Yamaha’s 2010 SE Event in the Dunes

By Corry Weller
Photos by Adam Campbell and Corry Weller

Yamaha’s Travis Hollins and Phillip Lash acquaint us with the features of each new model while our editorial group looks on.It’s January 2010, and once again it’s time for editors from all different ATV publications to converge on a tiny little place at the dunes in Glamis, CA called Pad 2.5. It’s a place where one of the most respected OEMs in the industry has brought out a fleet of new Special Edition ATVs for magazine people like us to have fun on. Yamaha Motor Corp has been hosting this unique and highly anticipated event for many years, and this year, despite the hard economical times, would be no exception. Even with the economy in the toilet and budgets slashed all around us, leave it to Yamaha to continue with their great tradition!

What awaited us in the dunes was pulled straight from any genuine ATV enthusiast’s fondest dreams – more brand new, shiny quads of all sizes and colors than we could count on all ten fingers and toes; a number of vacant, top-of-the-line toy haulers encircling the bevy of ATVs; a huge pile of dry, solid firewood; and seemingly endless miles of slightly damp, wind-swept dunes as far as the eye could see.

Yamaha has always treated the media well, and this event would be no exception. Not only were we housed and fed like “A” list celebs of the ATV industry, we were also given several very cool gadgets right off the bat to use for this event, and to take home when we were finished.

SureFire had equipped Yamaha with enough of their ‘Saint Minimus’ Ultra High Output LED Headlamps for everyone, which were not only very comfortable to wear, but also contain a very bright, easily adjustable beam that can be very useful in any situation where being hands-free is important. They also made very handy spotlights for our two-night horseshoe tournament!

 

The new GoPro ‘Chesty’ mount proved very popular among our group of editors, as Go Pro cameras were strapped on and used for just about every ride during the event.GoPro, a name which has become almost a household word in the world of motorsports these days, was also kind enough to provide each editor with their very own GoPro HD video camera, complete with more mounting hardware than we could possibly use, and a great new mounting devise dubbed the ‘Chesty’. This nifty little harness makes it possible to mount a Go Pro on one’s person – at chest level – in order to give a whole new perspective to filming. These GoPros invaded our camp, literally, and could be seen mounted on just about every helmet, fender and ‘chesty’ that had any available space throughout the event. The video quality is amazing, and if you can view it in high definition, it’s even more astounding that such a great picture can come from such a tiny, easy to use camera. Thanks to Yamaha and GoPro, You Tube will no doubt see a huge influx of duning videos over the next few weeks!

While the dunes were certainly beckoning, and our new acquisitions were waiting to be tested, the real reason we were all assembled for this event demanded even more attention – the 2010 Special Edition Raptor 700 and 2010 Special Edition YFZ450R.

The Raptor 700 stood out immediately with its black and white color scheme and very cool tribal graphics design, while the YFZ450R had a unique, stealthy look with it’s midnight blue (almost black) plastics and similarly themed graphics.

Along with its unique, dark color scheme, the YFZR comes equipped with gold springs and reservoirs on the shocks, and is finished off nicely with an all-black swing arm. The dark blue frame grabs the eye and compliments the graphics well, and the black bumper, a-arms and heel guards help to complete the entire package. Another cool feature about the YFZ450 SE models was first seen on the 2009 SE model – each SE comes with very handy cam-lock style fasteners for the fenders that make quick removal and installation a breeze!

The gold springs and rezzies on the SE YFZ450R set off the matte black a-arms and electric blue frame very nicely.The 2010 SE Raptor 700 sports a nice combination of black and white plastics, a candy red frame, black a-arms and some great looking gunmetal springs and rezzies. The Raptor also comes equipped with a black front bumper and rear grab bar from the factory as well as black heel guards to help keep your feet firmly in place while riding through the dunes or the trails. The very nicely styled graphics package ties the two-toned plastics together almost seamlessly, and is made of thick, quality materials.

As delighted as we were to be the first to see these new models, we were even more excited when it came time to ride them and put them to the test in the dunes. Always amazed at the traction the stock tires on both the Raptor 700 and the YFZ450R provide, we were treated to even more hook-up this time, thanks to all of the previous rain that had fallen just days before we arrived. The stock power provided by both machines was more than enough to cause even the most aggressive rider to come back into camp with a smile on their face and plenty of sand in their teeth.

It didn’t take long for everyone to be treated to some awesome rides on the way to some of the largest, steepest hills in Glamis. Armed to the teeth with an array of GoPro HDs, our group of editors and Yamaha staff spent countless hours winding in and out of the huge bowls surrounding our campsite and well beyond, only to come back and trade machines, and head back out for even more pictures and testing.

And so went our two days of “hard work” putting these machines to the test, and making sure we were well acquainted with Yamaha’s newest models.

As if we weren’t having enough fun with the many Raptor 700Rs and YFZ450Rs on hand, Yamaha also broke out three Raptor 250s. Several editors and staff alike had a good old time racing around on the little 250s.

A Raptor 250 race broke out during this event, as almost every editor and staff member took their laps around an impromptu sand track, giving the little Rappy’s quite the workout!The Raptor 250 comes with a choice of boy’s or girl’s graphics upon purchase, allowing the consumer to customize their new purchase however they choose. Not only was it amusing to watch full-grown men taking the “s” turns around a newly-formed worm track at full speed, but it was also fun watching them decide who would race the ‘girl’s’ 250 as well! The little Raptors have always been fun – with their great handling and class leading suspension – and it’s quite possible that they may have gotten more of a workout than the full-grown models did on this trip!

Hats off to Yamaha, again this year, for coming up with new designs and features on our favorite models, and allowing a way for consumers to be just a little more unique amongst their peers when it comes to buying a new quad. Even at a time when some companies are stepping back into the economic shadow or cutting back on their product line, Yamaha is still producing new models with fresh designs and just the right amount of attitude.

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