TURBLUE
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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- Sidewinder MTX
I just wanted to post a ride report on the new Yamaha sidewinder....it's been a while since I have rode a 4stroke Yamaha .......we had a opportunity to ride one through the power tour they have on right now.... just a little background on what sleds I have rode in the past. First 4stroke I had was a turbo apex...rode it from 05-11 which was amazing sled power wise, but the end of the day I was wiped...then tnytro from 11-13 never did care for this sled. Then went to a pro 800 and currently skidoo t3 174. Ever since Yamaha went to a cat chassis I just haven't been interested, not that there a bad sled but just not a fan. The other reason I stayed away was the pile of cash needed to make them a rideable contender in the mountains, and by mountains I mean boondocking and tree riding. So fast forward to this year and the sidewinder sounds like guys are really enjoying it....hmmmm better find out how this thing works. Snow conditions were pretty good foot or more of fresh overnight, with a decent base.( some sugary spots with no base ). Temp was around -1c
Initial impression on the trail, the power was very smooth and responsive. I couldn't even tell it had a turbo because there was zero lag, but the true story with that will be when riding off the trail. The other thing I noticed right away is how easy it steers on the trail..no ski pressure like its predecessors. When we got off the trail I figured it's probably going to take some time to get use to the handling and the weight again, but it didn't. If felt very comfortable right away(besides the handlebars being to low for me)and very responsive to rider input....,honesty the way it handled I couldn't tell it was heavier than my t3. They did such a great job centralizing the weight of the motor.
Needless to say I was very impressed with the sidewinder....I believe it performed just as well as my t3 and even better in some instances due to the power. The power was very smooth and usable....didn't ever feel I was screaming out of control. Throttle response was there all the time .....even a few spots I dropped into is is usually a good pull on the t3, the sidewinder had power to spare. The other thing I wanted to tested out was rolling it over when I was stuck weight wise and oil running out like the previous models. lol I found a few spots for that, with a bit of shovelling we rolled it over and had zero issues with the oil running out. Actually rolled over pretty easy. Side hilling was very easy...took a bit more to get on edge than my t3 but once your there it holds a line and doesn't wash out from what I could find.
Anyway I believe this is a true contender for mountain riding and will be riding one of these in the near future....thanks to Randy and Jamie for setting this up and Ghostriders in Fernie.
Changes I would make is higher bars, clean the controls up to be less congested, 174 3", tether, cold air intake, lightweight down pipe and boards.
http://vid61.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6fcea6cr.mp4
http://vid61.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8pw5ugn3.mp4
Initial impression on the trail, the power was very smooth and responsive. I couldn't even tell it had a turbo because there was zero lag, but the true story with that will be when riding off the trail. The other thing I noticed right away is how easy it steers on the trail..no ski pressure like its predecessors. When we got off the trail I figured it's probably going to take some time to get use to the handling and the weight again, but it didn't. If felt very comfortable right away(besides the handlebars being to low for me)and very responsive to rider input....,honesty the way it handled I couldn't tell it was heavier than my t3. They did such a great job centralizing the weight of the motor.
Needless to say I was very impressed with the sidewinder....I believe it performed just as well as my t3 and even better in some instances due to the power. The power was very smooth and usable....didn't ever feel I was screaming out of control. Throttle response was there all the time .....even a few spots I dropped into is is usually a good pull on the t3, the sidewinder had power to spare. The other thing I wanted to tested out was rolling it over when I was stuck weight wise and oil running out like the previous models. lol I found a few spots for that, with a bit of shovelling we rolled it over and had zero issues with the oil running out. Actually rolled over pretty easy. Side hilling was very easy...took a bit more to get on edge than my t3 but once your there it holds a line and doesn't wash out from what I could find.
Anyway I believe this is a true contender for mountain riding and will be riding one of these in the near future....thanks to Randy and Jamie for setting this up and Ghostriders in Fernie.
Changes I would make is higher bars, clean the controls up to be less congested, 174 3", tether, cold air intake, lightweight down pipe and boards.
http://vid61.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6fcea6cr.mp4
http://vid61.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8pw5ugn3.mp4
Last edited:
DGZRT
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- 2008 Vector shorty, 17 Shitdoo 1200X, 2000- pullmyass-340 for Grandkids
Nice write up !! Wish I lived in the mountains.
TURBLUE
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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Thanks. Your able to view all the pictures?
DGZRT
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- 2008 Vector shorty, 17 Shitdoo 1200X, 2000- pullmyass-340 for Grandkids
And the awesome Video's posted on the bottom of your post !
TURBLUE
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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Awesome....pretty short ....we were having too much fun riding them.
