All language subtitles for Modern.Marvels.S21E09.Adventure.Machines.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H264-BTN_track3_[eng]

- [Adam] There's nearly
4 million square miles

of America the beautiful,

and whether you are
charging up a mountain

or tearing through a forest,
[motorcycle engine roars]

cutting across the water
or slicing through the air,

there is a machine
built to help you enjoy

nearly every square inch of it.

And it's not just fun and games.

This is big business.

[dramatic music]

From equipment and apparel

to races and
extreme experiences.

Americans spend
nearly $800 million

each year on outdoor recreation.

Today, I am at the Yamaha
plant in Newnan, Georgia,

where right behind these walls,

they manufacture
every single Yamaha,

a Waverunner, ATV or
side-by-side vehicle

sold in the world.

Machines that amp up adrenaline.

Machines that enable escape.

Machines that are
built for adventure.

We'll get an inside look

at how these bad-ass
beasts are brought to life

and explore the wide world
of adventure machines.

[Jets blasting]

In what ways are
personal submarines

changing the way we
explore the ocean?

How can a motorized backpack

send you soaring 400
feet into the air?

And what futuristic sport

requires piloting a
four ton exoskeleton?

Grab your helmets,
strap in and throttle up

because today is going
to be a lot of fun.

This is Modern Marvels:
Adventure Machines.

[dramatic music continues]

[engine roars]

[upbeat music]

The Yamaha campus behind me

contains over 1.3
million square feet

of state-of-the-art
manufacturing technology.

[welder sparks]

And sitting on 280 acres.

It's bigger than
Madison Square Garden

and the Empire State
Building combined.

And by employing
over 2000 people,

they have had a huge
impact on the community.

In fact, they even have
their own Yamaha day.

It's May 18th, in case
you feel like celebrating.

But Yamaha did not
start with motor sports.

They actually began with
musical instruments.

It's true.
[uplifting music]

founder Torakusu Yamaha
actually began manufacturing

reed organs after being
hired to repair them.

There's even an ode to this
musical origin of the company

hidden in plain sight.

If you look at their logo,

it's actually comprised of
three interlocking tuning forks.

[tuning fork tone]

In the 20th century,

Yamaha discovered
that their process

for casting iron
for piano frames

was useful in the manufacturing

of motorcycle engine cylinders.

By 1955, Yamaha motor company
made their first motorcycle.

A few years later, they
entered their new bike

in two of the biggest
motorcycle competitions in Japan

and they won.

[ATV accelerates]

And since then they've
designed their vehicles

with maximum power,
performance, and durability

to take adventure
a whole new level.

Now, today I'm going to meet

with manufacturing engineering
manager, Brad Benton,

to get an inside,
behind the scenes look

at how these adventure
machines come to life.

And maybe if I'm lucky,
take one for a test drive.

[upbeat music]

This beautiful, massive facility

is dedicated to making
machines that are about fun,

enjoying life and adventuring.

- Yeah, I mean our
purpose for Yamaha

is really to try to
rev people's hearts.

Get them really excited
about being outdoors.

- [Adam] Here in Newnan, Yamaha
makes four primary products.

Powerful ATVs,
[ATV engine roars]

the iconic WaveRunner,
[water splashes]

sleek golf carts, and
their newest creation

The RMAX 1000 also
known as the Wolverine.

The Wolverine is what's
known as a side-by-side.

It's a four wheel multi
passenger off-roading vehicle

engineered for
outdoor adventure.

We'll get up close with the
state-of-the-art machines

and workers that breathe
life into this beast.

Can I please go
out on a test track

in something, anything?

- I think we can
make that happen.

- Excellent.

to the first manufacturing site.

- Which one can I take?

- Any one you'd like.
[upbeat music]

- I'm going to go with orange.

It was was Frank
Sinatra's favorite color.

If it's good enough
for ol' blue eyes,

that'd be good for
middle-aged brown eyes.

[laughs] So I'm going
to try this one.

- [Brad] Have at it.

