Motorcyclist Magazine trades two wheels for four inside Kawasaki's adventure-ready 2023 Teryx KRX 1000 sport utility terrain vehicle.
Photography: @AdamWaheed
Video: @AdamWaheed
UTV Driving Gear Worn
Helmet: Shoei Hornet X2
Boots: TCX Rush 2 Air
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
Photography: @AdamWaheed
Video: @AdamWaheed
UTV Driving Gear Worn
Helmet: Shoei Hornet X2
Boots: TCX Rush 2 Air
Motorcyclist Shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/motorcyclist
Shop Products We Use: https://www.amazon.com/shop/motorcyclistmagazine
See more from us: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/
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SportsTranscript
00:00:00 Hey folks, good morning. Well this isn't something you get to do every day. Today
00:00:06 we're trading two wheels for four wheels aboard Kawasaki's 2023 Tarex KRX 1000.
00:00:17 This is Kawasaki Motors latest and greatest sport UTV. So without further
00:00:26 ado let's throw on the helmet and go for a drive.
00:00:30 Alright folks there it is Kawasaki's 2023 Tarex KRX 1000. This is
00:00:38 Kawasaki's sport orientated two-seat UTV. Now for the 2023 model year
00:00:48 Kawasaki's done a couple of little changes on this Tarex KRX 1000. We have
00:00:55 a new steering wheel material, we have new floorboards that evacuate the mud
00:01:02 and rain more efficiently. Those things right there. And we have ride by wire
00:01:10 throttle. Now these Tarex KRX 1000s are so neat because they allow you to
00:01:16 experience the beauty of being outside and you can bring a friend, a loved one,
00:01:23 or a significant other along for the ride. You can pack a cooler, bring
00:01:28 some sodas, bring some snacks, and see things that you would normally see if
00:01:34 you were riding but you can bring a friend. That's why these things are so
00:01:37 neat. This 2023 Tarex KRX 1000 comes in at $23,200. For that you get a
00:01:46 999 cc parallel twin engine. Look at the engine, look how big it is.
00:01:52 Look at that CVT transmission housing. This thing is not just a motorcycle
00:01:58 engine, this thing was specifically made for UTV. Look at those shocks, 21 inches
00:02:04 of suspension travel out back and 19 inches up front. Four wheel disc brakes.
00:02:13 That's right boys and girls, disc brakes all around. Two piston calipers up front,
00:02:18 single piston in the rear, and we have true four-wheel drive with a locking
00:02:25 front differential. This thing is made to go up and down some serious terrain that
00:02:32 a Jeep or other 4x4 vehicle would be hard-pressed to navigate. Alright folks,
00:02:40 enough talking about this thing, let's swing a leg in it and see what it's like
00:02:45 to drive. Yes! Alright folks, hopping in this thing is just like hopping in an
00:02:54 automobile. You have passenger car style doors with these awesome handles. Opens
00:03:01 up, nice bucket seat right there. Jumping into the cockpit, close the doors, got a
00:03:08 nice latch and a nice opening function here. These doors are high enough to keep
00:03:13 your arms inside the cockpit, which we will talk about why it's so important
00:03:20 here in a minute. We have a conventional automobile style three-point
00:03:25 harness, steering wheel, shift lever, grass brake, parking brake, depress the brake
00:03:32 pedal, and twist the automotive style key, and away we go. Alright folks, here we
00:03:41 are in Kawasaki's Tarex KRX 1000. This is Kawasaki Motors Corporation out of
00:03:55 Japan. More sport orientated, two-seat UTV. Now the exciting news from Kawasaki is
00:04:07 for the 2023 model year, they've introduced the KRX 4 1000, which
00:04:14 accommodates two extra passengers. So this vehicle in front of
00:04:21 us is capable of holding four occupants. This vehicle rings in at $27,500,
00:04:30 $3,300 more expensive than this base KRX 1000 two-seater. It's worth noting that
00:04:39 even though it can hold two extra people, the machine only weighs 300 pounds more
00:04:45 than this one. Pretty crazy. Almost 1,900 pounds for this two-seat version, 2,200
00:04:53 pounds for the four-seat version. We are here driving near Johnson Valley,
00:05:01 California at an official Kawasaki Motors Corporation USA vehicle
00:05:11 evaluation. We are going to be riding up into the mountains over 5,000 feet near
00:05:20 Big Bear Lake, California. There is the 2023 Tarex KRX 4 1000. There is the
00:05:29 two-seater, another four-seater, another four-seater, another two-seater.
00:05:34 We'll let these guys go. It's gonna be a little bit dusty folks, so stay prepared
00:05:43 for that. Now the neat thing about these vehicles like the Tarex KRX 1000 side-by-
00:05:52 side from Kawasaki is the ability to venture off the beaten path and be more
00:06:02 comfortable than you would on an off-road bike or an adventure touring
00:06:07 bike. Right here we have a bucket style seat in which our passenger can sit. We
00:06:13 have it instead filled with all of our camera gear and GPS and all of our do-dads
00:06:21 like this Insta360 ONE X3 camera so we can keep track of the ride.
00:06:32 Now another neat thing about vehicles like this Tarex KRX 1000 are that you
00:06:39 operate them just like you would a normal automobile. There's over 200
00:06:43 million licensed drivers in the United States of America and that really opens
00:06:50 up a world of exploration for someone who wants to get outside just explores
00:06:59 explore the wonders of Mother Nature. Where a motorcycle you have to have
00:07:05 certain inherent skills like having balance, having some level of athleticism
00:07:12 especially on an off-road bike, these vehicles are like driving a car. Very
00:07:19 similar at least.
00:07:23 Now this Tarex KRX, let's get out of the dust here, this Tarex KRX 1000 is
00:07:35 powered by a triple 9 cc parallel twin engine. The engines water-cooled dual
00:07:45 overhead camshafts and an eight valve cylinder head. Kawasaki rates this power
00:07:53 plant right around 116 horsepower at the crank and right around 77 pound-feet
00:08:01 torque.
