2007 or 2009 Phazer FX?

[The Camp Yeti]

I was thinking that would be the answer. I am by no means a team yellow guy but I have to give credit where credit is due, that MXZ was a rather quiet machine which is hugely important to me. Couple that with not crazy power, just respectably decent power and it really does make a lot of things come into perspective/question. So my next best option is a 2003 VMax 600 with only 6200 kms on it. It has been in storage for a while and has been well taken care of according to the owner. It is a nice sled online, not my preferred sitting position according to the appearance of it, but I do like the looks of it though, and should I assume it's not going to be as comfy of a ride as the Phazer?

 

[2stroken]

The 600Vmax will be a treat on the flat trails, you get in to lots of moguls and it will beat you up! You realize the 600Vmax is a triple?

 

[cannondale27]

If that Doo is the carbed 600 it is not much if any faster than Phazer. I rode my Phazer before Viper then my oldest Daughter rode it and now my youngest. Last I looked Phazer had 23000mi on it. Very little maintenance since kids have been riding it. Before the Phazer I owned a modded 700 Srx. My Phazer still ranks as my funnest sled. Neither of the kids want anything todo with the Viper. Get one. You have nothing to lose!

 

[The Camp Yeti]

I like all responses I am reading. I do realize the VMax is a triple, I saw a little video of one with a Super Q muffler on it idling...soooo quiet I also should take into consideration that the Phazer is a 2009 for only $300 more than the 2003 VMax. Alright, I'll go look at the Phazer this weekend. There seems to be too much support for it rather than against it.

 

[mysledblows]

Phazer is a hoot to ride. Are they for everyone - nope - but no sled is ideal for everyone. Currently have 3 of them at home. Oddly they are all 07's. Here in the flatlands of mn they get us anywhere we want to go. Easy to ride off trail, easy to ride down the trail. My daughter has rode hers for years, my wife has been riding a turbo one for a few years, and we picked up another last year as a spare/friend sled but I rode it often instead of my blown apex. In my opinion you can't go wrong with a phazer.

 

[The Camp Yeti]

Ya talked me into it lol...Phazer it is. Don't get me wrong about the 2 strokes, I love them. But when there is so much going for the Phazer, the general rule of thumb is if the experienced masses are saying this is going to be the better way to go, then practical wisdom should kick in by following the ample weight in favor of that direction. I am really glad I joined this site

 

[The Camp Yeti]

I guess the only thing left now is when looking back on the last page, the list of places to check for wear, is there anything else I should be paying attention to when I go to look at it? Is a compression test necessary? If so, what is the number to look for?

 

[maim]

all the places you listed are part of maintence anyways.


i enjoy riding the one i bought as it is fun to drive and usually slows my pace enough that less experianced riders can keep up better.

 

[The Camp Yeti]

I have been talking to this fella for a good bit tonight about the sled. It definitely sounds like he has done an impeccable job on maintenance. He is very much like I am, nothing is left alone when it is worn out or in need of repair. I have a lot of confidence that this is going to be a no worry machine. I have been working on everything I can think of for storage options which I may have something figured out for that finally...and loading/transportation options. I am going to use my 7 1/2' arched ATV loading ramps for the skis. I have access to an 8' long stretch of 1/2" thick clear lexan Rhino plastic. I'm going to adapt that to fit my ATV ramps and by milling a 5/16" or so groove down the center of each half, that will be the slideway for the skis and carbides. Then I picked up for free a half of a 20 foot extension ladder (10 feet long) that I will add some traction brackets to, that will cover me for the track ramp. The last part will be to make some sort of quick hook 1/2" aluminum round bar bracing bars to lock the ATV ramps to the center ramp and keep everything snug and together as one unit. All I need to know now is what the center to center ski stance is on these Phazers...can anyone give me that measurement please? When I get my ramp system built I'll post the photos up here.

 

[maim]

it is the same ski width as my apex and my brothers venture.

online says 47-1/2" wide for the apex. online says 48" for the phazer.

 

[The Camp Yeti]

Would that be center to center though or outer edge to outer edge? I think when you see factory dimensions it's overall.

 

[maim]

that is outer edge to outer edge.

