was stoked about 09 apex rtx

[ReX]

Thanks once again for the advice. I put the sprincheck $500 down on the apex rtx I need a good yamaha jacket haha. I ride with one friend who has a 08 800 xp he rides hard and I try my damdest to keep up. I will just do what it takes to get it dialed in so I can give him a good run through the twisties. I just hope they have done some upgrades to the 09 ck rear end

I just thought of one reason to stick with the RTX over the others and that is lining up with your buddies. The RTX is both lighter and has the CK skid, which is better for drag racing (when setup for it). It also comes with lower gearing which gives it more snap as well as makes it faster on snow. On bare ice, the others are slightly faster, but on any type of snow, the RTX is (supposedly) the fastest short track Apex available.

What I do know for certain is every single time I've personally lined my 07 RTX up with another Apex, my sled has out accelerated the other Apex as well as had a higher top speed as long as we're not on ice (none of the guys I ride with are lake racers though so we don't do it much and don't tune for it either). My drivetrain is 100% stock. No clutch kit, no spark plugs, nothing. I still have the original plugs installed at 13,000 km (8000 miles) too and it runs flawlessly and doesn't burn a drop of oil.

The only significant negative for the RTX over the other Apex is the ride isn't as good when the trails are fairly smooth. When the trails get a little rougher, the ride is slightly better than the others (but no where near enough to call it a rough trail sled - unless Yamaha has improved it by 09).

Even with my disappointment with the suspension in stock form, if I was to be buying a new sled tomorrow it would be another Apex RTX.

 

[indica44]

Here's another point. That 900 Fusion you had. I bought one that same yar. Read all the horror stories about it on the net and sold it with 7 miles on it. EVERY ONE I have run into with that sled here in Maine has had nothing but good things to say about it. Those 900's are getting 6-7-8k on em with no problems. Lesson learned..............don't let these forums turn you away, I mad that mistake. I have an 08 LTX now and love it, wish I still ahd the Fusion 900 too. My 2 cents

Still have the fusion 4000 miles on it 3000 by me nice sled not one problem will be the wifes ride and the kids when they want to go with me next year and Point well taken!

 

[smacho]

I had the shocks re-valved on mine with first oil change -- & I what I really want now is ... more snow.

RTX is good by me (after the re-valve) -- I'm old enough to have had a few fast cars & bikes, & it seems to be common to "tune" a machine to do what I expect. In this case, the tuning was quite reasonable.

NO REGRETS!

 

[indica44]

Even after raining all day I still have 3 to 4 feet of snow in my backyard made myself a neat little course through the bush will be using it for a little while yet. I live right by algonquin park in Ontario. Anyone who wants to ride the trails around eastern ontario you are more than welcomed to come up next year for a guided tour . thanks for all the uplifting advice. Smacho who did you get to revalve yer shocks and what was the turn around? Would there be an advantage to getting them done before I hit the snow or should I break the shocks in. I have never tinkered with shocks so a lot of the technical talk I do not understand. I will start and read as much about suspension and how to adjust for the ride I like.

 

[ReX]

Even after raining all day I still have 3 to 4 feet of snow in my backyard made myself a neat little course through the bush will be using it for a little while yet. I live right by algonquin park in Ontario. Anyone who wants to ride the trails around eastern ontario you are more than welcomed to come up next year for a guided tour . thanks for all the uplifting advice. Smacho who did you get to revalve yer shocks and what was the turn around? Would there be an advantage to getting them done before I hit the snow or should I break the shocks in. I have never tinkered with shocks so a lot of the technical talk I do not understand. I will start and read as much about suspension and how to adjust for the ride I like.

The only reason to consider not revalving right away is to see if Yamaha improved things since 07/08. If you were picking up an 07/08 Apex RTX, I would recommend revalving them right away. These sleds ride well with decent shock valving and ride poorly as set up from Yamaha. They not only bottom out, but they are unstable on rough trails; making it difficult to keep the sled under control. You can easily get the sled into a situation where the back end keeps getting kicked high in the air over relatively small bumps (if you time things wrong) because there is nowhere near enough rebound damping on the center shock.

