Rotax-Powered Yamaha Rhino 800 Long-Travel Build

Posted on October 17, 2009
1:37 pm

Originally featured as the UTV of the Month for October 2009.

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.

During the height of the Yamaha Rhino aftermarket boom, builders were constantly searching for more power, more suspension travel and better handling. Brian Bush of Rotax Your Rhino took that pursuit considerably further by replacing the Rhino’s original single-cylinder engine with a heavily modified Rotax 800 V-twin.

The engine conversion was only one part of the transformation. Lone Star Racing handled the custom cage, bumper and much of the fabrication, then installed its XTR-F long-travel suspension with FOX position-sensitive shocks. The result was a remarkably clean Yamaha Rhino that reportedly produced 62 horsepower at the rear wheels while delivering substantially more suspension performance than a stock machine.

This kind of ambitious engine swap and chassis development demonstrates how extensively builders modified the Yamaha Rhino during its prime.

Testing the Rotax-Powered Rhino at Glamis

I caught up with Brian Bush and Greg Frantz from Lone Star Racing at Glamis over Halloween weekend while they were conducting the Rhino’s first round of testing. The finished machine looked excellent, and its clean bodywork gave little indication of the extensive drivetrain conversion hidden underneath.

Rotax-powered Yamaha Rhino 800 at Glamis — The understated bodywork concealed a highly modified Rotax 800 V-twin drivetrain.

Built Rotax 800 V-Twin Engine

The centerpiece of the project was its Rotax 800cc V-twin. Rotax Your Rhino built and tuned the engine with 12:1-compression CP pistons and a Woods cam kit. A Muzzys dual exhaust, PWR radiator and oil cooler, Dalton clutch and fuel cell supported the higher-output engine package.

According to the builder, the combination produced 62 horsepower at the rear wheels. That represented a substantial increase over the original Rhino powerplant and transformed the acceleration and dune performance of the compact 2006 chassis.

The Rotax Your Rhino installation kit included purpose-built engine mounts and a skid plate. These components reduced the amount of one-off fabrication normally required to install a Rotax V-twin in a Rhino. The parts were powder coated and integrated cleanly into the chassis.

The Rotax Your Rhino engine mounts and skid plate helped integrate the V-twin into the Yamaha chassis.

Lone Star Racing XTR-F Long-Travel Suspension

More power required a chassis capable of using it. Lone Star Racing equipped the Rhino with its XTR-F +6.5-inch long-travel suspension system, including new front and rear shock towers, adjustable caster and revised suspension geometry.

The system provided a claimed 14.5 inches of wheel travel and used relatively low leverage ratios intended for demanding race conditions. For comparison, a stock Rhino offered far less suspension travel and a much narrower stance. Our Yamaha Rhino long-travel suspension review explains why wider suspension systems became one of the platform’s most popular performance upgrades.

Lone Star Racing XTR-F long-travel rear suspension on Yamaha Rhino — Lone Star Racing XTR-F suspension, FOX 2.0 shocks and the Muzzys dual exhaust at the rear of the Rhino.

FOX 2.0 DSC position-sensitive dampers controlled the suspension. The front shocks were mounted to Lone Star Racing relocation towers that extended through the hood, giving the Rhino one of its most recognizable visual details.

FOX front shocks and Lone Star Racing shock towers on Yamaha Rhino — FOX shocks mounted to Lone Star Racing’s front shock-relocation structure.

A Showcase for the Early Yamaha Rhino Aftermarket

The Rotax Your Rhino build captures how quickly the aftermarket expanded the Rhino’s original capabilities. Builders were fitting wider suspension, custom cages, upgraded seats, radios, cooling systems and dramatically more powerful engines to a platform that had started as a compact recreational and utility vehicle.

This 2006 Rhino was no longer simply a modified trail machine. Its Rotax V-twin, 14.5 inches of claimed wheel travel, custom chassis fabrication and safety equipment pushed it toward the performance of a purpose-built dune and race UTV.

For more examples from this important period in side-by-side development, see the UTV of the Month archive.