Side by side UTV questions/street legality?

Overboost

Overboost

Forum Member
Guys,

My father in law is in the market for a side by side. He's been looking for a 2 seater that can be used for hunting, and he'd like to use it on the road as well when he takes it camping. What brands are good, and which brands should he avoid? Also, which options should he consider? He's 62 and just had a heart attack, so he wants one to help reduce stress when going to his blind.

The other question is regarding the legality of using a UTV on the road in MI. Currently, you can register them as an assembled pickup, pending you have all of the required gear, but he mentioned hearing something about legislation trying to outlaw them on roads. Can anyone elaborate on that? Thanks.
 
Some countys upnorth you can drive them on the roads like a snowmobile, like on the shoulder etc...as they come from the factory
 
dline said:
Some countys upnorth you can drive them on the roads like a snowmobile, like on the shoulder etc...as they come from the factory
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If his blind is in the UP this is pretty much true, I see more UTVs out then cars out in someplaces. However the state highways (US-2, M-28, M-123) you can't ride down the side of those, but there are trails just off of them you can ride. However some counties in the LP are much different. The County I live in, pretty much has the same rules as the UP, as long as you have an ORV sticker ride the side of any road other than state highways. However the County just north of me will right you a ticket if you are not on mark trails.

My wifes grandpa has a Polaris Ranger 570, it is smaller and has a dump box on it and it is easy for him to get in and out of with his bad knees. It is a two seater and he loves it, he drives it almost every where.
 
I have a Polaris RZR which is more of a sport side by side than utility, but it is a blast and I use it everywhere. Most northern counties allow them on all non-highway roads with the use of Michigan ORV stickers. I know there are guys who have got their RZRs street legal with standard plates, but there's a lot of little things you have to do to the machine. DOT tires, turn signals, DOT glass windshield, parking brake, horn, to name a few. I've always been a Polaris guy myself. He should be fine with any of the big dogs in the game (Polaris, Yamaha, Artic Cat) just stay away from the cheap chinese junk like Cabelas and Bass Pro sells.
 
Have him look for a rhino. No need for a razr at 62.

Figure about another $2500 to get it street legal
 
His blind is on farmland in the LP. Depending on the season and crops, it can be easy or extremely tough to walk to from the road.

I've been looking at the Polaris Ranger models, and I picture that being more like what I could see him getting. Having a box on the back seems like a better choice for him. Is it worth it for the EPS or do the basic models drive fine?
 
Overboost said:
His blind is on farmland in the LP. Depending on the season and crops, it can be easy or extremely tough to walk to from the road.

I've been looking at the Polaris Ranger models, and I picture that being more like what I could see him getting. Having a box on the back seems like a better choice for him. Is it worth it for the EPS or do the basic models drive fine?
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Good question on the Eps, I haven't drove one with it so I don't know. My wife's grandpa is 72 and he doesn't have Eps and gets around fine.

Check into the kawasaki side by side too, new are less than 15,000. So I imagine used ones will be less.

Sent from my D6708 using Tapatalk
 
Currently there is no time frame on when the state is going to ban UTV on streets or making street legal... All smoke right now...
 
Guy by my house drives his RZR all the time, he has a custom plate that says something like "STRTLGL".

--Joe
 
ReiKo said:
Currently there is no time frame on when the state is going to ban UTV on streets or making street legal... All smoke right now...
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It always rattled my cage that here in Ohio you can't street legal a RZR...a machine with a full tube chassis from front to rear, great brakes, great lighting, seat belts, bumpers, etc....but Hillbilly Hank down the street can build a "Dune Buggy" out of an old swing set and tape a couple flashlights on it and get it street legal no problem.
 
ReiKo said:
It is... Drove Jonny's turboed rzr on the freeway and main roads... It's a blast but makes ya feel small next to vehicles....
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I would probably just stay on dirt roads, so many of them where I live. Now if only my quad was legal to ride the dirt roads out here...
 
Well, my mother in law doesn't seem to like the idea of a side by side. My FIL was impressed with the Kawasaki Teryx, but now I think he's gonna settle for a quad instead.
 
I have a 2014 can am side by side that I'm gonna sell, it's only got 245 miles on it 4 seater, 1000cc ,winch, dump bed...
 
He ended up buying a MINT 2014 Polaris Sportsman 570 with 13 hours on it and a 5-year warranty. It was a great deal and it satisfies everything he was looking for in a side by side, but for much less money. Thanks to everyone for the responses and help here.
 
Overboost said:
He ended up buying a MINT 2014 Polaris Sportsman 570 with 13 hours on it and a 5-year warranty. It was a great deal and it satisfies everything he was looking for in a side by side, but for much less money. Thanks to everyone for the responses and help here.
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I've been eyeballing those. It would probably run with my z400 and plow my driveway. Nice machines.
 
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