whats ur opinion

[yukon yamaha]

hmmm i changed my valving in the fox shocks to a way stiffer valving and same with the rear shocks and that made a huge differance.... i also put on mnt skis with NO carbide and i love it... machine handles like a dream and as for the ball joints..... that i am still thinkin about doing that.. pritty simple and if i dont like it i can just change back or switch them out... my opinion is .. not to look too deep into a problem that might not be as big as you think.... make small changes and keep it simple you will find out what works best for you
cheers

 

[Alatalo]

well what do u think im reading these posts about the 08s and how bad they handle andd i just bought a brand new 08 left over from last year should i see if the dealler will work a deal with me on the 09 or is the handlin issues sort of blown out of proportion

A very good friend said: -"You asked for a sled with snocross geometry. You got a sled with snocross geometry. Now live with it...".
Of course, this was a joke from his side. But if you think about it, there is really something in it. People tend to ask for and then buy products aimed for the person they want to be, not the person they really are. How many forum topics have you read about people buying the stiffest suspension package available, then complaining that it is too stiff for their type of riding...? For sure not the full story, but at least part of the FX Nytro "unpredictable handling issue" is comparable to this - a lot of people asked for and then bought a snowmobile geometry that they could not handle, because they are not really the very aggressive rider that appreciates the behaviour offered by this geometry...

Honestly, I did never have any big problems with the "unpredictable handling issue". For sure, it responds very quick to any kind of input, but I would not go as far as calling it "unpredictable" or "dangerous".
One part of this is for sure related to my riding style. During the last couple of years, I have basically forced myself to adapt a snocross-like, stand-up, squaring off corners type of riding style (call me snocross wannabe if you want...). When it comes to the FX Nytro, trust me, this makes quite some difference compared to riding it as a traditional sit-down sled...
The other part of this is for sure related to my setup. I have spent a lot of time finding correct toe-out and weight distribution settings and I have replaced the front end ball joints as soon as they have started to wear out (free play will magnify any kind of problem with "unpredictable handling"...). Also, I have never ever used the OEM shocks or the OEM skis and my front end adjustments are of course made for the shocks and the skis that I am using instead. In my opinion, the ski swap can make quite a difference, at least if you get skis with adjustable position (to adjust your trail). Though, the shock swap is in no way mandatory to sort out or improve the "unpredictable handling". Correct toe-out adjustments and correct weight distribution makes much more of a difference (and has got very little with shocks to do). I have also tried the shortened, upper ball joints, but also in this case I would say that correct toe-out adjustments and correct weight distribution made more of a difference, at least for me.

Then, what would be the conclusion of this...? I would say like this:
If you like to take it easy, sit-down and cruise groomed trails - forget the 2008 FX Nytro. If you truly are an aggressive rider spending most of your time on very bumpy trails - you will love the 2008 FX Nytro. If you are this type of rider, just make sure that you set it up properly and that you check it frequently.

 

[Yamahnator]

It's like the Phazer. Some of my friends tried it and hated it. If you ride it like a traditional sit down machine it handled like garbage. If you rode it throwing a lot of body English into it theres not much that can hang with it in the twisties. I felt the same thing when I first had it, my buddy who rode Wheelers and DB's for years got on it and I could barely keep him off it the rest of the season when we rode (He has a Rev btw). He absolutely smoked on that machine. Once I got the hang of it I prefer it. This in many ways is how the Nytro is.

And LB brings up a good point about Forum hype. Yes these forums are great for getting information on issues and fixes. Very good. But often complaints have a way of making it look like it's the case for everyone. In that case if you took a casual perusal of the Doo Forums (Don't even get me started on Cats) you'd think that if you bought one you were almost guaranteed to blow an engine. Or if you got an 08 XP you're guaranteed to be stranded from the driveshaft snapping. This is obviously not the case, since theres plenty of people who ride their Doo's for many many miles without their motors blowing up. People show up to complain, that's a constant. They don't very often show up to say how good things are with them.

