stretchSXV
New member
Well myself and two riding buddies made the 2 hour drive to Old Forge , NY. Every year the get Yamaha, Polaris, Ski-Doo and Arctic Cat at the same spot for anyone to come and demo. They call the event Snofest. Let me tell you that I own both a 2004 Yamaha Viper ER and a 2004 Ski-Doo MXZ 600 HO SDI. First thing we wanted to ride was the new Polaris Rush. We got in the line to sign up. After standing there for 30 mins I asked the rep what was taking so long to sign the forms? He let me know that they only had 20 "tickets" so that was how many people at one time could fill out the forms. I asked him how many Rush sled did they bring? He informs me the brought 2 rush sleds , a IQ 800 and a 600 Dragon long track. OK. another hour later we finally get to ride the sleds. I get the Rush for the ride out there. First thing I did was grab the rear end with one hand and lift it right off the ground. I then lift the front end off the ground. Wow this thing is real light. It looks real good also. The cooler in the front is fine and will take a beating by looking at it. Well we took off. I liked the power of the 600cc engine in the rush. The rear end is to light. It slides out in every corner. Doesn't matter if you are on the brake or just let go of the gas. The "new" rear suspension handles just as good as a nytro or a rev or a rev XP. Do I think it is better then any of these 3? No. I was disappointed after all the hype. Sorry polaris guys but it didn't do anything for me. Maybe if there was a rougher trail with 2-3foot rollers but the Icy gnarly snow we rode on didn't make it stand out from the rest. Next we jumped on the Yamaha 4 strokes. I went for the Nytro SE but the rep told me they had to take it out of the line up since it just blew it's 2nd belt of the day. I found this made me worry about buying one? I then thought great I just got stuck with the 2010 RS Vector LTX GT 
Well let me tell you that is one heck of a sled. Awesome power and handles real good in the corners and over the bumps I didn't like trying to ride it standing up but in the sit down it was real comfy. At the half way point I got to ride the Nytro RTX. I love this sled. It's got the power/ torque and the fun factor. Does it fell tippy in the corners? Yes it did but nothing That scared me. I also went out on the Nytro XTX and again I loved this sled. Handled the bumps and cornered better then the RTX. Stand up riding is easy. The power is there and it too is fun to ride. Next we went to ride th Ski-Doo sleds. I asked the rep if they had a 800R. He told me the had the 121" and the long track 800r. Well I took the 121" first. Let me tell you that when you whack the throttle open on this sled it will knock you right back into the seat if you are standing. The front end comes right up. Corners like a dream and rides like it is on rails. The long track is the same but handles the bumps better. Next was the XR1200 4 tec. The rep told us that they are now getting 130Hp to match the Nytro. Is this true? I believe they did have more ponies this year b/c it did seem snappy like the nytro. Yes it is lighter feeling and doesn't feel tippy. Was it as fun to ride like the Nytro? No way. They nytro is better IMO. The E-tec just doesn't do it for me. The skid and handling are perfect but doesn't seem to have the power or pull that my 2004 rev 600 does. Next we went and tried the Cat's we got to the sign up counter and they told us they weren't taken anymore riders. They were shutting down 35 mins early again. 2 years in a row they did this. Also at noon they shut the cats down for 1 hour to "refuel" them. That is what the cat reps said but when we were out on the doo we say the cats sitting on the side of the trails and 3 of the sleds were smoking. I'm guessing the were running hot. So I told the cat guys this was 2 yrs in a row that we didn't get to ride their sleds.He didn't seem to care. I'll say the best demo ride we had was witht the Ski-doo sleds. They took use on a fast paste real ride. I told the lead guy tanks and his was by far the best and most fun we had all day. He stated he does that so you get a real feel what the sleds can do and not just a 35mph cruise. So I have come to the conclusion that I will either buy A Yamaha Nytro or a Ski-Doo 800R renegade when I buy a new sled. 
That hard part is going to be deciding on witch one Sorry this was a book and I'm sure I forgot somethings but I wanted to tell you all my opinions.
