes, a set of 28-14 STU Razor Blaster tires out front and a set STU Sand Blasters 28-14 cut paddles in the rear from Fullerton Sand Sports would give the 121-hp Turbo Maverick the much needed bit in the sand. For a strong and great looking wheel for our sand tires, we went with OMF Performance NXG Billet center beadlock wheel.
For style and trail comfort, a set of Triple X Seats was added. Some modification to the factory seat bases was necessary to fit the oversized seats. Driver and passenger are held in securely with Can-Am 4-point harnesses. A factory Can-Am dash-mounted Garmin Montana 650t GPS was mounted using Can-Am dash console to keep track of our adventures and provide guidance for our journey back to camp. For helmet-to-helmet communication between driver and passenger or between vehicles, we outfitted our helmets with UClear HBC100 Plus powersports helmet communication system.
To complete the build, we added a set of beautifully engineered DragonFire Maverick HiBoy doors with Slam-Shut latches complete with locking lever. The final build would all come together with a vehicle wrap from Wolf Designs. Wolf Designs brought out the best of the Maverick green signature color and added their own green theme graphics. The custom graphics are printed on a metallic vinyl that turns any color into a bright candy color. The candy graphics complement the candy green powdercoat on the cage, bumper and suspension components.
If you like Eliminator from UTV Off-Road Magazine, then head over to Can-Am Offroads Facebook page and vote. http://bit.ly/WWYD2AM
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How to submit your UTV Send and email tojon@utvguide.net with specifications and images. Images should be about 800×600 and less than 100k each. Make sure you include a list of modifications along with manufacturer info. |
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