Honest replys please XTX

[WinderFab]

Hi guys,
I want to trade in my 07 gt for a newer apex,
Serious looking at the 144 xtx,
I would like honest opinions on how they handle the twisties or I'm I better off with standard apex,
There is a percentage of tight trails where I ride,
I won't be riding 100mph in the bush trails just looking for feed back from xtx owners who ride in some tight trails...
Thanks in advance...

 

[Chris Wells]

EPS seriously makes sledding the twisty's effortless, and the corner to corner pull on the new APEX's will put on smiles.

 

[karlburns]

Agree with Chris. The stock setup on my 11 xtx still has some darting though not to crazy. I ride up a creek that's 20 miles long as the creek flows or 3 miles if it was straight. I look forward to the eps for that exact reason. My dad jumped on my sled and couldn't believe the power steering difference it really is effortless.

 

[Heritage]

Twisties are barely noticeable on the XTX...you hardly notice the length at all...and the traction is incredible...I prefer the XTX over the shorties....IMO the only thing the standard apex is better at stock...is stutter bumps, as the mono is a much plusher ride...the XTX is a bit stiff for some people....but you will love it through the rough stuff...it's easily Yamaha's best rough trail apex.

 

[icebreaker]

Twisties are barely noticeable on the XTX...you hardly notice the length at all...and the traction is incredible...I prefer the XTX over the shorties....IMO the only thing the standard apex is better at stock...is stutter bumps, as the mono is a much plusher ride...the XTX is a bit stiff for some people....but you will love it through the rough stuff...it's easily Yamaha's best rough trail apex.

I like the ride on the shorty better than the xtx but when you put the STAR kit on it really makes it plush. Far as turning I like the xtx in loose conditions has a lot more grip in corners and straight line traction. The shorter sled rides great out of the box {standard] and handles great on hard pack but is looser in the loose conditions. Personaly like the xtx but it doesn't work for me on grippy snow. Here in southern Wisconsin the trails get real hard sometimes so that's not so good, but when I go North where the snow is better it is great!!!!!

 

[Snowaddict]

Hi guys,
I want to trade in my 07 gt for a newer apex,
Serious looking at the 144 xtx,
I would like honest opinions on how they handle the twisties or I'm I better off with standard apex,
There is a percentage of tight trails where I ride,
I won't be riding 100mph in the bush trails just looking for feed back from xtx owners who ride in some tight trails...
Thanks in advance...

I've been wondering the same thing because I am considering upgrading my '06 RTX. Seems like the majority of what's written here praises the XTX. My body is getting older and would like something more comfortable on later Saturdays rides back when the trails have been beat all day. Did get a good response about an SE in another thread I posted, though.

 

[WinderFab]

Thanks guys so far for your inputs...
I'm not to concern in actually turning the handle bars, I have no problems now with my none eps sled, I'm more concerned if the xtx will steer through the corners or push through being a long track...

 

[pat the rat]

just bought an xtx,I was on the fence like you,go for it,you will love it,i installed tuner skis and boy do those ever grip in corners,it still darts a little but will play with strap and shocks to try to correct it,i had a vector ltx and this thing handles better and eps is so worth it,true it is stiffer than the mono,will look into that star kit next season

 

[maim]

i had the darting as well but shimming my skis did the trick. a lot of twistys around here and I have no problems with it.

 

[karlburns]

I've been wondering the same thing because I am considering upgrading my '06 RTX. Seems like the majority of what's written here praises the XTX. My body is getting older and would like something more comfortable on later Saturdays rides back when the trails have been beat all day. Did get a good response about an SE in another thread I posted, though.

I haven't ridden the SE's but from what I hear if your looking for a well beaten path sled thats the one to go with. If your wanting a sled that you can decide at the last moment to head off in a random direction and make your own trail the xtx is better suited for that.

I will state the XTX is a much stiffer ride then the mono skid. I haven't done the star kit or anything to it yet though so I can only speak to how it rides stock. I'll be putting at least 500 miles on this weekend so I'll let you know how I feel about it after that.

 

[Snowaddict]

A number of people here say the ride is "stiff." What exactly does that mean? I picture that being the suspension doesn't give at all and when you hit bumps it would buck you rather than absorbing it? It doesn't sound conducive to a person that normally has a sore back & feels "stiff " the next day? My '06 has the mono & so does the '09 Vector, which she rides & says her back feels it at the end of the day. I was assuming a newer sled (including an XTX) would help alleviate this.

 

[karlburns]

In my opinion if your just slowly moping down the trail the xtx kicks the crap out of you. If you pick up the pace it absorbs the bumps much better. Yes this is true about most skids but the one on this xtx feels like I need a second 200lb man on it to bottom. Then again my sleds only got 600 miles on it. I'll beat the crap out of it or myself this weekend.

 

[Winderallday!]

I have been considering an XTX all season, and done a fair amount of reading on this "stiff" ride question. It seems most opt for the Star Kit with shock/spring changes to be the ideal upgrade, although some have found that getting a total shock re-valve from a reputable shop goes a long way to resolve the issue. That would be the first thing I would do and go from there imo.
I normally send the shocks out for a service and re-valve to a shop that knows how to tune them for rider weight and typical riding style/trail conditions, makes a night and day difference. I have ridden is some pretty whooped up trails and hit a few surprise sucker holes, and have yet to have a spine-jarring bottom out. Before the re-valve, the sled would bottom out easily. That being said, I do not hesitate to stand up a bit in rough trail conditions and let the suspension absorb the stutters and rollers, if sitting down on the sled through them, I can see where you would get jarred around on either the mono or the XTX version.
The mono-shock can be set up to work well in all conditions and I'm sure the XTX skid can as well, but aside from the shock work, I find it takes time to get the other suspension settings dialed in 100% to your liking.

 

[Snowaddict]

Not that anyone wants to talk about their weight, but I am curious if rider size affects the stiffness issue?

 

[02ViperMody44]

I'm 225 lbs, and by stiff, it just would not sit in when you sat on it from the factory. I had all my shocks done w/ the dual spring kit from Hygear and now there is set-in when I sit on it. I always ride with the rear torsion spring on soft, same as when new. Their dual shock package was one of the best mods I did for this sled as far as comfort.