Stop using your machine immediately!

Lil Foot · Oct 15, 2018

As I read this post:
http://www.orangetractortalks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38523
I had to relate as similar situation.

Back in olden times Yamaha was sued for the Rhino being "unsafe."
The result of those lawsuits was a recall in which the rear sway bar was removed, 2" spacers added to the rear wheels, a grab handle added for the passenger, and half doors were added. At the time, my Rhino already had "Sidewinder Bars" (see pic) and reverse offset rear rims. I removed the sway bar, but the local ripoff dealer was charging people $300 to install the recall, which should have been free. As I was already protected, I never took advantage of the door offer.

Fast forward to today. The wife & I aren't getting any younger, and I thought it might be nice to have doors we could open, rather than climb over the bars. I contacted Yamaha, & found the kit was still available for my VIN, but I would have to have it installed by a dealer. (no charge) Great! I contacted the dealer, who began to setup my appointment. They handed me a notice demanding I stop using my Rhino immediately, and not to use it until it was modified.
Then they told me the kit was backordered, for 6 months & 3 weeks!

bearbait · Oct 16, 2018

Nothing like looking after the customer. I have to say that is one good looking bike and from what I've heard bullet proof.

skeets · Oct 16, 2018

Last spring I got a letter from Honda, about the gas cap on my 73 Honda CB350. This is after 3 moves 4 more bikes and 2 wives, how in the hell did they find me? Oh yeah the bike was sold about 40 years ago, and I bought it used..lol

bearbait · Oct 16, 2018

skeets said:
Last spring I got a letter from Honda, about the gas cap on my 73 Honda CB350. This is after 3 moves 4 more bikes and 2 wives, how in the hell did they find me? Oh yeah the bike was sold about 40 years ago, and I bought it used..lol

Probably looked under America's most wanted.

skeets · Oct 16, 2018

LMAO,,you funny guy

Lil Foot · Oct 16, 2018

bearbait said:
Nothing like looking after the customer. I have to say that is one good looking bike and from what I've heard bullet proof.

Thanks! They are pretty bullet proof, unless you bought an early '04. (like mine)
They didn't stress relieve the cylinder before machining, so when you got them really hot, they warped out of round. Not a big deal for performance, but they developed excess crankcase pressure from blow by, and tended to push oil out the breather into the air box. Wail on them long & hard enough, and they got low on oil & tended to develop small end rod knock. (like mine)
Later years were stress relieved, and didn't have that problem, but still pumped some oil out the breather. The solution was adding a small oil recovery box/siphon break with a breather filter to the crankcase vent, which allowed the oil to drain back to the crankcase. (pics)
I had a buddy that owned a company that put a 1000cc R1 crotch rocket engines in Rhinos, so I bought his personal low hour '06 engine & put it in mine. Still have the old 660cc engine, waiting for a 686cc rebuild & upgrade, but I haven't needed it so far.

First youtube shows the blue Rhino that was the donor of my engine, 2nd one is a later conversion at the dunes sand drags.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-acPd5ST1XY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHwj0ll4oX4

bearbait · Oct 16, 2018

So almost like an oil catch can setup. A few years back I had an 800 Can Am side x side that was pretty quick but nothing like that. Most of my time spent in it was sideways however the wife didn't enjoy it near as much as I did so we (she) decided to get something more practical.

CaveCreekRay · Oct 16, 2018

Gorgeous rig Bill. You use another Rhino bed for the trailer? Very nice combo. Love the color too.

skeets · Oct 16, 2018

It is indeed, something like that would be real nice when I go to the GWN fishing and stuff,, Gander Mountain had a set up a trailer for hauling the quar up front, and behind the axle was a small teardrop camper. Drag the set up with the truck unload the quad and pull the trailer and camper with that. A nice set up for a week or 2 inthe bush

coachgeo · Oct 16, 2018

"stop using immediately" is lawyer speak for....... we said that to "cover our Arse" cause some other lawyer will try to scam us for billions for this minor flaw.

Lawyers rule the day in our nation and rest of us are the inconsequential folk who in realty suffer all the damage from their battles.

Stmar · Oct 16, 2018

Had the air bag recall letter from Subaru about not letting anyone ride in the passenger seat. It took those suckers almost a year to get enough parts to put us on the recall list. Wife does not read most of our mail but she was wondering why I wanted to drive "her car" whenever we went any place together.