- Hoho hoho.
[engine rumbles]

Golf cart, away.

[upbeat music continues]

Today 194 workers at Newnan
put these machines together.

The creation of
modern golf carts

began during World War II.

[trumpet trills]

Spurred by nationwide gas
rationing during the war,

a California inventor built

a compact electric
car for daily use

and by 1951,

he began mass
producing electric cars

for use on the golf course.

Today tricked out
cutting-edge models

are a cottage industry.

With explosive power
and custom styles.

- The longest golf
cart in the world

comes out of our
state of Georgia.

Mike's golf cart makes
a 31 foot golf cart

has 49 inch wheels.

[engine revs]

- [Adam] And golf carts
have gone beyond the links.

Plum Quick Motors
in South Carolina,

regularly competes in golf
cart drag racing events.

The company enhances
standard golf cart engines.

Creating models that
can go toe to toe

with full blown race cars.

They set the world record

for the fastest golf
cart in the world.

Clocking in at over
118 miles per hour.

- [Brad] This is plant one.

So, in this facility,

this is where we'll
actually build

the ATVs, golf carts
and WaveRunners.

Every 60 seconds, an ATV or a
golf cart rolls off the line.

- [Adam] How long does it
take for the side-by-side?

- [Brad] Just over two minutes.

- [Adam] Gotcha.

- [Brad] Due to the
size, the complexity,

the number of parts
for the new RMAX 1000

we'll produce everything to
that unit here in plant two.

[rock music]

- [Adam] The RMX 1000,
code named Wolverine,

gets built in its own factory.

And the process
starts right here,

inside plant two at Yamaha,

an intricate assembly
line builds the Wolverine

inside out, piece by piece.

It begins on the weld line

[welder sparks]

where workers build
the vehicle's

frame and send it right here.

- So we are at the beginning
of the assembly line.

Our first process here.

- Oh my God.

How are you doing?

- Good. How are you doing?

I'm Mike that's Austin.

- Nice to meet you.
[wrench spins]

You guys are like a
seamless operation.

- That's what we try to do.

- The engine is one of
the first components

that gets added into
the Wolverine's frame.

Mike uses a
hydraulic lift assist

to swing the 375 lb
engine into place

as easy as if it
were a paperweight.

The frame moves along
a mechanized track

to 180 individual stations.
[machinery whirs]

There are more than

200 different workers
on the floor here

and the Wolverine is assembled

out of a whopping 2100 parts.

[machines whir and clank]

It's kind of amazing.

It's like a NASCAR pit crew.

[machinery whirs]

How often do these
cycle through?

- Well normally
under three minutes.

- Really took three
minutes start to finish?

Crazy.

The staggering efficiency
of this assembly line

has historic roots.

[upbeat music]

The modern automotive
assembly line

began with the
Ford motor company.

We all know that Ford's concept
was a moving production line

where a car could be
assembled one part at a time,

but believe it or not,

the inspiration for this idea

came from Ford's observation
of slaughterhouses.

- Ford went into
these slaughterhouses

and witnessed how these
animals were dismembered.

And he basically developed
the Ford assembly line

based on this
disassembly of animals.

- [Adam] Today, the
technology speed

and most of all size of
these operations have grown.

While the industry has scaled up

the core concept of an
assembly line remains the same.

Including at Yamaha's
massive operation.

- Adam, this is Anna.

- Hello.
- How do you do?

- I'm pretty good, how are you?

- She's going to
walk you through

our quality
verification process.

- Is that where we are now?

- Yeah.

- I'm just going through
and checking all the bolts

and making sure that
everything's good and connected.

There's a little over 100
things I'm having to look at.

- How many minutes do you have

to check 100 different things?

- 2 minutes and 42 seconds.

- But that's just a
rough estimate right?

[laughs]

Anna, you are certified bad ass.

[upbeat music]

Before we see the next step
of the Wolverine process.

It's time to see
the assembly line

of another classic
Yamaha adventure machine.

- This is our water
vehicle assembly line.

