Looking @ buying an '08 Phazer...want YOUR opinion. :)

[DaveRX1]

If you put 6" shaper bars on a FX, pull up the limiter strap one hole, set the center shock to min, reduce the ski shock preload to min and add two clicks of compression dampining to the ski shocks.............. The thing will rail the corners with little to no ski lift and NO push. I also have 96 studs.

If you try this, handling will be second to none

I have ridden 200+ miles in a day with no problem.
The sled can be a little cold to ride. These things go realy good on hardpack trails, but soft/loose snow will suck up the HP and realy slow you down.

My FX will run mid 90's on the spedo on hardpack, but loose snow will limit top speed to high 70's.

Gas mileage is usually 18mpg.

This sled is REALY fun on tight twisty trails and BIG

If you ride on big open trails with fast sleds all the time, the Phazer may not be for you..otherwise this thing is awsome

 

[Reaper]

I owned a REV800 BM and have riden several others, you have to lean to corner on a REV as well. Have you owned a REV ?? I ride fast and so do the guys I ride with, if the trail is twisty like most whiteshell trails they got nothing on me. The extra HP only going to help you if you get the sled over 70-80mph, not possible in twisty trails unless you have a death wish.

 

[Isthatahemi]

well i guess I have a death wish...........Or thats just something slower riders say....A Phazer is not equel this is ridiculous to even suggest that.
Anyone who has ridden my Phazer, which corners better than most asks me how I ride something that tippy, that fast. That is from other YAMAHA loyalist as well, as well as 2 of my Polaris riding buddies. Small sway bar, tall sled, narrow track, lousy skis; Lets put the shovel away and realize that a Phazer is not a tight handling sled, geez. I have ridden and tweaked on for 3000 miles, and any sled mag will agree, tippy, relative to other brands. I thought this was a brand specific, not just brand loyal forum.
People defend the Phazers shortcomings like it was their child.....

 

[Reaper]

Spend less time messing with setup and more time learning how to ride it, it's all body english with the Phazer.

Death Wish is for those people (retards) that apex corners so hard that their exit speed is so high they have no choice but to drift in to the oncoming lane (blind of course) and that one day ends in a big crash!

 

[Isthatahemi]

Spend less time messing with setup and more time learning how to ride it, it's all body english with the Phazer.

Death Wish is for those people (retards) that apex corners so hard that their exit speed is so high they have no choice but to drift in to the oncoming lane (blind of course) and that one day ends in a big crash!

Setup is critical on these sleds, and 3100 miles ridden WFO means I know Phazers as well as anyone. And I have only ridden with one person quicker in the trails than me once in 7 years and over 15000 miles of riding sleds. And speed in the trails for me has to be clean....None of the above BS.
You can make a unicycle fast in turns too, but my point was your at a disadvantage, apply the same amount of effort (body english), on any other performance sled, and you'll be able to corner faster, the fact that you have to use the above techniques just to boogie, basically back up my point....

 

[Reaper]

Ok, I can buy that but still at a ceratin point when the trail gets tight enough (what I really like to ride) it becomes a big equalizer. I eat up the 1000's in the infield at Gimli with my little 600 and if I get a good drive out of corner 9 they can not get around me on the big straightaway I am not defending the Phazer I just love the thing. Just got back from 50km ride to break in the Nytro and try out the Phazer with the Excell exhaust (my 15 yr old kid rides the Phazer most). Man, the phazer is so much fun and with that Excell exhaust the sound is fantastic and gets you so jazzed when you ride it ! We were breaking trail in the ditch with about two feet of snow and the Phazer was more fun then the Nytro. I have about 50,000km under my belt and owned just about every Yamaha sled since 1997 and would put Phazer top of my list for fun factor !

I am very confused why you think it is a Joke ? We should ride together some time. Two of my best buddies I race with live in Stonewall.

 

[Bakemono]

2. Has the overheating, "weak link", and icing issues been resolved on the '08 models? Are there any other big issues I should know about?

I could be wrong on this, but in a lot of cases people found that the overheating was caused by the dealer mechanics putting 100% antifreeze in the engine, instead of a 60/40 mix. This lowers the coolant's boiling point and makes it more likely for the engine to overheat. Most people seemed to find that draining the coolant and replacing it with a 60/40 mix fixed them problem.

4. 90% of my riding in on a groomed trail...will this sled be underpowered? My buddies have 500ss REVs. I want to keep up.

On the straights you are probably going to get smoked, but you should be able to keep up in the twisties.

5. I do 2500-3000km each season...will I get cold/uncomfortable on this sled?

Everyone has a different cold tolorance, but I test drove a Phazer GT last winter on a day that it was -20 F and I wasnt cold, so I think you will be OK.

The Phazer is a great sled. Previous to test riding that GT, I had a Phazer FX on order, but I cancelled it and bought a YZ 250F instead. I kept the bike for a couple months and found that dirtbikes arent my cup of tea. After a 20 minute demo ride on that Phazer, I fell in love with the sled and really kicked myself for not buying one. Its a great sled for trail riding because its so light and nimble. As long as you dont buy it with the intention of winning a lot of lake races, I think you will be happy.

 

[Isthatahemi]

The Antifreeze is put in at the factory, 60/ 40 and it all comes from the same supply. It was ice damming causing the issues. If changing the antifreeze seemed to cure someones issues, it was by coincidence.