sleepin@theline
Veteran
I have wanted a phazer since they first came out. However as life would have it, something always seemed to get in the way. Well this year on my birthday my suggested I get one.
I have been lurking on this board since day one and I had a good idea what I was looking for. Craigslist, ebay, local dealers, friends of friends.... I either found junk or over priced sleds. Out of the blue, my wife asks me if I wanted to go and look at an '07. To be honest, I would never purchase the first year of any product and this included the Phazer. However, long story short, we were in the area and the owner was at home...
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The sled was exactly as I like to buy them. Clearly used and well maintained. More importantly, the price was right
Hopefully right enough so that I could afford the upgrades I had planned. The owner and I spoke of updates done and mods he had done ( olite bushings, air box mod, 4th wheel, tunnel closure, studs) and I was sold. He was even kind enough to deliver it.
I had my wife run to the DMV register and insure it and I put the sled through it's paces on our property. The next day some buddies came up and we set off on a 75 mile run. Initially the sled felt like riding a skateboard on a beach ball. It pushed through the corners, the track refused to hook up and the RPMs were bouncing off the rev limiter. We had a great ride.....
That evening I added a bit more preload to the front shocks and let the limiter strap down one hole and set the center shock one notch softer. I have a 45 mile loop around my house that is a nice mix of very tight twisties and wide open areas. Its better... I set the limiter strap to the center hole and set the center shock to its softest setting. Much better. Time to solve the darting issue.
I found a piece of hard rubber in my shed and went to work....
Adding this shim to the rear of the ski rubber is simply amazing. The effect is immediate and cheap. I'm not sure who came up with it (I got the idea from Scott Bergstrom) But I am in their debt.
The skis that came on the sled are worn quite a bit so I put a nearly new set off of an Attack that a buddy gave me. Big difference. The push is gone and the darting is only evident under hard breaking. I normally run C&A but on recommendation from some friends, I asked my wife for Curves for my birthday. So far I like them. They are an improvement to the stock skis especially in the soft stuff.
We have had a great winter so I put another 300 miles that first week. I had to address the clutching. I'm no clutching guru, but I have paid close attention to Turk over the years and had an idea what it needed. I also cleaned the grease out of the secondary. The secondary needs to go...
Hardware store clutching at its finest...
Weather has been great and the miles are adding up.
The front shock are beat so I give Bruce at Pioneer a call and he has these on sale.
Of course the difference is simply amazing. Set the ride height with the main chamber, the compression with the EVOL and the rebound with the clicker.... I can't describe how much better it is.
For the rear shocks I took a chance and purchased a set off of Ebay. The vendor offered valving customized to the rier and I described what I wanted but the valving just wasn't up to the pounding we put these sleds through. So off to Hygear they go....
The torsion spring spacer are definitely worth the money. Noticeable improvement.
I still can't get the RPM down with this track and I can't get any more weight into the stock arms, so I'll call Allen Ulmer up and see what he has to offer. I bought a used helix made by Schmitt Bros but I havent tried it yet. The guy I bought it from didn't have any luck with it and sold it cheap. It appears to have a bur where the splines were broached. I am also interested in the power commander. The exhaust will also need to be dealt with but I'm up in the air about that. I think supertraps are in the works. I also want to change out the secondary over the summer to the YVX.
So far I have 1600 miles on this little sled and I'm loving it. It definitely needs a track. My Viper is a 136 and I really enjoy it but I may go 128 on this. I really like it on the tight and twisty trails we have up here and a 136 might detract from what this sled does best. I do like the idea of the Ice Ripper and the Ice attack. The idea of lowering rotating mass is always on my mind.
The heim joints at the spindle have a bit of slop in them and are on the short list of replacements. I may also move the ski spacers to widen the stance. It needs a set of low snow wheels and I will replace the stock wheels with the larger Excell. If I lengthen the skid, I would like to go with the Dupont hyfax, if that is an option. I have a battery tender on now but a Higher capacity lightweight version would be nice. I spent the day riding at -20F and I think I want a windshield.