Every water vehicle, every
Waverunner that we produce

for the whole world comes
off of this assembly line.

- Wow.

[upbeat music]

The Yamaha Waverunner.

Every 1.8 minutes,

a fresh one comes off this
massive assembly line,

ready to hit the water.

This is just incredible.

- Americans spend nearly $140
billion on watersports annually.

More than they do on hunting,

fishing and
motorcycling combined.

Over 82,000 personal watercrafts

were sold in the
US just last year.

An 8% jump from the year before.

And among them is Yamaha's
signature water vehicle,

the Waverunner.

I have one thing I have to say.

We're talking about Waverunner.

If there's, knowing Waverunner

is the proprietary
name of Yamaha.

Like that's a Yamaha brand name.

- It is, that's correct.

that look similar

are also getting generically
called Waverunner

like Kleenex or Bandaid.

People just call
them Waverunners.

- That's right.

[upbeat music]

We have 165 operators that
work on this assembly line

that are dedicated
to this product.

- You can't tell
cause I have a mask,

but my jaw is hanging
open right now.

[laughs]

[rock music]

Wow.

This is just insane.

An actual pool of some kind.

- So each one of the
different WaveRunners

at the end of the
assembly process

will go through a dunk test

so that we can verify
that no water can come

between the bonding line
of our deck and hull.

[upbeat music]

- These robotic arms are
pressing on the vessel

at various points
to submerge it.

This is how the team will learn

whether or not the
Waverunner has sprung a leak.

It's a critical test
because this machine

is meant to stay at the
surface of the water.

Of course, there are
aquatic adventure machines

that offer a
different kind of ride

and to check these out,

we're diving deep
with another company.

The 3303 from Triton.

At a time when governments

spend up to $128 million
on nuclear submarines,

Triton has created a
sub for personal use.

- I'm a scuba diver
and usually scuba dive

around 60 to 80 feet.

And you know, a tank lasts
about 60 minutes max.

But in this submersible,

you get to go down
over 3000 feet deep

and stay down there
for up to 12 hours.

- [Adam] The sub has
multiple thrusters

allowing its pilot the ability

to control and
maneuver smoothly,

whether they're hovering
above the ocean floor

or getting up close to a reef.

Whatever your chosen adventure,

the transparent acrylic dome
around the hull of the vessel,

refracts light in a way that
gives passengers the illusion

that there's no
barrier between them

and the surrounding environment.

[rock music]

Between Yamaha's Waverunner
and Tritons submersible.

We've seen machines that
can conquer the sea.

[propellers roar]

But there's yet another company

making machines
meant for the skies.

The U.S. has over 167,000

recreational and
private aircrafts

enjoying over 5 million square
miles of domestic airspace.

But what if you don't
have the resources

to get your own airplane?

You could skydive
and count yourself

among one of the more
than 3 million jumps

that take place every year.

Or join one of the
estimated 1.5 million people

in the world who kiteboard.

[propeller starts]

But now there is another machine

that can get you up in the air.

- Blackhawk Motors
designs and manufacturers

paramotoring equipment.

[upbeat music]

Anybody can use our paramotors.

The FAA do not require
you to have a license

or be a certified pilot.

You can go from a couch potato

to an adrenaline
junkie, overnight.

- [Adam] Blackhawk constructs

state-of-the-art gliders
out of a fabric wing,

attached to a back mounted
motorized propeller

that work together to send a
pilot soaring into the air.

- In addition to
the manufacturing

and the development of the
equipment we also train.

Last year, we trained
approximately 204 pilots

just here at the
Blackhawk ranch.

- [Adam] Trainees here
have multiple options

to get off the ground.

You can strap on an engine
and run towards flight,

or you can use vehicles

that are literally
driven into the air.

- Our best selling
unit right now

is the Lowboy III Quad

with the Arrow 1000
four stroke engine.

Cruises at around 25
to 30 miles an hour.

It uses approximately one
gallon of fuel per hour.

So you can go close to
five hours with that.

