By Jon Crowley
The Yamaha YXZ1000R was designed as a high-revving pure-sport UTV, but could its five-speed transmission work in serious rocks? To find out, I spent a full day driving a 2017 Yamaha YXZ1000R SS equipped with the GYTR Torque Assist Gear Kit and 30-inch tires on Northern California’s Rubicon Trail.
This was a much more demanding test than my earlier YXZ1000R SS SE GYTR Torque Assist Gear review at Stony Lonesome OHV Park in Alabama. That ride demonstrated how much the lower gearing and larger tires improved the Sport Shift model, but it did not include enough technical rock crawling to answer all my questions.
YXZ1000R SS Rubicon Test Setup
The test vehicle combined the Sport Shift transmission with Yamaha’s GYTR Torque Assist Gear Kit. The kit reduces the overall gearing by 30 percent and adds another 40-percent reduction to first gear compared with the standard transmission setup.
It was also fitted with 30x10R14 EFX MotoClaw radial tires on factory beadlock wheels, FOX Podium X2 shocks, a 3,000-pound WARN winch, A-arm guards, a rearview mirror, front and rear bumpers and several other accessories available through Yamaha dealers at the time.
I did no additional vehicle setup after receiving it from Yamaha other than checking the tire pressure, which I set at 10 psi.
Our route began at the Loon Lake trailhead and continued through Little Sluice to Buck Island before returning to Loon Lake. That made for a full day in the rocks and provided a much better evaluation of the YXZ1000R SS at low speeds.
Evaluating the YXZ from a Rock Crawler’s Perspective
For context, I have spent years rock crawling with Jeeps and UTVs on the Rubicon Trail and in Moab. I have also raced King of the Hammers several times. Much of my UTV rock-crawling experience came in belt-driven CVT vehicles such as the Polaris RZR, Yamaha Rhino and Kawasaki Teryx, so this was my first full day of serious crawling with the YXZ1000R’s geared transmission.
The difference required some adjustment, but the YXZ proved completely capable of handling everything we attempted.
Visibility from the driver’s seat was excellent. The low hood made it easy to see the terrain immediately in front of the vehicle, while the power steering provided the right amount of assistance without becoming difficult to manage when the front differential was locked.
The chassis felt stout but remained light and nimble. Its turning radius worked well on the trail, and the suspension delivered a comfortable ride through smaller rocks while retaining good bottoming resistance on larger hits. Our separate YXZ1000R SE FOX Podium X2 review examines those shocks and their adjustments in greater detail.
Sport Shift Advantages in the Rocks
I preferred the Sport Shift system to the manual-transmission YXZ1000R for this type of terrain. It removed much of the concern about stalling while retaining the ability to select gears with the steering-wheel-mounted paddles.
I especially liked being able to accelerate through first gear and shift into second without stopping. In a belt-driven UTV, changing from low range to high range requires bringing the vehicle to a stop. The YXZ allowed me to make that transition while moving.
Moving between forward and reverse was also quick and straightforward, which helped when repositioning the vehicle around obstacles.
The Limitation: Low-Speed Control
The YXZ1000R SS had enough traction, clearance and power to negotiate everything we encountered. My primary concern was not capability—it was the speed at which the vehicle preferred to tackle difficult obstacles.
Even with the GYTR kit’s lower overall gearing and additional reduction in first gear, I wanted the ability to crawl more slowly. In highly technical terrain, slower movement gives the driver more control and reduces impacts to the vehicle and its occupants.
When I tried to maintain an extremely slow pace on a difficult obstacle, the automatic clutch would engage and disengage. That behavior can be seen in the original review video below. The YXZ often felt happier when driven with something closer to a King of the Hammers race pace than the deliberate crawling speed I prefer.
Some of that impression can be attributed to adapting my driving technique to a different transmission. The YXZ1000R was not intended to duplicate the behavior of a belt-driven CVT with an extremely low range. Nevertheless, more reduction or smoother engagement at very low speed would have made it a better match for my style of technical rock crawling.
Would a Heavier Flywheel Help?
At the time of this test, companies including Weller Racing and Alba Racing offered heavier flywheels intended to improve low-speed drivability. The added rotating mass could help the engine maintain momentum and make power delivery smoother at crawling speeds.
I did not test a heavier flywheel during this Rubicon trip, so its effect should not be treated as part of this review. It was, however, one modification I wanted to try before returning to the trail.
What Worked Well
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- Front visibility: The low hood provided an excellent view of rocks immediately ahead of the vehicle.
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- Power steering: Assistance felt well calibrated and remained manageable with the differential locked.
- Nimble chassis: The YXZ1000R’s size and turning radius worked well in technical terrain.
- FOX Podium X2 shocks: The shocks provided a relatively plush ride with good bottoming control.
- Ground clearance: The 30-inch tires gave the vehicle useful clearance over larger rocks.
- Rear suspension clearance: The rear suspension negotiated rocks without the low-hanging trailing-arm feel found on some sport UTVs.
- On-the-move shifting: The driver could upshift from first to second without stopping.
- Forward-to-reverse transitions: Direction changes were quick and easy when repositioning around obstacles.
What Could Be Better
- First-gear speed: I still wanted a slower crawl ratio for the most technical obstacles.
- Clutch engagement: The clutch could cycle between engaged and disengaged when attempting to move extremely slowly.
- Roll-cage side bar: The bar was low enough that my helmet contacted it in very rough terrain.
- Cab heat: Warm air from the radiator traveled through the center tunnel and heated the cockpit at slow speeds.
- Shoulder bolster: My shoulder repeatedly contacted its edge, becoming uncomfortable after a day in the rocks.
- Noise: Engine and transmission noise inside the cockpit was higher than I preferred.
- Factory gearing: A purpose-built edition with lower gearing installed by Yamaha would have been appealing to technical-trail riders.
Final Verdict
The Yamaha YXZ1000R SS completed everything we threw at it on the Rubicon Trail. The combination of Sport Shift, GYTR Torque Assist gearing, 30-inch tires and FOX Podium X2 shocks transformed it into a far more versatile technical-trail machine than a stock early YXZ1000R.
For many recreational trail riders, this setup provided enough reduction and control. For an experienced rock crawler who prefers to negotiate large obstacles as slowly and deliberately as possible, it still needed a lower crawl ratio or smoother low-speed clutch control.
The key takeaway is that the YXZ was capable in the rocks—it simply wanted to cover them faster than I preferred. For more background on the model and how Yamaha developed it over the years, see our Yamaha YXZ1000R history and model guide.
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