Kawasaki Teryx 750 FI Sport Review

Posted on April 13, 2009

2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 FI 4×4 Sport Review

Testing the new Teryx Sport at the Boulders OHV Area near Phoenix

Ride Review:

As the owner of apretty tricked out 2008 Kawasaki Teryx I am very familiar with the Teryx. My Teryx did not stay stock long, but I recently spent three days in a bone stock 2008 Teryx on a ride to the Grand Canyon.

The 2008 Teryx is a great machine, but my biggest complaint was that it came out with carbs instead of fuel injection. In less that a year since the first Teryxs hit dealer floors, Kawasaki dealers are already selling 2009 Teryxs with EFI. The New digital fuel injection on the Teryx is really nice. The engine starts right up and idles smoothly. On acceleration, the 2009 Teryx felt more crisp and seemed to get up to top speed a little quicker. While it is not a night and day difference, I definitely preferred the smooth and consistent power of the EFI on the 2009 over the carburetors on the 2008. In my opinion, a V-twin with digital fuel injection is the best engine for UTVs since they can deliver plenty of smooth continuous power, with instant acceleration and plenty of torque.

Next up on the list of what’s new is a fuel gauge. I know it doesn’t seem like something to get that excited about, but I do some long distance rides, and the fuel level display takes the mystery out of “I wonder how much fuel I have left?”

The Teryx Sport has upgraded aluminum wheels which not only look much better, but are also 2.2 lbs. lighter than the standard steel wheels. Losing unsprung weight not only requires less energy to get the tires spinning, but also helps the suspension work better. And as a little bonus, the aluminum wheels are actually strong that their steel counterpart.

Suspension is on the 2009 Teryx Sport has a few upgrades as well. The gas-charged Kayaba shocks have reservoirs all the way around to help reduce fade in rough terrain. The preload adjustment is step-less, and they havefully adjustable rebound and compression (high and low speed) damping. Although we did not have any opportunities to jump the new Teryx Sport, we did get into some nasty whoops and hard g-outs.

I felt the Teryx Sport suspension handled the terrain better than a standard Teryx suspension. The ride through the light chop was a bit smoother than a standard Teryx and when we got into the whoops I felt a little more comfortable as well. Although I was able to bottom out the front shocks on a few hard g-outs, a standard shock would have gone to the stops more often and with more force. Overall, even though I did not spend any time trying to fine tune the adjustments on the new Sport shocks, I think they are a worthy improvement over standard shocks.

My biggest complaint with the 2009 Teryx Sport has to be the hood. The hood is a one piece design with holes cut out for the roll cage. In order to open the hood, you must remove the roll cage. I sure hope Kawasaki looks at a redesign for 2010.

One other issue I have with the Teryx is the parking brake. It is easy to leave it on when you put it in gear and start driving. There is a warning system on the digital display (the letter “P”), but it is even harder to notice than the amber light on the 2008 Teryx. Some sort of audible alarm or engine cut-off should be implemented to eliminate costly repairs to the sealed rear brake.

The Lime Green plastic on the Teryx Sport is a great color. Much more sharp than the drab green found on the 2008 Teryx. And with all the UTVs out in the dunes in Glamis, there is no doubt that you are in a Kawasaki when you are driving it.

The 2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 FI 4×4 Sport has a MSRP of $11,899 and is available now at Kawasaki dealers.

What’s New for the 2009 Teryx?:

New Digital Fuel Injection system

High output 750cc twin engine now has digital fuel injection, which enhances throttle response and automatically adjusts for changes in temperature and altitude
The fuel injection system (controlled by a 32-bit CPU) continually monitors coolant temperature, air intake temperature, throttle position, air intake pressure, vehicle speed and crankshaft angle to automatically meter out the ideal amount of fuel via two 34mm throttle bodies for extremely stable power delivery regardless of the conditions.
Instantaneous fuel delivery from the fuel injection makes its response sharper than ever.
FI systems permits easy engine starting at low temperature and utilizes an Automatic Idle Speed Control and Automatic Fast Idle function to ensure a smooth engine warm up.
The high-pressure fuel pump located inside the tank features a unique reservoir chamber at the bottom of the fuel pump to ensure air does not get into the fuel system.
Specific Teryx-sized throttle bodies and revised ignition timing have increased low and mid-range torque as well as improved response at higher rpm.
Revised ignition timing when in reverse combined with low-speed operation and deceleration FI settings better enable the engine to deal with increased moisture when driving in shallow water. Timing changed from 5° BTDC @ 1150 to 10° BTDC @ 1100.
Reverse timing changed from 10° to 15 ~ 20° to lower the chances of stalling in reverse if throttle is suddenly closed.

Digital Fuel Injection is standard on the 2009 Kawasaki Teryx

Engine

Increased head intake port volume for improved efficiency and power.

Improved Continuously Variable Transmission

Featuring high and low ranges, plus reverse, the CVT provides a very direct feel from the engine, and instantaneous acceleration ideal characteristics for sport riding.
CVT Retuned for hard acceleration shifting.
Transmission utilizes a high-grade belt thats highly durable and designed to handle the high output of the engine
The CVT Belt Protection System better prevents tire freewheel, has upgraded rock section performance and less belt overloading by adding Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) data into the system. Engages when engine RPM is over 2800 and the wheels have stopped moving. Belt light flashes and engine power is limited when the warning system is activated. Belt light is activated on digital meter. Not active when transmission is in neutral. Releases automatically when wheels start to turn.

Belt Warning System – indicator light continues to flash for five seconds after system deactivates.

For better protection against water entry, the intake and exhaust ducts were changed, with the new exhaust duct opening located higher and the revised intake duct flowing more air to the CVT for better cooling . Exhaust duct is 7.7″ higher than 2008 models.

Intake temperature reduced with heat shielding on the exhaust pipe below the intake duct.
Intake duct size increased from 53mm to 65mm.
All new aluminum CVT cover acts as heat sink for better CVT cooling.

New Airbox design

Increasing air cleaner box volume and changing the ducting shape and length lowered the noise level near riders heads.
Intake duct lengthened from 17mm to 115mm.
Duct opening reduced
New top increases total airbox volume

2008 Airbox vs. 2009 Airbox

Sport-focused Suspension

High-performance, aluminum bodied, single-chamber, adjustable gas-charged Kayaba shocks with piggy-back reservoirsoffer excellent fade-resistant damping performance, even in hard conditions, while providing 7.5 inches of travel.
Sport modelprovides adjustable preload and fully adjustable rebound and compression (high and low speed) damping.
Step-less preload adjustment.

Revised Sway Bar

Torsion bar has been revised for 2009 for better tracking through rough terrain. Inner and outer pipe diameters have been changed:

2008: 25.4 / 19.4 mm
2009: 22.4 / 15.8 mm

Drive Train

CV joints revised to handle additional power.
CV boots are now plastic for increased durabilty.
Drive shafts, U joints and axles – shaft diameters have been increased and splined area hardened.
2WD/4WD shift system is all new – electronic / vacuum shift mechanism.

All Models now come with Tilt Bed

All Models now come with Digital Meter that includes Fuel Level

New fuel level display is a big improvement for 2009.

Parking brake notification is with the letter “P” as shown above. This is even harder to see than the amber light for 2008 so beware!

Revised Fuel Tank

Fuel capacity has decreased from 7.9 gallons to 7.4 gallons. Fuel injections adds high pressure fuel pump and fuel level sending unit for LCD fuel gauge.