Yellowknife
TY 4 Stroke Master
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2004
- Messages
- 1,105
- Reaction score
- 54
- Points
- 988
- Location
- Yellowknife, NT, Canada
- Website
- www.youtube.com
Some of you that follow my adventures noted that I didn't have a Mileage Log last season like I usually do. I kept the camera's rolling (with over 7 hours of footage) but also kept myself out of the editing chair and on the trails a bit more, so not much has made it online as of yet, but I have been posting various adventures in a separate thread from years past, including last season. You can find that here: http://ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=88779
That being said, I felt the desire to do a bit of a blog on the season that passed...
The season started for us on November 14th in 2009. We did our usual trips in search of snowfall with few rocks around to accommodate the low snow levels. The start to the season was warmer than average and delayed the freeze up of the larger lakes. I did get my hands on a Polaris Rush for testing in early December, with a brief review which you can find here: http://ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=80 ... laris+rush
When we weren't able to get into our wall tent location (to take it out because we were evicted) it was mid December and the rivers were still open.
A year in the making was a plan to head to Ontario for a bunch of riding over a 6 week period. That blew up, literally, in a few ways with my second 4 stroke engine failure, this time on the Nytro MTX, and a broken foot on Christmas Eve. The only positive's to that were the purchase of a 3rd sled (Nytro XTX) and the fact that my 6 weeks in Ontario turned into 2 and a half months.
The snowfall in Ontario sucked but we made the best of it, finding snow where it existed for short periods of time. I was also able to sneak in some test riding on the new Yamaha Apex with Chris Reid from Yamaha Canada. My foot wouldn't come out of the boot at the end of that day it was so swollen.
The riding in Ontario, as limited as it was, still brought back memories of my 20 years growing up there, and I enjoyed the trails and the atmosphere, despite many lodges not being in operation or even existance compared to the 1990's.
I almost destroyed my truck, 2 sleds, myself and a passenger on route to the Yamaha testing in southern Ontario when we only had inches between us and 3 moose at night on highway 108, and was able to enjoy fishing on many of the lakes I used to spend weekends on.
The limited snow also afforded us a lot of off roading in the Power Wagon on the lakes which was great, and my Ontario time ended during the final days of February with an eventful cross Canada snowmobile tour on the way back to Yellowknife, riding in Kenora, Ontario, and touring with Mamasled and Papasled in Canora, Saskatchewan.
Finally in March upon my return to Yellowknife the snow completely disappeared in Ontario, but our season here was in full swing, and we were finally able to go haul out our wall tent. We moved our gear to a cabin that belonged to a friend, and made the most of the remaining season in April with several overnight adventures.
We wrapped up the season this year on April 17th, 2010 with some open water riding on the Nytro XTX and Nate's Rev 600. It was a very unique, fun, and eventful season as usual.
On the heels of my 2008 - 2009 season wrap up, one of the things I discussed was Yamaha's reliability factor and the 4 stroke engine in general. During this past 09/10 season, I was able to accumulate over 10,000 km's (6000 miles) combined on 3 different Yamaha 4 stroke snowmobiles. Unfortunately, as I said above I blew up a Nytro engine. That's 2 four stroke motors I have had fail on me. Granted they don't fail as often as the 2 strokes i've had in the past, even 1 failure is too many given the high standards 4 stroke engine's claim to have.
So, here's some stats;
2007 Phazer Mountain Lite: 12,494 KM'S (7,809 MI) One engine failure
2008 FX Nytro MTX: 10,591 KM'S (6,619 MI) One engine failure
2009 FX Nytro XTX: 5,126 KM'S (3,204 MI) All Ontario Miles on groomed trail, and no failures to report.
Take from that what you will. Both 4 stroke motors failed around the same time that a new 2 stroke engine would. It is believed by many that my Phazer failure was fluke, though there have been more, it wasn't just me even though I may have been the first.
