Well - Like most of you I have been Pissing blue for over 20 years, and have alwys appreciated the fit finish and durability of Y. In my opinion Y has given up on the ditch banger portion, and I have been considering trying another flavor for a few years now.
So - open minded I did my research, moved to a different color, and couldnt be happier. I realize they all have short comings, but I can promise you the suspension advantage is UNREAL. I tuned my Y time after time, re valved re spring by all the experts, but folks i can honestly say the ride is terrible on a Y compared to the others. Now before everyone gets excited, my point is one thing and one thing only ----At least try another brand for an afternoon. I am NOT saying leave Y because they may meet your personal needs, and they do make a quality product---Simple - be open minded and try another brand thats all.
My particular choice is not important, and I am not looking to advertise another brand, but if you have been thinking about a new one test drive all flavors while we have snow. -- My friends cant believe I left Y
Have fun either way, but thought I'd share my thoughts with those in my same position.
So - open minded I did my research, moved to a different color, and couldnt be happier. I realize they all have short comings, but I can promise you the suspension advantage is UNREAL. I tuned my Y time after time, re valved re spring by all the experts, but folks i can honestly say the ride is terrible on a Y compared to the others. Now before everyone gets excited, my point is one thing and one thing only ----At least try another brand for an afternoon. I am NOT saying leave Y because they may meet your personal needs, and they do make a quality product---Simple - be open minded and try another brand thats all.
My particular choice is not important, and I am not looking to advertise another brand, but if you have been thinking about a new one test drive all flavors while we have snow. -- My friends cant believe I left Y
Have fun either way, but thought I'd share my thoughts with those in my same position.
Wilson
New member
i looked at the rest and I didnot see one that I like .I want a two up and I want a four stroke and I don't want a turbo . What is there ? Only Yamaha
try it...
It sounds like you "tried" the rest and returned to Yamaha, and that is fine. You and I are on the opposite ends of the spectrum of riding style/needs. I am sure youll be happy.
It sounds like you "tried" the rest and returned to Yamaha, and that is fine. You and I are on the opposite ends of the spectrum of riding style/needs. I am sure youll be happy.
At any point in time, all of the manufacturer's will be behind others in at least one area. Unfortunately Yamaha seems much more careful in releasing new technology which prolongs this situation for them. The suspension department happens to be the most obvious of the current challenges that Yamaha has faced these past few years. I urge you to try this same test next year, and the year following, and so on. You will likely be surprised by what you find. The Pro-Action suspension was one of the best available when it came out. FAST really raised the bar with the M-10. Yamaha was simply the slowest to react. I have not been able to personally test the new Yamaha skids yet, but the feedback I am getting from trusted sources is that they are on par or better than the M-10 across a wide variety of parameters.
BlueIronRanger
New member
- Joined
- Nov 26, 2003
- Messages
- 315
Drove a 600 REV for a day, Playing in the ditches and jumping snowbanks and stuff it was awesome, on the trails I didn't really care for it much. A well setup Pro-action gets the job done for me and its great for an all-around sled as I spend equal amounts of time "ditch banging", trail riding, and boon docking. If I spent more time "ditch banging" I would be riding a REV right now, Doo has pretty good fit and finish also.
suspension
I chose the suspension as the focal point, because I tend to ride rough trails, and not always by choice. The handling, hp, weigh transfer, and clutching were other points of interest. The only unknown (IMO) is long term reliability, and I am open minded enough to admit that. However, most of my friends have been on other flavors, and I have never towed them home--fingers crossed. I really dont want this to turn into a pissing contest, because Y makes a good sled, but not for what I like to do. My only comment is try something else, and keep an open mind. I need a sled for aggresive mogul mashing.
Tom-- Thanks for a great site.
I chose the suspension as the focal point, because I tend to ride rough trails, and not always by choice. The handling, hp, weigh transfer, and clutching were other points of interest. The only unknown (IMO) is long term reliability, and I am open minded enough to admit that. However, most of my friends have been on other flavors, and I have never towed them home--fingers crossed. I really dont want this to turn into a pissing contest, because Y makes a good sled, but not for what I like to do. My only comment is try something else, and keep an open mind. I need a sled for aggresive mogul mashing.