I just wanted to take the time to say thanks to everyone that posted on this board. TY is an amazing resource and I feel lucky to have it.
My son and his dog
I have been lurking on this board since day one and I had a good idea what I was looking for. Craigslist, ebay, local dealers, friends of friends.... I either found junk or over priced sleds. Out of the blue, my wife asks me if I wanted to go and look at an '07. To be honest, I would never purchase the first year of any product and this included the Phazer. However, long story short, we were in the area and the owner was at home...
The sled was exactly as I like to buy them. Clearly used and well maintained. More importantly, the price was right
Hopefully right enough so that I could afford the upgrades I had planned. The owner and I spoke of updates done and mods he had done ( olite bushings, air box mod, 4th wheel, tunnel closure, studs) and I was sold. He was even kind enough to deliver it.
I had my wife run to the DMV register and insure it and I put the sled through it's paces on our property. The next day some buddies came up and we set off on a 75 mile run. Initially the sled felt like riding a skateboard on a beach ball. It pushed through the corners, the track refused to hook up and the RPMs were bouncing off the rev limiter. We had a great ride.....
That evening I added a bit more preload to the front shocks and let the limiter strap down one hole and set the center shock one notch softer. I have a 45 mile loop around my house that is a nice mix of very tight twisties and wide open areas. Its better... I set the limiter strap to the center hole and set the center shock to its softest setting. Much better. Time to solve the darting issue.
I found a piece of hard rubber in my shed and went to work....
Adding this shim to the rear of the ski rubber is simply amazing. The effect is immediate and cheap. I'm not sure who came up with it (I got the idea from Scott Bergstrom) But I am in their debt.
The skis that came on the sled are worn quite a bit so I put a nearly new set off of an Attack that a buddy gave me. Big difference. The push is gone and the darting is only evident under hard breaking. I normally run C&A but on recommendation from some friends, I asked my wife for Curves for my birthday. So far I like them. They are an improvement to the stock skis especially in the soft stuff.
We have had a great winter so I put another 300 miles that first week. I had to address the clutching. I'm no clutching guru, but I have paid close attention to Turk over the years and had an idea what it needed. I also cleaned the grease out of the secondary. The secondary needs to go...
Hardware store clutching at its finest...
Weather has been great and the miles are adding up.
The front shock are beat so I give Bruce at Pioneer a call and he has these on sale.
Of course the difference is simply amazing. Set the ride height with the main chamber, the compression with the EVOL and the rebound with the clicker.... I can't describe how much better it is.
For the rear shocks I took a chance and purchased a set off of Ebay. The vendor offered valving customized to the rier and I described what I wanted but the valving just wasn't up to the pounding we put these sleds through. So off to Hygear they go....
The torsion spring spacer are definitely worth the money. Noticeable improvement.
I still can't get the RPM down with this track and I can't get any more weight into the stock arms, so I'll call Allen Ulmer up and see what he has to offer. I bought a used helix made by Schmitt Bros but I havent tried it yet. The guy I bought it from didn't have any luck with it and sold it cheap. It appears to have a bur where the splines were broached. I am also interested in the power commander. The exhaust will also need to be dealt with but I'm up in the air about that. I think supertraps are in the works. I also want to change out the secondary over the summer to the YVX.
So far I have 1600 miles on this little sled and I'm loving it. It definitely needs a track. My Viper is a 136 and I really enjoy it but I may go 128 on this. I really like it on the tight and twisty trails we have up here and a 136 might detract from what this sled does best. I do like the idea of the Ice Ripper and the Ice attack. The idea of lowering rotating mass is always on my mind.
The heim joints at the spindle have a bit of slop in them and are on the short list of replacements. I may also move the ski spacers to widen the stance. It needs a set of low snow wheels and I will replace the stock wheels with the larger Excell. If I lengthen the skid, I would like to go with the Dupont hyfax, if that is an option. I have a battery tender on now but a Higher capacity lightweight version would be nice. I spent the day riding at -20F and I think I want a windshield.
I just wanted to take the time to say thanks to everyone that posted on this board. TY is an amazing resource and I feel lucky to have it.
