2023 Yamaha RMAX 1000 First Drive: Exploring Prehistoric Red Rocks
Colorado’s hidden gateway to amazing prehistoric red rock exploration is best tackled in a side-by-side.
2023 Yamaha RMAX 1000 First Drive: Exploring Prehistoric Red Rocks
What do you consider adventure? For some, it means lots of planning, travel agents, swanky hotels, and crowded airports. For others, it's as simple as a weekend getaway with friends doing something they love. We were fortunate enough to experience the latter recently, heading off into the wild on a two-day journey with Yamaha's 2023 RMAX 1000 side-by-side. Give us a rugged off-road-capable machine and a great location to explore, and we are happy campers.
Our adventure was set to take place in Gateway, Colorado, a town not far from Grand Junction. Home base would be the Gateway Canyons Resort nestled in the Unaweep Canyon near the Colorado National Monument. If staying at the resort seems a little too bougie for your adventuring tastes, there's plenty of dispersed camping in the area, as well. For this outing, we joined up with the team from Yamaha and a few like-minded compatriots for what was sure to be an epic two days in some of the most beautiful backcountry that western Colorado and eastern Utah have to offer.
One Tough Machine
Yamaha first introduced our steed, the Wolverine RMAX 1000 side-by-side, in 2021. Since then, the company has kept things interesting by adding new features, models, and special editions. And it continues to display the machine's rugged durability and adventurous nature by taking them to some of the most beautiful and remote locations in the country. Powering the RMAX 1000 is a 999cc parallel-twin engine with the company's impressive D-Mode selectable drive modes. Power is delivered through Yamaha's Ultramatic CVT, which comes with an unheard of 10-year belt warranty.
The RMAX 1000 is available in both two- and four-seat variants, with the smaller until sporting up to 14.2 inches of front wheel travel and 16.9 inches in the rear. Four-seat models drop to just 13.3 inches of rear travel. Track width is 66 inches, making the RMAX 1000 perfect for all terrain types. All models are offered with Fox dampers. Prices for the upcoming 2024 models start at just $24,124 for the RMAX-2 1000 R-Spec model and reach $30,599 for the top-of-the-line RMAX-4 1000 Limited Edition.
Load Up and Head Out
After a great meal and a good night's sleep, our group was transported to the staging area to greet the fleet of two-seat 2023 Yamaha RMAX-2 1000 side-by-sides. We were in for a full day of riding on fast fire roads that would take us to spectacular vistas, rugged hillsides, and some of the most unique locations that the area has to offer.
Our ride for this undertaking was a Limited Edition model RMAX 1000, the model at the top of the trim walk with all the bells, whistles, and flash. Also included in our traveling band of misfits were XT-R models, which feature more rugged styling, a 4,500-pound Warn recovery winch, and beadlock wheels. The interiors of both vehicles are nearly identical and feature a spacious cockpit with intuitive automotive-style controls.
We began our excursion at the bottom of a high-walled canyon. Views in the first few miles were breathtaking but paled in comparison to what was in store. Continuing our climb, the elevation rising several thousand feet above our starting point, we made our way toward a trail that brought the group into Utah from Colorado and headed toward our first stop of the day, the Bull Canyon Overlook and Dinosaur Track Site.
Off the main dirt road and providing a most amazing view, the Bull Canyon Overlook also includes—for those brave or stupid enough—a hiking trail to the cliff's edge for an up-close look at the valley floor far below. Looking west you can just make out Moab's iconic terrain. As we explored the area, there were signs describing the wildlife that roamed the area millions of years ago. Exploring further revealed actual fossilized tracks of a raptor, which gives the area its Dinosaur Track Site name.
After departing, our group continued off into the vast desert. The fast, open roads where we began our adventure were quickly traded for tight and twisty two-track filled with deep ruts and large boulders. While not the most technical we've encountered, these trails kept the group on its collective toes and required a bit more concentration and finesse to navigate. None of this proved to be an issue for the competent Yamaha RMAX, however. Our next stop was at a remote lookout point over the Dolores River. We then continued toward the red rocks of Castle Valley, just northeast of Moab, before returning to the same staging area at the Gateway Resort where our adventure had begun. We had logged more than 100 miles of rugged desert terrain and were ready for a good night's sleep.
Day Two: Hunting for Snow
After a hearty breakfast, our group was ready for the second day of adventuring. With the heavy snow recently visited upon the Rockies, it was setting up nicely to be a fun, muddy day of riding. Ascending the mountain roads, we were greeted by tall pines and lush green fields filled with cattle getting their fill of the emerald-green grass. The ride pace was a little slower due to the trails being a bit tighter and filled with boulders in loose brownie-batter dirt. We broke for lunch in a field populated by curious bovines before setting out for an afternoon of busting through snow drifts.
The higher we climbed, the more water crossings and mud we encountered. Thankfully the RMAX 1000's mostly enclosed body kept the bulk of the sticky mess outside and off us. The anticipated snow drifts had also melted away due in part to the unseasonably warm weather in the days leading up to our trip. Not that we're complaining, as the perfect dirt left behind provided copious grip. After a bit of carefree puddle splashing along the relatively mild trails and a few stops to take in the scenery, we headed back to Gateway to put the side-by-sides to rest for good.
