[guy48065]

I never did an introduction post but this seems like a good place to start--with the past.
The day after I moved my oldest daughter into a dorm for her freshman year I was shopping at Sam's Club and saw my first mini-buggy--A 2004 Yerfdog 3206 with 150cc scooter-type engine. I bought it on the spot. It was my first offroad machine and gave me years of fairly trouble-free fun. My daughter gave me plenty of grief for getting into this the day after she left :lol:

Almost everything I know about engines, carburetion, suspension, welding...and helpful forums...I learned from owning that $1300 buggy.

Of course I also learned plenty about the limitations of a 500 pound buggy with a 10HP motor and that's what eventually led me here.

 

[RZRRich]

Sounds like a well traveled road to get where you are now Mark, all of that experience has paid off ah. :wink:

 

[wirechaser]

guy48065 Great topic!!


The group I ride with has ridden together about 15 years, thru Harleys, Goldwings, Jeeps, 4 wheel atv's, Dirt Bikes, a stray Mule, Rino, and BMW Motorcycles ( some are still riding those).

One day at our traditional Sunday morning breakfast about July 2008, Fummer, a PRC member, told us he ordered a POLARIS RZR! We all laughed untill he brought it to the farm one day. As of today our group has 6 RZRs, 5 RZR "S", a honda forman and recon, and last the LONE RANGER, Browning edition.

As a group we have been to the U.P. of Michigan, Colorado, Utah, and Ride Royal Blue. All our wifes ride except one with health challanges.

It's all FUMMER'S fault !!! I remind him it is his fault often> WHAT A GUY!!

 

[slane01]

It's all FUMMER'S fault !!! I remind him it is his fault often> WHAT A GUY!!

Gotta blame it on someone :mrgreen: That is funny...these Side x Sides are so darn addicting. You get the base machine and then the Mods Start...Gotta love it.

Well my brother in law and cousin had gotten Rangers years ago, Heck I don't even remember what year they were. I thought they road awful. Another one of my neighbors had a sold his quads and bought a mule, they all seemed functional, but no real sporting purpose. At that point I still did not see much use for them as I loved my Quads. About that time, my Brother in Law had sold his old Ranger and bought a Rhino. The Rhino was cool. It was sporty and fun, but a little small for me, as I am a big guy.

However, he seemed to go thru all sorts of stuff with this side by side. Now I was interested in the side by sides. Finally, I had another buddy that had a 2006XP he was selling with next to no hours on it. He had gotten a good deal on an 07XP so he sold me his 06xp. After driving that for a couple of weeks I wondered why I would even drive a quad. Therefore, I sold my three quads and have been hooked on the side by sides ever since.

These things simply amaze me. I seem to find uses for this all the time. I believe I will be a sxs owner for life.

 

[carnivore]

Mark, this is a great idea for a thread. 8)
I got my first motorcycle when I was 4 years old, and have always been involved in motorsports. I made the progression into the three wheelers then to the quads, then I tried out an ARGO which is an amazing go anywhere machine that will destroy your kidneys due to the lack of suspension. About that time one of my buddies, hiatt65, was selling his 05 Ranger to get an 06. It seemed like a great machine, and since he was buying another one I had someone else to ride with. My son in law (deadlytedly) bought a Ranger, and another buddy (Transamman) followed suit. That was the start of a MAJOR addiction. 8)

 

[Gary Lenon]

I was at a home show and saw a John Deere UTV on display. The dealer offered to drop it off at my farm for a trial. He indeed left it a couple of days later with a full tank of gas and told me to keep it for a week and see how I liked it.

About 3 hours later I called him up and told him to come and get it. The JD didn't have much of a suspension at that time and it killed my back and it wasn't fun to drive at all. (Thank goodnesses they took care of the suspension issue).

I went a couple of years and wandered into Lakeside Motorsports in Mecosta, Mi. I still liked the idea of a SXS and the salesman (was that you Dave?) said he would drop off a Ranger at the farm for another trial.
The rest is history; I fell in love with the smooth riding Ranger!!!! Then I started PRC five years ago and have been a Rangerholic ever since!

 

[guy48065]

I love these stories of 'discovery'!

Gary did you start right off with PRC on a website or did you start out on Yahoo?

 

[Gary Lenon]

I love these stories of 'discovery'!

Gary did you start right off with PRC on a website or did you start out on Yahoo?

We originally started out as a yahoo email group. Later we moved it to the current web forum. Some of the staff is from the original Yahoo group.

 

[slane01]

I love these stories of 'discovery'!

Gary did you start right off with PRC on a website or did you start out on Yahoo?

We originally started out as a yahoo email group. Later we moved it to the current web forum. Some of the staff is from the original Yahoo group.

It is really amazing how much PRC has grown in the 5 years it has been around. That is awesome. I love that place too

 

[Pops]

I like this post too, don't remember if anybody has ever asked how people got involved with SxS.