00:08:04 So compared to other folks UTVs especially the sport UTVs this thing
00:08:12 isn't the fastest thing on the trail but it sure is easy to use and easy to drive.
00:08:21 Sorry folks it's been a couple weeks since we got some serious rain here in
00:08:26 Southern California so it's a little bit dusty. Let's let these guys get away from
00:08:32 us for a little bit.
00:08:35 Here let's get this flag going so people can see us. There we go got our flag out.
00:08:42 The flag was caught on this frame. Oh great now we got some guy towing his
00:08:49 trailer. This is gonna take forever. Back to the engine triple 9 cc parallel twin
00:08:56 water-cooled. This engine is built specifically for the rigors of UTV.
00:09:04 The engine has a rear layout so the engine is actually located behind us and
00:09:10 underneath us and if you look at the engine it's actually for a one liter
00:09:15 engine. It's just it's huge like the engine case the transmission housing
00:09:21 it's a very very beefy case system. Now the engine transfers power to the wheels
00:09:31 via a centrifugal clutch and a CVT automatic transmission. CVT is a
00:09:39 continuously variable transmission. It's the same type of transmission that
00:09:45 Kawasaki's used in its Brute Force UTVs, in its original Tareks that
00:09:53 debuted for the 2008 model year and it's a very popular transmission system
00:09:58 that power support manufacturers use in UTVs and scooters. Now the whole benefit
00:10:05 of a CVT is it allows the engine to operate at an RPM where it's producing
00:10:15 the bulk of its power. It also gives the transmission a greater range in
00:10:21 terms of speed so when you accelerate from a standstill you got some power yet
00:10:28 you know when you're going at 60 miles per hour the thing's not revving to the
00:10:35 moon. Speaking of top speed we've driven this thing before in our previous 2022
00:10:42 Kawasaki TRX-KRX 1000 review and this vehicle is limited to 65 miles per hour
00:10:51 that's the top speed. Well that top speed certainly fast enough for us off-road
00:10:58 realistically the new breed of ultra high-performance sport UTVs like
00:11:05 Polaris's recently introduced RZR inline four powered UTV that thing goes almost
00:11:13 a hundred miles per hour isn't that crazy? So if you're looking for the
00:11:18 ultimate upper edge of performance and speed this KRX 1000 is not it but if
00:11:27 you're looking for something that's easy to use and comfortable and just really
00:11:32 well-rounded for a motorcyclist like me who wants to take a dab at off-road
00:11:37 driving every now and then this KRX 1000 is very good for that.
00:11:43 All right our ride leader John Rawl, Kawasaki's John Rawl is talking to the
00:11:50 cowboy and the cowboy has allowed us to pass on this trail.
00:11:57 Now the thing I really like about these TRXs is just they're so
00:12:11 easy to drive. Talked about how it has an automotive style steering wheel
00:12:17 automotive style accelerator and brake pedal.
00:12:22 You can use either the right foot on the gas pedal and the left foot on the brake
00:12:27 pedal like you would when you're driving or you can do a double foot thing where
00:12:31 you use the right foot for a gas and left foot for brake that's what I
00:12:34 generally do on these UTVs. We have a gear position selector can't
00:12:43 probably see it but it's high H L N and R. H stands for high running gear so
00:12:52 H is the gear you want to have it in for forward propulsion at all vehicle speeds.
00:13:02 Conversely L is low range so that is when you are traversing steep obstacles
00:13:11 if you're climbing really steep grades, you're rock crawling, you're going down a
00:13:18 very steep incline or decline or you're towing something heavy you want to use
00:13:27 the L setting. To use that you have to make sure the vehicle is stopped to
00:13:33 engage that setting. We also have neutral. Neutral is for when you just want to
00:13:39 roll the vehicle. Let's say you need to roll around your driveway or garage
00:13:44 without any power or you have some kind of breakdown you need to tow it you want
00:13:50 to run it in neutral and then R is for reverse.
00:13:57 So you can back up. We have a nice wide mirror that does a good job of showing us
00:14:04 what is going on behind us. This particular KRX 1000 is not outfitted
00:14:10 with Kawasaki's slick color TFT display. That is an accessory.
00:14:18 I would absolutely opt for that accessory. We used it during our
00:14:24 2022 KRX 1000 review and it's awesome. It's touchscreen compatible, has GPS
00:14:32 navigation so you're never lost and it is really neat.
00:14:40 Instead we have this rectangular shaped LCD
00:14:48 display. We have a speedometer which is
00:14:55 bright and right in our face. We have the gear position. We have engine RPM which
00:15:01 is kind of a moot point because it's CVT and the powertrain just deals with
00:15:07 the shift points and the engine RPM itself so obviously you don't really
00:15:12 even need to have an RPM gauge but it's there. It is a little bit hard to see.
00:15:18 Then we have our engine coolant temperature at 172 degrees and then we
00:15:26 have our belt temperature, our CVT belt temperature. Now the CVT belt temperature
00:15:32 right now reads low and Kawasaki has a belt temperature gauge because heat is
00:15:36 the number one factor that causes these CVT belts to fail. If you're into
00:15:43 UTVs, you've probably heard horror stories about other manufacturers' CVT transmissions
00:15:49 and how prone they are to belt failure. Well, Kawasaki has really done its
00:15:55 homework as it always does with its Brute Force ATVs and its original
00:16:00 Tareks to ensure that this CVT transmission won't leave you stranded
00:16:06 and it's always important to make sure that that CVT belt temp is low. How do
00:16:14 you get the CVT belt temp, how you ask? Well, that's when you're just mashing on
00:16:18 the throttle all the time over really rough terrain and just doing a lot of
00:16:22 start-stops, start-stop, start-stop. That's kind of hard on the CVT that generates
00:16:27 heat. It's worth noting that there are intake ducts to help flow ambient air
00:16:38 into that belt to help keep that thing cool.
