Another Doo convert?

[nAVEL]

Hey All - this is my first post.

First, let me start out this way. I absolutely loved my 2003 Ski-Doo REV 600HO. The ride was simply amazing, handling excellent and I always felt great after a long hard day of riding.

however, it's time for a newer sled and I'm really intrigued by the Apex. Two major reasons - the chassis looks like the best of both worlds - rider forward while still allowing me to sit back and relax for a cruisin' trail ride, and to be honest I want a sled that I can just ride and not worry about blowing up or spending lots of time wrenching on. I want less maintenance, more fun!

So - with that, I'm hoping you can help out a total newbie. I'm quite mechanical (have rebuilt several doo engines) but am totally ignorant towards the follies of the Apex/Attak line. So I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

How does the Apex chassis ride compared to a rev? Are they pretty similar? I'm mostly a trail rider who likes to hit the bumps from time to time..

I won't be buying new, I'm looking at getting into a 2006 Apex GT. What should I look for? What were the problems with this sled? Any recommendations? How about a RTX or Attak?

Any and all advice would be very appreciated. And maybe I'll see one of you on the trails in a few weeks with a pair of dual pipes out the back of my seat.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[bbjorklund99]

Hey All - this is my first post.

First, let me start out this way. I absolutely loved my 2003 Ski-Doo REV 600HO. The ride was simply amazing, handling excellent and I always felt great after a long hard day of riding.

however, it's time for a newer sled and I'm really intrigued by the Apex. Two major reasons - the chassis looks like the best of both worlds - rider forward while still allowing me to sit back and relax for a cruisin' trail ride, and to be honest I want a sled that I can just ride and not worry about blowing up or spending lots of time wrenching on. I want less maintenance, more fun!

So - with that, I'm hoping you can help out a total newbie. I'm quite mechanical (have rebuilt several doo engines) but am totally ignorant towards the follies of the Apex/Attak line. So I'm hoping you guys can help me out.

How does the Apex chassis ride compared to a rev? Are they pretty similar? I'm mostly a trail rider who likes to hit the bumps from time to time..

I won't be buying new, I'm looking at getting into a 2006 Apex GT. What should I look for? What were the problems with this sled? Any recommendations? How about a RTX or Attak?

Any and all advice would be very appreciated. And maybe I'll see one of you on the trails in a few weeks with a pair of dual pipes out the back of my seat.

Thanks,
Bill

Hey Bill, I can't help you with the comparison with a Rev because I have not riden one far enough to know much about it. I can tell you that I have the 07 Apex GT and think it is a great sled. The riding position is nice and the suspension works great for my style of riding (Primarily Groomed Trail). The engines are great and the handling is good as long as you spend a little time adjusting it to your weight. From my understanding there are a few issues with the 06 that were fix on the 07. The hand warmers on the 06 were poor from what several guys have posted. One of the dealers also told me that the tunnel on the 07 was beefed up more then the 06 because the guys that jumped them really hard were kinking the tunnels. I think the shock was beefed up a bit on the 07 from posts that I read.

I am sure somebody on here has more knowledge then I do on this subject.

I hope it works out for you. The Yamaha Apex is a very nice sled.

Brad

 

[rhoag]

I had an 06 Apex GT and now have the 07 Attack. I prefer the attack but, again it depends on how you ride. I ride mostly UP and Wisconsin trails agressive but not that fast. No matter what order pioneer 13mm sway bar and follow their instructions on how to make the sled handle better...lower front end, decrease weight transfer, shorten limiter strap..then shim ski's or get different ones. Very reliable, low maintenance, fast, good handling sled!!!

 

[Blue Dave]

Bill,

I am a newbie also (second post). I have ridden a few Rev's and generally liked them except that the riding position was just a little too forward and high for my liking.

I have always owned Yamaha. My new '07 Apex GT is my thirteenth new Yamaha and my first 4 stroke.

I agree with Brad, you have to take the time to set-up the Apex GT suspension (front & rear) for your weight and riding style. Do a search, you will find many good posts on this.

Ditch the stock carbides. I am running Bergstrom triple points, but just about any dual type runner will also eliminate the terrible darting problem that this sled has.

You will be very happy with an Apex GT. It will feel so much better put together than your Rev and the power will simply blow you away!

 

[Swiss Sledder]

There are quite a few guys on this site that rode Rev's before and now ride an Apex or an Attak. I will let them offer comparison advice.

As for as the 06 models, the handwarmers were poor and Yamaha issued a set of 07 bars to replace the ones on the 06 models. There is a really long thread about how to improve the handwarmers even better. You can read all about it by clicking here

Click on this thread regarding people switching from the Rev platform to an Attak, complete with a very well done video. The guy that did the video ultimately converted to Yamaha and is on the site known as Yellowknife.

 

[snomobubl]

2005 REV 600 HO SDI Adrenaline to 2007 Attak GT

Bill,

I too was a REV rider. I had a 2005 REV 600 HO SDI Adrenaline. I put about 6600 hard miles on it in the three seasons I had it. I thought it was a great machine - excellent handling, lightweight, strong reliable motor and sled. I sold it this year and picked up a leftover 2007 Attak GT (136" Track). I have put about 1600 miles on this season as I did some good riding over the holidays. Here are my initial impressions of the 07 Attak GT.