The FI Nytro Engine failure however was a timing chain tensioner failure, something that seems to be deemed as fluke as well. As the folks at Yamaha have said, I seem to have all the luck. These 4 stroke engine's appear to be overbuilt, yet I still have a way of breaking them through regular use in a harsher than average climate and set of conditions. I'm very interested to see how the Nytro XTX does next season, and whether or not its engine goes. If I were to make a prediction at this point, I'd have to say it will also fail likely towards the 10,000 km/6000 mile mark due to the easy number of miles on it from Ontario last season.
Overall, the issues between the 4 stroke sleds I own as a whole (bumper to bumper) and the 2 stroke's I've had are about the same. The 2 strokes had more engine failures, but the 4 strokes seem to have a few more non-engine issue's on average like shot ball joints and steering components over a shorter period of time and usage.
Again, I fall back on the service from the dealership and the support from the manufacturer and there is no comparison for me in my riding history since 2001. Yamaha continues to stand behind the products I have owned far beyond any original expectations I had. My dealer continues to do the same. That combination is definitely unbeatable.
I'm still interested in what else is out there, hence the Polaris Rush test ride, and I'll take advantage of riding anything I can get seat time on that is dubbed new and improved.
The Phazer is now out of warranty, it is the first sled out of 6 purchased new units since 2001 that I have kept out of warranty. The Nytro MTX runs out of warranty this fall, and Yamaha is standing behind it very well with some major front end work scheduled on bushings and ball joints in a few weeks.
I've got a couple seasons of warranty left yet on the Nytro XTX, and i'm sure i'll need it.
I've overhauled the Phazer, going through it with a fine tooth comb, and at 12,494 KM'S (7,809 MI) it is doing well. I've never kept a sled past 18,124 KM'S (11,328 MI).
I'm in the process of overhauling the Nytro MTX and XTX but hopefully I don't find much wrong with either of them.
No doubt my XTX loved not having to drown through crystallized powder, 10 minute ¾ throttle lake runs and -40 degree cold starts last season in Ontario.
Those are some of the major differences between what these sleds are designed for vs. what I use them for. Life expectancy changes when this equipment is pushed to the limits. I have no doubt I'd have 50% less problems if I was riding the trails they were built for, hence the trouble free 8000+ km's (5000+ miles) that I put on the Phazer and XTX in Ontario.
As usual, I owe a big thanks to my dealer Force One in Yellowknife as well as the warranty department at Yamaha Canada and I can't ever forget Chris Reid for his support online and in person on the trails!
Last year I said there was no new sled on tap, and ended up purchasing an XTX 3 days before my Ontario trip departure due to the MTX failure, but this coming season, with 3 sleds in the garage ready (almost) to go, I shouldn't be adding to the fleet anytime soon. Famous last words.
My season wraps up with 10,894 KM'S (6,809 MI) on the books, and that's the second most amount of miles i've put on in one season. Thanks to all the folks I got to ride with this year, especially in Ontario, and my apologies to those of you I didn't get to ride with. The offers I had were too many to count, and I appreciate it all and hope to be back riding Ontario trails before too much time passes.
And of coarse, I wrap with a quick summary of my mileage chart over the years;
Here's to a great upcoming winter!
