Maine_2JZ
New member
Hello,
Just went out for my first ride and figured is share the good and bad about my ride and the sled.
Sled is an 01 SRX700 with 22XX miles that just picked up for a smoking good deal
Sled is all original other then Wolf Silencer, V force reeds, and clutch kit - Bender i think
First some perspective of my perspective:
I have only been sledding for 4 or 5 years now, but have been into dirt bikes and motorcycles since birth. I enjoy trail riding, but also love to play off trail and hit jumps but am slowing down a bit with that stuff- as i dont heal up like i used to and am currently healing from a torn AC ligament in my shoulder from a nasty crash dropping into a bowl at a skate park on BMX bike.
I have been without a sled for the past year with major life change/finances changes forcing the sale of my oh so nice 06 yamaha attak. Prior to that i had a more playfull but much less refined F6 sno pro nightfire edition.
Okay so here we go!
Pulling a rope to start a sled sux!
Playing around in the backyard (2 acers of untouched powder) definately not as much fun as the Attak.
was taking turns riding my 3 boys around on my lap. Low center of gravity makes it very hard to turn with kids not as adept at leaning to the inside. Do not stop or you will get stuck in 2 feet of snow with this track!
after id had enough of chaufering the kids, i did some with just me. turning no problem by myself, but deffinately dislike the low seating oldschool position... Standing up is not really much of an option either, as the only place wide enough for your feet is way up. so this makes for an awkward butt out and back, feet forward bent body position, that is just awkward and muscle intensive. (this could improve with risers that roll forwards maybe?)
Attempts to stand where feet would be natural proved a bad idea as i quickly lost my footing and found myselp being dragged by my sled.... ah no kids, i was doing tricks like superman air on the ground haha
Good thing sleds dont have twist throttles like dirtbikes or this would probably be the end of my story! anyways, after having that happen 2 times im all set with that.
Okay so lets get to the good part. That night after the kids were down, i got to go out for a real trai ride, where this sled is in its element. only downside is the 4-6 inches of fresh snow that is still blizzarding for the first hour or so of my ride. THe trails were very smooth for the most part, but the fresh snow was killing visibility and subsequent speed. Eventually i caught up to a couple of new skidoo Rev XR's and followed them for a bit. on a pipeline. all of a sudden i got this erie feeling that something wasnt right. with shadows or something on my left.
We are in a herd of runnding deer! i literally could have reached with my left hand and touched one right when it happend. then one cut in front of me, and i felt his leg lightly tap my ski (we were moving along at about the same speed. I think the 2 sleds in front of me stirred them up and i came into the paniced aftermath!
anyways, eventually the storm stopped and i got out on 89, one of the main trails around here, and it had been groomed earlier in the day and or only had about 3 inches of fresh snow on it. Holy crap! this sled was loving it! flaying along thru the twisteis like a slot car. rear end a little looser then id like, but you just steer it with your butt and throttle and occasional brake tap. Kinda like drifting in a car really. i was grinning from ear to ear. Finally i knew i should turn around since this was my first ride on the sled and i was alone, and now quite far from home..
When i got to the turn off from 89 to head back home, i decided to keep going on 89 the other direction for a bit...
oh man, it had just been groomed like a half hour to hour ago. Felt a little guilty knowing it should set up a bit more, but ... a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do. i made sure to be very smooth with throttle and corner entry/ exits. all i can say again is WOW. this sled is a slot car. Front end now felt a little twitchy with the harder packed surface but it wasnt obnoxious by any means. Had an Epic first outing. and overall am very pleased!
Other observations. no reverse is deff a PITA
the motor is nice, but its just so different then the Attack
i remember feeling the same way with dirtbikes. its just fuller...
like when you twist the grip/hit the flipper on a performace 4 stroke, you are more commited and better be pointed in the right direction when you do it. The 2 stroke, although probably just as fast, feels just lighter in the delivery of said power. and you can get on and off the throttle and or correct /change course easier, and not feel so commited.
The seating position is absolutely awfull compared to an Apex.. BOSS seat or custom high rise will be on my number 1 list. Possible tuner skis setup may also be considered for the darting in hard pack, and floating feel in the fresh powder. May consider some suspension upgrades to if i can do it on the super cheap.
Overall i am so pumped that i bought this sled! i was going to wait another year before getting back into it but all this snow we have been getting changed my mind along with the price of this sled.... With a few upgrades to this sled, who knows i may keep it for a long time and not just be a transition sled.
Yay im back!
Koren
Just went out for my first ride and figured is share the good and bad about my ride and the sled.
Sled is an 01 SRX700 with 22XX miles that just picked up for a smoking good deal
Sled is all original other then Wolf Silencer, V force reeds, and clutch kit - Bender i think
First some perspective of my perspective:
I have only been sledding for 4 or 5 years now, but have been into dirt bikes and motorcycles since birth. I enjoy trail riding, but also love to play off trail and hit jumps but am slowing down a bit with that stuff- as i dont heal up like i used to and am currently healing from a torn AC ligament in my shoulder from a nasty crash dropping into a bowl at a skate park on BMX bike.