00:16:42 I generally am not a CVT transmission kind of fellow. I'd much rather have a
00:16:50 conventional gear-on-gear system like the Tuning Fork brand's manual
00:16:57 transmission setup and now Big Red's dual clutch transmission equipped Talon.
00:17:03 But you can't say that Kawasaki hasn't done its homework on this CVT. It works
00:17:08 real well. There is some annoying drone that is par for the course for CVT
00:17:17 style transmissions, but it's not overwhelming to me. To be fair, I'm
00:17:22 wearing earplugs. I love wearing earplugs. It just cuts down on wind noise and any
00:17:28 other background mechanical noise. So it does cut down a little bit of
00:17:32 the droning, but I still do hear it, but it's not excessive.
00:17:40 This vehicle, conventional steering wheel, conventional accelerator and brake
00:17:48 pedal, conventional mechanical shift lever type lever here. We also have tilt
00:17:54 steering so you can move the steering wheel up or down based on your
00:18:05 preference. We have the steering wheel in one of its lower settings. Probably
00:18:13 will move it down a little bit at a stop, but for now it is good. This UTV also has
00:18:21 adjustable seat position so we can adjust the position of the seat fore and
00:18:28 aft. I'm six foot tall, about 200 pounds, a big heavy guy right now, and this
00:18:38 cockpit is roomy enough for me. Conversely, if you are a person of
00:18:46 smaller stature, you could scoot the seat forward, and if you're taller than
00:18:49 average, you can scoot it even further back. I have still quite a bit of range.
00:18:55 Maybe not quite a bit, but at least an inch and a half, two inches of
00:18:59 adjustment. I have the seat a little bit farther forward than its max rearward
00:19:04 position.
00:19:07 Now the thing I like about this TRX 1000 is just the viewport. That
00:19:19 hood sloped very well, very nicely. It's got a nice low angle so it's easy to
00:19:24 see what's going on in front of you.
00:19:31 We have a nice steel roll cage that helps protect the occupants in the event
00:19:39 of a rollover.
00:19:42 Of course, when you are suspecting the vehicle to be in a rollover, it's
00:19:49 always absolutely critical to keep your hands and your limbs inside the cockpit.
00:19:57 If you think the vehicle is going to rollover, grab a hold of the steering
00:20:01 wheel and do not let go. The passenger should grab a hold of this and do not let go.
00:20:05 When Yamaha first introduced its original side-by-side, decades and
00:20:12 decades ago, there were a lot of people getting injured in that vehicle due to
00:20:18 rollovers. A lot of people getting hurt because they stick their limbs outside
00:20:23 of the vehicle in the event of an accident. So always wear your safety belt.
00:20:29 Always wear a full face helmet. We are riding a dual sport motorcycle helmet. I
00:20:38 like dual sport motorcycle helmets because they have a visor, a traditional
00:20:45 visor, and unlike an off-road helmet with goggles, the interior of the helmet in
00:20:52 your face is, there's no dirt, there's no debris, there's no dust. It's very quiet
00:20:58 and comfortable and you don't have that air moving over your face. So we
00:21:03 recommend full face dual sport helmets for UTV drivers.
00:21:13 Yes! Now we're driving right now with the
00:21:19 Tarex in four-wheel drive. Whoa! Four-wheel drive, which you can activate
00:21:29 electronically by hitting this switch on the dashboard. We're running four-wheel
00:21:35 drive because it just takes some of the worry out of driving. For sure, two-wheel
00:21:42 drive is maybe more fun for doing slides, drifting, and getting nasty, but
00:21:47 four-wheel drive just allows for greater vehicle control. You can still do slides
00:21:53 and drifts in four-wheel drive, it's just a little bit more difficult because
00:21:57 the vehicle is a little bit more hooked up over the terrain.
00:22:04 We're really rusty. We haven't operated a UTV since last time we operated a UTV.
00:22:10 So we're taking it easy and that is why we like to have deselectable four-wheel
00:22:16 drive mode engaged. It just makes this Tarex that much easier to operate for
00:22:23 someone who doesn't drive these things all the time.
00:22:27 Now this Tarex also comes equipped with a locking front differential. So right
00:22:36 now we have the rear differential is always locked, so you're always getting
00:22:41 real two-wheel drive. But in four-wheel drive mode, you're not getting true
00:22:47 four-wheel drive. Only one wheel is really taking the power into the dirt.
00:22:53 But if you lock the front differential, now you have true four-wheel drive and
00:23:00 that's really good for rock crawling or navigating very
00:23:06 slippery terrain.
00:23:09 So it's really neat that the Tarex offers true Jeep style four-wheel drive.
00:23:18 True OG Jeep style four-wheel drive. If you're someone who really likes to go
00:23:25 crazy and get into some some tough terrain, you're gonna want to have a
00:23:31 locking front differential.
00:23:35 Now there is some CVT drone, but the engine note...
00:23:52 Man, the engine note's pretty drowned out by the CVT transmission. Don't really
00:23:57 hear much character out of the engine. Would be nice if this thing had a little
00:24:04 bit more of a visceral sound. You got to remember Kawasaki prides itself with
00:24:10 visceral powertrain sounds from its Ninja sport bikes, its KX dirt bikes,
00:24:17 you know, even its supercharged Ultra 310 jet ski. That thing sounds mean when
00:24:25 you're on the throttle. So it would be cool if Kawasaki upped the ante in the
00:24:30 engine sound and character department, but maybe they'll do that in future
00:24:37 versions. I do like how smooth the power band is.