YK
Owned Sleds & Mileage History
1987 Citation LE: No Odometer
1990 Indy Sport GT 340: Can't Remember
2002 MX Z Renegade 600 DPM: 14,109 KM'S (8,818 MI)
2004 MX Z Renegade X 600 H.O. SDI: 7,247 KM'S (4,529 MI)
2005 MX Z Renegade X 800 H.O. PTEK: 18,124 KM'S (11,328 MI)
2007 Phazer Mountain Lite: 12,494 KM'S (7,809 MI)
2008 FX Nytro MTX: 10,591 KM'S (6,619 MI)
2009 FX Nytro XTX: 5,126 KM'S (3,204 MI)
Total season by season numbers:
2001 - 2002 Season: 7,791 KM'S (4,869 MI)
2002 - 2003 Season: 6,318 KM'S (3,949 MI)
2003 - 2004 Season: 7,247 KM'S (4,529 MI)
2004 - 2005 Season: 8,590 KM'S (5,338 MI)
2005 - 2006 Season: 4,372 KM'S (2,733 MI)
2006 - 2007 Season: 11,227 KM (6,976 MI)
2007 - 2008 Season: 6,368 KM'S (3,980 MI)
2008 - 2009 Season: 7,924 KM'S (4,953 MI)
2009 - 2010 Season: 10,894 KM'S (6,809 MI)
Detailed breakdowns of various sleds ridden from 2007 on;
Mileage in 2007 - 2008 Season: 6,368 KM'S (3,980 MI)
2007 Phazer Mountain Lite: 950 KM (594 MI)
2008 FX Nytro MTX: 4,918 KM'S (3,074 MI)
2008 Ski-doo Summit Everest 154 800R 500 KM'S
Mileage in 2008 - 2009 Season: 7,924 KM'S (4,953 MI)
2007 Yamaha Phazer Mountain Lite: 2,091 KM'S (1,307 MI)
2008 Yamaha FX Nytro MTX: 3,880 KM'S (2,425 MI)
2006 Ski-doo Summit 550F: 867 KM'S (542 MI)
2009 Ski-doo MX Z Renegade 1200 4-TEC: 226 KM'S (141 MI)
2008 Ski-doo Summit X 146 800R: 145 KM'S (91 MI)
2009 Ski-doo MX Z TNT 500SS: 215 KM'S (134 MI)
2009 Ski-doo Summit 146 600 E-TEC: 100 KM'S (63 MI)
2009 Ski-doo Summit Everest 154 800R: 400 KM'S (250 MI)
Mileage in 2009 - 2010 Season: 10,894 KM'S (6,809 MI)
2007 Yamaha Phazer Mountain Lite: 3696 km's (2310 MI)
2008 Yamaha FX Nytro MTX: 1793 km's (1121 MI)
2009 Yamaha FX Nytro XTX: 5,126 KM'S (3,204 MI)
2010 Polaris Rush 600: 279 KM'S (174 MI)
That being said, I felt the desire to do a bit of a blog on the season that passed...
The season started for us on November 14th in 2009. We did our usual trips in search of snowfall with few rocks around to accommodate the low snow levels. The start to the season was warmer than average and delayed the freeze up of the larger lakes. I did get my hands on a Polaris Rush for testing in early December, with a brief review which you can find here: http://ty4stroke.com/viewtopic.php?t=80 ... laris+rush
When we weren't able to get into our wall tent location (to take it out because we were evicted) it was mid December and the rivers were still open.
A year in the making was a plan to head to Ontario for a bunch of riding over a 6 week period. That blew up, literally, in a few ways with my second 4 stroke engine failure, this time on the Nytro MTX, and a broken foot on Christmas Eve. The only positive's to that were the purchase of a 3rd sled (Nytro XTX) and the fact that my 6 weeks in Ontario turned into 2 and a half months.
The snowfall in Ontario sucked but we made the best of it, finding snow where it existed for short periods of time. I was also able to sneak in some test riding on the new Yamaha Apex with Chris Reid from Yamaha Canada. My foot wouldn't come out of the boot at the end of that day it was so swollen.
The riding in Ontario, as limited as it was, still brought back memories of my 20 years growing up there, and I enjoyed the trails and the atmosphere, despite many lodges not being in operation or even existance compared to the 1990's.
I almost destroyed my truck, 2 sleds, myself and a passenger on route to the Yamaha testing in southern Ontario when we only had inches between us and 3 moose at night on highway 108, and was able to enjoy fishing on many of the lakes I used to spend weekends on.
The limited snow also afforded us a lot of off roading in the Power Wagon on the lakes which was great, and my Ontario time ended during the final days of February with an eventful cross Canada snowmobile tour on the way back to Yellowknife, riding in Kenora, Ontario, and touring with Mamasled and Papasled in Canora, Saskatchewan.