I have been without a sled for the past year with major life change/finances changes forcing the sale of my oh so nice 06 yamaha attak. Prior to that i had a more playfull but much less refined F6 sno pro nightfire edition.
Okay so here we go!
Pulling a rope to start a sled sux!
Playing around in the backyard (2 acers of untouched powder) definately not as much fun as the Attak.
was taking turns riding my 3 boys around on my lap. Low center of gravity makes it very hard to turn with kids not as adept at leaning to the inside. Do not stop or you will get stuck in 2 feet of snow with this track!
after id had enough of chaufering the kids, i did some with just me. turning no problem by myself, but deffinately dislike the low seating oldschool position... Standing up is not really much of an option either, as the only place wide enough for your feet is way up. so this makes for an awkward butt out and back, feet forward bent body position, that is just awkward and muscle intensive. (this could improve with risers that roll forwards maybe?)
Attempts to stand where feet would be natural proved a bad idea as i quickly lost my footing and found myselp being dragged by my sled.... ah no kids, i was doing tricks like superman air on the ground haha
Good thing sleds dont have twist throttles like dirtbikes or this would probably be the end of my story! anyways, after having that happen 2 times im all set with that.
Okay so lets get to the good part. That night after the kids were down, i got to go out for a real trai ride, where this sled is in its element. only downside is the 4-6 inches of fresh snow that is still blizzarding for the first hour or so of my ride. THe trails were very smooth for the most part, but the fresh snow was killing visibility and subsequent speed. Eventually i caught up to a couple of new skidoo Rev XR's and followed them for a bit. on a pipeline. all of a sudden i got this erie feeling that something wasnt right. with shadows or something on my left.
We are in a herd of runnding deer! i literally could have reached with my left hand and touched one right when it happend. then one cut in front of me, and i felt his leg lightly tap my ski (we were moving along at about the same speed. I think the 2 sleds in front of me stirred them up and i came into the paniced aftermath!
anyways, eventually the storm stopped and i got out on 89, one of the main trails around here, and it had been groomed earlier in the day and or only had about 3 inches of fresh snow on it. Holy crap! this sled was loving it! flaying along thru the twisteis like a slot car. rear end a little looser then id like, but you just steer it with your butt and throttle and occasional brake tap. Kinda like drifting in a car really. i was grinning from ear to ear. Finally i knew i should turn around since this was my first ride on the sled and i was alone, and now quite far from home..
When i got to the turn off from 89 to head back home, i decided to keep going on 89 the other direction for a bit...
oh man, it had just been groomed like a half hour to hour ago. Felt a little guilty knowing it should set up a bit more, but ... a mans gotta do what a mans gotta do. i made sure to be very smooth with throttle and corner entry/ exits. all i can say again is WOW. this sled is a slot car. Front end now felt a little twitchy with the harder packed surface but it wasnt obnoxious by any means. Had an Epic first outing. and overall am very pleased!
Other observations. no reverse is deff a PITA
the motor is nice, but its just so different then the Attack
i remember feeling the same way with dirtbikes. its just fuller...
like when you twist the grip/hit the flipper on a performace 4 stroke, you are more commited and better be pointed in the right direction when you do it. The 2 stroke, although probably just as fast, feels just lighter in the delivery of said power. and you can get on and off the throttle and or correct /change course easier, and not feel so commited.
The seating position is absolutely awfull compared to an Apex.. BOSS seat or custom high rise will be on my number 1 list. Possible tuner skis setup may also be considered for the darting in hard pack, and floating feel in the fresh powder. May consider some suspension upgrades to if i can do it on the super cheap.
Overall i am so pumped that i bought this sled! i was going to wait another year before getting back into it but all this snow we have been getting changed my mind along with the price of this sled.... With a few upgrades to this sled, who knows i may keep it for a long time and not just be a transition sled.
Yay im back!
Koren
Went out with Tanner last night. His sled is a high end fixer upper. I fixed the minimum to get him out riding without killing the motor. That thing has brutal traction. Let me know what your budget is and I can keep an eye out for what your looking for.
kunomofo
Member
yup slot car on the groomed trails. and the responsiveness on throttle. I love this sled and when you get in the zone its amazing what this sled can do. I am waiting for my 01's top end to be finished (hopefully tomorrow) as we have tons of great snow now and I cannot get into the other sleds I have - nothing does it for me like the SRX!
I actually like the lower center of gravity and positioning but I am old school there I suppose. I just put on a new set of woody carbides so I cant wait to see how that adds to the ride. love this sled.
I actually like the lower center of gravity and positioning but I am old school there I suppose. I just put on a new set of woody carbides so I cant wait to see how that adds to the ride. love this sled.
Nice write up and welcome back.
