Trying to decide X-TX-LE, L-TX-LE or ST-X

[ronzx9]

XP 123 and Mike, How much off trail do you guys do? I know there are some areas of Chautauqua with deep stuff! I do at least one backpack trip a year so the extra room on the 137 is needed plus I haven't been on a shorter track sled in years.

I've done some web searches for used 2017's with no luck. Can anyone point me in the right direction where to find one?

 

[Soldier'spapa]

Last month I found mine at Port Yamaha (near Milwaukee). This week a buddy made a deal on a 50th BTX-LE there also. We pick them up friday.

Call around.

 

[XP123]

XP 123 and Mike, How much off trail do you guys do? I know there are some areas of Chautauqua with deep stuff! I do at least one backpack trip a year so the extra room on the 137 is needed plus I haven't been on a shorter track sled in years.

I've done some web searches for used 2017's with no luck. Can anyone point me in the right direction where to find one?

Ron I find that the 6.9 ski's make a huge difference when hitting deeper snow and the 137" track is a must. I bought my sled from Don Georges in Clarence NY last year, the same place Rockerdan bought his. He has a couple nice 2017 LE Winders for sale at good prices. Give him a call it will be worth the trip and Don is a great guy who not only sells Winders but rides them also. 716 759 6837 ask for Don Jr and tell him Joe and Rockerdan told you to call him. He should also have a few 18 LE's to sell too.

 

[WinterWolf]

Ron I find that the 6.9 ski's make a huge difference when hitting deeper snow and the 137" track is a must. I bought my sled from Don Georges in Clarence NY last year, the same place Rockerdan bought his. He has a couple nice 2017 LE Winders for sale at good prices. Give him a call it will be worth the trip and Don is a great guy who not only sells Winders but rides them also. 716 759 6837 ask for Don Jr and tell him Joe and Rockerdan told you to call him. He should also have a few 18 LE's to sell too.

Are the 17 LE's used or new leftovers... RTX or LTX??

 

[ronzx9]

Ron I find that the 6.9 ski's make a huge difference when hitting deeper snow and the 137" track is a must. I bought my sled from Don Georges in Clarence NY last year, the same place Rockerdan bought his. He has a couple nice 2017 LE Winders for sale at good prices. Give him a call it will be worth the trip and Don is a great guy who not only sells Winders but rides them also. 716 759 6837 ask for Don Jr and tell him Joe and Rockerdan told you to call him. He should also have a few 18 LE's to sell too.

How difficult are the 6.9's to install?

 

[DMCTurbo]

I have a 17 XTX LE 137 with the 1.75 backcountry. I thought I'd ride more off trail then I actually did last year. This year I swapped tracks to a stock 1.25 rip2. The 1.75 isn't a trail track plus it scrubs off a good 10+ mph.

 

[KnappAttack]

XP 123 and Mike, How much off trail do you guys do? I know there are some areas of Chautauqua with deep stuff! I do at least one backpack trip a year so the extra room on the 137 is needed plus I haven't been on a shorter track sled in years.

I've done some web searches for used 2017's with no luck. Can anyone point me in the right direction where to find one?

I don't do much off trail if any. I prefer the 137" for stability and better ride. IMO the LTX-LE is better riding than the R-Motion by a bit with the QS3's and of course it has a far-far-far superior front end than the Doos.

Don't get in a hurry and keep searching craigslist, I just saw a LTX-LE here just go used locally for $12000 which I think is an excellent buy.
New LE's are next to impossible to find in 17's, I'm sure there are some 18's to be found somewhere but I'd guess they will be high priced perhaps this time of year.

How difficult are the 6.9's to install?

Real simple, just cut off a bit of rubber from the stock cushions, reverse one 6.9 bushing and bolt on. Dan did a write up here earlier, but its really so simple a "caveman" could do it!

