Originally published in March 2009. This article has been updated to preserve the history of Paul Hart’s custom Yamaha Rhino and the early days of recreational UTV building, rock crawling and racing.
Long before today’s specialized sport side-by-sides, builders transformed the Yamaha Rhino 660 into everything from a trail machine to a rock crawler and short-course racer. Paul Hart’s heavily modified 2007 Rhino is an excellent example of how versatile these early UTV platforms could be.
This build reflects the extraordinary creativity of the early Rhino aftermarket. Within only a few years of Yamaha introducing the platform, builders were adding custom cages, long-travel suspension, engine conversions, audio systems and family seating. See how that movement developed in our complete history of the Yamaha Rhino.
Paul had been racing and working on motorcycles since he was nine years old. With generations of motorcycle-shop experience in his family, building and modifying off-road vehicles came naturally. His interest in side-by-sides began in 2006 when a neighbor took him for a ride in a stock Yamaha Rhino.
That first ride eventually led Paul to purchase his own Rhino and open Hart’s Rhino Motorsports, a business focused on the rapidly growing side-by-side market.
Paul on the Rubicon Trail
One Yamaha Rhino Built for Several Types of Riding
Paul’s Rhino was never limited to one purpose. Over several years, the machine was used for recreational trail rides, technical rock crawling, public demonstrations and UTV racing.
Its adventures included challenging Northern California trails such as the 2007 UTV run on the Rubicon Trail and the Barrett Lake Jeep Trail. The Rhino also appeared in rock-crawling demonstrations and competed at events in Marysville, Hangtown, Oakland and Prairie City SVRA.
That range of use is what made the build noteworthy. Instead of building a Rhino exclusively for racing or crawling, Paul continued developing it as new parts became available. Each modification was intended to improve performance, durability or driver control while retaining the compact versatility that made the original Rhino so influential.
Paul at the Off-Road Expo
Hart’s Rhino Motorsports 760cc Engine
The stock 2007 Yamaha Rhino used a carbureted 660cc single-cylinder engine. Paul’s machine received a Hart’s Rhino Motorsports 760cc engine kit for a substantial increase in displacement and performance.
A Yoshimura dual-exhaust system complemented the engine work. Together, these upgrades gave the Rhino more power for climbing obstacles and competing in early UTV races than the stock 660cc platform could provide.
Suspension and Drivetrain Upgrades
Paul equipped the Rhino with Hart’s Rhino Motorsports billet front spindles and Gear One Centerboard hubs. Elka shocks helped the suspension manage the varied demands of trail riding, rock crawling and racing.
Suspension development was one of the biggest areas of experimentation during the Rhino era. For a closer look at how these systems changed the machine’s capability, see our Yamaha Rhino long-travel suspension review.
Seats and Occupant Restraints
Inside the Rhino, PRP suspension seats replaced the original seating, while Crow restraints provided additional occupant support. These upgrades were particularly valuable when the Rhino transitioned from recreational trail riding to rock-crawling demonstrations and short-course racing.
VORRA Short Course Racing at Prairie City SVRA
Paul Hart’s Yamaha Rhino Build Specifications
- Base vehicle: 2007 Yamaha Rhino 660
- Engine: Hart’s Rhino Motorsports 760cc engine kit
- Exhaust: Yoshimura dual exhaust
- Front spindles: Hart’s Rhino Motorsports billet front spindles
- Hubs: Gear One Centerboard hubs
- Shocks: Elka
- Seats: PRP suspension seats
- Restraints: Crow harnesses
From the Rubicon Trail to UTV Racing
The photo archive below documents the different stages of Paul’s Rhino and the wide variety of terrain it encountered.
2007 UTV Run on the Rubicon
Paul’s Rhino joined a group of early side-by-sides on one of Northern California’s best-known technical four-wheel-drive trails. The trip demonstrated how capable a properly prepared Yamaha Rhino could be in serious rock-crawling terrain.
More Photos:
2008 Off-Road Expo – Rock Crawling Demonstration
2008 UTV Racing – Marysville, CA
2008 Hangtown – Prairie City SVRA
Monster Jam – Oakland, CA
2009 UTV Racing – VORRA Short Course at Prairie City SVRA
A Snapshot of the Early Yamaha Rhino Era
Paul Hart’s custom Yamaha Rhino captures an important period in side-by-side history. The Rhino began as a compact recreational-utility vehicle, but owners and small fabrication shops quickly discovered that it could become much more.
This machine is part of the UTV of the Month archive, documenting custom UTV builds, race vehicles, rock crawlers and utility machines featured by UTVGuide.net from 2008 through 2016.
