Monster Energy Kawasaki Teryx Takes on Moab’s Trails During Rally on the Rocks
Crossing the Golden Crack on Golden Spike Trail
I made the journey to Moab for the 1st Annual Rally on the Rocks. The event was held on May 12 – 15, and I took our Monster Energy Kawasaki Teryx our to show it off.
On Wednesday, I went on Gold Bar Rim and Golden Spike Trail. On Thursday I went on the Pit Bull Tires ride on Moab Rim. The Teryx performed very well in Moab.
I even had it displayed on day in at the Rally on the Rocks HQ in Spanish Trail Arena.
Look for an upcoming article in UTV Off-Road Magazine written by Joey D. from UTVUnderground.com.
We arrived Tuesday night and hooked up on Wednesday morning to ride Gold Bar Rim and Golden Spike with Aaron Wedeking and his crew from PRP Seats , Reid Nordin from Team Green Kawasaki Racing, Joey D from UTV Underground, Rick “Wally” Wallace from Side x Side Outfitterz, Baja racing legend Larry Roeseler, Todd and Jack from DragonFire Racing, and Troy and Don from UTV Off-Road Magazine.
Gold Bar Rim Trail
The Gold Bar Rim Trail takes you along the Gemini Bridges Trail then up sandstone ledges to a viewpoint on the cliffs high above the entrance to the Moab Valley. From Gold Bar Rim, you can take the Golden Spike Trail all the way down to the Golden Crack and then on to Poison Spider Mesa Trail. The Golden Spike Trail is one of the most famous slick rock trails in the Moab area. Our group’s goal for the day was to get to the crack by lunch, and head back out the same way.
The first part of the trail on Gemini Bridges Road climbs up from the valley floor is an easy, albeit dusty ride. After a few miles, the trail leaves the dirt road and turns to sand stone for the accent to Gold Bar Rim. This trail starts easy but gradually becomes more difficult as it gains altitude.
Along the way, we hit several tough obstacles – The Body Snatcher, Golden Falls, The Wall and Golden Stair Case. After you see them firsthand, the names make a lot of sense.
We made it to the Golden Crack just about time for lunch. The Golden Crack is one of the most famous obstacles in Moab. It is a waist-deep fissure in the stone that swallows a 25 inch tire. The only way to cross it is at an angle so at least one tire on each axle keeps traction. I decided to put my Monster Energy Kawasaki Teryx to the test and try this out. With a few riders hanging on the side of your UTV to provide counter-weight and a push when needed, this obstacle isn’t as tough as it looks. Do it without assistance and it is a bit more nerve-racking. I wanted to try it solo and it went better than I had hoped for. The toughest part was when the first front tire is swallowed and has a hard time climbing out. It felt like I was going to snap off the front a-arm. After a few tries, I made it across.
Moab Rim Trail
On Thursday, Pit Bull Tires organized a run on the Moab Rim Trail. I run Pit Bull Rocker XORs on my Teryx, so I figured this was a good trail for me to check out and also see other Pit Bull equipped vehicles in action.
The group missed the police escort through town, and we all ended up with two or three groups and probably close to 50 UTVs at the trailhead at the same time. Moab Rim starts just off of Kane Creek Road right at the Colorado River and the hardest obstacles are within the first ½ mile of the trail.
If you haven’t been up the stair-steps along the ascent from the Colorado River before, the trail can be nerve-racking to say the least. It seems like one small mistake would send you tumbling down the side and into the river. It reality, it isn’t that bad, but it makes for a good adrenaline rush.
Moab Rim Trail
From the rim, we headed out to some sand and slick rock. We stopped at one spot for a group photo, and I think there were over 20 UTVs in our group.
We stopped for lunch at the end of the trail, and then headed back around another section of the trail back to the rim that brought us by a steep sand dune. Now I am no stranger to dunes, so this looked pretty interesting. The sand around Moab is real fine, so getting hook up is more challenging, and this hill had no opportunity to get a run at it. There were a few turbo RZRs climbing, but not many naturally aspirated UTVs made the attempt. I have a Muzzys 840cc big bore in my Teryx, so it has about double the horsepower as a stock Teryx. But it is also setup for racing so I knew the extra weight was going to hinder me. I figured I would give it a try to at least get some good photos. On the first attempt, I made it about a third of the way up the hill. Damn. This is a tough climb. Once at the bottom, I decided to give it another try since we didn’t get a video the first attempt. I was determined to make it up a bit higher this time. I hit it hard at the bottom, and at about the same spot where I stopped on my first attempt, I tried a little bit different line. The Muzzys big bore was working hard slinging the big Pit Bull Rockers, but I kept on it and made it all the way to the top! What a rush when I turned at the top and headed back down the hill.
Photos courtesy of UTVUnderground.com
More pictures cam be found on UTVGuide.net
