We are hoping for the least, a Blue 600/800 with Yamaha clutches on them. That seems to be the most POSSIBLE option out there.
We purchased a Venom for the missus this past season. We have had to make some upgrades suspension wise and obviously customize it to make it hers- but it’s been a great machine. She has mentioned she doesn’t care for the fact it’s “only a 400”- but she’s been able to build confidence on that sled that she NEVER got on bigger sleds, and says it’s light years ahead of her Phazer in the handling department. She kept up all season and then some with that sled- and even my 6’1 215lb arse has a great ride on it.
She does want a little more power so a 600/800 would be fantastic in that sense to get the gaps bridged in the lineup. It’s only a matter of time before the laurels Yamaha rests on with the sidewinder get smashed by the competition.
As far as the purebred Yamaha component, I don’t miss the constantly busted suspension parts, oil lite bushings, rear skid tortilla chip bushings, worn out exhaust gaskets, cracked oil tanks, and need to add 4 more wheels just to get hyfax to last a season. It’s 6 in one, half dozen in the other with these sleds as far as my experience has been, and that Phazer we had sucked more money out of my wallet than both my hybrid sleds ever did. It was a mega fun sled- but the gremlins that sucker had and lackluster handling left something to be desired.
Maybe I should do what my Doo buddies all do and just get a new sled every 3k and tell everyone that “Never had a problem ever with my Doo.”