Welcome to Colleen’s Corner. This is a column meant for fun and some information About myself: I am a Freelance Photographer you often see me on the side of the road or in various places taking photos of different things animals, birds, places, people etc. l have lived in Lumby just over 8 years you have seen my photos in the newspaper (Lumby Valley Times) and once in awhile in the Vernon Morning Star, and the Lumby Art Gallery. Photography is my passion. Disclaimer: The information on some of my photos that I write about a lot of times come from the Internet or books I research them, hopefully the facts are as close to the truth as I can come.
What is a RZR, you ask. Some of you already know. I didn’t until I came out here. It is an off road vehicle that is four wheel drive. It can take you up and down hills, a good hunting vehicle, it can fit in the back of your truck bed when not driving the RZR. Here in Arizona the RZR’s are not just driven off road but on the main streets and some highways as well the speeds of an RZR can reach up to 80 mph.
It amazes me when we go downtown to get supplies how many RZR’s are driving around getting really good parking spots, it appears that the RZR’s can fit almost anywhere, and hardly anyone wears a helmet even when riding a bicycle or a motorcycle.
They first came out in the market in 2007 with a statement that it was the 2008 model. In 2013 the military put in an order to Polaris (the company that sells them made by Suzuki) for 1,500 2 seaters and 4 seaters. The biggest problem with these were the gasoline engines as JP-8 fuel is standard for the military. In 2016 the military (Marine Corps) once again approached Polaris with $2.5 million contract for 144 four seat RZR’s which was called Utility Task Vehicle (UTV) this machine is powered by diesel and can run on the JP-8 fuel. These vehicles can fit in the back of the MV-22 Osprey this helps them to deploy from a long distance which could give them logistics support for the ground combat units helping them in travel and transport supplies to places that were hard to travel by foot. The UTV’s are able to accommodate 4 marines and a small cargo bed that can carry up to 1,500 lbs.
Although these are great machines for on and off road they do come with some serious fire hazards. An 11 year old had 3rd and 4th degree burns on her leg and foot, which then had to be amputated after the RZR had tipped over. A 15 year old died when the RZR she was a passenger on caught fire while in motion. 2 women also died from a fire after the RZR had tipped over causing it to spark and catch on fire. There was a case in 2019 when the 2017 RZR did not flip over and a 23 year old died when his RZR burst into flames while he was riding the vehicle, although it had it been under the recall list in 2018 and was repaired Since the beginning of the Polaris RZR they have recalled more than 1/2 million for defects that might lead to fires, burns, other bodily harm and deaths. Owners of the RZR ‘s are still reporting fires on the RZR’s that were repaired previously this also includes fires resulting in total loss of the machines.
Like an vehicle it can be under a recall for a majority of reasons, if you choose to buy one or maybe you already own one, find out about the year you are getting, and the recalls on that year hopefully there are not many.
The price to buy an RZR can run you between $10,000 – $40,000 USD
Have fun with your purchase and be careful.
