Apex XTX yes or no?

[dmaxx]

Considering upgrading from my Attak. Reading some of the post's here regarding the pros and cons of the 11-12 XTX. Nowadays, I ride about 90% on groomed trails. Love the Attak for straight line acceleration and high speed runs but it is a brute on the twistys. I have upgraded to Floats up front and Ohlin on the back with SLP SLT skis and takes the bumps great but not as razor sharp as I would like on the twistys. Some guys here have said the XTX is just fine on the twisty and others not. I hear the top end is slightly higher but would prefer handling over 2 mph. Many recommend the standard 128 which is what I originally figured. I ask because there have been some for sale and priced to sell but do not want to spend the next season trying to dial it in and regret the purchase. Just need some honest, unbiased feedback.

 

[whitedust1]

Rode both SE & XTX & I have XTX with iceripper. The XTX has oil shocks the SE has Air so air has some qwirks with temp change you don't have with oil. Rear clicker on XTX is usefull & quick change for conditions. SE not much you can do on the trail to correct air presssure without unloading shocks so know what you are getting into with Mega. Xtx is 144 tipped so pretty darn good with eps in Twistys but SE is more nimble. I like 144 XTX for crossing open fields,lakes & unplowed FRs.The SE limited to groomed trails not enough track to do anything else real well. I came off 2007 Attak GT & 2012 Apex XTX is a better sled all around with better pull & exup. My 2 cents

 

[thor452]

i have never been happier with any sled then my 12 xtx can go just about anywhere when you feel like going off trail and the eps removes the fatigue. i think there is some sacrifice in the twisties but not much and it more them makes up for it in other areas. bottom line if it didnt have eps id say no but with it i say heck yes. i ride also about 90% on trail but like to play sometimes and do some ditch banging from time to time and the xtx will do it all. that said i have 0 seat time on a 128 and would like to try one for a day just to see how much diffrence there is in the tight trails but the xtx is far better in the twisties then a 121 apex due to the eps.

 

[Sno Cat]

Minor Correction to the whitedust1 post: The XTX has HPG (High Pressure Gas) shocks front & rear, not oil-filled shocks.

The 144 skid is not as flickable in the twisties as the 136 BUT, the 144 rides so dang nice that the loss of flickability becomes moot.
The 128 is flickable in the turns & generally easier to manage on groomed trails. But, track spin is excessive & the 128's too twitchy when exiting corners or hammering on the straights IMO.
Try to arrange for a back-to-back demo to help you decide because choosing between the two sleds will come down to your personal preference.

 

[dmaxx]

Looking at used sleds so a demo isn't gonna happen. The 136 is hardly flickable, its a brute even compared to the Proaction 136. Put a lot of time into adjustments and upgraded shocks and its as good as it will get. I would not think the 144 would be better but a lot of guys here are saying the opposite. My RX1 shorty when I dialed that in was a sharp in the twisty as My 02 Viper. I would expect the 128 to be as good and better with the added length. My 136 handles the bumps great, love that, but would like to run the curves a bit sharper. My SLP's do a better job than the Tuners so it has improved somewhat. I like the extended track for all other things considered and there are some deals on XTX so I am still debating.

 

[snowbeast]

Looking at used sleds so a demo isn't gonna happen. The 136 is hardly flickable, its a brute even compared to the Proaction 136. Put a lot of time into adjustments and upgraded shocks and its as good as it will get. I would not think the 144 would be better but a lot of guys here are saying the opposite. My RX1 shorty when I dialed that in was a sharp in the twisty as My 02 Viper. I would expect the 128 to be as good and better with the added length. My 136 handles the bumps great, love that, but would like to run the curves a bit sharper. My SLP's do a better job than the Tuners so In have improved somewhat. I like the extended track for all other things considered and there are some deals on XTX so I am still debating.

The 136 is not made for corners,as my 06 attack was so bad no matter what I did,i finally made it a 121 and loved it,but the 128 skid is not much better than the 121 for ride and handles about the same,the xtx 144 I tried was in 2011 and it was a short ride as a demo,so I cant really compare it to the 128's other than it rode a tad better and was not set up for me. All my dealers I have delt with are all saying the 144 w/tipped rails is the way to go for everything,and I kept saying even handling and yes was there answer,so I am going to take a chance on one,i think if you get the right skis and carbide set up on it,and have it dialed for our style of driving it may be close,time will tell.

 

[MNBlizzard]

I just bought an Apex XTX yesterday and ripped 50 miles off today. What a blast! The thing is a rocket ship compared to my nytro and the motor is so incredibly smooth. My ride had a bit of it all; flat trail, bumpy trail, rough trail, lake riding. There is no steering effort at all and very little inside ski lift. I know not enough time on the seat but the sled is great. The rear needs to be setup a bit more for me as it was a touch stiff. I'd say go for the xtx.

