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By Robert Janis Sprucing Up
the UTV Exterior
 For those UTV enthusiasts who may not be
thrilled by the exterior appearance of their ATV
from the factory, there is a developing
alternative. A body kit designed specifically
for your model UTV.
One company that has recently jumped into the
market is Rhino Bodywerks in Huntington Beach,
California. Rhino Bodywerks is the
creator/designer of Rhino Glass which is
specifically designed and constructed for the
Yamaha Rhino UTV. The kit includes a front end
clip which is 15 inches wider then the stock
front end, a cowl, and bedsides that have a 7
inch flare per side over the stock bedsides. The
kit is priced at $1500 and comes in several
different colors which include white, red,
black, orange, green, yellow, blue, pink, and
brown. The kit will simply bolt on in the same
manner as the factory body. If for some reason
you cannot put the kit on your UTV, Rhino
Bodywerks will provide assistance or recommend
someone who could.
 To put the kit into production, Rhino
Bodywerks has partnered with Glassworks
Unlimited to manufacture the body kit.
Glassworks Unlimited has been producing body
parts for off-road trucks since 1994 when they
opened their doors for business. What started as
a one man operation, now employs seven people
and produces more than 1000 hand laid sets of
fenders, bedsides, and hoods for off-road
vehicles a year.
The partners of Rhino Bodywerks, Tim
Gerwatosky and Steve Lawrence, determine what
body kit design is feasible to develop by
observing current market trends. It takes an
average of six to eight weeks to develop a kit
from conception to marketing, explained Steve
Lawrence of Rhino Bodywerks. We have a research
and development department that comes up with
the concept "and then it is off to the design
room," said Lawrence. "We start with the factory
part and start working from there. We need the
factory part to maintain tolerances on all
mounting points so the new body will bolt on the
same way as a factory body."
Consumers and racers should consider a
variety of things when shopping for a body kit
for their UTV, said Lawrence. "The first thing
you should consider is how far your tires
cycle," he said. "If your new body kit is not
wide enough for your long travel kit, then you
will have the same problems you experience with
your stock body. Your tires will cycle into the
body and create wear and tear on the body and
the tires. The Rhino Body Kit is 15 inches wider
than stock and will more then adequately cover
any long travel kit up to 6-inches wider per
side."
 So far the Rhino Body kit is sold through
five distributors: Woolworth Motorsports, Las
Vegas, Nevada (www.woolworthmotorsports.com)
; Super Duty Headquarters, Gilbert, Arizona
(www.superdutyheadquarters.com);
Sandsational Gear and Apparel, San Diego,
California (www.arizonasportscenter.com)
Arizona Sports Center, Glendale, Arizona and Custom Motorsports,
Riverside, California (custommotorsports.com)
Then of course, you can always contact Rhino
bodywerks directly at (www.glassworksunlimited.com/shop/product.php?productid=100)
or at 714-379-9134.
According to Gerwatosky, Rhino Bodywerks
sponsors two race cars for Wired for Sound. "We
sponsor racers because it is an excellent way to
test the product for durability and
functionality," said Gerwatosky. "The race team
is going to ride the product harder than the
consumer. Sponsoring race teams is always a
great form of advertising." Gerwatosky said that
racers sometimes help in developing products.
"We have a design already but we will always
take suggestions on improvements," he said.
Lawrence concluded that the combination of
Glassworks Unlimited and Rhino Bodywerks is to
produce more fiberglass body kits for more UTV
models. Currently in development will be another
body kit for the Yamaha Rhino. Then soon to be
developed, will be a body kit for the Polaris
Ranger. After that the companies are waiting for
Honda's version of the side by side to be
released and will start developing a body kit
for that as well. "With the time tested
craftsmanship of Glassworks Unlimited and the
new innovative ideas of Rhino Bodywerks, I think
the future looks bright for both companies," he
said.
For more information on Rhino Bodywerks feel
free to contact Tim or Steve at 714-379-9134 or
email them at
rhinobodywerks@aol.com and for more
information about Glassworks Unlimited, visit
them at:
www.glassworksunlimited.com
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