Jeff Houser may be the one who does the tube bending, welding, and fabrication work, but make no mistake, Erin Houser refers to it as HER Polaris RZR 1000. And who wouldn’t want to claim it? Erin’s personal RZR is one of the hottest custom RZRs we’ve ever seen, and coming from a company with the reputation that Houser has earned over the past couple decades, we know everything is built with a purpose, and built to last.
CHAMPIONSHIP FACTORY
Houser Racing was built on the production of innovative, hi-performance ATV parts, and by winning championships at every level. Today they still are heavily involved in ATVs, but like most companies they’ve expanded to serve the hi-performance Side x Side market as well. What makes Houser different from most aftermarket operations, though, is they’ve got a solid engineering background backing up everything they build. It’s a claim few others can make. It’s also a family affair. While Jeff heads up prototype work and production, his father John leads the engineering, and Erin handles marketing and sales. Together they present a very formidable team, and the end product shows their creativity and attention to detail. Recently, we were able to take a look at ERIN’S CUSTOM RZR (sorry Jeff!) and we were impressed. Like all Houser parts, they are designed first and foremost to be functional, but also to look great. Here is what Erin runs on her custom Polaris RZR 1000: 
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Custom Roll Cage
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Pocket light Bar integrated into hood with fold down cover
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Stamped Aluminum roof
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Front Bumper
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Tree Bars for side protection
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High Clearance Front A-Arms
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Custom machined Hi-Clearance Radius Rods at rear
CAGE MATCH
The most obvious part of the Houser custom RZR is its custom roll cage. What you get with the Houser Custom Roll Cage is improved safety, and much better structural rigidity and chassis durability. This is a great feature for the Polaris chassis which tends to flex under load (Remember the part about the engineering background?). Added rigidity also helps it feel more precise on the trail. The Houser Cage is built from 4130 Chromoly steel on a solid welding fixture for guaranteed fit. Overhead loops provide protection as does the V-Bar in the front window area, and the rear struts are removable. A rear bumper is included with the Houser Custom Roll Cage and the whole assembly actually helps protect the rear end thanks to the added strength. One feature we really like about the Houser custom cage is the bolt locations. Jeff is a bit of a perfectionist, and rather than a simple bracket or hole through a tube, the mounts are all custom machined. That shows great attention to detail! He also uses high-strength bolts that are Zinc plated for corrosion protection. Custom cages take a tremendous amount of work, but they present a higher level of safety, and they look great. The Houser RZR cage is the best we’ve seen. 
TREE BAR
For tight woods, side bars are an excellent idea! They allow you to maneuver through the trees without worrying about scuffing up your side bodywork or catching the rear wheels. They’re equally as useful in the desert for pushing away from rocks, but Erin likes to call hers “Tree Bars”. We’ll go with that, but whatever you call them, they look great and are once again highly functional and built from 4130 steel. One very unique feature with the Houser Tree Bars, however, is the mounting system which uses an L-Bolt to fasten securely to the chassis. It’s clever, clean, and secure. We love the Houser Tree Bars!
FULL COVERARE
Practically everyone installs a roof on their Side x Side. Most are made of plastic, but the Houser roof is made of stamped Aluminum. This insures it is strong, yet still light. Speaking of lights, this is one area the Houser roof has a very clever feature no other roof can match. While every other light bar is mounted either on top of or below any roof, the Houser roof has a panel that protects the light bar during the day, then is quickly removed to reveal the lights for night riding. Once again, it’s a clever feature we are impressed with.
POCKET LIGHTS & ACCESSORIES
Once riders started noticing the full roof with the hidden light bar option, Houser had to partner with reputable light bar makers for light sets that fit their custom cage. They now offer quality LED light kits by Light Werkz OffRoad. Besides the lights, they also offer full windshields by EMP, Trinity Exhaust systems, and Elka Shocks. Since storage is also important for hauling your gear on any ride, they have added some of the really cool bags by Rigg Gear to their product lines.
BUMPER CAR
Houser offers two front bumpers, and both are made from 4130 Chromoly tubing. The difference is in the width. The Maximum Protection front bumper offers exactly that. The tubing wraps around the headlights and front bodywork for complete front end coverage. The Sport bumper still offers excellent protection but is a little more compact. Both offer the option of a front skid plate with an integrated tow loop. 
LONG TRAVEL - RADIUS RODS and A-ARMS
The stock Polaris offers excellent wheel travel, but that only helps if you’re not catching on trail obstacles below. To provide extra ground clearance below the A-Arms, Houser builds their lower A-Arms with a bend. At the rear radius rods is where the real art begins. We love the look of the fully machined rear radius rods. Once again, the design is optimized for ground clearance, and at both ends are replaceable seals and pivots.
THE BEST DEFENSE – DEFENDER DOORS
It’s not easy to make a door that closes consistently, doesn’t rattle around on the trail, and still looks great. Rather than reinvent the wheel, Houser opted to improve on what Polaris had already provided. The Houser Racing Defender Door is built on the structure of the Polaris door for excellent fit and complete hardware compatibility, but on the inside, an aluminum skin protects your knees and legs from the annoying ridges and structure that grind into you. The outer panel of the Houser door is a tough, thermoformed skin for durability, better splash protection, and scratch resistance.
ERIN’S RIDE – HOUSER PRIDE
It’s a long way from the rough ATV motocross tracks where Houser Racing made their name to the trails and Side x Side world of today. After nearly two decades in business, though, Jeff, John, and Erin know what works, and what you need. Just ask Erin what she uses on her RZR!
HOUSER RACING
www.houser-racing.com ph: 877-6 GO-FAST 877-646-3278
