| Muzzys Performance Purple Haze
By Seth Fargher, Photos by Seth Fargher and Jon Crowley Muzzys Performance is a name that is synonymous with horsepower. Sure everyone knows they manufacture some of the finest full system and slip on exhausts on the market but in addition to bolt on horsepower, owner Rob Muzzy has been tuning engines and winning championships in all forms of motorsports for over 50 years. From two wheels to four, drag bikes to UTVs, Muzzys Performance is hardcore about developing horsepower. Following the release of their 1132cc big bore engine kit for the Polaris RZR XP 1000, Muzzy started kicking around the idea of building a new shop car that would turn some heads and solidify the company as more than just an exhaust company. Drawing inspiration from his wifes limited edition Vulcan motorcycle, Rob cast a vision for what he wanted the car to look like and his team went to work.
As is often the case in this industry, relationships are key and as the word got out about this new showpiece, a number of companies jumped on board, Glazzkraft and Rigid Industries being two of the first. Rob really liked the Glazzkraft body so that’s where we started, said Lorin Morrell, principle builder on the project. I started making phone calls to people in the industry and they really liked what we were going for. The theme of the build was that of a vintage cruiser; nothing too showy and everything very, very clean. That would be a real challenge considering all of the wires tying together 12 underbody lights, 2 light bars and a host of accent lights from Rigid. Not to mention a full audio system from SSV Works with Rockford Fosgate equipment and a four person intercom system from Rugged Radios. Morrell and company went to great lengths to keep all of the wiring out of sight, including drilling holes and running wires through the TMW Offroad roll cage.
While Muzzy wasnt going for an overly loud look, Morrell took it upon himself to incorporate a few subtle but noticeable elements that would maintain the showpiece perception of the car. I had the hood and all of the accessories from Axia Alloys hydro dipped to look like carbon fiber. When you look at the car, theres no one thing that just pokes you right in the eye; its all very subtle but the closer you look, you really start to see the details surface.
In keeping with the vintage look, Muzzy opted for a black exhaust with brushed aluminum end caps verses the more popular polished aluminum finish. The black leather seats from Triple X seats also played to the theme with imitation ostrich leather inserts and custom stitching designed to mimic the look of carbon fiber.
While the team decided to retain the stock suspension, S3 Powersports contributed a set of oversized radius rods to sturdy up the rear of the car and Walker Evans Racing supplied a set of their custom built 2.5 piggyback shocks.
Beadlock wheels are a non negotiable for any high horsepower vehicle that is meant to be driven and Hiper Racing included a set of their 14 inch Sidewinder beadlock wheels featuring carbon wheel halves with billet aluminum centers. Fullerton Sand Sports wrapped the wheels in STU Sand Blaster Rear paddles tires and Sand Razor fronts; a great looking and exceptional performing sand tire package.
Of course the heart and soul of the vehicle is the engine and fortunately for me, Ive had a few separate occasions to get behind the wheel. As with almost any vehicle I drive (particularly ones as nice as Purple Haze) I tend to drive a little defensively until I feel like I know the vehicles limits. That being said, after about the 3rd run out in it, I had no problem sending it off a transition or launching it (carefully) to see how well it flew. The bulk of my seat time was at the UTV Invasion in St Anthony Idaho and I cant think of a better place to put a vehicle like this to the test. If youve never been, the St Anthony sand dunes are the largest and steepest dunes anywhere in the US. While Glamis is no slouch, Devils dune, Choke Cherry Hill and Dead Horse bowl make Oldsmobile and Competition Hill look like childs play. (My opinion of course but I really feel there is no comparison.) The massive dunes are the perfect place to be able to see just what the big bore engine can do.
Anyone that has ever ridden in sand understands that to successfully navigate the dunes, you have to sort of plan out your course so you dont find yourself powering out while scaling a tall dune. With Purple Haze, that really wasnt an issue. Everywhere we went it always seemed to have just a little bit more. I found I could hold my line around large bowls and with no fear of running out of power. When starting and stopping, I didnt have to worry about whether I was on an incline or not because I could easily push the gas and go where other vehicles Ive driven would normally burry themselves in the sand.
Over the course of the weekend I happened to jump back and forth between Purple Haze, a long travel XP1000 with a stock engine and the new RZR XP Turbo which really allowed me to gauge the power differences between the three platforms. The big bore kit certainly wakes the 999cc engine up but its not at all unmanageable. The power is smooth and strong with a ton of torque, perfect for climbing and riding along the ridges of the tall dunes in St Anthony. I eventually got so comfortable that I wasnt really noticing the power gains until I climbed back into the standard XP 1000. Where Purple Haze would just keep climbing or allow me to accelerate with a push of the throttle, the standard XP 1000 was slower to respond. At one point I chased down and XP 1000 while climbing Devils Dune who had a significant head start. The 60% increase in horsepower closely mimicked the feel and drivability of the new XP Turbo. While the XP Turbo felt a bit more nimble and agile, I realize were comparing a two seat vehicle to a four seater. The power was close but with all the extra weight, I definitely felt like I was driving a sand car when behind the wheel of Purple Haze. It would be an interesting comparison to match a two seat XP Turbo with a two seat Muzzys big bore machine.
On that note, while many RZR owners are trying to decide whether or not to sell their XP 1000s and upgrade to the new XP Turbo, Muzzys big bore 1132cc kit might just come as the simplest solution to the problem; particularly for those owners whove already done a significant amount of modifying to their 1000s. Muzzys offers a couple of options for upgrading to their big bore engine package. DIYers can purchase the kit consisting of cylinders, pistons, seals, cams, springs, rods, injectors and an upgraded clutch for around $4363. Muzzys also recommends their hand porting job on the cylinder head for another $800. If youd rather send them your complete engine and let them do the work, you can get the entire power up package for around $7,000 plus shipping and handling. A sizable amount for a single upgrade but when you consider the XP Turbo is almost $5,000 more than the XP 1000, not to mention the cost of any upgrades youve already made to your machine, its an affordable way to get a whole lot more power out of your current vehicle. On the whole I was thoroughly impressed with Purple Haze and while I typically prefer the more agile, two seat vehicles, the big bore engine kit made this four seater out perform most of the two seaters Ive driven. While purple is by no means my favorite color, in this day of loud, colorful wraps with lots of chrome and powder coating, I appreciate the simplicity of the color scheme and the attention to detail. The pearl purple color by Robberson Custom Collision changes colors depending on your lighting and pictures really do it no justice. The gold leaf decals from Proline Wraps offer an artistic element to the car verses simply plastering Muzzys name on the side of it and I love the little details like the carbon fiber wheel wraps inside the Hiper Racing wheels. All the little details will have you noticing something new each time you walk up to the vehicle and since that is what the gang at Muzzys was going for, I would say job well done! Purple Haze has already made the rounds considering it was only finished back in June, with appearances at the Oregon UTV Invasion, Dunefest, Idaho UTV Invasion and the Sand Sports Super show. Keep your eyes peeled to Muzzys Performance on Instagram and Facebook to keep up with everything going on at Muzzys and to find out where Purple Haze will be making an appearance next. Purple Haze Specifications:
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How to submit your UTV Send and email tojon@utvguide.net with specifications and images. Images should be about 800×600 and less than 100k each. Make sure you include a list of modifications along with manufacturer info. |
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