Feature Vehicle: Black Mamba

UTVUnderground.com has been fortunate to have been a part of some of the industries coolest and most innovative UTV builds. Because of our build history when UTVUnderground sets out to build a new machine the bar is set high and the expectations of an over the top build are even higher. So when we began drawing up plans for our 2013 Polaris RZR Jagged-X Edition we knew we had to go BIG!

We knew right away we wanted to build a dual purpose UTV. Something that could be used for more strenuous pre-run adventures such as pre race running of the Baja 500 or 1000 all while still being a fun car to play with whether we wanted to take it to Moab or Ocotillo Wells. With out build direction laid out we now needed a build partner who could best help us execute this project. After some quick discussion, we selected to use for the first time at UTVUnderground.com, SDR Motorsports out of Riverside, CA.

Tim Berendes and his team at SDR Motorsports are the leaders in custom Polaris RZR builds so it was a no brainer that at some point UTVUnderground.com and SDR would collaborate on a build of this quality. We dropped our machine off at SDR's facility in Riverside and Tim assured me that they wouldn't let us down. Not only did they not let us down, they completely over delivered, building us a machine that not only turn heads but it totally functional to boot.

While SDR took on the challenge of fabricating and assembling the new machine, we set out on rounding up all of the parts and accessories we wanted to include in the build. We began with the more important accessories that would benefit us on those long pre-run adventures. Lights, Communications, Navigation, Wheels and Tires topped that list with us reaching out to some of the industries best companies. Before we went too far we worked with SDR on a custom color scheme that would retain the factory flat back base color but then would utilize a never before seen "flat / anodized candy blue" color for the cage that in some light looks like a metallic purple. Now, every build needs a name, so after lots of thought we decided to settle on BLACK MAMBA for this build!

Rigid Industries supplied us with more LED lights then we could have ever wanted and added some of their custom flare hooking us up with interior and rock style A-Series lights that were BLUE and helped accentuate our accent color. Tim and his guys mounted a blue A-Series light in each of the 4 fender wells to be used as rock lights and undercarriage accent lights. These lights not only look cool but also can help us in case of a night time tire replacement or repair. SDR then put the remaining 2 A-Series lights in the center roof bar to be used as dome lights. These blue accent lights really give the car a sweet custom look when fired up! A 30" SR light bar would be custom mounted to the roof, surrounded by a custom aluminum shroud, the way SDR mounted this bright LED light looks super trick! We have no intention of bumping anyone in this car so we opted for no front bumper and instead installed a custom SDR front grill with a 10" SR LED light that mounts directly into the factory bumper mount location. While the roof bar will give us that high throw light, the low mounted 10" will give us that close to the ground coverage. From there we added 2 Dually D-2 LED lights on the a-pillars to give us that middle and side to side coverage. To say we have enough light is an understatement!! To top it all off, Rigid Industries also sent us 2-SRM blue LED's that we mounted on the rear bumper behind a cool aluminum piece. These lights would act as our reverse lights which anyone who has ever ridden at night knows can really come in handy!

For anyone who has ever ridden off-road and in unfamiliar territory, you know how important Navigation and Communications are. Our friends at Polaris supplied us with their new Lowrance 5" HDS / XTR GPS which would be mounted into our custom Wally World fiberglass dash. With that taken care of, we reached out to Rugged Radios for their hot new communications set up.  Rugged sent us out their new Revolution Series RRP686 Intercom. This new high tech intercom works as a 2-4 place and can be expanded to be up to an 8 person intercom system! Of course for us, we just need it for driver / passenger communication but its a cool piece of equipment with lots of options! We love the way this intercom looks, in place of traditional knobs are touch membrane volume controls and on/off buttons that give the intercom a futuristic and custom look that fit our build perfectly. In addition we installed a Rugged Radios Vertex 50w race radio which SDR put on the passenger  side dash panel above the glove box.  The intercom was mounted just to the left of the steering column making it easy to reach for the driver.

Wheels and Tires are an important decision for any build and to carry the theme of the build, we wanted to use products from site sponsors/advertisers. Walker Evans Racing wheels were an easy decision. 12" WER beadlock wheels come stock on the Jagged X edition but we wanted to step up to 14" beadlocks on out build so WER dialed us in with 5 of their popular 14" race wheels. From there we decided on going with the extremely popular GBC Motorsports Kanati Mongrel tires. We debated over using 30" or 28" tall tires but after some discussion settled on the 28" which to us looks the best and at full bump does not rub. Its hard to go anywhere these days and not see a set of these Mongrel's being ran on a UTV. The GBC Motorsports Mongrel is also a DOT approved tire which gives us confidence when we are running at high speed on the highways in Baja!