My son and his dog
MikeWalters
TY 4 Stroke Master
Awesome! Glad to hear you are liking it!
Before you go any further with clutching I would recommend the YVX secondary, worked wonders for me! Super easy to do also!
Before you go any further with clutching I would recommend the YVX secondary, worked wonders for me! Super easy to do also!
YAMMAROB
Lifetime Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2013
- Messages
- 303
- Age
- 63
- Location
- Dyer, IN
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2014 XTX Viper Hurricane Turbo,
2015 MTX Viper
Sons: 2009 Phazer Suprecharged RTX Streched to 153
I have a AAEN exhaust if interested
canoehead
TY 4 Stroke God
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2011
- Messages
- 2,134
- Location
- NE, Alberta
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 2014 XF9000, 2016 Viper XTX
I'd say stick with the stock exhaust for now, if you research here you'll find there's some unknowns and better left for the near future. As for the clutching you might want to try a different primary spring or go to a supertip set-up from Allan, I'm sure he'll get you dialed in. The biggest improvement for my wife's Phazer (IMHO) was the 136" extension with a 1.5" lug Freeride track. Awesome hook up and she says she has a hard time seeing sometimes because she grinning so hard while my friends on their 1200 Doo's and 800 Cats are trying to keep up to her in the trails. Glad to hear you're happy with your new purchase and will be a posting member with your experiences. And you're right 
Ruggybuggy
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2013
- Messages
- 727
- Location
- Kenora, NWOnt, Canada
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 2007 Phazer FX 144
If you can find a mountain skid and track it's a great upgrade. The rails are tip ups so you won't sacrifice trail ride handling. I notice no difference. Be prepare to fill in the gap though.
Always great to see posts like this. Congratulations! Last weekend daughter and I rode over 500mi with the Phazer and Viper. I made her switch. Yes she didnt want to ride the Viper but I wanted to ride the Phazer again! They are a special sled and well setup if a guy cant have fun on a Phazer there is no hope. Man they are fun! I hope you have many years of fun on yours. Here is from the ride. Is great when you can wear a teenager out!
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sleepin@theline
Veteran
Living where I do affords me the opportunity to ride many different sleds. My wife's '99 ZRT 600 finally gave up the ghost and we found a Venture seat for my Viper. I've held on to the Viper for all these years because it simply worked for me. I was actually planning on buying a Nytro but everyone seemed to want a fortune for them. I have less into this little Phazer after upgrades then the asking price of most of the Nytros in my area. And the grin factor is ear to ear.
Many of the trails around me are very tight. So tight that the groomers have difficulty. For 12 years I have been wrestling my Viper up and down these trails and having a blast doing it. Now.... I can't remember the last time I have had this much fun. And I get the whole "New sled" fun factor, but this sled was made for these trails. Some friends came up from Rochester a few times and I did wish it had a bit more top end on the roads. However, its a small price to pay for the fun I have every day.
The exhaust can wait. Upgrading the track is going to be the single most expensive upgrade I will make and likely the biggest improvement. 99% of 2500 miles I riding I average every year is on groomed trails. I was dead set on the 136 before I bought the sled but I am leaning towards a 128 and I may even stay 121. ANY track is going to be an improvement. 1.25 or 1.5 is still up in the air. I can't imagine running a studded 1.5 and I have a hangup about rotating mass. I wish I could ride one of the Ice Rippers or Ice attacks on marginal trails.
Last night I set the torsion springs to soft and removed the anti bottoming spacers from the rails. I think they are over powering the rebound on the rear shock. I have been on the look out for a set of Ski Doo progressive dual rate springs for the center but no luck. I may see what Hygear has to offer.
Its been warm here during the day and the snow is going fast. However the cold nights leave the trails a rutted concrete mess. I may lower the main body air pressure on the floats to drop the COG a bit.
Many of the trails around me are very tight. So tight that the groomers have difficulty. For 12 years I have been wrestling my Viper up and down these trails and having a blast doing it. Now.... I can't remember the last time I have had this much fun. And I get the whole "New sled" fun factor, but this sled was made for these trails. Some friends came up from Rochester a few times and I did wish it had a bit more top end on the roads. However, its a small price to pay for the fun I have every day.