TURBLUE
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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http://vid61.photobucket.com/albums/h60/Turblue/IMG_4796_zpsewi2ybgm.mp4
Another short video ...The other thing I would like to add is when I was stuck it seemed to really pop out of the hole with a small ski pull. The attack angle on the track was low compared to the apex or nytro. Typically with those it required a lot of effort to get them moving due to the ski pressure....I really wasn't expecting it to be a good as it was....looking forward to riding one next year.
Another short video ...The other thing I would like to add is when I was stuck it seemed to really pop out of the hole with a small ski pull. The attack angle on the track was low compared to the apex or nytro. Typically with those it required a lot of effort to get them moving due to the ski pressure....I really wasn't expecting it to be a good as it was....looking forward to riding one next year.
TURBLUE
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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- Southern Alberta
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- Sidewinder MTX
Clyder6R
Extreme
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- Dec 24, 2015
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- Atlantic Canada
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- 2015 Yamaha Viper MTX 153 McXpress 190 kit
I own a 04 RX1M, i love it, its heavy but it isn't capable. I have ridden the MTX nytro and didn't like it. The comments you made about low ski pressure, and easy to move with a slight ski pull are the same qualities i have in the rx1m. I have also done the 4.5" relocated bars and a few little mods to make it a better sled off trail. So i am glad you got to spend some time off trail and give a detailed review.
I test rode a BTX 153, we didn't get any off trail time which is a bummer, but did put a good 75 miles on the trail. I figured that i would be super impressed and need to buy one. But I wasn't, i found the power a bit soft, but not lacking. Its on trail manners weren't bad for a long track. I'm still on the fence if the 20g's would be worth the upgrade, i'm thinking maybe wait for a used one that has been tuned so i can get that arm tearing, out the hole power i have felt on the odd cat i have driven. I'm looking for a good all around sled, i live on the east coast so good powder off trail riding is slim to none, maybe 4 or 5 days a year here. But we will travel into quebec for some good off trail riding. Either way i will be more then likely upgrading to a new yammi 4 stroke, I'm just not sure if the cost to the amount of riding ratio we have on the east coast is worth it for me, i appreciate the excellent review.
I test rode a BTX 153, we didn't get any off trail time which is a bummer, but did put a good 75 miles on the trail. I figured that i would be super impressed and need to buy one. But I wasn't, i found the power a bit soft, but not lacking. Its on trail manners weren't bad for a long track. I'm still on the fence if the 20g's would be worth the upgrade, i'm thinking maybe wait for a used one that has been tuned so i can get that arm tearing, out the hole power i have felt on the odd cat i have driven. I'm looking for a good all around sled, i live on the east coast so good powder off trail riding is slim to none, maybe 4 or 5 days a year here. But we will travel into quebec for some good off trail riding. Either way i will be more then likely upgrading to a new yammi 4 stroke, I'm just not sure if the cost to the amount of riding ratio we have on the east coast is worth it for me, i appreciate the excellent review.
TURBLUE
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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I liked the ride so much I bought one yesterday, and sold my t3 doo. Lol. I truly believe if you want to boondock you really need to try the mtx. Btx to wide. 35-40". Big difference.
I'm very excited to be riding a yammy again.
I'm very excited to be riding a yammy again.
Dieselxtx
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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- 2017 Sidewinder BTX LE
2012 Nytro XTX 1.75
X2 on the BTX to wide to boondock a barcode 36in is in order for next year on my BTX LEI liked the ride so much I bought one yesterday, and sold my t3 doo. Lol. I truly believe if you want to boondock you really need to try the mtx. Btx to wide. 35-40". Big difference.
I'm very excited to be riding a yammy again.
TURBLUE
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
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YAMAHA 2018 DEMO RIDE
I was fortunate enough to be involved in 2018 demo ride yesterday......We had a great day getting to check out the new sleds and ride them(zero miles on them) .of course I rode my new sidewinder, but did try a 18. I'm sure most of you are wondering how I am involved in another demo ride. The reason I was involved again, I volunteered my time to help the local dealer by organizating all the test riders and lining the date up with Yamaha's spectacular demo rep Jamie. I have been sledding since I could walk and am very passionate about the sport and enjoy every aspect of it. I truly believe it's one of North Americas greatest pass times. The awesome back country, meeting new people, educating the new up and coming riders is the greatest thing ever. Where the sled manufacturers have come in the last few years has been nothing short of amazing. I do have to say if you haven't tried a Yamaha you need to they are an engineering marvel. Nothing beats 4 stroke boost.
The day started in the staging area with Jamie's introduction in the new 2018's...Weather was perfect with clear blue skies, temp was around 1c...the unfortunate thing was all the great snow had had rain and froze the night before so a hard crust with a bit of fresh on top. So it was a exploring day. Showed everyone some spectacular country.....