Comfort and Safety are a MUST for any build! We leaned on partners Pro Armor to supply us with a pair of custom seats that not only would look good in our Black Mamba but would also provide us with that long distance comfort. Pro Armor hooked us up with their XL Sniper seats with removable seat cushions which make for easy cleaning!  The XL Sniper seat is the perfect seat for big guys and offers a slightly deeper bucket in the seat. We have ran these seats in multiple builds and they always deliver on both comfort and style! SDR installed a set of Crow 5-Point harnesses to hold us in place but it was DragonFire Racing that would deliver the final touch for our interior safety. DFR hooked up the Black Mamba with their new suede sport steering wheel with quick disconnect and a sweet navigator grab bar with anti vibration clamp.  The steering wheel is perfect in diameter and gives us the look and feel we were after with this build. Both driver and passenger PTT buttons are installed on our steering wheel and navigator grab bar.

We went all out on this build and one look at it sitting complete you can tell that we spared so expense and SDR spared no detail on the Black Mamba. Its the details that make any build and for us we have some of the coolest details included that deserve mentioning. The custom Wally World dash really makes our interior stand out above any other build we have done this far. It houses all of our custom UTVUnderground.com / UTVInc switches, our Polaris GPS, factory gauge and ignition. If you look closely you will spot some of the 5 SSV Works stereo speakers. The SSV Works system is a must for any build. There is nothing better than having tunes while you are cruising or hanging out on a ride. This 5 speaker Kicker system JAMS and is pretty much plug and play. SSV Works supplies the speakers with enclosures that are custom fitted to the contours of the RZR's interior. Because of our custom SDR rear storage boxes, SDR had to build a custom enclosure for our rear pod speakers which are mounted directly into the rear firewall just between the passenger and driver seats. SDR told us that over 300ft of wire went into building this hot UTV, and we don't doubt it one bit. SDR put resettable breakers on all of the accessories but one thing we will add is a backup battery! We are going to need it!

When we picked up Black Mamba from SDR we were completely blown away. The look of the machine, the lines, the aluminum work, the wiring, the color scheme, everything just really worked together. SDR's XPR-2 cage system coupled with their custom opening doors, rear aluminum storage compartments, and trick roof mounted light bar mount really set this car off. It was a shame to get it dirty but thats exactly what we had to do once Vincent Knakal of Mad Media was done shooting photos of it! We loaded Black Mamba up and took it to Moab, UT for the Rally On The Rocks event and to put the machine to the test! Not surprisingly, the machine did everything we wanted it to do. From pounding the whooped our dirt roads to overcoming the unforgiving rock trails, Black Mamba not only tore it up, it looked good while doing it. The taller wheels and tires make for a very smooth ride while the interior creature comforts are positioned in all the right places. It was a wise decision for us to add the Factory UTV UHMW trailing arm skids before heading out and they saved our arms multiple times!

Huge thank you goes out to each and every sponsor who contributed to this build and especially SDR Motorsports for the amazing build and assembly of this machine. We also want to thank Polaris for the opportunity once again to build one of their amazing machines. We can't wait to get Black Mamba back out on the trail!

Owner: UTVUnderground.com

Builder: SDR Motorsports - XPR-2

Chasis: 2013 Polaris RZR Jagged-X HO (EPS)

Weight: 1529 lbs

Wheel Base: 107.4"

Track Width: 64"

Ground Clearance: 14.5"

Suspension: Factory Dual A-Arm Front (13.5" Travel) Trailing Arm Rear (14" Travel)

Shocks: Walker Evans Racing 2.0 Front / 2.5 Rear w/ Compression Adjustment Piggy Back Resevoir's

Axles: Factory

Engine: Polaris Pro-Star H.O. 875cc 4 Stroke DOHC Twin Cylinder

Exhaust: SLP Factory H.O. Exhaust System

Intake: Factory

Wheels: Walker Evans Racing 14" Beadlocks

Tires: GBC Motorsports 28" Kanati Mongrels

Wrap/Graphics: Pro Line Wraps (TBD)

Seats: Pro Armor Jagged X Edition Replacements w/ SDR Motorsports Lowered Seat Bases

Safety: Crow 5 Point Harnesses

Window Nets: N/A

Brakes: Factory 4-Wheel Hydraulic Disc w/ Dual Bore Front & Rear Calipers

Wiring: SDR Motorsports w/ UTV Inc Custom UTVUnderground.com Switches

Navigation: Lowrance Polaris Edition XTR Color 5" GPS

Communication: Rugged Radios 686 Intercom with 50w Vertex Race Radio

Lighting: Rigid Industries 30" SR (roof) - 10" SR (grill) - 2-Dually (a-pillar) - 2-SRM Blue (reverse) - 4-A Series Blue Rock Lights (wheel wells) - 2-A Series Blue (dome)

Skid Plate: Factory Belly Pan w/ Factory UTV UHMW Trailing Arm Guards

Fuel Cell: Factory

Stereo: SSV Works 5 Speaker KICKER System

Steering Wheel: Dragon Fire Racing Suede Sport Racing Wheel w/ Quick Disconnect

Navigator Bar: Dragon Fire Racing w/ Anti Vibration Clamp

Mirrors: Yoshimura Carbon Fiber Side Mirrors

Whips: Safe Glow Whips Blue LED Dual Whips w/ Billet Mounts