Rode three 05's

[Riceburner]

Last Wednesday I rode;

05 RX1 ER, 05 Vector ER, 05 Venture.

I currently ride a Warrior.

Conditions slushy, some 18" bumps, no woops for G force landings.

For me RX1 would be my choice of the three. For my wife and my son Vector . My son [age 22
rode them as well] He liked Vector the best.

Handling slightly better on Vector than RX1. New front end geometry is very good. No Darting, no push, no ski lift. Didnt seem to transfer as good as the RX1 but still very good hook up.

Monoshock skid on RX1 is awsome as is the weight transfer. Yamaha is on to something good here. Cat, Doo, and Poo guys were impressed. So was I.
Sled feels like it is way more than 20 lbs lighter. No darting, no push and
next to no ski lift other than by throttle.

Clutching smoother on Vector. RX1 is agressive.

Ride on Vector a little stiff compared to the RX1. Rep from Yammie says they are going to soften it a bit more. Should be excellent with the change as it is similar to my Warrior now.

Vector is sneaky fast. Very smooth. You dont think the thing is pulling until you look at speedo.

Venture, [the couch] has an awsome ride. Pushed a bit in corners but it was a little icey and it had the most miles on it so carbides were probably beat.

If you are a fairly agressive rider who loves power, no question in my mind the RX1 is worth the extra green.

If not go for the Vector if you are a Shorty rider. IMHO you will not be disappointed .

Couch guys should love the Venture. The Mag guys are right on.

Storage still pretty much non existant.

No storage under seat of RX1 and Y rep says there will be none

As an aside. After riding them all, the three in our group preferred my Warrior to
the new Vector and RX1 that day. The Warrior rides like it is on rails in all conditions due to the long track. [slushy yesterday]

I think any of you who ordered these sleds without trying them will not be disappointed. I'm gonna keep the Warrior for at least one more year.

The Y rep was very open to feedback and input. He says Yamaha does not think sleds should have a lot of transfer but they have finally started
to agree to build what the customer wants. He said the sleds are still a work in progress, [new carbs going on the Venture the next day] and he was actively looking for suggestions for improvement.

Yamaha Canada trying to get rear coolers on the long tracks. They believe cooling to be marginal on them. [ As you may recall I was the guy with the melted boots] Rep and I compared my Warrior running boards with the Shorties and I showed him my boots. Guess it paid off. Got a call
from my dealer the next day. Regional sevice rep had called and said Y would pony up for a rear exchanger and 1 hour labour. They had already agreed to replace my boots. Dealer will cover the rest of the labour.

I was impressed on all fronts. Yamaha seems to want to do it right.





Dave

 

[Convert]

Nice report Riceburner it's too bad we can't all try before we buy. That would require snow which we havn't had in 3 weeks around here I sure hope my wife likes that new RX1 i bought for her :lol:

 

[Mighty]

 

[RX-1MAN]

Riceburner, thanks for the excellent report. I don't think I will be disappointed with the RX-1ER I ordered compared to my 03 In all fairness I really wasn't that unhappy with the 03 but can't wait to give that monoshock a serious test this coming season

 

[impalapower]

You know you're riding a hot sled if your boots melted. Just an excuse to keep riding because you can't get off of your sled.

 

[bigbob]

Well guys after driving a 2004 Warrior for 5 days - a loaner from my dealer to try and after seeing the 05's I'm in a quandry. I loved the Warrior power but found the seat and handlebars not high enough - constantly had to keep pulling myself forward - but I am told all these things are fixed on the 05 model. Trouble is I NEED the double seat for the occasional passenger. What a dilema - I want the 145HP but with a double seat. I have heard that someone in Quebec modifies the Warrior seat to a real two up - anyone know who this is (I want a QUALITY job here) - Thx Bob

 

[LazyBastard]

You could get a venture and turbo it. Make an easy 165 hp with 144" track and a couch on the back.

 

[ReX]

Well guys after driving a 2004 Warrior for 5 days - a loaner from my dealer to try and after seeing the 05's I'm in a quandry. I loved the Warrior power but found the seat and handlebars not high enough - constantly had to keep pulling myself forward - but I am told all these things are fixed on the 05 model. Trouble is I NEED the double seat for the occasional passenger. What a dilema - I want the 145HP but with a double seat. I have heard that someone in Quebec modifies the Warrior seat to a real two up - anyone know who this is (I want a QUALITY job here) - Thx Bob

Have a look at the "RX-jack"

I figure in a few years when my youngest daughter is ready to ride at the rear I'll add one of these to my RX-1.