So the 2018 (all 162 3" in the demo) are pretty cool....the newly updated running boards, which are 1" narrower than the 17's are going to work well. The lower plastic even tucks in more and will be a bonus on those steep side hills. The other thing I noticed right away is the air intake for the turbo is at the back of the hood under the handlebars on the 17's, on the 18's they have added another set directly above the bottom ones. On the picture below they would be in the 2 black strips. Also there was a goggle bag in the open spot below the gauge.
The new shocks were pretty interesting, Jaime our demo guide demonstrated how the settings worked on the rear QSL shock. There is 3 settings , soft , medium, and hard...Hard is the lockout feature and totally limits the rear travel so your suspension will couple and keep the front end down on those steep climbs. Due to avalanche conditions we never actually got to test out that feature. All the shocks are a definite upgrade and worth it. Trails in were pretty rough with moguls, having the new shocks was awesome.
The day was great even with the hard pack conditions, sleds handled great compared to their predecessors. It really didn't feel harder to maneuver than my skidoo T3, but let's face it, riding in hard pack snow isn't ideal for any sleds. There were a couple riders in our group that did make these sled shine...those guys could ride.
Again I want to thanks Jamie Moberg for letting us ride these. Yamaha is lucky to have a great guy with such a positive attitude representing their product. He's always accommodating and willing to "commit":face-icon-small-hap to the groups riding style. Also the dealer ROCKY MOUNTAIN YAMAHA in Pincher Creek, Alberta for sponsoring this event, great new shop in Pincher, and great guys to deal with. AND a big shout out to Climbmax(Randy) and Yamaha Canada for getting these sleds in the hands of the riders. It's just amazing a company spends the time and money to get these sleds out for a whole day of riding.
Just a short video of the terrain ...too bad snow was setup...
I was fortunate enough to be involved in 2018 demo ride yesterday......We had a great day getting to check out the new sleds and ride them(zero miles on them) .of course I rode my new sidewinder, but did try a 18. I'm sure most of you are wondering how I am involved in another demo ride. The reason I was involved again, I volunteered my time to help the local dealer by organizating all the test riders and lining the date up with Yamaha's spectacular demo rep Jamie. I have been sledding since I could walk and am very passionate about the sport and enjoy every aspect of it. I truly believe it's one of North Americas greatest pass times. The awesome back country, meeting new people, educating the new up and coming riders is the greatest thing ever. Where the sled manufacturers have come in the last few years has been nothing short of amazing. I do have to say if you haven't tried a Yamaha you need to they are an engineering marvel. Nothing beats 4 stroke boost.
The day started in the staging area with Jamie's introduction in the new 2018's...Weather was perfect with clear blue skies, temp was around 1c...the unfortunate thing was all the great snow had had rain and froze the night before so a hard crust with a bit of fresh on top. So it was a exploring day. Showed everyone some spectacular country.....
So the 2018 (all 162 3" in the demo) are pretty cool....the newly updated running boards, which are 1" narrower than the 17's are going to work well. The lower plastic even tucks in more and will be a bonus on those steep side hills. The other thing I noticed right away is the air intake for the turbo is at the back of the hood under the handlebars on the 17's, on the 18's they have added another set directly above the bottom ones. On the picture below they would be in the 2 black strips. Also there was a goggle bag in the open spot below the gauge.
The new shocks were pretty interesting, Jaime our demo guide demonstrated how the settings worked on the rear QSL shock. There is 3 settings , soft , medium, and hard...Hard is the lockout feature and totally limits the rear travel so your suspension will couple and keep the front end down on those steep climbs. Due to avalanche conditions we never actually got to test out that feature. All the shocks are a definite upgrade and worth it. Trails in were pretty rough with moguls, having the new shocks was awesome.
The day was great even with the hard pack conditions, sleds handled great compared to their predecessors. It really didn't feel harder to maneuver than my skidoo T3, but let's face it, riding in hard pack snow isn't ideal for any sleds. There were a couple riders in our group that did make these sled shine...those guys could ride.
Again I want to thanks Jamie Moberg for letting us ride these. Yamaha is lucky to have a great guy with such a positive attitude representing their product. He's always accommodating and willing to "commit":face-icon-small-hap to the groups riding style. Also the dealer ROCKY MOUNTAIN YAMAHA in Pincher Creek, Alberta for sponsoring this event, great new shop in Pincher, and great guys to deal with. AND a big shout out to Climbmax(Randy) and Yamaha Canada for getting these sleds in the hands of the riders. It's just amazing a company spends the time and money to get these sleds out for a whole day of riding.
Just a short video of the terrain ...too bad snow was setup...