The problem only gets worse when you add the optional anti-bottomers to help control bottoming out. The solution is not to use the anti-bottomers, but instead revalve the shocks. You'll end up with a very comfortable sled that doesn't bottom out if the valving is done right.

 

[indica44]

I will wait till either I read thier is upgrade on the valving and if not I will send them out to get what needs to be done before the snow hits thanks Rex. Who should I get to do the work if needed?

 

[pro116]

Yamaha did improve the shock valving on the 08.They rie alot better then the 07 IMO

 

[ReX]

Yamaha did improve the shock valving on the 08.They rie alot better then the 07 IMO

I've never ridden on 08, but smacho wasn't happy with his (couple of posts above).

 

[smacho]

the ONLY Apex and/or RTX I have ever rode is my 08 -- So I can not compare it to other models / years. However, I can say with confidence, my 08 RTX needed to be revalved.

I had mine done at Pioneer at the same time as the first oil change - also had a rear heat exchanger added. The total for first service + shock revalve, heat exchanger (install labor inc) was ~$550. Dropped it off on a Monday & it was ready by Friday.

I would do it the same way again -- ride the factory set up, go through the settings and IF it was like mine was (catapolting beaver tail) -- then revalve it at 500 miles.

 

[indica44]

thanks smacho since I live in Canada that will be 2000 cad. ha ha just kidding of course but it will cost more no doubt. Pioneer seems to be the one to go with for revalving yamahas suspension

 

[Coondog2707]

dont freak. All is well. I bought mine late in december of 06 (its an 07) and i had to wait a month for snow. In the meantime all I could do was read about all the stuff that was going to break on it. Low and behold we finally got snow and the sled is just great, 2 years and 3300 miles later. couple small issues covered by warranty. (small oil leak and 2 idlers.) Same hyfax, same belt. runs great, good on gas. fast as hell. rides great. Need I say any more?
The only things I really had to go after was crappy handwarmers and the dual rate spring and revalve from Hygear. For the first time after 2 seasons, I dont feel my sled is toast. I can see myself keeping it 2 more seasons, and I would have no qualms about taking it on a big run in Canada, which was usually what drove me to buy a new one every 2 years.

 

[indica44]

thanks coondog that is great to here. If you ever want to come up to Canada eastern Ontario next year I will take you on a guided tour no need to pull maps out I know the trails for hundreds of miles all the way to Quebec. I live 2 miles away from the trails just had a cow moose in my yard the other day.

 

[SledderSteve]

I will wait till either I read thier is upgrade on the valving and if not I will send them out to get what needs to be done before the snow hits thanks Rex.

Good idea

For what it's worth, when Yamaha passes out the "company owned" sleds to their district managers, reps, etc. they advise them to run two (2) tanks of fuel through the sled before making other than setup changes.

Also, when you get a moment, please update your profile.

Thanks

 

[Coondog2707]

Cool, Indica. I read that you live near the Algonquin Park. What town you in? I regularly trailer to Pembroke to start my rides and I really like to run thru Mattawa and on to NB then Sudbury on up to Timmons. I have done the RAP a couple times, too. Used to get up 2 or 3 times a year, but for a variety of reasons I haven't been able to get there for the last 2 seasons. That will change next year. I am thinking about riding from Pembroke over toward the Soo and hopping on that train up North. Id love to hook up with you and have you show me a local's perspective. I am somewhat familiar with the geography of the area, but I know there is a lot more than what I have seen!

Enjoy the sled, I think you will be very happy with it. I had never owned a Yamaha or a 4 stroke before and I love mine. Thats not to say I'll never have a 2 stroke again, but there are definate advantages to what I have now. Any 2 stroke I would buy would have to have some pretty clear cut superiority to get me back!

 

[indica44]

I live 30 miles north of bancroft a little place called Maple leaf. I do a couple of different loops that take me to pembroke and back to my house around 250 miles round trip. Timmons now that sounds cool to me thats gettin up north. I have rapped the park a few times myself. heading up timmons I would need maps for that one haha. I have no problem heading that far north with ya next year