It fits the RX-1. I'm not sure if it fits the Warrior.

Steve

 

[VT_BluYamaha54]

Riceburner

Yamaha Canada trying to get rear coolers on the long tracks. They believe cooling to be marginal on them. [ As you may recall I was the guy with the melted boots] Rep and I compared my Warrior running boards with the Shorties and I showed him my boots. Guess it paid off. Got a call
from my dealer the next day. Regional sevice rep had called and said Y would pony up for a rear exchanger and 1 hour labour. They had already agreed to replace my boots. Dealer will cover the rest of the labour.

I wonder why Yamaha Canada has been so quick to admit/fix the overheating issues with the Warrior but those of us in the States aren't getting much attention? Hopefully Yamaha isn't running different Companies and will share user data.

I would say trail conditions in Quebec are very similar to NE U.S. - machine groomed with minimal loose snow which can become almost completely hardpacked in colder conditions.

 

[Swiss Sledder]

Riceburner, did you notice a difference with the handlebars on the RX-1? They are suppose to be 25mm higher than on prior models, and the seat is suppose to be 40mm thicker. Based on that, one could argue that the handlebars are 15mm lower. Just curiours if you noticed a difference.

 

[Riceburner]

VT_BluYamaha54

I would not say that Yamaha Canada has fully fessed up to their being a problem.

As I said, it was told to me it was felt that the cooling was marginal by some in the company. As you know I have not seen the overheat light yet.

I think I got the great service I did for a couple of reasons.

1] The Rep met me, saw my boots and was able to feel the difference between the 3 sleds. [ My Warrior and an 04 and 05 RX1 ]

2] I sent a nice letter to the dealer and offered to participate in the cost of the upgrade. I aknowledeged it was a first year sled and realized everthing might not be perfect when I bought it. Yamaha only picked up 1 hour of labour and dealer and I were to share the rest.

That is fine with me as I chose to buy the first year sled.

3] I have personally bought 7 Yamaha sleds and a Grizzly and brought in
at least 6 other new customers to Yamaha since the fall of 1997.

Try taking the route I did and offer to participate. My guess is if you have a good dealer relationship you may get a positive response.

Dave

 

[Riceburner]

Suisse,

I must say I did not really notice a difference.

The new seat is very good. I would not be surprised since it is narrower at the top than my Warrior that my Fat AZZ probably had an extra 15mm set in on the seat, [perhaps a little more ] which made it seem the same.

It held me in place better than the Warrior seat and the material did not get the little bunch up at the back like the Warrior. Nice update.

Dave

 

[VT_BluYamaha54]

VT_BluYamaha54

I would not say that Yamaha Canada has fully fessed up to their being a problem.

As I said, it was told to me it was felt that the cooling was marginal by some in the company. As you know I have not seen the overheat light yet.

I think I got the great service I did for a couple of reasons.

1] The Rep met me, saw my boots and was able to feel the difference between the 3 sleds. [ My Warrior and an 04 and 05 RX1 ]

2] I sent a nice letter to the dealer and offered to participate in the cost of the upgrade. I aknowledeged it was a first year sled and realized everthing might not be perfect when I bought it. Yamaha only picked up 1 hour of labour and dealer and I were to share the rest.

That is fine with me as I chose to buy the first year sled.

3] I have personally bought 7 Yamaha sleds and a Grizzly and brought in
at least 6 other new customers to Yamaha since the fall of 1997.

Try taking the route I did and offer to participate. My guess is if you have a good dealer relationship you may get a positive response.
Dave

I know my frustration is showing but most of us in the States that have had overheating don't feel we have been taken seriously. You are the only Warrior owner I have heard of having the overheating problem addressed by adding an exchanger at Yamaha's direction. Calls to Yamaha Customer Service (in Calif) were answered by something like "We don't have any other reports of this problem."
Then the "rumor" that the Mountain Exchanger was being offered as an "accessory" (orderable only after giving your VIN) and mandatory dealer installation started.
Then the word was that that exchanger was NG as it would not offer sufficient clearance when studs were installed came up.

I honestly don't know what to think since some Warrior owners say they have never had a problem - irregardless of conditions. Like you, I have a brand new pair of Yamaha boots with melted soles. What I do know is that I have had several outings with friends and family impacted by a sled that does not perform up to Yamaha standards and I am waiting for a response from my dealer and/or Yamaha as to what can be done about it. I am confident they will address the problem before next season.

 

[tshelver]

I;ve had the overheating problem on my Warrior, mostly in marginal / hard snow conditions. Boots didn't melt though...