00:24:43 You know, it's almost too smooth. Sometimes when you're driving these
00:24:47 off-road vehicles, you know, four wheels or two wheels, you want the power band to
00:24:53 have some hit so you can just motor out of stuff at deep sand and things like
00:24:58 that. This power band doesn't have any type of hit whatsoever. It's just smooth,
00:25:05 well calibrated torque, which again just makes this thing really easy to drive.
00:25:17 But if you're a power hungry person who wants just insane levels of performance
00:25:24 in a vehicle that's just gonna put you back in your seat and knock your socks
00:25:27 off in terms of acceleration and thrill, I wouldn't say this vehicle does it. It's
00:25:34 worth noting
00:25:36 multi-time motocross and supercross champ and the king of supercross Jeremy
00:25:42 McGrath, he is Kawasaki's official US ambassador. He has a Kawasaki KRX 1000
00:25:51 and his is outfitted with an aftermarket turbocharger. So there are aftermarket
00:26:00 solutions to boost literally the power output of this liter-sized parallel twin.
00:26:11 Speaking of how smooth the engine is, I really like how the engine's relatively
00:26:19 devoid of vibration. Not a lot of vibration felt through the seat or the
00:26:29 steering wheel. I really like the open viewing port, the
00:26:34 three-quarter open viewing port. It's easy to see in your blind spot. I always like
00:26:39 to check my blind spot real quick when I'm entering or crossing over a trail
00:26:45 network.
00:26:47 It's worth noting that when you're operating these vehicles, just because
00:26:54 you're on four wheels and just because you have a steel cage, doesn't make these
00:26:59 vehicles any less dangerous than a motorcycle or any other power sport
00:27:03 vehicle. So always operate the vehicle within your limits, wear the appropriate
00:27:12 safety gear, keep limbs inside the vehicle at all times, and keep your eyes
00:27:19 on the trail and pay attention.
00:27:24 Everyone respects one another on the trail, regardless if you're on a
00:27:30 motorcycle or a UTV, everything will be that much better for all of us. So be
00:27:38 respectful and operate the vehicle within your limits. If you want to
00:27:45 improve your limits, seek professional training. There's a number of true
00:27:52 coaching professionals in the off-road space, the road bike space, the road bike
00:28:01 competition space. So seek a true professional. Improve your skills.
00:28:08 Who doesn't want to get better at stuff?
00:28:12 Let's pull over here.
00:28:18 Get out of the way, get off the trail. Okay folks, here we go into this
00:28:26 canyon. We are now going through this rocky
00:28:30 canyon. Having the flag attached to the vehicle is nice because it gives you a
00:28:37 little visual cue of where it's at. These UTVs are rather low slung compared to a
00:28:45 car or truck, so a little bit of extra height in terms of the flag definitely
00:28:52 helps these vehicles stand out on the trail.
00:29:07 Now this KRX 1000 has pretty advanced suspension. Double wishbone front
00:29:17 suspension with nearly 19 inches of travel.
00:29:26 At the back we have a four link style rear suspension package. You can see the
00:29:32 four links right there in the vehicle in front of us, offering over 21 inches of
00:29:39 suspension travel. That is a lot of travel. For reference, a motocross bike is
00:29:45 right around 12 inches of travel, 13 inches of travel. So these vehicles have
00:29:51 nearly double the travel of a off-road motorcycle. Pretty neat.
00:30:02 This terrain isn't particularly rocky. It's actually pretty sandy. There
00:30:07 definitely are some rocks, but it's not that rocky. But the suspension
00:30:13 feels pretty good to me. My kidneys are intact, not being
00:30:20 jostled around. And all in all, it's a pretty comfortable ride quality of
00:30:27 course. Each shock offers spring preload and damping adjustment. So if you're
00:30:37 someone with good mechanical aptitude and vehicle dynamic handling skills, you
00:30:45 can tailor the quality of the shocks, the action of the shocks, based on
00:30:53 your driving preference or what you're using the TRX/KRX 1000 for.
00:31:01 You know, the neat thing about this KRX 1000 is even though it's more sporty
00:31:08 than the existing TRX 800, the V-twin powered TRX 800, this is certainly more
00:31:16 sporty than that. This still has a degree of utility built into it. So if you
00:31:22 wanted to tow some jet skis, you know, drive this thing around the farm to do
00:31:27 errands and still have a bit of fun, you can absolutely do that with this
00:31:32 vehicle. And that's really where it slots in. Slots in for the person who wants a
00:31:39 sporty UTV but doesn't want to give up utility function. I think that's neat.
00:31:52 Let this gentleman get a little farther ahead of us here. Get some of the dust
00:31:59 out of here. So in lieu of that big awesome color TFT display, we have this
00:32:05 box. It's an empty box. You could fit a stereo or a GPS or any other kind of
00:32:11 doodads. We also have this little storage compartment where we can put our rags we
00:32:18 use to clean the lens of the camera and our visor at a stop. We also have this
00:32:25 glove box which houses some water and some snacks. There's also a nice cup
00:32:33 holder here. Right now we have a radio in here. Nice cup holder for bottles of
00:32:39 water. Just dropped our radio. That wasn't awesome.
00:32:45 Let's turn this vehicle off. What's this one? What was that do? They were on. Thanks
00:32:59 bro. That stock feature? Okay. This vehicle has an accessory rear light
00:33:06 package. This means the rear lights are on. This is off. We had them on so we were
00:33:11 blinding that gentleman in front of us. We turned them on. Now to park this
00:33:16 vehicle, since there's no parking mode like a traditional car, you leave it in
00:33:21 H. You apply the cable actuated parking brake right here and you turn the engine
00:33:28 off with this automotive style or old-school automotive style keyed
00:33:34 ignition. Here is the key for this KRX 1000. Kawasaki, you guys need to do
00:33:41 better. This key looks like it's out of a KLX 110. This is a $22,000 plus
00:33:47 vehicle. We need to see a better key. We'd love to see a key with that new
00:33:53 fancy water, I'm sorry, Rivermark logo that Kawasaki Motors Corporation now
00:34:01 campaigns. Let's put the key out. Alright folks, we'll check in with you in a
00:34:06 little bit here. Alright guys, here we go. Start our vehicle. To start it, you twist
00:34:13 the key, hit the brake, hold the brake. Let's put it into H, release the parking
00:34:18 brake. John Rawls freaking out because he wants us to go fast but nothing happens
00:34:23 fast when you're with me. Thanks pal. I mistakenly spoke. This mirror is an
00:34:32 accessory. This is an OE accessory as is the color matched roof here we have and
00:34:41 the rear bumper and the accessory spare tire that has the
00:34:51 the tie down holding it down.