Tom-- Thanks for a great site.
well
I did try a f7 for a afternoon. it was a smoother ride for the most part. BUT for ditch banging it isn't that great. Yes you read it right. if you get in a ditch with 3 to 4 feet of snow, that 13 inch track is really good for trenching, and it is very tippy, and hard to get up on the side of the ditch when full of snow. it was a real work out. i am looking forward to riding the new yamaha skids, and hoping they will bolt in proaction holes. There will have to be some grass racers selling them. Maxdlx
I did try a f7 for a afternoon. it was a smoother ride for the most part. BUT for ditch banging it isn't that great. Yes you read it right. if you get in a ditch with 3 to 4 feet of snow, that 13 inch track is really good for trenching, and it is very tippy, and hard to get up on the side of the ditch when full of snow. it was a real work out. i am looking forward to riding the new yamaha skids, and hoping they will bolt in proaction holes. There will have to be some grass racers selling them. Maxdlx
Bakemono
New member
Went back to what I used to ride, and Im staying with Yamaha
Up untill about 2 years ago, I rode Polaris.
At the time, I had a '99 Polaris 700 XC SP. I sold it to my neibor and bought a '90 Yamaha Phazer II.
I really wanted a 600 or 700 SX but I figured at least its a Yamaha.
Ive ridden the Phazer for the past 2 winters and I am very pleased with it. What I like the most is the comfort. I can ride that sled all day long and not be the least bit sore or tired.
This past weekend my neibor was up, he has my old 700 XC and his son rides an old Polaris 440 XCR.
I rode both the 700 XC and the 440 XCR and you could not pay me to ride a Polaris again. Neither of those sleds could hold a candle to the ergos of the Phazer. Although I must admit, they do have much better suspension and are much more predictable to ride in terms of comfort, the Yamaha is much better.
Also, the 700 XC has a terrible belt squeal anytime you are stopped. To me, it sounds like someone is skinning a live cat. This sled only has about 1000 miles on it and I see no reason why it should do this. The idle is not high, it idles at about 1500 rpm which is well within the specs.
Whats more, those 2 Polaris's arent that much faster than the Phazer. I could smoke the 440 XCR off the line, but he would reel me in on the top end. My Phazer only does about 70 mph where as the 440 XCR will do about 75-80 mph. Also, we did a 50 foot drag with my Phazer vs. the 700 XC. As you can guess, I lost that race. However I was only about 3 sled lengths behind the 700 which I think is pretty good consider the 700 has over 200cc's and liquid cooling.
I wouldnt own an Arctic Cat because they have too many quality problems, I wouldnt own Ski-Doo because parts are too expensive ($80 for a belt is a bit nuts in my opinion) and I wouldnt own Polaris because of poor quality and because the Fusion is ugly and isnt any better than an RX-1.
Most likely I will wait untill the first-year RX-1s drop down to around $3000 and I will try to pick up one of those. I think that right now, the RX-1 is the most practical snowmobile for a wide range of riding styles.
The Firecat and REV is a racer's sled. I think the Fusion will turn out of be all hype, much like everything else Polaris has build lately. All they did was copy what they liked off of everyone else's sleds.
Up untill about 2 years ago, I rode Polaris.
At the time, I had a '99 Polaris 700 XC SP. I sold it to my neibor and bought a '90 Yamaha Phazer II.
I really wanted a 600 or 700 SX but I figured at least its a Yamaha.
Ive ridden the Phazer for the past 2 winters and I am very pleased with it. What I like the most is the comfort. I can ride that sled all day long and not be the least bit sore or tired.
This past weekend my neibor was up, he has my old 700 XC and his son rides an old Polaris 440 XCR.
I rode both the 700 XC and the 440 XCR and you could not pay me to ride a Polaris again. Neither of those sleds could hold a candle to the ergos of the Phazer. Although I must admit, they do have much better suspension and are much more predictable to ride in terms of comfort, the Yamaha is much better.
Also, the 700 XC has a terrible belt squeal anytime you are stopped. To me, it sounds like someone is skinning a live cat. This sled only has about 1000 miles on it and I see no reason why it should do this. The idle is not high, it idles at about 1500 rpm which is well within the specs.