I went out shopping for a new Sportsman, wanting to get rid of a 2 cycle 4-wheeler. Well I bought the Sportsman, my wife went with me to pick it up, she saw the 05 Ranger 500 and wanted one of them to work around on the property so we bought one of them too. Ended up taking the Ranger to the deer lease due to weather, came back a week later bought my wife a JD Gator CS, kept the Ranger ever since. Still have the Ranger, now a couple RZRs. But my wife finally got what she really wanted last year it was a Blue Sportsman 500 that she calls her own. I just get to work on it

 

[Toonmech]

I have riden 4 wheelers most of my life and owened one or more for the last ten years. Until early may of 2009 I was more or less against side by sides. I took my three year old out for a wheeler ride and she fell asleep. I held her with one arm and drove the atv with the other. After the 15 or so miles back to camp my neck and back hurt so bad I couldn't walk. I loved my four wheelers, but the reallity is that they are not very family friendly. I had my heart set on a rhino, but got such a good deal on my ranger I couldn't look back.

 

[slane01]

Billy,

I agree the sxs are very family friendly. I love mine. By the Way, I love the color of your Ranger. It looks awesome.

 

[foxcrew6]

Mark great idea for a thread like everyone else has felt,i rode motorcycles for 15 years then went into 3 wheelers then went into 4 wheelers,then went into building,buying,riding,SandRails[aka] dunebuggys,i wandered in to our local dealership which i was sponsered by and also Honda when i raced PRO motorcross and the owner of that there dealership is a husband and wife and when they first got started the wife was my 5th and 6th grade math teacher in school and her husband was trying to get there shop up and going and from 5th grade i have bought 39 different machines from them and about 3 years ago i went to there shop and i was going to purcheas another 4-wheeler for my son and i was complaing about my back always hurting and Jeannie[The owner told me to take a Ranger home to see if i liked it and i said No and she said YES and i said OK but i want the best one you got and thats how i ended up owning my Ranger Crew 2008 my ranger was not even asembled all the way so me and my son rode 4 wheelers on some trails around there shop untill they got my assembled and i took a new 4-wheeler home also and i already had 5 4-wheelers at home[MY WIFE HAD KITTENS WHEN WE GOT HOME] but she wont ride a 4-wheeler anymore.

 

[Toonmech]

My wife also refuses to ride the four wheelers any more. Wont even talk about getting another.

 

[Pops]

The Ranger, RZR, made my wife want a 4-wheeler of her own. she was doing good on it until she had a first spill, now until she gets over it, she has been too cautious to enjoy herself now.

 

[guy48065]

I suppose 10-20 years from now most of the answers will be "my dad bought me one" :wink:

 

[bush]

great idea


i started out when i was very young,about 3 years old on a suzuki trail buddy 3 wheeler and over the years i rode 3 and 4 wheelers untill i saw the rhino in dirtwheels on 03. it was a year or 2 later before i was able to buy one,an used 04 rhino. this time last year i went on a ride to brimstone tn and the clutch went out on the rhino so i rode shotgun for 2 days in a rzr and was very impressed with the power and a few weeks later i bought one. then in late aug i crashed and totaled the rzr so now i have a rzrS and i still have my old rhino.

 

[carnivore]

great idea


i started out when i was very young,about 3 years old on a suzuki trail buddy 3 wheeler and over the years i rode 3 and 4 wheelers untill i saw the rhino in dirtwheels on 03. it was a year or 2 later before i was able to buy one,an used 04 rhino. this time last year i went on a ride to brimstone tn and the clutch went out on the rhino so i rode shotgun for 2 days in a rzr and was very impressed with the power and a few weeks later i bought one. then in late aug i crashed and totaled the rzr so now i have a rzrS and i still have my old rhino.

Maybe we could get you to post up some pics and info on your Rhino in Yamaha section?

 

[ElecTech]

I am from the original Yahoo group Gary referred to. Amazingly enough, I started out looking for something to exercise our bird dog in the summer. Started looking at golf carts, weren't fast enough and then I saw a picture of a Ranger with a Rangerware cab in a magazine ad. I showed it to my wife and she said "that is what I had in mind" so we went looking. The new 2005 models with IRS had just come out so we made the deal that day. Then, the long list of mods began!!! Here is a pic of the original intended purpose!!!

 

[Pops]

I am from the original Yahoo group Gary referred to. Amazingly enough, I started out looking for something to exercise our bird dog in the summer. Started looking at golf carts, weren't fast enough and then I saw a picture of a Ranger with a Rangerware cab in a magazine ad. I showed it to my wife and she said "that is what I had in mind" so we went looking. The new 2005 models with IRS had just come out so we made the deal that day. Then, the long list of mods began!!! Here is a pic of the original intended purpose!!!

Bruce, do you still have the dog? If so will it out run the RZR by this summer?