Well let me tell you that is one heck of a sled. Awesome power and handles real good in the corners and over the bumps I didn't like trying to ride it standing up but in the sit down it was real comfy. At the half way point I got to ride the Nytro RTX. I love this sled. It's got the power/ torque and the fun factor. Does it fell tippy in the corners? Yes it did but nothing That scared me. I also went out on the Nytro XTX and again I loved this sled. Handled the bumps and cornered better then the RTX. Stand up riding is easy. The power is there and it too is fun to ride. Next we went to ride th Ski-Doo sleds. I asked the rep if they had a 800R. He told me the had the 121" and the long track 800r. Well I took the 121" first. Let me tell you that when you whack the throttle open on this sled it will knock you right back into the seat if you are standing. The front end comes right up. Corners like a dream and rides like it is on rails. The long track is the same but handles the bumps better. Next was the XR1200 4 tec. The rep told us that they are now getting 130Hp to match the Nytro. Is this true? I believe they did have more ponies this year b/c it did seem snappy like the nytro. Yes it is lighter feeling and doesn't feel tippy. Was it as fun to ride like the Nytro? No way. They nytro is better IMO. The E-tec just doesn't do it for me. The skid and handling are perfect but doesn't seem to have the power or pull that my 2004 rev 600 does. Next we went and tried the Cat's we got to the sign up counter and they told us they weren't taken anymore riders. They were shutting down 35 mins early again. 2 years in a row they did this. Also at noon they shut the cats down for 1 hour to "refuel" them. That is what the cat reps said but when we were out on the doo we say the cats sitting on the side of the trails and 3 of the sleds were smoking. I'm guessing the were running hot. So I told the cat guys this was 2 yrs in a row that we didn't get to ride their sleds.He didn't seem to care. I'll say the best demo ride we had was witht the Ski-doo sleds. They took use on a fast paste real ride. I told the lead guy tanks and his was by far the best and most fun we had all day. He stated he does that so you get a real feel what the sleds can do and not just a 35mph cruise. So I have come to the conclusion that I will either buy A Yamaha Nytro or a Ski-Doo 800R renegade when I buy a new sled. That hard part is going to be deciding on witch one Sorry this was a book and I'm sure I forgot somethings but I wanted to tell you all my opinions.
flatblack97
Member
Nice write up! I have to concur with your judgement of the 800r. A buddy of mine bought one last year and I got to ride with it a few times, he couldn't keep the skis on the ground when he was mashing on it. We went out to the lake to try it out, the skis were off the ice a solid foot and a half all the way across the lake. Long story short, his brother bought one of the brand new Arctic Cat 600 factory racing sno-pro's. He took it out once and after only putting 250 miles on the 800r he sold it to buy the race sled. In those 250 miles he had a fuse for the gauges that kept popping out and his chaincase developed a leak. They said it was the gasket but he sold it right after they fixed it so who knows.
horkn
New member
Nice write up.
I will hopefully get to test the rush out in a couple of weeks. I know that it will be a top notch sled, Polaris is legendary for their suspensions. Remember these 2010 sleds are pre production models.
I really like the nytro XTX, and I would like to try out the new FI vector LTX. Was the new mill as snappy as the nytro motor? I would imagine it would be a big power upgrade from the standard carbed vector.
I will hopefully get to test the rush out in a couple of weeks. I know that it will be a top notch sled, Polaris is legendary for their suspensions. Remember these 2010 sleds are pre production models.
I really like the nytro XTX, and I would like to try out the new FI vector LTX. Was the new mill as snappy as the nytro motor? I would imagine it would be a big power upgrade from the standard carbed vector.
stretchSXV
New member
horkn said:
Yes the vector was snappy like the nytro. It's just more of a sit down ride which I'm 6'2" so I like to stand so that's why I wouldn't go with it. I wish I could ride the rush in better snow conditions b/c with what we had it just didn't seem better then anything else that was there. I'm really split on the 800R and the nytro
horkn
New member
So the new vector has the low non RTX seat on it? Sounds like an apex RTX seat would be a very nice fit on the new vector.
I would have been able to write up my reviews of all the 2010 sleds, but I decided to stay home and not go to Cruiserfest on Feb 12-13 weekend due to a big warm up around here.
For me the nytro XTX was the perfect sled, much better than the rtx and std FX nytro. Granted I have not tried an RTX SE, but I seriously doubt the SE would sway me over from the XTX. Being a bigger guy myself, I just don't see me getting another 1221" sled ever again. I am happy that Yamaha put a nice shock set on the XTX, and not the ones on the regular fx nytro.
I would have been able to write up my reviews of all the 2010 sleds, but I decided to stay home and not go to Cruiserfest on Feb 12-13 weekend due to a big warm up around here.
For me the nytro XTX was the perfect sled, much better than the rtx and std FX nytro. Granted I have not tried an RTX SE, but I seriously doubt the SE would sway me over from the XTX. Being a bigger guy myself, I just don't see me getting another 1221" sled ever again. I am happy that Yamaha put a nice shock set on the XTX, and not the ones on the regular fx nytro.
stretchSXV
New member
horkn said:
I agree 100% the XTX is the perfect sled.Yes the Vector does have a lower seat. sits like my viper but I'd say a few inches higher but not high enough for my frame. The SE is awesome too but there is something about the long track sleds that I like. The XTX and the Doo Gade just ride the whoops like no other sled out there. Now I just have to justify the price tags on them so I can talk the wife into letting me get one or the other, lol.