00:35:01 We will show that to you guys here in a little bit.
00:35:08 Alright folks, that was a photo pass. We do the photo passes so we can get nice
00:35:14 tasty visual content for all of our readers and watchers out there in the
00:35:23 United States. We are waiting for the rest of the group and then we will
00:35:29 continue our off-road adventure. There is a clean shot of the dash, gear position,
00:35:43 engine RPM, drive mode selector, four-wheel drive, power, engine power. So there's a
00:35:50 high and a low engine power mode. So full power gives you full access to the
00:35:58 claimed 116 ponies. Low power mode is good for let's say you had a 16 year old
00:36:06 and you were teaching them how to operate this vehicle. Someone 16 or over,
00:36:14 I'm sorry someone who's 17 and over. You have to be 17 and over to operate this
00:36:21 vehicle and if you wanted to teach them you could put it in the low power
00:36:25 setting and that will help them get a feel for the engine power and the
00:36:33 handling of this vehicle in a safer way. It's really neat. A lot of the street
00:36:41 bikes for the last 15 years now have had adjustable engine power modes. Suzuki was
00:36:48 I believe the innovator with its GSX-R 600 and 750 so many years ago. I'm sorry
00:36:57 the GSX-R 1000. I think in 2007 that bike had that. 2007 or 2008 had adjustable
00:37:04 engine power modes and I love that feature because it allows people to get
00:37:08 acclimated to the power band of a vehicle in a safer way and we are all
00:37:15 about safety and we are all about fun. Safety and fun are paramount features of
00:37:23 our paramount ethos for us so that's why having that adjustable power mode is so
00:37:29 awesome. Alright folks we'll check in with you in a little bit. Alright folks
00:37:34 another notable notable model year change for 2023. There's a couple of them.
00:37:40 This steering wheel. This steering wheel material is new for 2023. I like it. I
00:37:47 like these cutouts here you have for 10 and 2 driving. You can also drive the
00:37:55 vehicle very comfortably in a more aggressive 9 and 3 position with your
00:38:00 thumbs up. This vehicle also has new cutouts for when you have mud and water
00:38:08 the clean out under in in the floorboards here and there that is new
00:38:13 that allows you to evacuate dirt mud and debris in a more efficient way and
00:38:20 perhaps the biggest change to this vehicle for 2023 MY is ride by wire
00:38:27 throttle. There is now no mechanical connection between the accelerator and
00:38:33 the throttle bodies. This vehicle now has ride by wire much like many of
00:38:40 Kawasaki's modern street bikes. It's funny because unless they told me it had
00:38:49 ride by wire I wouldn't even have known because the throttle response feels
00:38:53 identical to last year's. It's fairly responsive of course it's not uber
00:39:01 responsive we talked about how the engine doesn't have a ton of power
00:39:07 because it doesn't have a ton of power the throttle response is pretty reserved
00:39:11 still I like that it's so easy to use when you hit the accelerator
00:39:20 the thing doesn't come flying out of your hands. It's very easy we say it all
00:39:26 the time it's a very easy vehicle to operate ease of use and comfort are
00:39:32 certainly hallmark features of this TRX 1000. Okay folks here we go
00:39:45 now when you lock the front differential this is an electronic locking front
00:39:51 differential so it used to be a mechanical at least it was back in the
00:39:56 old days with the old TRX 800 now it is electronic. Another electronic doodad
00:40:05 in this vehicle is the electronic power steering
00:40:12 so power steering on this vehicle is electronic works really nice you don't
00:40:20 need to be a very strong human to turn the steering wheel there's a high level
00:40:26 of assist yet even with the electronic assist sometimes with electronic power
00:40:34 steering you'll have a real a real vague steering feel because there isn't that
00:40:39 hydraulic mechanical connection well the steering feel on this UTV is decent
00:40:50 it's not good least compared to an automobile but it's not bad either it's
00:40:56 decent so if you're a person who really lives and dies by handling feel you're
00:41:03 not gonna have a ton of handling feel but it's not terrible at the same time
00:41:08 look at that range of adjustment a lot of range of adjustment in the steering
00:41:13 wheel let's put it right here like that you can see where I'm going very nicely
00:41:21 and away we go folks
00:41:26 now the one liter parallel twin engine drinks from a 10.6 gallon fuel tank
00:41:37 so you have decent range in this UTV and getting out and exploring bringing a
00:41:46 friend bringing a significant other bringing a cooler filled with sodas
00:41:51 snacks or even your Labrador dog is one of our proven purchasing US audience
00:42:00 members said in our previous Tareks 4x4 video said all right let's do some
00:42:07 rock crawling folks we are rock crawling yes PG rated a rock crawling look at the
00:42:16 water look at the ice there's ice this vehicle also employs nearly 15 inches of
00:42:25 ground clearance so getting over these type of obstacles isn't a big deal look
00:42:33 at that four link suspension in action you can see it right there in front of
00:42:38 us
00:42:40 we're just throwing
00:42:46 water off those 31 inch bead lock tires by Maxis yes this vehicle rolls on 31
00:42:59 inch bead lock eight ply Maxis tires mounted on 15 inch wheels so not only
00:43:13 the wheels very functional but they look cool too
00:43:17 oh yeah oh yeah she just trucks up whatever
00:43:28 of course a popular accessory for these UTVs are windshields we generally at
00:43:37 least in Southern California you don't really want a windshield because all
00:43:40 it's gonna do is get hard to see with dust and the weather here is fairly
00:43:47 temperate doesn't get super cold so you don't really need a windshield but if
00:43:52 you're somewhere where it's cold and it rains a lot snows a lot having a
