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2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 FI Sport review |
Text by: Motorcycle USAKawasaki entered into the Sport UTV market with the 2008 Teryx 750, and with just one year under its belt Team Green has made significant improvements with the release of its 2009 version - the Teryx 750 Sport.
Vince Iorio, the Teryx Product Manager, explained the 2009 upgrades during the press introduction at the Boulders Ride Area, outside of Phoenix. The most prominent change for both the standard and Sport model is the addition of digital fuel injection to adjust for temperature and altitude changes. The constantly variable transmission has also been tweaked for 2009, strengthened and adjusted to handle increased power and torque. The drive shaft and CV joints are revised as well for improved strength and durability in the drive train. The Teryx airbox has added a snorkel and is elevated to help keep it out of the dust and gives a bit more leeway in case the vehicle is submerged in water.
A new torsion bar aims to improve ride quality and help track in turns better, the previous version being a little stiff. For convenience, a tilting cargo bed with gas struts now comes standard, only available in 2008 aboard the luxury edition. A new digital display in the dash features a fuel gauge and parking brake indicator, rounding out the ’09 revisions for the standard version.
The Teryx 750 Sport, however, boasts extensive suspension upgrades. Front and rear aluminum Kayaba piggyback shocks are adjustable for preload, compression and rebound damping.
“The big benefit of the suspension is it allows you to take the vehicle closer to its top speed while remaining fully in control in a very comfortable situation,” says Iorio. “It’s true to its name, it is a sport model designed for more sporting and spirited driving.”
Cast aluminum wheels on the Sport are stronger and 2.2-lbs lighter than the steel units adorning the regular Teryx. Completing the Sport UTV’s distinction from the stock model are two paint schemes - traditional Kawasaki Green and a special edition Monster Energy black.
The folks at ATV on Demand report the new EFI seems to have increased horsepower and throttle response at all RPM, with improved torque useful during steep climbs and technical riding. Compare this to earlier tests with the carbureted original which stalled regularly at higher elevations. Deep sand at Boulder and over 400 pounds of passenger cargo couldn’t slow down the Teryx Sport too much, with our test riders topping out at around 49 mph.
The Kayaba shocks in stock settings caused some problems in the whoops. But a few minutes of tuning, adding preload to the front and reducing it in the rear, saw marked improvement. Fine-tuning the rebound and compression will further bring out the Sport in the new Teryx. Even pushing the suspension to the limit, our reviewers were impressed with how well the Teryx tracked. Although steering was quite light, our testers did note, however, that power steering would be a nice upgrade to future versions.
Stability is impressive, considering the narrow Teryx was intentionally designed to fit in the back of a pickup truck. Meanwhile, dual hydraulic discs up front provide solid stopping power. The ATV on Demand folks sum up the Teryx Sport’s performance like this:
“There’s plenty of power for steep climbs, rock crawling, fast fire roads, or just about anything you might decide to throw at it. It has light steering effort in two wheel drive, good brakes and its stability is well matched to the healthy power output of the stock engine. Those that work and play hard will appreciate the 500-lb capacity of the hydraulic-assisted tilting bed and its 1300 lbs of towing capacity.”
The Sport can further be kitted out with high-performance parts from Funco Motorsports. Available at Kawasaki dealers, the aftermarket chassis upgrades have been proven by Chad George, the 2008 CORE UTV off-road champion, whose family owns Funco and supplied the parts for George’s title-winning Teryx.
“In the end we felt the 2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 Sport was a well-performing and well-rounded machine,” continue our friend from ATV On Demand. “If we were buying a new UTV this year the 2009 Kawasaki Teryx 750 Sport would be at the top of our list.”
2009 Teryx 750 Sport Specs
Engine: Liquid-cooled, 90-degree, four-stroke V-twin
Valve System: SOHC, four valves per cylinder
Displacement: 749cc
Starting System: Electric
Bore x stroke: 85 x 66mm
Compression Ratio: 8.8:1
Fuel System: 2 x Mikuni 34mm throttle bodies
Ignition: TCBI with digital advance
Transmission: Continuously variable belt-drive transmission with high and low range, plus reverse, and Kawasaki Engine Brake Control
Final drive: Selectable four-wheel drive with Variable Front Differential Control, shaft
Frame: Large diameter, thin-walled, high-tensile tubular steel
Front suspension: Adjustable dual A-arm with gas charged shocks / 7.5 in.
Rear suspension: Adjustable Independent Rear Suspension (IRS) with gas charged, reservoir shocks / 7.5 in.
Front tires: Maxxis 26x8-12
Rear tires: Maxxis 26x10-12
Front brakes: Dual hydraulic discs with 2-piston calipers
Rear brake: Sealed, oil-bathed, multi-disc
Length: 115.4 in.
Width: 58.7 in.
Height: 75.7 in.
Wheelbase: 75.9 in.
Ground clearance: 11.7 in.
Lighting: (2) 40W headlights, (2) 8W taillight, 27W stoplight
Cargo Bed Capacity: 500 lbs, 44.2 W x 32.7 L x 11.1 in. H
Towing Capacity: 1300 lbs.
Curb weight: 1380 lbs.
Fuel capacity: 7.4 gal.
Instruments: Multi-Function Digital Meter with speedometer, fuel gauge, clock hour meter, odometer, dual trip meter and parking brake, R/N/P/4WD, water temp and oil pressure indicators
Standard Colors: Lime Green
Warranty: 6 months base warranty
