An apparatus and methods are provided for a chassis for an off-road vehicle that includes a roll cage chassis spine. The chassis is a welded-tube variety of chassis that includes a front portion and a rear portion that are joined to an intervening passenger cabin portion. The roll cage chassis spine includes a front canopy and a rear canopy comprising an overhead spine to the chassis that increases the strength of the chassis and improves the safety of occupants within the vehicle. The rear canopy couples to the rear portion of the chassis, and the front canopy couples to the front portion of the chassis and the rear canopy. The front canopy and the rear canopy are configured to cooperatively reinforce the chassis during loading forces on the front portion due to front struts and loading forces on the rear portion due to rear struts.