 

[jason22]

I moved from Doo to Yamaha this year, trading in a 17 Renegade 850 for a 18 RTX LE 50th Anniversary. The build quality is not even close- hands down Yamaha. The Renegade was a lot of fun last year, but the simplicity of this 4 stroke- no oil etc, build quality and the performance is the selling point for me. I test drove a dealers 17 DX for a day, so I could compare Doo and Yammie. I also grabbed a new 17 LTX SE Sidewinder this fall- great offer from Yamaha on leftover 17's, to go with the 18. The 18 RTX LE 50th was purchased in April for the tight, busy trails I would run in the Muskokas. Unfortunately, for employment purposes, I've now transferred to Manitouwadge- deeper snow and much more wide open running, so I'm told. The Yamaha dealer "says" he tried to get another Yamaha dealer to swap their unsold 18 LTX LE 50th Anniversary , so I could have a 137 track up here- remarkably no such luck....
I wish that I could have gotten the QS3's on the 17- perhaps next year. The wife will be driving the 18 RTX most of the time, so if the shocks make her happier and keep her on the trails with me longer, then it's a pretty simple trade off. I am studding both tracks, adding 4th wheels and upping the carbide, but not changing skis until I have a season of running to see if it's necessary.

Finesy may I ask what you didn’t like about the 850? I drive a sc Nytro xtx And I’m looking to drop about 75lbs by going to 850. Plus I’m not fond of the engine brake and reverse lever on Nytro. I wanna go back to a traditional coasting feeling when letting off the gas.

Are you more interested in getting the turbo power from Winder. That’s why you switched?
Or was there little things about 850 that bugged you?

Just trying to get real life experience info from guys who drove the 850 is all .
The Nytro is good but it seems to like wide swooping trails compared to tight and twisty where I ride most days.

Thanks
Jason

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Agree! The QS3R shocks on the LTX-LE are the ticket, period.

on RTX LE's too, not just 137s...lol

haha

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Budman doesn't have the R shocks he has the regular QS3 shocks like my sled. I haven't had the opportunity to try the R shocks myself and I haven't heard of a real comparison between them and the regular but I can say the regular QS3 shocks are amazing. If the only reason to get the R is for rebound adjustment then I'm fine with just the regular ones. The ride of my SW with the QS3 shocks blows my Xpkg 1200 away. I was amazed at how well they perform.

IMO its more about the center shock being a base HPG, then the Rebound. But the rebound does help with things like transfer and stutters. (quicken/slow adjustment)

Dan

 

[ROCKERDAN]

Ron I find that the 6.9 ski's make a huge difference when hitting deeper snow and the 137" track is a must. I bought my sled from Don Georges in Clarence NY last year, the same place Rockerdan bought his. He has a couple nice 2017 LE Winders for sale at good prices. Give him a call it will be worth the trip and Don is a great guy who not only sells Winders but rides them also. 716 759 6837 ask for Don Jr and tell him Joe and Rockerdan told you to call him. He should also have a few 18 LE's to sell too.

Yeah Don will have a few nice trades with 4 yr warranty coming in too. and his own sled(DEMO) with 5 yrs left.

I might be there tomorrow picking mine up!

Dan

 

[Epicsw]

Budman doesn't have the R shocks he has the regular QS3 shocks like my sled. I haven't had the opportunity to try the R shocks myself and I haven't heard of a real comparison between them and the regular but I can say the regular QS3 shocks are amazing. If the only reason to get the R is for rebound adjustment then I'm fine with just the regular ones. The ride of my SW with the QS3 shocks blows my Xpkg 1200 away. I was amazed at how well they perform.

Are the regular QS3's kashima coated? I think only the ones on the LEs are?

 

[WinterWolf]

No I don't believe the regular QS3's are Kashima coated. Only the QS3R's are Kashima coated I believe. And yes those come on the LE's and the RR sleds from Cat.

Here's a question I have, when they say "Kashima Coated"...does that apply to the Shaft of the shock...or the whole shock/Total shock?

 

[Epicsw]

No I don't believe the regular QS3's are Kashima coated. Only the QS3R's are Kashima coated I believe. And yes those come on the LE's and the RR sleds from Cat.

Here's a question I have, when they say "Kashima Coated"...does that apply to the Shaft of the shock...or the whole shock/Total shock?

I understood it to be the shaft because they speak of smoother and less resistant sliding motion.

 

[WinterWolf]

I understood it to be the shaft because they speak of smoother and less resistant sliding motion.

Yes, I remember hearing that as well...so I first thought of the shaft too. Just wondering if I was correct in thinking that?