11,000 mile review the good and bad.

[Bigblue1]

Honest reviews are always helpful. However, I learned a long time ago that one review is certainly not a trend. I too experienced handling issues with my 17 LE but knew it would take some tweaking to get it right, just like my apex, RX1, Nytro ........ It took me 60 miles to get this 129 to handle great, adjusting front springs, center shock spring, limiter strap and shock rebound to find sweet spot. I like 129 becuase my weight 273 helps keep track planted. My sled was a belt blower stock so I made the adjustments thanks to everyone like Rockerdan, Hurricane and others in this forum. Truly helpful. I am a Yamaha purist that is somewhat converted. I am still amazed at the condition of the skid after every season compared to my Apex. Other than an occasional chunked center wheel it is always mint. Hell i run 144 study boys with the plastic backers and lose maybe one backer a season. Not bad. Where I can't commit 100% is the oil tank/chain case abortion. No way to drain without taking it apart, tension screw and bearing gamble ( my RX1 had 18,000 hard ridden miles on all kinds of trail crap and only needed an oil change every season). Yet the skid was sometimes mess. Point is every sled is going to have strengths and weaknesses but for me this hybrid is comfortable, fast and actually holds up quite well. I have 6,000 miles on it and tend to keep sleds past 10k miles. We'll see how it goes.

 

[ClutchMaster]

Nice review, thanks for posting.

 

[stevewithOCD]

I had a look over on Dootalk a few days ago and saw that someone posted these 900T's can't even get to the HP of a stock sidewinder without hardware changes.
Is that true?
Geez, that sucks.

Not true.
They are just like the Winder. Depends on what you get, but just a tune, clutch stuff & maybe a BOV or sensor.
Hearing the 195 tune is neck to neck with stock Winder

 

[Winder_506]

Very true the turbo on the 900t is very small. Likely the reason a muffler change does not yield much gain. I see Dave now has his MID PIPE out between the turbo and muffler, which will makes some gains apparently. Also we will start seeing lots of tuners slapping on the turbo from our 998 to the 900t.

Not a fan of being brand loyal, and Ive owned more DOOs then Yams, but these are my two fave brands. The older I get the less brand loyal i become, and don't mind trying them all. Only one I still need to own is a POO. For me I like to swap often with buds, so I get a good taste of how they all work.

This season a bud in the group has a 900t, so I will get lots of seat time with it. I truly loved my Winder and how I got it handling,transferring, and powered up. But Im the first to admit bone stock it was nothing amazing. By the time it got tuned and set up by me, it became a blast. So riding the bone stock 900t is nothing wonderful either, and the iTC takes all my attention(negatively) away from its good points. There is alot of good there to be had IMO possibly with more HP and a tune "MAY" go a long way to helping the awkward feeling/reacting iTC(throttle by wire).

Sorta mad at myself for jumping back to the 2s since Im not really a 2s fan at all, but felt it was a better choice for this upcoming season then taking the chance on the iTC. Hearing some oil usage horror stories is what has me contemplating my decision. Sure sounds like BRP is covering their #*$&@ with the 4 year warranty and just upped the oil pumps! Grrr....

At any rate, I tend to trade up every season or two on avrg. I doubt this 2 smoker will stay around more then one season, although I do like the fun factor on them(rode buds a bunch) on my tight trail system. I just hate the company more and more though, they just keep charging more and more for less and less it seams. G4 does handle alot better then its predecessor(XS/XR) IMO, and so that will be a nice change.

Certainly am following along with Dave and the other tuners on their 900t projects. Doo being so popular is a goldmine for the tuners, so I can see the appeal for them. Abit over 200hp seems to be where a simple tune will end up without hardware. Honestly for me its less about the big power and more about the throttle working better. It has decent power, will never be in the same arena as the 998. If big power is wanted then the 998 is the best way to go, although we have to put up with all the annoyances that the procross engineered chassie has, and we all read about daily here. Lots of those DOO guys just want to ride and not wrench, so I get it.

I find the price point interesting, now that Cat offers their killer spring pricing, a Tcat will be close to same if not cheaper then a new 900t doo, Depending on what dealer you work with.