 

[TurboJamie]

It's like the Phazer. Some of my friends tried it and hated it. If you ride it like a traditional sit down machine it handled like garbage. If you rode it throwing a lot of body English into it theres not much that can hang with it in the twisties. I felt the same thing when I first had it, my buddy who rode Wheelers and DB's for years got on it and I could barely keep him off it the rest of the season when we rode (He has a Rev btw). He absolutely smoked on that machine. Once I got the hang of it I prefer it. This in many ways is how the Nytro is.

And LB brings up a good point about Forum hype. Yes these forums are great for getting information on issues and fixes. Very good. But often complaints have a way of making it look like it's the case for everyone. In that case if you took a casual perusal of the Doo Forums (Don't even get me started on Cats) you'd think that if you bought one you were almost guaranteed to blow an engine. Or if you got an 08 XP you're guaranteed to be stranded from the driveshaft snapping. This is obviously not the case, since theres plenty of people who ride their Doo's for many many miles without their motors blowing up. People show up to complain, that's a constant. They don't very often show up to say how good things are with them.

I still LOVE my phazer mountain Lite for messing around on the power lines lots of fun and a great sled, I found that the 2007 phazer handled much better then the 2008, for some reason I think they changed something.

 

[Arnold08]

thanks for all ur input i do ride very aggressive so maybe this will be the perfect sled no matter what nothing could compare to the god awful handling of the 05 vector i rode haha thanks guyz

 

[Easy Rider]

Kind of funny the way this thread is going. Reminds me of way back in the winter of 02/03 when I was riding a shiney new RX-1 and my Doo buddies were riding new beaver-tail revs. We all had the latest, greatest techno sleds, just one small difference: At the end of the day, they were ready to put on another 100 miles and I figured I had gone a 100 miles too far? I could keep up but it was killing me to do it. Swapped sleds with one of my buddies, realized it was the sled for me, bought a rev and kept buying them until this year.

Last season, one of my riding buddies bought a new Nytro RTX. Man he had a hard time riding that thing. Complained about how it darted like crazy, rode rough and broke his back. Oh ya, it was slow too? This was the same guy that complained about his rough riding X-package doos. He told me there was just no way he could keep up with my Rev. We swapped sleds and I rode off into the sunset! It was just like when I rode the 1st. rev, within 5 minutes I knew I would be riding a Nytro this year. That thing was sweet! Handled like it was on rails, lots of suspension, liked to be rode hard, jumped, all the things I like to do. Loved how that sled worked! Oh ya, my buddy couldn't keep up with me riding HIS Nytro?

Did my buddy buy the right sled? Probably not, a Vector would suit his riding style better, but not his ego. People seem to buy what they 'think' they should ride, not what is really suited to their riding style.

 

[Snoxracer242]

Most of the the people I know and ride with ask me how I like the way my NYTRO handles,(because they hear and read all the horror stories about the nytro) and I always say good. BUT this is my first sled that I have bought for the "trail" since I have quit snocross racing 2 years ago. My last sled that I rode on the trail was an 06 POLARIS MOD that I converted to run pump gas. So I like, and I am used to the the twitchy feeling that a SNOCROSS SLED offers. Most people that ride my sleds can't even handle a few miles down the trail because they feel out of control? But I know that when I turn the ski's the sled is going to turn.
So if your looking for a sled to just bee-bop down the trail I'd look somewhere else but if you want a sled that will jump ok, turn in a burm and run wide open for miles accross a lake then get it. The nytro is a blast to ride, I think.

Just my opinion,

Dustin

 

[NB-NYTRO]

Out of the box I was scared driving mine. Once I pulled the front limiter strap down two holes and installed C&A Razors. The sled railed like no other. No one in my group could stay with me in the twisties. Its a very agressive sled based on the race sled being sold to the masses. What do you expect? I loved it.. the twitchyness gives it character. Which makes it so much fun to ride. If your a sit down rider thats wants predictability buy an Apex. You don't see Polaris selling its 600RR to the masses? Pol only made it for one year. Its the first sled from Yamaha I've really wanted to own and ride. I might be biting the bullet and buying another one. Yamaha better not bite me in the #*$&@ again.