Finally in March upon my return to Yellowknife the snow completely disappeared in Ontario, but our season here was in full swing, and we were finally able to go haul out our wall tent. We moved our gear to a cabin that belonged to a friend, and made the most of the remaining season in April with several overnight adventures.
We wrapped up the season this year on April 17th, 2010 with some open water riding on the Nytro XTX and Nate's Rev 600. It was a very unique, fun, and eventful season as usual.
On the heels of my 2008 - 2009 season wrap up, one of the things I discussed was Yamaha's reliability factor and the 4 stroke engine in general. During this past 09/10 season, I was able to accumulate over 10,000 km's (6000 miles) combined on 3 different Yamaha 4 stroke snowmobiles. Unfortunately, as I said above I blew up a Nytro engine. That's 2 four stroke motors I have had fail on me. Granted they don't fail as often as the 2 strokes i've had in the past, even 1 failure is too many given the high standards 4 stroke engine's claim to have.
So, here's some stats;
2007 Phazer Mountain Lite: 12,494 KM'S (7,809 MI) One engine failure
2008 FX Nytro MTX: 10,591 KM'S (6,619 MI) One engine failure
2009 FX Nytro XTX: 5,126 KM'S (3,204 MI) All Ontario Miles on groomed trail, and no failures to report.
Take from that what you will. Both 4 stroke motors failed around the same time that a new 2 stroke engine would. It is believed by many that my Phazer failure was fluke, though there have been more, it wasn't just me even though I may have been the first.
The FI Nytro Engine failure however was a timing chain tensioner failure, something that seems to be deemed as fluke as well. As the folks at Yamaha have said, I seem to have all the luck. These 4 stroke engine's appear to be overbuilt, yet I still have a way of breaking them through regular use in a harsher than average climate and set of conditions. I'm very interested to see how the Nytro XTX does next season, and whether or not its engine goes. If I were to make a prediction at this point, I'd have to say it will also fail likely towards the 10,000 km/6000 mile mark due to the easy number of miles on it from Ontario last season.
Overall, the issues between the 4 stroke sleds I own as a whole (bumper to bumper) and the 2 stroke's I've had are about the same. The 2 strokes had more engine failures, but the 4 strokes seem to have a few more non-engine issue's on average like shot ball joints and steering components over a shorter period of time and usage.
Again, I fall back on the service from the dealership and the support from the manufacturer and there is no comparison for me in my riding history since 2001. Yamaha continues to stand behind the products I have owned far beyond any original expectations I had. My dealer continues to do the same. That combination is definitely unbeatable.
I'm still interested in what else is out there, hence the Polaris Rush test ride, and I'll take advantage of riding anything I can get seat time on that is dubbed new and improved.
The Phazer is now out of warranty, it is the first sled out of 6 purchased new units since 2001 that I have kept out of warranty. The Nytro MTX runs out of warranty this fall, and Yamaha is standing behind it very well with some major front end work scheduled on bushings and ball joints in a few weeks.
I've got a couple seasons of warranty left yet on the Nytro XTX, and i'm sure i'll need it.
I've overhauled the Phazer, going through it with a fine tooth comb, and at 12,494 KM'S (7,809 MI) it is doing well. I've never kept a sled past 18,124 KM'S (11,328 MI).
I'm in the process of overhauling the Nytro MTX and XTX but hopefully I don't find much wrong with either of them.
No doubt my XTX loved not having to drown through crystallized powder, 10 minute ¾ throttle lake runs and -40 degree cold starts last season in Ontario.
Those are some of the major differences between what these sleds are designed for vs. what I use them for. Life expectancy changes when this equipment is pushed to the limits. I have no doubt I'd have 50% less problems if I was riding the trails they were built for, hence the trouble free 8000+ km's (5000+ miles) that I put on the Phazer and XTX in Ontario.