- [Adam] And today we'll see
the Lowboy III Quad in the air

as a fresh batch of trainees

prepare for their first flight.

Starting with one who's
taking off on foot.

- You know as a child growing
up, you have dreams of flying.

And so it's pretty cool
to make it a reality.

- You ready for this?
- Mm-hmm.

- [Adam] Training
Instructor Mike Gambrill

goes through a
pre-flight sequence

with rookie pilot, Jesse Sparks

to make sure he's strapped
securely into the machine.

- Okay. Radio check.

All good? Okay.

- [Adam] Mike will be in
radio contact with Jesse

for the entire flight.

Today, Jesse will reach
heights of up to 400 feet.

[dramatic music]

- All right, remember we
just want to concentrate

on that good taxi, right?

- Yeah.

- Then we run into the air

with a big grin on our face.

- [Adam] With the
all clear from Mike

it's time to take off.

[engine starts]

- Okay and whenever
you're ready.

Use the motor to
bring the glider up.

Little more speed.
A little more speed.

There we go and let's
roll on the power.

[music intensifies]

Run into the air,
run into the air.

Okay.

- [Adam] As awe inspiring
as it is to watch

the process of controlling the
flight is surprisingly easy.

- The hands control the glider.

So if we want the
glider to go left,

we simply add a little
bit of left brake.

If we want to go, right,

we simply add a little
bit of right brake.

The throttle is
merely for altitude.

And if we want to go up
and we're adding power,

if we want to come down,
we're reducing power.

- [Adam] These simple gestures

- Experiencing flight
with a paramotor

is really unique to any
other type of aviation.

There's nothing in front of
you, nothing but the breeze.

[stirring music]

That in itself sets it apart.

You truly feel like
Tom Cruise in Top Gun.

- [Adam] While the drone
camera filming our flyers today

is up about 200 feet in the air,

the legal limit for powered
paragliders is 18,000 feet.

- [Mike] Hold that
heading right there

is looking really nice.

[laughs]

- [Adam] After about
15 minutes of flying

a simple pattern
above the field,

Jesse uses the throttle to
lower power to the engine,

which reduces his altitude.

- How was it?
- All right.

[laughs]
- Good job.

[engine accelerating]

Outdoor recreation
accounts for an insane

2.1% of the American GDP.

Making it bigger than
mining and agriculture.

Over 80% of this includes
both conventional activities

like hiking,
off-roading, water sports

and businesses supporting
these types of activities.

Yamaha is one of
those businesses.

The workers here use
cutting-edge tech

to create marvels
like the Wolverine.

Workers like Lazarus.

- Let me show you what we got.

- Please, all right, lets do it.

Lazarus operates
this state-of-the-art

injection molding system

that makes custom plastic parts

for nearly every
vehicle produced here.

Right now it's cooking
up Wolverine's grill.

- [Lazarus] This machine has
a recycle time of 78 seconds

- Every 78 seconds a
new part comes off.

- Every 78 seconds, when
this mold cracks open,

it pulls out a part.

- This is just insane.

[laughs]
[dramatic music]

The molding process kicks
off with a heating chamber

containing liquid plastic

that's kept at a
searing 400 degrees.

This chamber is connected to
a machine for different molds.

When, for example, a
Wolverine's grill mold

is inserted into the machine.

The hot plastic gets shunted

through the molds
injection ports.

As this happens water

is constantly churning
through the system

to cool down the plastics,

as it settles into the
mold and takes shape.

It just boggles the mind.

Cause you look at
a thing like this,

and you see this as like
a NASA control system.

So much engineering,
so much technology

to make just the
grill for the ROV.

This is amazing.
- That's right.

- [Adam] Cutting-edge
tech is doing wonders,

not just here at Yamaha.
[dramatic music]

There's another company
that's breaking new ground

in the world of
adventure machines

by creating a futuristic
technological wonder.

- This machine
here is Prosthesis.

The world's first
purpose-built sportsmech

It is a four legged
human piloted

all electric powered exosuit.