My first ride was a little awkward as I immediately felt the weight difference - it is significantly heavier and you will notice it. It is a stiffer feel than the REV. The REV seemed to have more front suspension and rear suspension travel and was more plush over stutters and soaked up the big bumps well. The Apex/Attak are not big bump machines. However they can soak up some big holes as I did some riding on some washed out trails and corners but the weight factor can toss you around a little. I did not feel as nimble in the cornering as I am still getting used to the sled and I think the weight and laws of inertia are a factor. Feeling a little push now. However - stable feel and lower center of gravity feeling than REV. I have a little fine tuning to do on my machine to improve cornering and this is where I am having the least confidence with the machine right now.

The skis dart a bit and I am looking at fixes for that.

The ride position is not as forward but it is more so than the older machines. You will feel a little more neck/upper back fatigue at the end of the day but you will get over it after a couple days of riding. The seat is super soft foam and not as firm as the REV. I am a big boy - 270# without gear and I wish the seat offered more support. Probably fine for most guys.

The motor is outstanding. Much faster throttle response from corner to corner and strong torquey pull. A big leap in power from the 600. The instrumentation, fit finish and overall quality are superior.

Limited cargo space - my REV had the bag in back which was nicer than the Yamaha options. I did add the sport luggage bag.

In summary - I like the machine and I think I will grow to like it more as I get it dialed in. I have some suspension tuning to get the most out of it and improve cornering. It is a different animal and hard to compare as you are going from a middleweight trail sled to a muscle machine and you can expect to feel the weight difference. I think you would be happy with an Apex or Attak.

 

[Doo 2 Blue]

Hey Bill
I also am a Doo Convert, im having my first ride this weekend. We will have to help each other out with these new Beasts of ours. LOL
I came off a 04 800Ho.

 

[nAVEL]

Hey Guys - thanks for the great feedback. I did some more searching last night, and am leaning a little bit towards hunting down an Attak. But I do appreciate the candid feedback of making sure its setup right - will help me from being disappointed on an initial run.

I'll let you know how my search goes... and keep everyone up to date. Again, please keep the comments coming. And hopefully we'll have some snow again soon so I can take the new toy for a spin when I do find it!

 

[TBay Sledhead]

Welcome to the world of blue but u better put u'r location in u'r profile or the cops r going 2 get u.

 

[SumpBuster]

nAVEL, I'm in bigtime cat and doo country, so I've ridden many sleds, including the new doos. Picked up a used RTX apex last year, and after a Shrader shock revalve, swaybar, and some little foolin, it's the best all around sled I've ever ridden. Period. You can tell by the 'honest' guys look on their faces after they ride it, usually a stare at the ground, and some way to justify not getting one. It's heavier feeling, but we have big fields, and at high speeds, it is super stable feeling, unlike some of the lightweights. Handling is pretty good, but I've got the fox floats and it's easy to play with the pressures.
I guess the best 2 stroke to 4 stroke expression came from a neighbor, who picked up a mint 400 mile Apex er for 5 grand!!!. After 500 miles this year, his face exploded from the smile!

 

[Tantrum]

snomobubl hit it streight, good post.
I also came from an '04 600SDI and went with an '07 Apex. The Apex is a great machine, you will not be unimpressed even before you dial it in to your weight and style.
Motor is awsome!
Riding postion is very comfortable!
Weight....you feel it.
Suspension needs a little tweaking for my weight (210), style and where I came from (REV)
Handling good with lots of potential.
Did I mention the motor is awsome.

My shock is at Pioneer coming back w/ a 13mm Swaybar, carbides and shims are on their way.

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Get the RTX.....the fox floats are worth every penny,and the GT had alot of issues with the EC shock...

you can raise and lower the front end with the pump...very cool stuff.

also,the MONO skid rides like no other...truly like a cadillac....i love my 06 rtx.

oh yah....any 06 you will need to do some grip heater work...if you buy used,try to be sure to ask owner for the original 06 bars he had,because you will want to put the original bars/grips on as they will be HOT when plugged into the updated 07 harness.

otherwise,this is my fave alltime sled...motors are bulletproof compared to any 2smoke.

good luck and welcome to the site.
Dan

 

[Blue Dave]

ROCKERDAN,

I am new to the site and I hope that this is not considered "highjacking" a post, but I am curious as to what the issues are /were with the EC shock?

Does this apply to the rear Ohlins shock on my '07 Apex GT?

 

[BlueByYou2000]

To me the Attak is much more of a cruiser than the RTX Apex. If you want a more sporty feel, go with the RTX. As Rockerdan mentioned, the Floats are awesome. If you can, get yourself a 07 or 08 RTX as they have a different skid than the 06.

 

[420ATTAK]

welcome guys you are going to truley love this site, and most of all the sleds!! they are second to none!! yes a bit heaver but again you get QUALITY, i only have 350kms on my new to me ATTAK and it is by far my favorite sled ever. for the darting issue that has not really been adressed if you do not want to change skis try woodys doolies runners the are a little pricy but so are skis hope this helps...oh ya dont forget to hold on!! these 4 stroks pull anywhere in the RPM range...oh ya treat you throttle loke a two way lever and use the engine brake to your advantage