 

[The Camp Yeti]

Thank you muchly =) I just spent 5 hours last night reorganizing my garage to handle the new family addition. It's a tight squeeze but I think it'll work. Watercraft trailer flipped up on its side against the wall, watercraft on the floor beside the trailer, ATV with snow plow attached up front and just enough room behind it for the sled. Keeping in mind there is also 4 tool boxes (1 is a tool chest), a 30 gallon air compressor and stack of car tires...plus a loaded overhead storage with about 12 empty 5 gallon gas cans lol. I need to clear more out

 

[maim]

My garage in a somewhat clean state.

siblings keep sneaking stuff in. Add 5 outboards, another sled, sub woofer box, stove, antique sewing machine, beer fridge and other odds and ends to this pic and it will be close.

 

[The Camp Yeti]

So that didn't go over very well. I was rather disgusted with it when I saw it. Everything made of steel was quite rusted up, the pivot bolts at the ski saddles were so worn out I could grab the ski tips and rotate them in small circles. I bet the bushing holes in the aluminum framework were heavily oblonged too given how horrible the play was in those skis...I'm guessing those things are a clean 500 bucks each. All the steering balls were in need of replacement, you could see the play in them at the A-arms, the left shock was closer to the A-arm in front of it than the right shock was suggesting it has been impacted. Both front shocks would weep oil on compression. Shove the front end down, it would only come back up so far and leave a nice slick film behind that you could accumulate onto your finger tip. The rear springs were shot. I could lift the tunnel about 10 inches before the track would lift off the ground. The inner bogeys at the rear were flopping around inside the skid. Started it up and immediately I could hear a loud clattering from either the clutch or valve train. The primary clutch sheaves were heavily grooved at the base, it was fried. The belt was glazed so it must have been held at that edge of clutch engagement for drag race purposes. At the rear left side of the running board where it triangles back into the tunnel, the aluminum at the edge of the weld and back was torn and flexed down, look under the seat at the open area in the tunnel and it looked like a stick had been picked up by the track and jammed through tearing the aluminum down pointing at the track. The headstock bushing on the steering post was shot, it has about 1/4" of front to back movement. I was told it needed nothing, turn key ready. Well after my picking it apart and saying this is what the book value is on it in mint shape and it goes down from there, I'll offer 3200. The old man pipes up and says gee...too bad they don't make a 2019 for you. Needless to say that was a rather insulting thing to say so I stopped everything, looked at it and said no. I'm not willing to do all the work it needs to make it right. I was told it needed nothing, it needs at least $1200 to take care of everything minus the shocks and I don't want to do it. So, my buddy and I packed up and left. I missed out on much better shape sleds in the VMax style for much less because I was hoping this guy was telling me the truth about how much work he did to it and how "well maintained" it is...pfff...liars! lol...oh well, there will definitely be more...many many more. Oh did I mention I was told it was only ever on trails? I spent 5 hours a few nights ago reorganizing my garage to accept a sled along with everything else, travelled 2 hours one way for that thing, only to find out it was not far from being junk. After picking it all apart the old man also says it sounds like you know what you're talking about. I pulled out the hidden ace card and said well, I've been a certified tech for over 20 years, worked for Polaris, worked for Suzuki and worked for Kawasaki. That was the tipping point when he stopped talking...and insulting lol.

Good thing for me that I'm not in a rush and saved myself from buying a worn out money pit lol. Here in southeastern Ontario where I am, the snow season lasts on a very very good year, 3 months. For a 10 year old machine that works out to about 2 to 2 1/2 years of full time use. When I traded up my 2002 Polaris Sportsman 400 ATV on my 2015 Suzuki KingQuad...the plastics, even with going through loads of brush, looked far better than the plastics on a "trail ridden only sled" did, and it needed NOTHING lol. It had 13 years of hard, aggressive terrain, trail time on it. Not mud time but rocky, forested technical trail condition time. It was used about every weekend or every other weekend over that 13 years. When I knew I was getting ready to move on from Polaris, I made sure that it was healthy BEFORE I let it go lol. It was due for some wheel seals, bearings, and ball joints, the clutch was just like new still with no grooving in the sheaves...I knew anything it needed was a knock against the asking value just like it would be to sell it personally so all needed repairs were done BEFORE letting it go. Nobody wants to buy at the start of the season just to sit on it while they repair the laundry list of problems and potentially not have it ready until next year if parts prices or availability are not possible to attain at the time. Some people I tells ya So anyway, I would still like a Phazer, but what's the deal with the steering? Is there anyway to clean up the slop in it? That thing had a good few inches of slop and they told me it's because there are 17 ball joints/tie rod ends in there???? What happened to 2 inner and 2 outer? lol