- [Adam] Exo-Bionics
founder, Jonathan Tippett,

envisioned Prosthesis
as the first

in a class of
massive exoskeletons

that could compete
against one another

in racing and obstacle
course events.

These vehicles can't function

without a person piloting it

from inside its massive body,

which weighs over four tons.

- We made a machine so huge

it had to have a
ladder built into it.

To get in you drop
in through here.

And it's a tight squeeze
on your way through.

But once you get into position.

You kind of expand into
this body shaped interface

and it engages your body
in a number of locations.

There's clamps on your legs,

and then you clip in your feet

and there's clamps
on your forearms.

And then you grip the grips.

So at this point I
can't move at all

and I'm locked into the machine.

Until the machine is powered
up I can't move anything.

- [Adam] With just
a flip of a switch,

the pilot and mech become one.

[mech powers up]

[dramatic music continues]

[hydraulics whine]

When this behemoth is turned on

two lithium ion battery packs

send power to two motors.

the motors activate
hydraulic cylinders

that pump to move the legs.

[hydraulics whine]
[mech stamps]

But how and where
the forelegs move

is entirely up to the pilot.

Each joint on the mech's legs

is controlled by a corresponding
joint on the pilot's body,

through an
exoskeletal interface,

which the pilot connects
to at four points;

the feet, the thighs,

the arms and the hands.

A pilot uses their
arms to control

the two outer legs of the mech.

While the two inner
legs are controlled

by the pilot's leg movements.

- So you are basically learning

how to be a quadruped.

[dramatic music continues]

[hydraulics whine]

There's a steep learning curve
to readjusting your balance,

especially when you have
a 4,000 kilogram body

and a 200 horsepower heart.

She's a little wild.

really exhausting.

You're using muscles that you
don't need to all the time.

But as you gain proficiency,

once you get accustomed
to the machine

it really floats.

It's unbelievable that
such a giant machine

can feel so light in your
hands when you get dialed in.

[dramatic music continues]

Woo!

The journey we're on right now

is figuring out what
makes a good mech pilot.

It's starting to become clear

that a large degree
of body awareness,

good balance,

and we're finding that gymnasts,

free runners who do parkour.

we think maybe motocross
riders would be pretty good.

Wakeboarders, snowboarders.

The vision we have is for
like giant obstacle course,

like a stadium sized parkour gym

where pro athletes are
leaping and jumping

and pushing obstacles
and lifting and dragging.

As much as we've been focused
on the sport side of things.

The thing just keeps
coming in handy.

and the truck that I was
driving got stuck in the sand.

So I towed the whole
truck and trailer

out of the sand using the mech.

- [Adam] While research and
development on Prosthesis

costs $2 million,

the hope is to one
day produce sportsmechs

that cost less than $100,000.

- The inspiration
for this project

was a vision I have of myself

in a giant agile
powered mech suit

bounding across a
desert landscape

faster than a person can run.

With the pumps whirring,
dialed into the machine.

That still drives me.

You know, the sky's the limit.

Like this is a new
class of vehicle.

This will evolve
for generations.

This is the inception
of the mech era.

[hydraulics whine]
Woo!

- [Adam] Prosthesis is a
vision from the future,

but here in the present
I'm inching closer

to a finished Wolverine.

Once our grille
pops out of the mold

they head over to get checked

by floor operator,
Jackie Dozier.

So tell me a little bit
about what you're doing.

I saw the molding. Putting
these in the grills.

What are you doing here?

- Well, first I'm
looking for burn marks.

- Why, what does the
burn mark indicate?

Like there's not enough
water getting to it.

- Yeah.

- Wow, so you have to do
this with parts coming

off every minute and change.
- Uh-huh.

- And they're warm.

Is this one ready for the bin?

Watch I'm doing my part, Yamaha.

Everybody does their part.

That's the Modern Marvels way.

Thank you for letting
me talk to you.

I know how busy you are.

I'll grab this
final one for you.