Dan

You have got to try a Polaris Indy. I came so close to buying the Polaris over the winder, it came down to money at the end of the day. The cost of the fully dressed Polaris with the GPS digital gauge and painted everything like I wanted was so close in price that I went with the winder cause I’m a Yamaha guy at heart and wanted the big power. I put 250 miles on a demo 850 poo last spring and it was a wicked sled, so much better chassis then the G4 like way better. When Polaris says their chassis is confidence inspiring they are not kidding. That sled was hands down the most responsive, agile and funnest twistie sled I’ve ridden. Now hit the throttle at 70-80mph it didn’t pull like a winder but down low and mid range, the 144” assault I had with a 1.6 cobra track which is just terrible for robing speed and power, would run ski to ski vs a clutched and geared 850 doo 129” with timing advanced. Polaris IMO is the best all around big bore 2 stroke. You really need to throw a leg over one and abuse that axys, nothing feels like it.

 

[WinderFab]

The Polaris axys does handle great, probably the best handling sled but they just don’t hold up.. if you’re a high mile trail guy make sure you don’t ride alone.. 2 of my riding buddies have the 800 and now the 850’s and last two seasons on multiple times on week long trips they have broken down, one blown motor, 1 chain case let go and 2 jack shaft bearings dismantled to nothing.. one trip we managed to find a bearing which was close and we hacked it on to the jack shaft which got us back to the trucks but the other times it was tow back to the nearest motel and leave the sled till we got to the trucks and go pick up the sled..

When your in northern Ontario or northern Quebec it sucks when a sled goes down no matter the make..

Only if Polaris could hold up better it would be the sled to beat in the ride and handling department..

 

[STAIN]

Only if Polaris could hold up better it would be the sled to beat in the ride and handling department..

I have ridden these sleds and I don't think they are any better than a Procross. They transfer weight really well which is fun but also a hindrance in the corners. The Rush style sleds are the worst. They wheelie at will but you cannot power through a corner.
A lot of people confuse weight transfer with power, if it lifts the ski at will, it must have a lot of power the thinking goes.....

 

[ClutchMaster]

The Polaris axys does handle great, probably the best handling sled but they just don’t hold up.. if you’re a high mile trail guy make sure you don’t ride alone.. 2 of my riding buddies have the 800 and now the 850’s and last two seasons on multiple times on week long trips they have broken down, one blown motor, 1 chain case let go and 2 jack shaft bearings dismantled to nothing.. one trip we managed to find a bearing which was close and we hacked it on to the jack shaft which got us back to the trucks but the other times it was tow back to the nearest motel and leave the sled till we got to the trucks and go pick up the sled..

When your in northern Ontario or northern Quebec it sucks when a sled goes down no matter the make..

Only if Polaris could hold up better it would be the sled to beat in the ride and handling department..

You have got to try a Polaris Indy. I came so close to buying the Polaris over the winder, it came down to money at the end of the day. The cost of the fully dressed Polaris with the GPS digital gauge and painted everything like I wanted was so close in price that I went with the winder cause I’m a Yamaha guy at heart and wanted the big power. I put 250 miles on a demo 850 poo last spring and it was a wicked sled, so much better chassis then the G4 like way better. When Polaris says their chassis is confidence inspiring they are not kidding. That sled was hands down the most responsive, agile and funnest twistie sled I’ve ridden. Now hit the throttle at 70-80mph it didn’t pull like a winder but down low and mid range, the 144” assault I had with a 1.6 cobra track which is just terrible for robing speed and power, would run ski to ski vs a clutched and geared 850 doo 129” with timing advanced. Polaris IMO is the best all around big bore 2 stroke. You really need to throw a leg over one and abuse that axys, nothing feels like it.

Absolutely an awsome sled for tight trails!!
Corner to corner they are the best IMO.
I will say tho the procross is actually better for really big bumps with the right shocks. The front end is SO LIGHT on the Axis it tends to dart around in the really big stuff at higher speeds.
The new 850 engine is a real POS as reliability goes, which is too bad.

