Real World 1500 Mile Low Down of new Ski Doo XR-S 900 Turbo vs. SideWinder

[74Nitro]

I had both the 800 triple Cat and the 1,000 triple Cat! They where so docile and controllable I let my 12 year old kids ride em around while we fished! If anything compared to the Warrior and Apex they reacted predictably with the ability to back off the throttle and still maintain speed, On the throttle spool up and and accelerate, while the Yamahas where more electric like running a slot car! Weird!

They engines didn't have exhaust valves, but did have individual expansion chambers, and that combination gave them the on/off pipe surging behavior. I never owned either, but did drive all three, the 600, 800 and 1000
The last 600ZRT has exhaust valves to eradicate this behavior. Again, I agree with Basset's comparison.

 

[74Nitro]

Is there dyno reports of the production SW at 200? Or is that still based on a pre production like the Apex at 163!

Yes, many. I've only ever seen one report below 200. In addition, it seems quite logical given Yamaha's deep engine building history, that their one liter, 4 valve per cylinder engine spinning almost 9000RPM with 10 lbs of boost is capable of 200hp.

 

[journeyman]

The ultimate package would be a four cylinder Apex in the Doo chassis with a turbo with a Cat front end on it. Now that would be the ultimate machine!

I can't argue with that! I would buy one of those in a heartbeat!

 

[dgjr636]

I saw the photo of the Snow Tech crew riding the new 900T in the UP recently on Dootalk. The Sidewinder they were using looks to have the Fox Air Floats. They mention in the article that the ride is better with the 900T Doo. IMHO they did not pick the SW model with the best shocks for this comparo.

Not much has changed in the past years. In 2008 BRP compared weights agiainst Yami. Doo 500ss tnt 2stroke twin against a Apex Gt 4stroke 4 cylinder. Always tipping the scales in their direction.

 

[dgjr636]

One thing I can only hope for with the new Doo 900turbo that it has better oil pump gears.
Many complaints out there with 900 ace models with customers that Have issues with oil pump gears.
We have had a customer ruin a motor twice on a 900 Blizzard With few miles on it stripping the plastic pump gears.

 

[cannondale27]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that during any of our remaining riding years that we will never see another snowmobile OEM surpass the performance levels that Yamaha has achieved with the Turbo 998 powerplant that is in the SideWinder.

The innovation and engineering marvel of that motor will never be exceed in the snowmobile industry.

I believe that the ROI is going to keep everyone else at bay at the OEM level, even BRP.

Go here if you need a memory reset: http://snowmobiles.yamahablogs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Gensis-Turbo-FINAL.pdf

Stock hp per cc at 85hp the 500cc Phazer motor is pretty close and no turbo. Yamaha could easily beat the Winder motor and meet all longevity goals. I agree though. Probably won’t ever happen.

 

[74Nitro]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that during any of our remaining riding years that we will never see another snowmobile OEM surpass the performance levels that Yamaha has achieved with the Turbo 998 powerplant that is in the SideWinder.

The innovation and engineering marvel of that motor will never be exceed in the snowmobile industry.

I believe that the ROI is going to keep everyone else at bay at the OEM level, even BRP.

Go here if you need a memory reset: http://snowmobiles.yamahablogs.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Gensis-Turbo-FINAL.pdf

On page 10 of the link you provided Yamaha mentions that they are developing a fresh air intake for high altitude use. I looked in their online accessory catalogue but see no such thing. Was this ever developed?

 

[ishpeming fan]

the winder and the new Doo is not even close in H.P. to do a comparison on. the new Doo will compare well against the Viper in terms of rider market. Both sleds are aimed at maint. free miles without adding oil and better fuel mileage. the average age of sledders that trail ride is getting older and older with each passing year. The doo is at least 3,000 less than a winder and that can pay for alot of extra sledding trips. Yes having the baddest sled on snow is an awsome feeling when mashing the fun flipper,but pure economics plays a huge role in sled purchases in many households. with Yamaha phasing out the viper ,Skidoo is looking to take that middle class of the market over. Lets face it,we have kids in college and many of us are looking ahead towards retirement. Is A 17,000 snow machine really in the budget for the majority of sled heads out there? For many people it comes down to buying your college student a reliable car or yourself A winder!

 

[cannondale27]

the winder and the new Doo is not even close in H.P. to do a comparison on. the new Doo will compare well against the Viper in terms of rider market. Both sleds are aimed at maint. free miles without adding oil and better fuel mileage. the average age of sledders that trail ride is getting older and older with each passing year. The doo is at least 3,000 less than a winder and that can pay for alot of extra sledding trips. Yes having the baddest sled on snow is an awsome feeling when mashing the fun flipper,but pure economics plays a huge role in sled purchases in many households. with Yamaha phasing out the viper ,Skidoo is looking to take that middle class of the market over. Lets face it,we have kids in college and many of us are looking ahead towards retirement. Is A 17,000 snow machine really in the budget for the majority of sled heads out there? For many people it comes down to buying your college student a reliable car or yourself A winder!

I agree. Its a Viper with just the right amount of power to see 100mph a little more often. Too bad they had to do it with the added complexity of a turbo.

 

[Bt04f250]

For many people it comes down to buying your college student a reliable car or yourself A winder!

Buy a winder! That college student will appreciate and take care of that new car better if they have to pay for it themselves!!

 

[cannondale27]

Buy a winder! That college student will appreciate and take care of that new car better if they have to pay for it themselves!!

Oh how I wish that were true!

 

[Bt04f250]

Oh how I wish that were true!

Lmao worked for me. My parents split my first vehicle. Any I wanted from there where my dollar. Hell I got a new car every year for the next 4 years cuase i got bored with the last.
Pretty close when it came to sleds/powersports. They told me you want it get a job and buy one. So I did. Even have a good work ethic out of it.

 

[ishpeming fan]

LOL! We all know how that works out

 

[SumpBuster]

It's fun to speculate, but the real world has spoken....Sidewinder TALKS, all other's BS walks....!!LOL!

 

[SumpBuster]

the winder and the new Doo is not even close in H.P. to do a comparison on. the new Doo will compare well against the Viper in terms of rider market. Both sleds are aimed at maint. free miles without adding oil and better fuel mileage. the average age of sledders that trail ride is getting older and older with each passing year. The doo is at least 3,000 less than a winder and that can pay for alot of extra sledding trips. Yes having the baddest sled on snow is an awsome feeling when mashing the fun flipper,but pure economics plays a huge role in sled purchases in many households. with Yamaha phasing out the viper ,Skidoo is looking to take that middle class of the market over. Lets face it,we have kids in college and many of us are looking ahead towards retirement. Is A 17,000 snow machine really in the budget for the majority of sled heads out there? For many people it comes down to buying your college student a reliable car or yourself A winder!

Snowmobiling is an incurable disease, needing treatments on a regular basis.

Sidewinders have shown promise in reducing cholesterol, increasing awareness, raising heart rates, and possibly reducing effects of aging. Sidewinder treatment can be expensive, though, and should not be used in conjunction with inferior products, including most ski doo, Polaris, and 2 stroke cats, as confusion may result.

As with any treatment, see your local Yamaha dealer for a test ride, and if already taking Sidewinder medication, do not stop without seriously considering the mistake you are about to make.