And we're going to
go see how Newnan

and the great people of Yamaha

are changing the
adventure machine game.

- [Adam] Adventure machines
allow us to go places

and do things that
seem impossible.

Things like this.

- Gravity industries
is really interesting,

and it's inventor
Richard Browning

who's also the founder
of the company,

has created this Jet Suit

that has handheld thrusters

that lifts people
off the ground.

I mean, this is stuff
of childhood dreams

to be Peter Pan, Iron
Man, you name it.

It's straight out of
a movie or a TV show.

- [Adam] This machine
has been flown

up to 100 feet in the air

and at a top recorded
speed of 85 miles per hour

it's the fastest jet
suit in the world.

Since its launch in 2017.

Gravity has wowed the world.

Doing over 100 live jet suit
flights in 31 countries.

Online videos of
the suit in action

got over 60 million views
within a week of release.

And it's easy to see why

this has grabbed attention
around the world.

This is a device that allows man

to break the rules of gravity

and experience something wild.

At Yamaha the machines
may be earth bound

but most of them are
definitely off road.

There are over 1.2
million ATV owners

across the United States.

And while Yamaha's
side-by-side, the Wolverine

is the latest in their
slate of off-road wonders

they also make these bad boys.

- So this is our terrain
vehicle assembly line.

We actually manufacture
both golf carts

and ATVs on this assembly line.

- [Adam] How many
different varieties

or permutations can there be?

- [Brad] If you're talking
about golf carts and ATVs,

there's eight basic models,

but we have over 400
different variations.

- That's awesome.

As of 2016, Yamaha has produced

over 1 million of their ATVs.

A line that includes the
world's top selling sport ATV

Yamaha Raptor.

Are there professional
sponsored teams attached?

- That's a big part
of our heritage

is going back and sponsoring
these motocross teams,

these competition teams,

and making sure that we've got

some of the best performing
machines in the market.

- Off-road motorcycle racing

And the earliest races
were called scrambles.

- [Adam] Today, motocross
is a global off-road sport.

With multiple world
championship tournaments

and a growing fan base.

- In 2019, it was
estimated that motocross

was worth $1.7 billion

in terms of the whole industry.

- [Adam] And the king
of motocross races

is here at the Erzberg
rodeo in Austria.

- It is in a iron ore mine.

It's one of the world's most
dangerous endurance races.

Hundreds of racers battle

through 22 miles of
treacherous terrain.

- And the chances of making it

all the way through are slim.

In 2015, only five of 500
racers made it to the end.

It's kind of amazing
how this hollow frame

that Mike was
handling now really is

looking like a vehicle here.

[upbeat music]

With the Wolverine's
engine, transmission,

and wiring secured
into the frame,

the team installs the steering
column and steering wheel.

The Wolverine moves down
the track to the folks

who'll add the doors
and body panels

and interior elements like
the seats and the dashboard.

Then it's wheels up.

- I'm going to introduce
you to Christian.

He's going to show you
how we Mount the wheels.

- Now, first of all,

this is like one of
those high powered guns

in an alien movie.

Is it just to
handle the weight?

So you're not
repeatedly lifting them.

- Yeah, this makes
it a lot easier.

- How much are these
tires weigh individually?

- These weigh about 45 lbs.

- Now I have to ask

- [Christian] Yeah.

- Are you awesome
at that crane game?

Like at an amusement park?
[laughter]

Cause that's unfair.

There's just one last step
at the end of the line.

- All right, Adam,
this is Michelle.

- Hi Michelle. So tell me
what we're going to do here.

- We're gonna test the lights

and the functions of the car.

[dramatic music]

- Michelle will
test the Wolverine

lights, the seatbelt,
then drive onto a device

called the dynamometer

to make sure its
wheels and engine

are in proper working order.

- So we don't test it out here.

We test it in that chamber.

- In that time chamber up there.

Only at the back part, go down
the front stairs for safety.

- I've done a lot.

So it was only a
matter of time before

I got the coveted
role of test dummy.

[engine roars]

Okay.