 

[Murse]

I see a lot of Se's and XTX Apex's for sale and I am wondering why I am not seeing any Standard Apex's tells me a lot about what people think about them. I find the XTX stiff but I didn't have a standard Apex to compare too. I am personally looking for a 128 Apex since I think the stiffness, the suspension type and the extra weight are deterrents for me. Currently ride a 121 with studs and I have no traction issues at all. Think a 128 with same amount of studs will be plenty and a better overall ride for trail riding for me.

 

[icebreaker]

Considering upgrading from my Attak. Reading some of the post's here regarding the pros and cons of the 11-12 XTX. Nowadays, I ride about 90% on groomed trails. Love the Attak for straight line acceleration and high speed runs but it is a brute on the twistys. I have upgraded to Floats up front and Ohlin on the back with SLP SLT skis and takes the bumps great but not as razor sharp as I would like on the twistys. Some guys here have said the XTX is just fine on the twisty and others not. I hear the top end is slightly higher but would prefer handling over 2 mph. Many recommend the standard 128 which is what I originally figured. I ask because there have been some for sale and priced to sell but do not want to spend the next season trying to dial it in and regret the purchase. Just need some honest, unbiased feedback.

The xtx is a stiffer ride but handles the big nastys better. But a little more to manage in the tight twistys. Put a star suspension kit on it it will ride way better. Well worth the extra $300.00 for the kit.

 

[sheetwright]

My buddy has one, and he is 5'10 about 180lbs And he it is a pain in the tuns. Lots of push, and he says there is no way to get the back end around. He is kicking himself for not going with the 128" he said. I just picked up a 128" last week, and won't have input till next weekends ride. All I ever had a comparison with was my old 136 vs a buddies old 121. So I went 128. Would rather do suspension changes to a 128" and be able to handle the tight Twisties, then have straight away sled for bumps that I have to muscle in the tight corners.

 

[vx700xtc]

Have ridden 136, 121, 128 apex's. IF you are a trail rider that likes a smooth ride and 200-300 mile days''' the standard Apex is the best option. IMHO the XTX rides like a truck. It handles just fine.
If you are coming off of a Viper ( Yamaha built) or an RX1, you will think the XTX rides awesome,,,,, if you are coming off of a sled with mono, not so much.

 

[icebreaker]

My buddy has one, and he is 5'10 about 180lbs And he it is a pain in the tuns. Lots of push, and he says there is no way to get the back end around. He is kicking himself for not going with the 128" he said. I just picked up a 128" last week, and won't have input till next weekends ride. All I ever had a comparison with was my old 136 vs a buddies old 121. So I went 128. Would rather do suspension changes to a 128" and be able to handle the tight Twisties, then have straight away sled for bumps that I have to muscle in the tight corners.

I wish I had the 128 also but the xtx has its places like any sled.

 

[Sasquatch]

My buddy has one, and he is 5'10 about 180lbs And he it is a pain in the tuns. Lots of push, and he says there is no way to get the back end around. He is kicking himself for not going with the 128" he said. I just picked up a 128" last week, and won't have input till next weekends ride. All I ever had a comparison with was my old 136 vs a buddies old 121. So I went 128. Would rather do suspension changes to a 128" and be able to handle the tight Twisties, then have straight away sled for bumps that I have to muscle in the tight corners.

If he is running the stock ski's he will have a ton of push. Add aggresive snowtrackers! Mine was horrible with the stock stuff I put my Curves with the Shaper bars and it turned great after that push was gone. Then I went back to the stock ski's and installed snowtrackers because my elbows are killing me at the best of times and the 8inch shaper bars where hard to turn even with the power steering. Ya getting old is a bitc$!

Now with the snowtrackers my steering is light but positive. I have no push in the corners and like the with shaper bars the back will slide around with a little power on. I have no regets going with the XTX and find it more nimble then my Warrior with the 136.

 

[sx7001]

I've owned all three now, 121,128 and current is a 144 and put thousands of miles on all 3. The XTX is flat out better in all conditions. I ride with guys with 121's and 136's and they all complain when the trail are anything other than smooth. The mono bottoms way to easy, and when you re-valve, it goes harsh. I take the lead for a reason now, the old girls cannot keep up with the new and I hate running that slow....

 

[journeyman]

I've owned all three now, 121,128 and current is a 144 and put thousands of miles on all 3. The XTX is flat out better in all conditions. I ride with guys with 121's and 136's and they all complain when the trail are anything other than smooth. The mono bottoms way to easy, and when you re-valve, it goes harsh. I take the lead for a reason now, the old girls cannot keep up with the new and I hate running that slow....

I think that's why most riders 200 lbs and over put on the Big Boy spring and leave the valving alone. I think there are at least 3 spring rates available.