First of all: I own an RX-1, NOT an Attak. Second: I always bought-in to not riding an Attak out of fear and regrett.
Well...I rode my friends Attak yesterday. It was setup for him (190 lbs.) not me (245 lbs.) so first what I liked:
#1 Power/Throttle response. It is ALLOT snapier, and stronger across the board. Even longer legs than my RX-1, which seemed a little flatter. BUT I'm in the clutching phase right now so I expect it [RX-1] to get better. But short of a Happy button or S/C, Turbo, a 245 lb. guy on a RX-1, is not going to beat a 190 lb. rider on an Attak - but I did hang with him for a short while though.
#2 Seat and handlebar placement. I'm 6'6" tall and that taller seat and higher bars, placed more forward, was a much needed improvement.
#3 Rear Suspension. Are you sure this is a Yamaha? Why didn't they do this 8 yrs. ago? Very plush, yet sporty. I would have to have the Fat-Boy spring though.
#4 Instrument cluster: Very Trick, I couldn't remember all the bells and whistles it had, but I knew what time it was - which was cool.
What I didn't like:
#1 Rider-forward, or rider improved. Not what I had hoped for. My shins would jamb up against the cowling when leaning in turns. Maybe I could adjust for this??? But it was immediately noticed, and very uncomfortable.
#2 Handle bar ends. They felt too constricting. I favored my RX-1 setup as the grips are longer.
#3 Windshield. What windshield? Not as good as previous but my modified one isn't much better either.
#4 Cornering. With his setup, it was too easy to lift the skis and I almost gunned myself right off the seat going through corners.
Handwarmer? Well, it was warm for a while when the temps were up, but I didn't really have a chance to notice.
I have done quite a few mods to my '04 shorty to improve it across the board. While it's still missing a few things up-front (thick sway bar, better shocks, ???) It's not that bad in comparison. I managed to eliminate the seat problem, raise the bars and move them forward with a pivot riser, and ironed out the skid via Expert-X, added ECP's and HH's plus a bender pipe (which may not stay-on it???) and the only thing I was short on was HP. Nothing a little "Happy Button" couldn't fix. It rode great, cornered well, and the clutching and ECP's really woke that sled up from the last 2 seasons. Guys, a modded RX will do wonders.
OVERALL: It is a much better design, with what seems like a ton of more power. It is the sled that Yamaha should have built first. IMHO: Broken zerks and low-powered handwarmers, sky-bound headlights, etc... are nothing compared to what we dealt with on our RX sleds. But with all of the modifications that I've made thus far, my RX-1 has turned out to be a decent sled afterall. Maybe not as fast, but one upside is that it's paid for, and it cost allot less to modify than to trade-up. Maybe some extra time in the saddle, on the Attak would help me work out the dissapointments, but I could ride a turbo'd RX-1 and feel the same about my non-turbo RX-1 afterward too. Not to knock the '06's but I was really worried for nothing. However, I can definitely say that if I had not modified my RX-1 it would most certainly, have legitimized a self-induced kick in the butt though.
So for those of you who have an '06, enjoy it! It's a great sled and worth every penny/trade-in. The technology will only get better, and more refined.
For you fellow RX guys: The longer we wait, the better end-result we'll have. But keep in mind that Yamaha needs some of us to wave the "longevity banner" too. Tis Better to brag about how many miles are on an engine, than it is to cry about how many times it was rebuilt.
Well...I rode my friends Attak yesterday. It was setup for him (190 lbs.) not me (245 lbs.) so first what I liked:
#1 Power/Throttle response. It is ALLOT snapier, and stronger across the board. Even longer legs than my RX-1, which seemed a little flatter. BUT I'm in the clutching phase right now so I expect it [RX-1] to get better. But short of a Happy button or S/C, Turbo, a 245 lb. guy on a RX-1, is not going to beat a 190 lb. rider on an Attak - but I did hang with him for a short while though.
#2 Seat and handlebar placement. I'm 6'6" tall and that taller seat and higher bars, placed more forward, was a much needed improvement.
#3 Rear Suspension. Are you sure this is a Yamaha? Why didn't they do this 8 yrs. ago? Very plush, yet sporty. I would have to have the Fat-Boy spring though.
#4 Instrument cluster: Very Trick, I couldn't remember all the bells and whistles it had, but I knew what time it was - which was cool.
What I didn't like:
#1 Rider-forward, or rider improved. Not what I had hoped for. My shins would jamb up against the cowling when leaning in turns. Maybe I could adjust for this??? But it was immediately noticed, and very uncomfortable.
#2 Handle bar ends. They felt too constricting. I favored my RX-1 setup as the grips are longer.
#3 Windshield. What windshield? Not as good as previous but my modified one isn't much better either.
#4 Cornering. With his setup, it was too easy to lift the skis and I almost gunned myself right off the seat going through corners.
Handwarmer? Well, it was warm for a while when the temps were up, but I didn't really have a chance to notice.
I have done quite a few mods to my '04 shorty to improve it across the board. While it's still missing a few things up-front (thick sway bar, better shocks, ???) It's not that bad in comparison. I managed to eliminate the seat problem, raise the bars and move them forward with a pivot riser, and ironed out the skid via Expert-X, added ECP's and HH's plus a bender pipe (which may not stay-on it???) and the only thing I was short on was HP. Nothing a little "Happy Button" couldn't fix. It rode great, cornered well, and the clutching and ECP's really woke that sled up from the last 2 seasons. Guys, a modded RX will do wonders.
OVERALL: It is a much better design, with what seems like a ton of more power. It is the sled that Yamaha should have built first. IMHO: Broken zerks and low-powered handwarmers, sky-bound headlights, etc... are nothing compared to what we dealt with on our RX sleds. But with all of the modifications that I've made thus far, my RX-1 has turned out to be a decent sled afterall. Maybe not as fast, but one upside is that it's paid for, and it cost allot less to modify than to trade-up. Maybe some extra time in the saddle, on the Attak would help me work out the dissapointments, but I could ride a turbo'd RX-1 and feel the same about my non-turbo RX-1 afterward too. Not to knock the '06's but I was really worried for nothing. However, I can definitely say that if I had not modified my RX-1 it would most certainly, have legitimized a self-induced kick in the butt though.
So for those of you who have an '06, enjoy it! It's a great sled and worth every penny/trade-in. The technology will only get better, and more refined.
For you fellow RX guys: The longer we wait, the better end-result we'll have. But keep in mind that Yamaha needs some of us to wave the "longevity banner" too. Tis Better to brag about how many miles are on an engine, than it is to cry about how many times it was rebuilt.
. All this talk about the GT just makes me want one but I want to wait to see what the 07s look like.