- Once I get in here
I let the garage down.

- Yeah.

And then what are you
going to do in here?

- I'm going to do
all of the front.

I'm gonna check my lights.
I have the mirror here.

- So you can make sure
the lights are working.

- In the back.

- Okay.

- And I do a seatbelt test.

[engine revs]

- Did you hear it?

- I felt it Michelle, I felt it.

[laughs]

- Now we gonna rev it up.

[engine revs]

- Wow.

That was awesome.

That was a lot of adrenaline
and we didn't go anywhere.

Tearing across the
sky in a jet suit,

wearing a nearly 9,000 lb
exoskeleton for sport

and piloting your own
personal submarine.

We've seen machines
designed to turn the world

into an amusement park,

but there's one place redefining

what an adventure
machine can be be.

[dramatic music]

- We are Diggerland, USA.

We are over 21 acres.

We have 40 attractions,

mostly construction
themed vehicles.

And this is where kids
and adults get to use them

in a nice, safe environment

and to have a great time.

- [Adam] That's
right, Diggerland, USA

actually takes machines commonly
found in construction sites

and repurposes them
as theme park rides.

[screams]

[whooping]

[rock music]

And if you don't feel like
controlling the action,

you can sit back and let one
of these massive machines

do all the work.

[screams]
[rock music intensifies]

- The Spin Dizzy,

which is a JS 220 excavator
with an eight seat gondola

spins you around in
360 degree rotation.

Gives you about one G-Force.

- It's not over?

[screaming]

- [Adam] There's one
section of this park

that's only for adults

and it's got heavy
duty machinery.

- We also have Diggerland XL.

That is where you operate
the real deal machines.

You're talking about 40
or 60,000 lb excavators

and dozers and wheel loaders.

So that is a lot of fun.

And one of our ride operators

will teach you how to use
that piece of equipment.

[loader beeps]

- [Instructor] All right,
now turn yourself around

so you can see
where you're going.

Line yourself up and use
the center of this car.

Down.

[metal crunches
and glass shatters]

There ya go.

And hit another spot.

[metal crunches]

[glass shatters]

Let's see if we can
climb onto the car.

[whooping and laughter]

- This is craziness.

Did you see that look
of pure joy on his face?

- [Man] That was awesome.

- [Instructor] Well done.

- That was good.

- [Adam] Back at Yamaha

I'm finally getting ready
for my own thrill ride.

- All right, Adam,

- It's funny, you
know, people think,

"Oh, you must have
the coolest job."

No, sir, you do.
[laughter]

This is what you do.

You test these amazing vehicles

that we've had the privilege
of seeing them built, right?

- Yeah. We really focus on
trying to evaluate the vehicle,

just like the customers will.

Yet we are still within

the 280 acre campus
of Yamaha in Georgia.

- We've just come straight
out of the factory

and onto the test track.

- It'll feel like
we are miles away,

but it's still within
the sprawling campus.

What is the main
purpose of this track,

of this environment
where we are now?

- Well, the great
thing is we evaluate

all over the United States.

So every part of this
track actually simulates

a portion of the real world

that we're looking to duplicate

so that we can evaluate
it right here in Georgia.

- Yamaha has
transformed this track

to simulate different
environments.

Including a Sandy desert road,

a rugged forest trail,
and even a rock scramble.

I think that's kind of amazing.

I mean, we're in Newnan, Georgia

yet with the
expertise of Yamaha,

Newnan, Georgia is going
to turn into Nevada,

Montana, South Dakota, Florida.

- Exactly. Of course we've got
a lot of Georgia clay here.

Which can be used in a
lot of different ways.

You know, for example,
trying to simulate

those Southwestern whoops

that has come from
decomposed granite or sand.

- Did you just say, "Whoops"?

Big bumps, all in
a rhythmic row.

We've actually recreated
whoops out here

made out of Georgia clay

and it simulates the
same amount of stress

that we see in the Southwest.

- The whoops.
[laughs]

Shall we?