 

[ClutchMaster]

I have ridden these sleds and I don't think they are any better than a Procross. They transfer weight really well which is fun but also a hindrance in the corners. The Rush style sleds are the worst. They wheelie at will but you cannot power through a corner.
A lot of people confuse weight transfer with power, if it lifts the ski at will, it must have a lot of power the thinking goes.....

That’s mostly a setup issue, just sayin.

 

[74Nitro]

That’s mostly a setup issue, just sayin.

Mostly, yes.
But it is pretty much how they come out of the box.
I think the 20 Winder/Cat with those 1.5 inch longer spindles will dominate the corners.

 

[Big_Phil]

The Polaris axys does handle great, probably the best handling sled but they just don’t hold up.. if you’re a high mile trail guy make sure you don’t ride alone.. 2 of my riding buddies have the 800 and now the 850’s and last two seasons on multiple times on week long trips they have broken down, one blown motor, 1 chain case let go and 2 jack shaft bearings dismantled to nothing.. one trip we managed to find a bearing which was close and we hacked it on to the jack shaft which got us back to the trucks but the other times it was tow back to the nearest motel and leave the sled till we got to the trucks and go pick up the sled..

When your in northern Ontario or northern Quebec it sucks when a sled goes down no matter the make..

Only if Polaris could hold up better it would be the sled to beat in the ride and handling department..

I have a couple buddies who ride polaris 800s, and same thing I've seen. 1 guy drives easy and low miles, so his is good. Other guy that drives hard, blew the jackshaft bearing to nothing as well in about 3000kms. Last year his engine went down at 5500kms, polaris dealer said its about normal miles.

 

[STAIN]

That’s mostly a setup issue, just sayin.

I agree that it mostly set up but with the Rush uncoupled chassis it is much harder to achieve a sled that keeps the front planted. It is also how you choose to ride. Some like the front end in the air , dirt bike style. Some like the skis on the ground.
I have 3 friends who bought 850 Polaris this year to bring the total to 4. Along with 2 new T-cats and 1 new 800 Cat, I will have the opportunity to try a lot of different sleds this year!!
I agree that the new Polaris chassis is probably the best Polaris I have ridden, Didn't care for the Rush or their 800 motors.

 

[vmxrdr]

There wasn’t any hurt feelings on my part regarding putting this negative review on a Yamaha forum, my wife says I don’t have feelings so it probably can’t happen lol. I find it to be purposely provocative trolling to do it though. Doo riders in particular rabidly defend their fav rides, don’t believe me go on 850 part of DT and watch guys get swatted for posting about 2,000 km blown engines and crazy oil consumption comments. That doesn’t happen on TY thank god. The guys on here are more logic oriented and into helping each other. My riding buds all have the biggest new doos and are crazy competitive so the last few years with properly setup winder have been awesome to be a part of team Yamaha. Only time i disagreed with our man Dan is in regards to G4 handling, only positive I find with them is ski lift over bumps and hills and skid frame ride is great. We are going across top of Quebec for 9 day saddlebag in feb and I am going to GoPro what happens when you chase a G4 renegade with a linq tank hard into a 70 mph corner. In particular top feeder xrs ones. It is scary if you push them to the edge, when they look like they are going to flip into the weeds you can power out of a sweeper by cutting inside them, it is awesome fun when your buds are hyper competitive and being spoon fed propaganda by snowtrax so much they tell me they are going to blow me away, hasn’t happened yet.
Yamaha has rewrote the landscape though turbos are being accepted, only a few 850s going this year the guys are tired of blown engines and clutches ruining their winters so are all switching to 900ts. I will finally get to try a tuned one this year.

That being said I have replaced my upper gear in chaincase and have to put Travis new gadget in my axle but that sums up my problems in 13,000 hard kms on a powertrail tune. I’m interested in seeing how a 900t holds up to a 265 hp tune for extended use. Oh yeah that won’t happen, maybe for 5 or 6000$ it could happen.
Best of luck on your new doo though, the ride is what matters not what you happen to ride.