Lil Foot · Oct 16, 2018

CaveCreekRay said:
Gorgeous rig Bill. You use another Rhino bed for the trailer? Very nice combo. Love the color too.

Thanks Ray. I like my stuff nice, but in addition, early on, I was testing/prototyping/showcasing Rhino accessories for a California company called Black Rhino Performance, so it had to be presentable for display purposes. Company has since changed hands & I am no longer associated with them.

The trailer box is actually an aluminum prototype bed, (weight reduction) that I was asked to evaluate. They missed the mounting tab locations on this one, so I decided to build a trailer. The fenders are a buddy's scuffed castoffs, wheels & tires are from a lifted golf cart, and the base trailer is one of those cheap HF kits. I bought it in terrible shape at a garage sale for $15. I then sold the wheels, tires, lights, & fenders for $25. I shortened the frame, added another cross member, dropped the tongue & axle. The color is off, but at that time it was the closest to Yamaha blue in a plastic paint. I since have found the correct color, but have not had time to repaint it. I have also added a locking cargo box on the front.
It is great for Rhino/golf cart camping, and garage sales.

Lil Foot · Oct 16, 2018

coachgeo said:
"stop using immediately" is lawyer speak for....... we said that to "cover our Arse" cause some other lawyer will try to scam us for billions for this minor flaw.
Lawyers rule the day in our nation and rest of us are the inconsequential folk who in realty suffer all the damage from their battles.

Yup, lawyers suck.
My dad used to say that lawyers and the ACLU have done more damage to this country than the communists ever could. Can't argue with him on that.

Kurtee · Oct 16, 2018

I have a 2006 660 Rhino with the door mod but no suspension mod. I installed Maxxis aluminum wheels with 1" offset and Maxxis Bighorn tires. Took care of the stability issue. I use it to pull a small dump trailer for yard work. I haul leaves and such to the city pile and people gotta watch as I just hit the switch and dump them out. I can pull the dump trailer with my pickup or the Rhino.

Lil Foot · Apr 10, 2019

Finally got the door upgrade done on the Rhino.
1st pic is the door
2nd passenger grab handle
3rd the 2" rear wheel spacers
4th is the CYA warning placard that is supposed to be pop-riveted to the center of the dash; thank God they had the brains not to do that (see 5th pic)
5th pic is the custom center of my dash

skeets · Apr 10, 2019

Foot that is slick as snot on a brass door knob,, but I have a question about the lift kit on the trailer. I know you have the u bolts tight but it looks like if the wheel struck something the axel could rotate back and off the lift or am I missing something?

D2Cat · Apr 10, 2019

Skeets, don't think it is going to rotate. The axle is square or rectangular steel with two bolts on the front and back going up to the springs. At least not by pulling with a side by side.

Muzzy · Apr 10, 2019

Lil Foot, Nice Rig, that trailer is some Cool Kit

Lil Foot · Apr 10, 2019

skeets said:
Foot that is slick as snot on a brass door knob,, but I have a question about the lift kit on the trailer. I know you have the u bolts tight but it looks like if the wheel struck something the axel could rotate back and off the lift or am I missing something?

The leaf spring has a big steel rivet in the center, holding the spring pack together.
The aluminum block on top the spring has a recess for the rivet to locate on, & the lift block has a recess on its top end to locate on the other end of the rivet.
The axle has a recess, (that used to locate on the bottom end of the spring rivet) and the bottom of the lift block has a turned hub to fit in that recess. The bolts would have to be loosened about 3/16" before anything could separate enough to shift.
I wouldn't use this system on something heavy, high speed, or important, like my fifth wheel, but its more than adequate for this little, low speed, no weight setup.

Lil Foot · Apr 10, 2019

skeets & Muzzy-
Thanks guys, it's a lot of fun to drive around, the trailer gets a lot of looks, smiles, & thumbs up, and it's a real conversation starter. Taillights & brake lights are functional, and the trailer is considered a piece of "equipment", (like a cement mixer) so no license or title is needed.
As I stated earlier, it was pretty much all stuff I had laying around or was given, so I probably don't have $30 in it.

Now if you think that is cool, take a look at this. My buddy liked mine so much, he bought a totaled, insurance wreck Rhino for $1200, and being a NASA certified welder who builds high-end sand rails as a hobby, built a REAL Rhino trailer.
I hate him. A lot.

Stop using your machine immediately!

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