Whats more, those 2 Polaris's arent that much faster than the Phazer. I could smoke the 440 XCR off the line, but he would reel me in on the top end. My Phazer only does about 70 mph where as the 440 XCR will do about 75-80 mph. Also, we did a 50 foot drag with my Phazer vs. the 700 XC. As you can guess, I lost that race. However I was only about 3 sled lengths behind the 700 which I think is pretty good consider the 700 has over 200cc's and liquid cooling.
I wouldnt own an Arctic Cat because they have too many quality problems, I wouldnt own Ski-Doo because parts are too expensive ($80 for a belt is a bit nuts in my opinion) and I wouldnt own Polaris because of poor quality and because the Fusion is ugly and isnt any better than an RX-1.
Most likely I will wait untill the first-year RX-1s drop down to around $3000 and I will try to pick up one of those. I think that right now, the RX-1 is the most practical snowmobile for a wide range of riding styles.
The Firecat and REV is a racer's sled. I think the Fusion will turn out of be all hype, much like everything else Polaris has build lately. All they did was copy what they liked off of everyone else's sleds.
hmm--open minded
As i said i do not want to turn this into a pissing contest. I owned 2 phazers and they were great. Yamaha is known for the expensive parts, and my Y had belt squeal as well. This is typical for a motor out of alignment, and this will cause a sled to be a lot slower. A phazer keeping up with a 700xc, well - I see you like lemon squares.
I can not believe how defensive some people are, and especially someone riding a 15 year old sled (although one of Y's best machines)
Remember, I owned, and loved Y for several years, but if you ride hard it is a joke. I took my dealer riding this weekend and he too pissed blue, but not anymore. As a yamaha dealer he said" wow, I wish the folks at Y would take the new sleds for a ride, and then get on a Y on rough trails" He raced blue sleds & motocross, and can not believe it. I have owned & snocrossed 10 Y's, but they do not make a mogul masher anymore period.
My original comment was try all the new sleds--IMO, and you may be surprised. Lets not compare who made the best sled in the 90's, and after all the phazer is a better sled than a 95 vmax 500. And the 78 SRX was great, but come on... Y makes a quality machine, but not for a mogul masher thats all... I wish they did.
Post if youd like, but I am done responding, because this is getting childish, and even i am borderline speaking out of line.
Good luck on your Blue til death do you part.
As i said i do not want to turn this into a pissing contest. I owned 2 phazers and they were great. Yamaha is known for the expensive parts, and my Y had belt squeal as well. This is typical for a motor out of alignment, and this will cause a sled to be a lot slower. A phazer keeping up with a 700xc, well - I see you like lemon squares.
I can not believe how defensive some people are, and especially someone riding a 15 year old sled (although one of Y's best machines)
Remember, I owned, and loved Y for several years, but if you ride hard it is a joke. I took my dealer riding this weekend and he too pissed blue, but not anymore. As a yamaha dealer he said" wow, I wish the folks at Y would take the new sleds for a ride, and then get on a Y on rough trails" He raced blue sleds & motocross, and can not believe it. I have owned & snocrossed 10 Y's, but they do not make a mogul masher anymore period.
My original comment was try all the new sleds--IMO, and you may be surprised. Lets not compare who made the best sled in the 90's, and after all the phazer is a better sled than a 95 vmax 500. And the 78 SRX was great, but come on... Y makes a quality machine, but not for a mogul masher thats all... I wish they did.
Post if youd like, but I am done responding, because this is getting childish, and even i am borderline speaking out of line.
Good luck on your Blue til death do you part.
yamyrider
Active member
Blue, the problem is not you, it's the guys that come on this site to post Y's suck because of weight, suspension and no power compared to others.
I ride with Doo guys and Cat guys. We ride we have fun! I might not be really open minded because of the problems they have had with their sleds. I have owned a cat and three Poo's. I do some ditch jumpin but am more of the trail and lake running guy. I picked Y for two reasons, reliability and gas mileage and no one can argue that about Yamaha.
Spend your money on what's right for you not the guy next to you.
And don't tell the other guy he is an idiot for not having the same choice.