00:43:58 windshield would be a handy accessory
00:44:03 dang it I forgot to turn my 360 camera on right let's engage it
00:44:10 get some nice 360 video content for all of you folks that are interested in
00:44:19 purchasing or learning more about
00:44:24 a four-wheeled vehicle like Kawasaki's Terrax KRX 1000 yes ruts I love ruts
00:44:34 now railing ruts is definitely a different sensation than on a dirt bike
00:44:41 but it's still fun especially in four-wheel drive you can feel those front
00:44:47 meats just dig in and help it pull the vehicle out of the sand the sands not
00:44:55 excessively deep here but there definitely is some loose sand and having
00:44:59 a four-wheel drive just helps the vehicle crawl out of that but also makes
00:45:05 her some really nice ruts when everyone is staying in the ruts and powering out
00:45:11 in four-wheel drive right here some more little rocks
00:45:17 Terrax and it's 19 inches up front 21 inch rear suspension does a good job of
00:45:24 gobbling it up we mistakenly spoke the suspension in this base
00:45:29 Terrax is limited to spring preload adjustment on all four corners and
00:45:35 compression damping adjustment there are there is no rebound damping adjustments
00:45:41 you can't control the return action of the shock only the compression action
00:45:46 there's these big adjustment knobs that make it whoa let's get some get back
00:45:51 here there's some big adjustment knobs that make it easy to operate all right
00:46:00 we are not going to use the locking front differential because we should be
00:46:05 able to tackle this obstacle without it as we did see your front tires gonna hit
00:46:13 that rock oh he missed it very nice
00:46:16 now the steering radius on this vehicle it's fairly maneuverable doesn't take up
00:46:25 exceptionally a ton of distance to turn this vehicle around or do tight maneuvers
00:46:32 in limited space which is nice
00:46:37 again the electronic power steering just makes for a very light steering feel
00:46:44 caveat is steering feel is a tad vague it's not as vague as other machines
00:46:51 we've tested obviously it's been five six seven eight decades since we've
00:46:56 ridden other machines with electronic power steering but it does offer
00:47:02 adequate steering feel
00:47:06 you guys like you're driving like a little mini trophy truck just that
00:47:13 one-fifth the speed which is plenty good for me
00:47:21 with age comes a cage and it's not it's nice not having to ride a motorcycle at
00:47:27 60 miles per hour over this stuff
00:47:30 my knees certainly thanked me I know that
00:47:37 all right those guys are going it out
00:47:41 brakes for wheel hydraulic disc brakes on this vehicle
00:47:50 the front
00:47:54 brakes employ twin piston calipers so each wheel gets a twin piston caliper up
00:48:02 front at the rear there is single piston brake caliper so each wheel gets a single
00:48:09 piston caliper out back four wheel for this four wheel disc brakes
00:48:17 the rotor diameter size is right around 260 millimeters
00:48:24 and I like the brakes on this thing they have adequate response
00:48:28 they're not as sharp as a modern automobile but they're also not too
00:48:34 spongy like they used to be on the old Tarex's or other older style UTVs they
00:48:39 have a decent amount of response when you press down on that left pedal
00:48:46 of course because this is a a non street legal off-road vehicle there is no ABS
00:48:55 brakes are a full manual experience if you slam on the brake pads brake pedal
00:49:03 you will lock up the brakes
00:49:07 we were racing racing against that new for 2023
00:49:13 KRX 4 1000 four-seat version once again $4,300 more expensive than this
00:49:23 $23,200 two-seat version 4-seat KRX it's great for someone who has a family
00:49:31 you got a wife or a husband got a couple kids couple friends
00:49:37 and you can bring up to four people in that vehicle with comfort if you look at
00:49:46 the rear passenger accommodations there's quite a bit of space back there
00:49:50 so you don't just have to be a smaller than average human to fit in the rear
00:49:56 cabin really neat
00:50:01 I know if I had a family I would definitely want to get a four-seat
00:50:06 version because it just allows your whole family to
00:50:11 to experience the thrill of of the outdoors and experience the thrill of
00:50:18 power sport operation motorcycles are awesome and all but you got to have a
00:50:25 bunch to bring the family everyone's got to have a decent level of ability to get
00:50:32 to these faraway zones with a four-seat UTV everyone can come
00:50:40 and we are all about inclusiveness
00:50:46 and letting everyone experience the thrill
00:50:52 of riding and driving
00:50:56 now this TRX KRX 1000 it measures 68 inches in terms of width
00:51:09 so it's a little bit wider than the original TRX 800 that extra bit of width
00:51:17 helps boost stability helps boost stability and helps mitigate rollover of
00:51:25 course the long travel UTVs ultra high for sport UTVs are all 72 inch width
00:51:34 now so while the narrow cars are all 64 inch so the 68 inch width literally
00:51:43 splits at the two together splits the two so you have
00:51:52 you have the ability to have more stability but this TRX KRX 1000
00:52:03 isn't gonna take up a lot of real estate on this trail we're riding in the SoCal
00:52:09 Des so there's a lot of space here but you have to remember in other parts of
00:52:15 the country in the Pacific Northwest and the Midwest and East Coast trails are a
00:52:21 lot more narrow and having a narrow vehicle that fits on these trails is
00:52:27 paramount that's why I really like the original TRX 800 because that thing is
00:52:33 so narrow you can literally drive it on ATV trails obviously ATVs used to be
00:52:40 super popular fast forward to the 2023 calendar year ATVs are but a fraction of
00:52:47 their former glory basically UTVs took over the ATV segment
00:52:53 but the problem with these these UTVs not so much with this one but the ultra
00:52:58 sport ones is they're so wide you know the long travel high performance ones