FWIW - my bar grips are the same height from the footwells as my neighbor's F7 with just a 1.5" riser and tipped. Try riding the tank a bit and keep your feet in the footwells where they belong.
If you're a friend of Scott's, you're in good hands.
FWIW - my bar grips are the same height from the footwells as my neighbor's F7 with just a 1.5" riser and tipped. Try riding the tank a bit and keep your feet in the footwells where they belong.
If you're a friend of Scott's, you're in good hands.
JERSEYJOE
Member
Koren: welcome to the site. I am blessed that I have both an APEX GT and a 2001 SRX. I love them both. True my SRX has a Viper rear skid and front end with Ohlins and a wide kit, but I enjoy it as much as my APEX. They are different but I never get tired of the SRX. Great sled.
where is the new updated ride review and sled build thread. Slightly altered frankensled.
J
jaydougempire
Guest
HA!! Great right up. Had me laughing!
wait till the story of the rebuild to a 144, viper front, boss seat, bars, rtx skid
A couple of bucks
VIP Member
Great story. I can 110% relate to the lifestyle/finance/credit rating change. Been there, done that, living that. Yours was a BMX bike & mine was my 97 SX7. RIP
Last edited:
Glad you like it, Just picked one up for a friend, neither one of us have rode it yet, 01 with 734 miles on it. real clean sled.
scott riley
Member
Good story! Something about the SRX's when you get them in their element that makes you overlook their shortcomings!
As soon as you mentioned "89" I had to look at saw you are from Oxford. My family and I have been ridingthat that area since the mid 70's ! We had a camp in Otisfield when I was a kid. My parents retired to Otisfield 19 years ago and now live about 2 trail miles from 89 on the Norway end. The clubs up there do an awesome job with the trails! My wife and kids and I just moved to South Carolina a couple months ago so no more trail riding until I can afford to take a vacation up that way. We did however bring our 2 SRX asphalt drag sleds with us down here.
Good luck with the sled and enjoy the rides!
As soon as you mentioned "89" I had to look at saw you are from Oxford. My family and I have been ridingthat that area since the mid 70's ! We had a camp in Otisfield when I was a kid. My parents retired to Otisfield 19 years ago and now live about 2 trail miles from 89 on the Norway end. The clubs up there do an awesome job with the trails! My wife and kids and I just moved to South Carolina a couple months ago so no more trail riding until I can afford to take a vacation up that way. We did however bring our 2 SRX asphalt drag sleds with us down here.
Good luck with the sled and enjoy the rides!
Maine_2JZ
New member
I actually live in Otisfield, where was the camp?
I get on 89 either by the trail over the Harrison end of Gore Road, down thru the swamp headed more towards Norway lake,
or by going over gore road by Greely Brook and heading more towards oxford.
At least you still get to ride your SRX's!
and BetheViper, I will post a build thread in a bit, haven't had any free time yet for that
till then, lets just say after 3 days of reconstructing my sled over the past 2 weekends, my sled isn't anything like it was last year
Koren
I get on 89 either by the trail over the Harrison end of Gore Road, down thru the swamp headed more towards Norway lake,
or by going over gore road by Greely Brook and heading more towards oxford.
At least you still get to ride your SRX's!
and BetheViper, I will post a build thread in a bit, haven't had any free time yet for that
till then, lets just say after 3 days of reconstructing my sled over the past 2 weekends, my sled isn't anything like it was last year
Koren
Love to read up on other people enjoying the SRX, it's quite amazing how well this old girl keeps up with some of the newer sleds
scott riley
Member
Wow! Small world, Koren! LOL!
Our camp (bought/built in 1971) was in the old Wyaka (?) girl scout camp area on Thompson Lake down on the Otisfield/Casco end. When my parents retired and moved from Massachusetts to Maine in 1996, they bought waterfront property on Thompson. After a while, they weren't using the watermu chany so sold that and had a custom post and beam style home built on Bow St (off of Gore Rd) witha vview of the Presidential Mountain Range. To get from his house to the trails we have a trail through Robertson's property and join the Otisfield Club trailer in Stan Brett's field, cross Gore Rd and down the hill and through the swamp to meet 89. I love the trails systems in that whole Are!
I still remember my first SRX experience on my best friends brand new '01! Put a grin on my face from ear to ear!
Our camp (bought/built in 1971) was in the old Wyaka (?) girl scout camp area on Thompson Lake down on the Otisfield/Casco end. When my parents retired and moved from Massachusetts to Maine in 1996, they bought waterfront property on Thompson. After a while, they weren't using the watermu chany so sold that and had a custom post and beam style home built on Bow St (off of Gore Rd) witha vview of the Presidential Mountain Range. To get from his house to the trails we have a trail through Robertson's property and join the Otisfield Club trailer in Stan Brett's field, cross Gore Rd and down the hill and through the swamp to meet 89. I love the trails systems in that whole Are!
I still remember my first SRX experience on my best friends brand new '01! Put a grin on my face from ear to ear!
still waiting for the story.