I ride with Doo guys and Cat guys. We ride we have fun! I might not be really open minded because of the problems they have had with their sleds. I have owned a cat and three Poo's. I do some ditch jumpin but am more of the trail and lake running guy. I picked Y for two reasons, reliability and gas mileage and no one can argue that about Yamaha.
Spend your money on what's right for you not the guy next to you.
And don't tell the other guy he is an idiot for not having the same choice.
chall
New member
I started riding Yamaha, and still ride Yamaha. 
BUT... I have looked at next year’s line up and am disappointed. 
Wanted a new 2005 700 Viper with all the bells and whistles, and can't get it. I'm not interested in a four stroke yet. So I am seriously looking at the 700 SaberCat 2005. Sorry to say. May come back in a few years. Who knows. 
I will make the best of this year and enjoy my ride on my current Yammy but want new next year.
BUT... I have looked at next year’s line up and am disappointed. Wanted a new 2005 700 Viper with all the bells and whistles, and can't get it. I'm not interested in a four stroke yet. So I am seriously looking at the 700 SaberCat 2005. Sorry to say. May come back in a few years. Who knows. I will make the best of this year and enjoy my ride on my current Yammy but want new next year.runwatyabrung
New member
- Joined
- Dec 18, 2003
- Messages
- 72
Chall I think many of us are at crossroads. Maybe that's why there is so much going on. Shoot, besides looking at the Sabercat, Doo GSX, I am also fighting the fact, if I want the kids to go I would rather have a two up. 
Now that the rest of the 2005 are out there isn't really anything that is calling my name. But take the Quality of AC that narrows things down even more. Who knows. The SXR still goes. Like the Cubs fans say. Maybe next year.
going on. Shoot, besides looking at the Sabercat, Doo GSX, I am also fighting the fact, if I want the kids to go I would rather have a two up. Now that the rest of the 2005 are out there isn't really anything that is calling my name. But take the Quality of AC that narrows things down even more. Who knows. The SXR still goes. Like the Cubs fans say. Maybe next year.chall
New member
runwatyabrung
I tried a 2003 600HO GSX this year and didn't like it at all. It was unbeliveably tippy. I almost bought one of those this year. Glad I waited and tried it out. I also hear the F7 and Sabercats are tippy too but not quite as bad. My brother has tried both and says this. I'm sure with enough time on it, I would get used to it. I'm just worried by the time I got used to it, it would be wrapped around a tree.
I'm just too used to my low rider.
Chris
I tried a 2003 600HO GSX this year and didn't like it at all. It was unbeliveably tippy. I almost bought one of those this year. Glad I waited and tried it out. I also hear the F7 and Sabercats are tippy too but not quite as bad. My brother has tried both and says this. I'm sure with enough time on it, I would get used to it. I'm just worried by the time I got used to it, it would be wrapped around a tree.
I'm just too used to my low rider.
Chris
jferrar5
New member
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2003
- Messages
- 14
I'm a first time snowmobiler and I bought a 97600sx. So far it has been a solid performer with the exception of the harsh ride. I've put the Max Perf. long travel kit on and it helped somewhat, however it still does not ride like my wife's Doo or my friends Pol. I'm in the market for a new sled next year and can't decide. Nothing really grabs me. Suspension is number one, followed by power, and reliability. Maybe be looking at a Rev or Sabercat (EFI), but leary about CAT's quality.
I've only been riding sleds for about 8 yrs. and have been Yamaha all the way. I like the fit, finish, and dependability. Anyway, I finally tried a Rev Renegade 600HO for quite a few miles Saturday afternoon. I was VERY impressed with the ride. So THIS is what I've been missing. 
BUT..........I don't think I could ride one for any length of time........it is definitely a sled for people with good knees. After only about 30 miles of trails and woods my knees (especially the right one that I wrecked last year) were miserable. The posture with the knees doubled up under you just doesn't work for me.............8 knee scopes and 1 full rebuild.
BUT..........I don't think I could ride one for any length of time........it is definitely a sled for people with good knees. After only about 30 miles of trails and woods my knees (especially the right one that I wrecked last year) were miserable. The posture with the knees doubled up under you just doesn't work for me.............8 knee scopes and 1 full rebuild.