00:53:04 you can't operate those things in the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast or
00:53:08 on trails are too wide too big where this KRX 1000 gives you a little bit of
00:53:15 that sport performance in a more manageable and versatile package
00:53:25 look at the beautiful cactuses so awesome look at the snow on the ridge
00:53:34 there is no thermometer oddly enough on this gauge at least I don't see one it's
00:53:44 got to be right around 50 degrees 55 degrees
00:53:51 this cockpit does a good job of shielding the rider from the elements
00:53:57 especially in the lower extremities
00:54:01 we don't necessarily feel any engine heat you don't feel any
00:54:08 engine heat here in the floorboard area yet because it's enclosed your bottom
00:54:15 half will stay relatively warm just because there's not a lot of air rushing
00:54:19 around it that's one of the benefits of having a
00:54:25 mid or rear engine design is you're not going to have engine heat thrown off
00:54:29 onto you in the cabin
00:54:33 also on an engineering standpoint having that that engine located
00:54:39 low and toward the back is just really good for the center of gravity of this
00:54:44 vehicle just helps it be stable and helps mitigate rollovers
00:54:51 oh it's getting dusty
00:54:56 this thing is still on, turn this off, oh yeah it is
00:55:02 all right she's off now all right maintenance on this vehicle
00:55:10 now after your initial break-in service this vehicle requires engine oil changes
00:55:17 every 20 hours
00:55:21 engine oil filters need to be made once a year so you can change the oil after
00:55:27 20 hours but you don't really have to drop or replace the filter engine oil
00:55:32 every 20 hours or six months engine oil filter every year realistically if it's
00:55:38 our vehicle the engine oil filter is so easy to get at we would replace the
00:55:42 engine oil filter as well
00:55:45 valve inspection interval 200 hours this vehicle can go 200 hours between
00:55:54 valve inspection it's pretty neat
00:56:01 Kawasaki also recommends replacing the transmission oil and the diff oil at
00:56:07 20-hour increments - so 20-hour increments for fluids 200 hours for
00:56:14 valve inspection and a whopping 400 hours for the fuel filter isn't that
00:56:20 crazy
00:56:23 400 hours for the fuel filter of course because you're operating these vehicles
00:56:28 usually in very dusty environments it's always good to pay attention to the air
00:56:35 filter make sure that thing isn't all boogered up I forget what Kawasaki
00:56:39 recommends I think it's 20 to 40 hours
00:56:44 but that again just depends on how you're operating the vehicle if you're
00:56:48 operating it in a dust cloud tailgating your guys in front of you like me air
00:56:53 filters are gonna get dirty fast if you're driving by yourself in clean air
00:56:57 the air filter isn't get dirty for a very very long time so
00:57:04 owner and user beware
00:57:08 now a fun fact about these Tarek's KRX 1000s are these vehicles are built in
00:57:18 the United States yes Kawasaki manufactures these things in Lincoln
00:57:25 Nebraska they have had US manufacturing in Lincoln Nebraska since the mid 70s
00:57:33 so for over 40 years Kawasaki's been manufacturing
00:57:41 many of its ATVs PWC's jet skis and now UTVs at is Lincoln Nebraska factory how
00:57:52 neat is that
00:57:55 Kawasaki out of its manufacturing plant in Nebraska's also they also make
00:58:03 subway cars for the New York subway they actually make the cars that passengers
00:58:10 ride in in New York how do you use that they also I don't know if it's still
00:58:15 happening but they also were an OEM wheel supplier for other power sport
00:58:22 manufacturers and other UTV manufacturers so when it comes to
00:58:30 manufacturing Kawasaki sets itself apart from the competition
00:58:38 overall build quality for a UTV is pretty good these things are put
00:58:43 together very well the welds and the assembly of these vehicles you know it's
00:58:50 not going to be as put together as well as a Ninja ZX-10R but for $23,200
00:59:00 and for the UTV segment these things are put together pretty well
00:59:05 they're put together so well the Kawasaki stands behind its product with
00:59:11 a six month warranty they also offer extended warranty plans for riders
00:59:20 seeking extra protection from mishaps
00:59:28 pretty neat
00:59:31 all right folks we're gonna put the power down and do some more driving
00:59:44 we'll check in with you folks in a little bit all right folks here we are
00:59:49 navigating up this steep rutted out incline we are in four-wheel drive high
00:59:57 mode now to use the low range you gotta be on steep terrain steep inclines or
01:00:06 declines or crazy rocks or towing if you're towing or have a heavy load low
01:00:14 range will get you going we haven't used the electronically locking front
01:00:20 differential yet to be fair even with the open front diff this thing wheels
01:00:27 really well you got to be in some pretty extreme terrain to warrant the use of
01:00:35 the locking front differential but we hope to try it out here soon
01:00:44 in fact let's try it right now screw it lock engage it is now on and we have
01:00:52 true four-wheel drive true four-wheel drive folks it'll be interesting to see
01:01:01 how it it affects the steering feel oh I'm so happy have locking for four-wheel
01:01:09 drive right now it is getting rocky whoa how neat is that we are motoring right
01:01:20 up these obstacles as you can see this thing has such a generous ground
01:01:29 clearance you can just get right up and over these obstacles it's unbelievable
01:01:36 wow this is so awesome
01:01:40 all right we got the 360 cam rolling now should have been rolling earlier now
01:01:51 we're rolling
01:01:53 whoa this is so gnarly
01:02:00 and the Tarex motors right up it I'm certainly happy I enabled the
01:02:09 the front locking rear diff front differential when we did because who
01:02:18 knew that we were gonna face such steep obstacles
01:02:28 it's interesting because even though that
