By Jon Crowley
When it comes to rock crawling in a UTV, some of the things I look for are how large of a tire can I run and what’s the low range like. Most people want to share the experience with a passenger so the advantages of a single-seat UTV are often overlooked. As the only high performance, 4 wheel-drive, single-seat UTV ever produced, the Polaris RZR RS1 is quite unique.
Polaris RZR RS1
The Polaris RZR RS1 was introduced in early 2018 as a high-performance, single-seat sport UTV designed for aggressive off-road enthusiasts. It featured a 110-horsepower ProStar 1000 H.O. engine, a compact 83-inch wheelbase, and a 64-inch width, providing exceptional agility and handling. The RS1’s center-cockpit design offered enhanced visibility and driver engagement, making it popular among racers and solo trail riders.
Polaris RZR RS1
Polaris continued production of the RZR RS1 through the 2019 model year. However, by 2022, the RS1 was no longer featured in Polaris’ current lineup and was listed under a “Non Current” category on their website, indicating that it had been discontinued. Despite its relatively short production run, the RZR RS1 remains a sought-after model in the used UTV market, appreciated for its unique single-seat configuration and performance-oriented design.
Its suspension system features 16 inches of front and 18 inches of rear wheel travel, utilizing Walker Evans needle shocks with 16-position adjustable clickers, ensuring a smooth ride over rough terrain. The center-cockpit design enhances driver visibility and balance, creating a more immersive driving experience.
UTV Pro’s Polaris RZR RS1 build at Sand Hollow
Building the Ultimate Rock Crawler
As a base unit for building a rock crawler, the RS1 has several things going for it:
- Single-seat design has incredible visibility
- Availability of parts for upgrade
- Front differential is strong
But for a rock crawling area like Sand Hollow, Utah the RS1 definitely needs a few upgrades. That’s where UTV Pro’s out of Hurricane Utah came into play. The owner of UTV Pro’s is Justin Kee, and he not only runs the business of repairs, maintenance and upgrade of UTVs, he is also an avid rock crawling enthusiast.
Additional wheelbase and width adds stability in the rocks
Justin set about making a serious rock crawler with the RS1 as the base of his creation. From there he and his team stretched the stock 83-inch wheelbase by 20-inches to 103-inches. This is where most of the intricate work comes into play as the entire wire harness, chassis, roll cage and driveline needs to be lengthened. Lengthening a chassis doesn’t see like that much work until you really think about all the details involved!
In addition to the 20-inches of wheelbase, the RS1 also has HCR MTS suspension which adds 6-inches to the overall width
With that huge task accomplished, most of the other enhancements are bolt on including:
- HCR Polaris RS1 Dual-Sport MTS Suspension Kit – adds 3” to wheelbase and adds 6” to overall width while utilizing factory shocks
- Lowered transmission low-range for more control and added belt-life
- Super ATV Rhino 2.0 front axles
- Legion Dynamics rear axle disconnect and rear hand brake
- Customized Sandcraft RCR driveline
- UTV Pros shock upgrades
- PRP harnesses and steering wheel
- Union Graphics wrap
- 37-inch Maxxis Roxzilla tires
- 17-inch MetalFX beadlock wheels
- Custom UHMW skid plate
To learn more about this build and see it in action, watch the video below:
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