Thinking about buying a Phazer

[yamialltheway]

I was thinking about buy a phazer, i have a few questions about them. Are they fast or can they keep up and what are some simple mods to add horsepower?

 

[yamahas]

The group I ride with i have the lowest powerd sled (mostly 800 doo's) but i usualy lead untill we get to a lake or old rail bed since i top out much faster then 800's. For more power it depends how far you want to go. There are air box mods, exhaust and you can go all out and get a supercharger or turbo.

I have a clutch kit and I really like it. The stock phazer can keep up on trails as long as it is set up. i put more ski pressure and I love the way it takes a corner.

 

[porkchop]

Same boat as Yamahas.
If you wanna go fast and keep up (with bigger 600-800's) on lakes/ open fields don't buy a Phazer.
I don't think "simple mods" get you THAT much more HP anyways for what they cost, if 4 more is gained can you really feel the difference???

I'll pull away from my buddies getting off the line but then it hits a certain point, levels out and "that's all she's got captain"- they'll go on by.
Mines set up for bumps and ripping thru the woods where those guys normally slow down some, I catch back up. Prefer riding in the back anyways so it really doesn't bother me that I'm last- I can go farther on a tank of gas + not adding oil

 

[Ruckus]

If you need power to climb pow or go fast on the trailbed or lakes than the phazer is not a good choice. If you like ditch banging, tight twistys and bumps then its a good choice. They are top heavy so it takes a lot of body English to make it turn but once you master it there is nothing like it. Off camber stuff is difficult because it will always try to point downhill. Great trail sled, not so great backcountry sled. Keep in mind also that repairs are time consuming because the amount of the sled that needs to be disassembled to get to anything, ie: oil filter, a-arm bushings, exhaust. The most you are going to get out of a phazer without boost is about 90 hp. It weighs in at over 500 lbs with a tank of gas so the power to weight ratio is not the greatest. There is a lot of good info in this section, take your time and do some reading. The stickies at the top of the page give a good indication about the reliability and issues with this machine.

 

[yamahas]

If you need power to climb pow or go fast on the trailbed or lakes than the phazer is not a good choice. If you like ditch banging, tight twistys and bumps then its a good choice. They are top heavy so it takes a lot of body English to make it turn but once you master it there is nothing like it. Off camber stuff is difficult because it will always try to point downhill. Great trail sled, not so great backcountry sled.

Ruckus is spot on about if you need power. The phazer is not fast by any means but is a very quick sled through the forest once you figure it out.

 

[cannondale27]

Yes ask yourself how often are you needing more than 60mph riding.If not much then Phazer will run with anything out there setup right.If alot then look at a Nytro or Apex.As for maintainence it is no worse than any new sled be it a 2 stroke or 4 of any brand.They all are packed tight and tougher to work on than old sleds.Also when others are going more than 60mph you have a good excuse for kicking back and picking up their pieces since your Phazer isnt expected to keep up in those high speed runs.It takes a bit of danger out of your life which can be a good thing.Also sometimes in the rough too much power can make it hard to keep control.When setup right it is almost impossible to out ride your suspension.Just pinit and steer.No throttle control needed!

 

[Ruckus]

A Phazer is like "a cap and ball colt...It'll get you into trouble but it can't get you out."
-Steve Earle.

Hahaha

 

[Clay350]

I always whip my buddy on the trail and in short drag races. He has a ski doo MXZ 700. In saying that I just put my sled on Ebay. Moving to warmer climate!

 

[pdiddy]

Arise Ye Old Thread! I'm thinking about a Phazer for local trails (Southern Maine) where I rarely break 50mph all day. Looking for something FUN that I can get into the throttle without getting into too much trouble. Perusing the local listings I'm amazed at how many Phazers have low miles. This seems good and bad - lots of great condition sleds to choose from but are they so horrible to ride that nobody puts any miles on them?

 

[maim]

@Pat the rat had one his wife rode over 40000 km if memory serves.

i have an 09 at around 10000 mi that i bought used. it was higher milage (7000 mi) when i got it and had been ridden hard and maintained to the minimums. got it cheap enough that i patched the worst of it together to make it safe to see if we liked it. as it was an rtx, it was less of a speed sled than a gt as it would top out at 75 mph but we all enjoyed riding (3 brothers and i) it as it required an active rider, the gf, not so much. in less than 50 mph conditions it is a blast when it has traction as that was our biggest beef with it as the stock 1" hacksaw track sucked on accel and decel (engine braking) on anything other than perfect hard pack. i made mine into an xtx as i found a broken rail when i was inspecting it prior to ordering a new track for it but the 1.5" lug track is a vast improvement but duponts or scratchers are a must to get the slides to last.

it is blast to ride to your limit corner to corner in the trails and i actually prefer to ride it when i have a group of occasional riders as it slows me down enough to keep the group together.

 

[74Nitro]

Best to avoid the 07's, 09 and up are better.

 

[Mooseman]

Nothing to fear of the 07-08 as long as the updates have been done. The worst one on the 07 is the cold starting issue where the ECU needs to be replaced but that's only important if you experience really cold conditions, like below -15c. If updates are missing, that can be a negotiation point.

 

[74Nitro]

Nothing to fear of the 07-08 as long as the updates have been done. The worst one on the 07 is the cold starting issue where the ECU needs to be replaced but that's only important if you experience really cold conditions, like below -15c. If updates are missing, that can be a negotiation point.

Be sure of the balancer gears and also the rear suspension changes.

 

[Mooseman]

Be sure of the balancer gears and also the rear suspension changes.

Yes, if it's a very low mileage barn find 07, check with a Yamaha dealer with the VIN if it's an affected unit with defective engine reduction gears. A couple of guys got caught with that one lately. If it is and the engine has never been replaced, that's a hard pass.

The rear suspension is easy to check. Look for a solid aluminum center link. This thread explains the differences.

Old Linkage -vs- Updated linkage pics

Update part # 90891-50149-00 Well I really am impressed by Yamahas efforts.This has got to work.Way beefier than before.Now I am no Engineer so if someone would like to make suggestions on measurement to check for geometry changes now is the time. Old Linkage-Some of you may remember I...

ty4stroke.com

Again, this would be on a low mileage unit as most would break fairly early in their lives.

 

[74Nitro]

Yes, if it's a very low mileage barn find 07, check with a Yamaha dealer with the VIN if it's an affected unit with defective engine reduction gears. A couple of guys got caught with that one lately. If it is and the engine has never been replaced, that's a hard pass.

The rear suspension is easy to check. Look for a solid aluminum center link. This thread explains the differences.

Old Linkage -vs- Updated linkage pics

Update part # 90891-50149-00 Well I really am impressed by Yamahas efforts.This has got to work.Way beefier than before.Now I am no Engineer so if someone would like to make suggestions on measurement to check for geometry changes now is the time. Old Linkage-Some of you may remember I...

ty4stroke.com

Again, this would be on a low mileage unit as most would break fairly early in their lives.

Yes, and the upper rear wheels also.