- [Pat] Let's do it.

- Let's do it. Yeah.

- That's it you're looking good.

- Let's get it done.
You're a rock star.

Thank you for this
opportunity. I am so psyched.

[upbeat music]
[engine starts]

- [Pat] All right, ready?
- Ready as I'm gonna be.

[vehicle accelerates]

We've seen the Wolverine go
from frame to fully assembled.

Now I'm in the belly of this
beast as it hits the road.

Woo, she tips out.
- Yeah.

We've got three different
drive modes here.

Trail, sport, and crawl.

- The three modes control

the throttle response
of the Wolverine.

Adjusting for the three
types of environments

we're about to take a spin on.

Give her up a little bit.

- Sure, all right.

[engine powers]
[whoops]

[rock music continues]

[indistinct]

- Woo hoo.

- [Pat] All right, you good?

[indistinct]
[laughs]

[upbeat music]

- Here's a Sherwood forest.

No way, this is crazy.

This is the best.

Oh my god.

Are you going to
go up this thing?

- [Pat] Oh yeah.
[engine revs]

- It moves like
it's just on a road.

- Yeah, we really focused on
having very precise steering.

- [Adam] We're starting
off in trail mode,

which is Yamaha's standard
setting in the RMAX 1000.

The throttle responds, as you
would expect your car's to.

It's just a little
more fun than your car.

Robin Hood eat your heart out.
[laughs]

- [Pat] All right I'm
going to go up to sport.

We're going to head up
into the sand section.

- [Adam] Sport mode is where
things get exhilarating.

The throttle response is tight,

giving you quicker
access to full power.

Which makes it extremely
fun for wider trails

and more open spaces.

Now sand was for what region?

- [Pat] Sand is
definitely the Southwest.

Lot of decomposed granite there.

So we really simulate that.

You see the sand right here.

[laughs]

- No way. The turning on this
thing is absolutely bonkers.

- [Pat] Here's our rock section.

- [Adam] For the last section
on this loop we're going up.

- [Pat] We're going
to go to crawl mode.

- Oh man, this is the stuff
you see in commercials.

[rock music continues]

loosens up the
throttle response,

but adds full engine braking.

So that in extremely
bumpy terrain,

you can maintain
precise control.

Think of it like going
over a speed bump.

If you do it slowly, it's
a much smoother ride.

Crawl mode allows you to feel
your way over the terrain.

Oh man, no way.

This thing is like the
surface of the moon

we're driving on right now.

You have no idea how
amazing this thing is.

[engine roars]

This thing's unbelievable.

We've climbed the rocks and
closed the off-road loop,

but there's one final
test for the Wolverine.

- Now we're about to
do the splash test.

- [Adam] And what's
the splash test?

- Splash test is a higher
speed shallow water test.

This is about 100 mm deep.

About four inches.

- Okay. Well the water is
still coming in the cab?

- We are going to
get a little bit wet.

The faster we go,
the more the water

is going to come
over to the front,

but it's really not about splash

for the driver and passenger.

It's actually this water
intrusion for the whole vehicle.

- I am excited.

It's a beautiful
warm Georgia day.

Let's part the
waves Moses style.

- [Pat] All right, here we go.

[engine roars]
[Adam whoops]

[water splashes]
[dramatic music]

[cheering]

- That was impressive.

This was amazing.

I mean to see it being built.

To see the hard work
is all well and good,

and I'm very impressed,

but there is nothing
like being in this.

You do have the coolest job.

These guys truly take
it to the next level

when it comes to amping
up the excitement and fun

when you go out to conquer
the great outdoors.

Adventure machines come in
different shapes and sizes

and they allow us to have fun

across an array of
different environments.

They offer extraordinary
experiences.

Fortunately, because of
the incredibly hard work

of a lot of people
in places like this

we can break away from it all.

go roaring into the wilderness

in some of these amazing
adventure vehicles.

This is awesome.

You have to experience
it for yourself.

And I?

I need a new
change of clothes.

See you next time.

[engine revs]