RZR: Making Some Improvements

Since we live in the desert, Munchkin is able to drive the RZR to and from college classes as long as the weather cooperates. The ability to stay on dirt the whole way to the college makes this possible. It’s definitely a plus of desert life since Munchkin’s truck isn’t up and running yet. I’m sure we’ll eventually see that happen. For now, we’ve been making a few improvements on the RZR to make it a little nicer for the commute.

The first addition was a clear back for the RZR. We have a windshield on the RZR which can cause quite the dust swirl inside of the RZR. This can be cleared up by adding a back like the one above. Since we use the RZR around our place including moving hay, it also helps keep all the hay out of our hair and off our backs. While we don’t deal with much rain, it will also keep more of the rain and mud off our backs.

The next step was getting rid of the old nets. Those things were a definitely a pain to deal with as our feet were always getting caught on the net, and they were hard to fasten as the netting had dried out and shrank over the years. While the nets were easy to remove, the side beams were not so easy. There was a lot of grumbling going on during this part of the process, but it got done with some elbow grease and frustration.

The actual installation of the doors wasn’t too bad. The driver’s side actually ended up going in really well, but the passenger side still needs a little tweaking to get it just right. For now, it’s good enough to work. The door opens and shuts with ease and latches properly. The bonus that we didn’t expect is that these doors actually give us more room in the RZR. The only downside is that the doors will need to be removed if we want to go on the size restricted trails as they added another 3″ to each side which makes the RZR to wide for those trails. We’re pretty much in open desert these days, so it’s not a big issue.

The final step, for now, was installing some new headlight bulbs to provide a little extra light on those dark desert nights, and a battery-powered overhead light bar for those times you need to see something on the inside of RZR.

I’m really pleased to finally see some of these changes as they are things that I’ve been wanting to do for some time, but I couldn’t justify them for goofing around on the trail. Now that the RZR is being driven almost daily, it was time for the upgrades. Some day, I’m hoping to add upper doors for cold weather and rainy days, but those will have to wait.

Munchkin is thrilled with upgrades as it makes her ride feel more like a little car rather than just a RZR.