01:02:32 true four-wheel drives engaged right now it hasn't affected the steering that
01:02:37 much I feel a little bit of the steering is a little bit heavier
01:02:45 marginally when I say heavier like 10% heavier than it was which was extremely
01:02:50 light but so far you can't feel that much increase in the weighted effect of
01:03:02 the steering wheel
01:03:05 now if you have gadgets and creature comforts we have one 12-volt power power
01:03:18 socket right here the the front buff bumper also has auxiliary wiring so when
01:03:29 if you get a winch or if you get some added lights it's really easy to plug
01:03:34 them into a power source Kawasaki already did a lot of the homework for
01:03:41 you
01:03:45 look at this we're in snow now yeah
01:03:50 they say it never snows in California look at this
01:03:56 oh yeah we're wheeling now
01:04:06 now if you're on an off-road motorcycle or a dirt bike this terrain would be
01:04:14 fairly easy to get up it's two-track terrain but you'd never be as
01:04:20 comfortable if we're sitting in a chair for you know you're never gonna be as
01:04:25 comfortable as you will in a new TV we have all of our drinks and snacks and
01:04:31 camera gear that's one of the biggest one of the biggest issues I I personally
01:04:39 run into when I'm motorcycle riding off-road or riding adventure touring
01:04:43 bikes off-road is I don't have enough room to bring all my cameras and my
01:04:46 dudettes a lot of folks forget but to bring to bring our proven purchasing US
01:04:54 audience the premium 4k content and premium written content I have to bring
01:05:01 a lot of camera equipment with me and when I'm driving a vehicle with
01:05:07 virtually unlimited space at least compared to a motorcycle it is a lot
01:05:13 more friendly for bringing stuff with you and still having fun
01:05:19 yeah
01:05:21 let these guys get a little ahead of us
01:05:30 look at the rubber left on the tire on the rocks from all the vehicles driving
01:05:40 up this thing
01:05:42 all right folks looks like we're out of the rocks we will check in with you in a
01:05:53 little bit if something really exciting happens let's take a look under the fake
01:05:58 engine hood compartment this is where the radiator is and that is where you
01:06:05 adjust the compression dampen damping of the forward shocks of course the engine
01:06:14 is located at the rear of the vehicle where it is positioned nice and low to
01:06:19 help improve stability well folks that was a fun morning spent behind the wheel
01:06:27 of Kawasaki's 2023 T-Rex KRX 1000 sport UTV really enjoy operating this vehicle
01:06:39 it's really easy to drive nice smooth power rides really smoothly suspension
01:06:47 gobbles up the rough stuff and delivers you to where you need to be in a
01:06:51 comfortable way sure it's not the fastest UTV out there but the the
01:06:59 performance is enough to get to put a smile on your face and in the end these
01:07:05 things are about bringing you and your favorite person out into mother nature
01:07:12 and seeing what's out there and for $23,200 it does that really well
01:07:20 it also opens up the world to someone who maybe is not perhaps into
01:07:26 motorcycling yet but you get one of these things you're like oh my god how
01:07:30 much cooler it'd be on two wheels or even vice versa for for being a modern
01:07:36 motorcyclist a sport UTV like Kawasaki's T-Rex really works into my motorsport
01:07:45 portfolio and fills one of the gaps I'd have as a motorcyclist
01:07:53 of course I do wish this instrument panel was larger doesn't necessarily
01:07:59 have to be color but it's definitely way too small I also wish that this machine
01:08:07 was fitted with that up spec color TFT display with that awesome GPS navigation
01:08:13 but at least it's available available as accessory I would definitely splurge for
01:08:18 that it's also be nice if there was a couple
01:08:22 more USB charging ports of course that 12-volt power plug is great you can put a
01:08:28 USB style adapter in there to charge gadgets but more gadget charging is
01:08:32 always good in my book
01:08:39 all right folks we're gonna finish up our drive and we will wrap things up
01:08:47 you
01:08:58 cover the beans well folks that was a fun morning trading two wheels for four
01:09:08 wheels in the cockpit of Kawasaki's T-Rex KRX 1000 for 23,200 bucks this
01:09:17 thing is pretty boss I love that you can go off-roading and be comfortable and
01:09:23 bring a friend with you and bring your snacks and drinks and all your camera
01:09:26 accoutrement which I always roll with I like how this thing handles it really
01:09:31 takes you to places that you know normally you couldn't get to you'd have
01:09:35 to have a dirt bike and you have to be competent on a dirt bike this thing is
01:09:40 is easy to operate as a passenger vehicle more or less obviously you still
01:09:46 need to have some understanding of terrain and understand the ability of
01:09:51 the vehicle and how to maneuver vehicles over on terrain that has different
01:09:57 camber up hills down hills but still you get the idea these things are a lot
01:10:01 easier to drive than it is to ride a motorcycle off-road all right folks as
01:10:07 usual make sure to surf on over to MotorcyclistOnline.com that is where all
01:10:13 of our written content comes to life give this video a thumbs up if you liked
01:10:19 it thumbs it down if you don't make sure to sound off in the comment section we
01:10:23 can't wait to digest all of the comments remember anything that you guys say
01:10:30 good or bad we want to make this an inclusive community for modern
01:10:35 motorcyclists who like to operate all kinds of motorcycles and power sports
01:10:41 vehicles so sound off and thanks for driving with us today we'll see you next
01:10:45 time
01:10:47 [Music]
01:11:05 well John it wouldn't be a pop popper adventure without a little bit of drama
01:11:09 right yeah that is for sure that's for sure I wasn't the drama then it was me
01:11:17 sorry just joking it wasn't me
01:11:21 [Music]