The exhaust can wait. Upgrading the track is going to be the single most expensive upgrade I will make and likely the biggest improvement. 99% of 2500 miles I riding I average every year is on groomed trails. I was dead set on the 136 before I bought the sled but I am leaning towards a 128 and I may even stay 121. ANY track is going to be an improvement. 1.25 or 1.5 is still up in the air. I can't imagine running a studded 1.5 and I have a hangup about rotating mass. I wish I could ride one of the Ice Rippers or Ice attacks on marginal trails.
Last night I set the torsion springs to soft and removed the anti bottoming spacers from the rails. I think they are over powering the rebound on the rear shock. I have been on the look out for a set of Ski Doo progressive dual rate springs for the center but no luck. I may see what Hygear has to offer.
Its been warm here during the day and the snow is going fast. However the cold nights leave the trails a rutted concrete mess. I may lower the main body air pressure on the floats to drop the COG a bit.
Voda2000
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2006
- Messages
- 592
- Location
- Winnipeg Manitoba
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 2007 Phazer GT 136"
I was going 128 but ended up with a 136. There were basically the same money and the 136 was easier to get. It makes a big difference in the sled.
Regarding the anti bottoming spacers see this thread http://www.ty4stroke.com/threads/anti-bottoming-kit.130685/
Regarding the anti bottoming spacers see this thread http://www.ty4stroke.com/threads/anti-bottoming-kit.130685/
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YAMMAROB
Lifetime Member
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2013
- Messages
- 303
- Age
- 63
- Location
- Dyer, IN
- Country
- USA
- Snowmobile
- 2014 XTX Viper Hurricane Turbo,
2015 MTX Viper
Sons: 2009 Phazer Suprecharged RTX Streched to 153
we have a 128 and a 144 boath are a blast to ride the 144 is supercharged and they boath handel great on te trails
sleepin@theline
Veteran
Yeah, I don't understand the thought process behind the anti bottoming spacers. Apparently they are supposed to increase the spring rate at the last bit of compression? I learned on the Viper that trying to control bottoming by increasing the spring rate just turned the sled into a pogo stick. After removal the shock reacts much better after a big hit. The shock definitely needs to be stiffer at the end of the stroke but it's going to have to wait till summer. I think the spring on the center shock could be a bit lighter as well.
Wannaviper
Lifetime Member
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- West Gardiner, Maine
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- Snowmobile
- 2016 Viper XTX SE; 2019 Sidewinder DX LTX; 2013 Vector LTX; 2014 Viper XTX SE; 2013 SRX 120
You are right on about the Phazer. My 12 year old grandson's 09 Phazer GT is an absolute joy to ride, and he doesn't want to ride anything else. When I am on my Viper and he is on the Phazer, we go looking for the bumps and jumps. We kept my old Vector LTX as a backup sled, and I am thinking seriously about trading it in for a Phazer XTX. I think a 144" track on a Phazer would be a lot of fun, on and off the trail; the trouble is that my grandson and I would be fighting over who got to ride it.
That little ride I had on Phazer again brought out the little kid in me! Going all over trail and off looking for stuff to hit hanging off in corners. Few wheelies. The feeling of being so out in open like riding a dirtbike. Viper is not like that. Way more comfortable and easier to ride but I admit a bit of a old mans sled!
sleepin@theline
Veteran
Wow awesome graphics! And hey we arent old till the teenagers are waiting for us. Aint happened yet! Well maybe a couple of them....
Gone Blue
VIP Member
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- 62
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- Howell, Michigan
- Country
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- Snowmobile
- 08' Nytro RTX 40th Anniversary - Stretched
If you go 128" you won't have to lengthen the tunnel or rear bumper. Anything longer and you will. I stretched mine to 144" using a Phazer Mountain rear bumper and some sheet aluminum. I love riding my Phazer and I am an old guy. Although my Phazer is far from stock G.B.
G.B.
