Let me get a few things off my chest in today’s posting: The Rhino is not flawless. There are a few sore points. The first is the “kick back” of the steering wheel. On more than one occasion, the rack-and-pinon-style steering wheel gave some unwanted feedback to the driver’s hands. When the front wheels came across a square-faced bump, or similar obstacle, the steering wheel spun fast, too fast. Fast enough to warrant several warnings from Yamaha representatives not to keep thumbs inside the wheel. When the wheel spun like that, I was thankful I didn’t have my thumbs inside the wheel — I value unbroken thumbs for some reason. I’d like to think it separates me from a hoofed animal, like a rhino.

The other concern is that it was too easy to stick my hand or foot outside the roll cage when things started to “seem” hairy. Again, Yamaha was quick to warn against such actions, and all it took was once for me to learn my lesson. Never, ever put a hand or foot outside the cab, unless you like broken or strained things. Yamaha does provide the passenger with handholds to deter such behavior — and the driver, of course, has the steering wheel. Now, we aren’t sure most owners won’t be so extreme with the Rhino that stray hands will ever be a concern, but the temptation still exists. The seatbelt was also a sore point at times. When going over large bumps, the long wheel- base meant the back end had a tendency to kick over the bump. This would cause the driver and passenger to lurch forward while the seatbelt did its job of holding firm. The combination was mildly annoying. I guess I could slow down for such bumps, but what fun is that? Plus, the alternative of slamming my chest into the steering wheel would have been worse. And to keep prices below that of the Polaris Ranger, Yamaha skipped some amenities. Most notable were a glovebox door — available from Yamaha — and an attractive dash display that has more than idiot lights. Yamaha says buyers will be able to purchase the same display found on the Grizzly, which shows speed, fuel, differential lock mode, time, odometer, 2WD/4WD mode, time, etc. The Rhino seems like a machine that should come standard with such a display. For a number of reasons, including not being subject to a top-speed limit, Yamaha chose not to classify the Rhino as a “utility vehicle” like Kawasaki and Polaris. This might pose problems for some buyers who want to take the Rhino on public trails in their state. Some states have restrictions on how wide or heavy a OHV may be. The Rhino is 54.1-inches wide and has a claimed dry weight of 1,049 pounds. Truth is, the Rhino has no class, it is not an ATV, it is not a utility vehicle. Maybe you can confuse the person handing out vehicle registrations?