As usual, I owe a big thanks to my dealer Force One in Yellowknife as well as the warranty department at Yamaha Canada and I can't ever forget Chris Reid for his support online and in person on the trails!
Last year I said there was no new sled on tap, and ended up purchasing an XTX 3 days before my Ontario trip departure due to the MTX failure, but this coming season, with 3 sleds in the garage ready (almost) to go, I shouldn't be adding to the fleet anytime soon. Famous last words.
My season wraps up with 10,894 KM'S (6,809 MI) on the books, and that's the second most amount of miles i've put on in one season. Thanks to all the folks I got to ride with this year, especially in Ontario, and my apologies to those of you I didn't get to ride with. The offers I had were too many to count, and I appreciate it all and hope to be back riding Ontario trails before too much time passes.
And of coarse, I wrap with a quick summary of my mileage chart over the years;
Here's to a great upcoming winter!
YK
Owned Sleds & Mileage History
1987 Citation LE: No Odometer
1990 Indy Sport GT 340: Can't Remember
2002 MX Z Renegade 600 DPM: 14,109 KM'S (8,818 MI)
2004 MX Z Renegade X 600 H.O. SDI: 7,247 KM'S (4,529 MI)
2005 MX Z Renegade X 800 H.O. PTEK: 18,124 KM'S (11,328 MI)
2007 Phazer Mountain Lite: 12,494 KM'S (7,809 MI)
2008 FX Nytro MTX: 10,591 KM'S (6,619 MI)
2009 FX Nytro XTX: 5,126 KM'S (3,204 MI)
Total season by season numbers:
2001 - 2002 Season: 7,791 KM'S (4,869 MI)
2002 - 2003 Season: 6,318 KM'S (3,949 MI)
2003 - 2004 Season: 7,247 KM'S (4,529 MI)
2004 - 2005 Season: 8,590 KM'S (5,338 MI)
2005 - 2006 Season: 4,372 KM'S (2,733 MI)
2006 - 2007 Season: 11,227 KM (6,976 MI)
2007 - 2008 Season: 6,368 KM'S (3,980 MI)
2008 - 2009 Season: 7,924 KM'S (4,953 MI)
2009 - 2010 Season: 10,894 KM'S (6,809 MI)
Detailed breakdowns of various sleds ridden from 2007 on;
Mileage in 2007 - 2008 Season: 6,368 KM'S (3,980 MI)
2007 Phazer Mountain Lite: 950 KM (594 MI)
2008 FX Nytro MTX: 4,918 KM'S (3,074 MI)
2008 Ski-doo Summit Everest 154 800R 500 KM'S
Mileage in 2008 - 2009 Season: 7,924 KM'S (4,953 MI)
2007 Yamaha Phazer Mountain Lite: 2,091 KM'S (1,307 MI)
2008 Yamaha FX Nytro MTX: 3,880 KM'S (2,425 MI)
2006 Ski-doo Summit 550F: 867 KM'S (542 MI)
2009 Ski-doo MX Z Renegade 1200 4-TEC: 226 KM'S (141 MI)
2008 Ski-doo Summit X 146 800R: 145 KM'S (91 MI)
2009 Ski-doo MX Z TNT 500SS: 215 KM'S (134 MI)
2009 Ski-doo Summit 146 600 E-TEC: 100 KM'S (63 MI)
2009 Ski-doo Summit Everest 154 800R: 400 KM'S (250 MI)
Mileage in 2009 - 2010 Season: 10,894 KM'S (6,809 MI)
2007 Yamaha Phazer Mountain Lite: 3696 km's (2310 MI)
2008 Yamaha FX Nytro MTX: 1793 km's (1121 MI)
2009 Yamaha FX Nytro XTX: 5,126 KM'S (3,204 MI)
2010 Polaris Rush 600: 279 KM'S (174 MI)
Super Sled
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Nice report YK!
Budweiser
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Very nice!! It was a tough year for snowmobiling in Canada. That means this coming year has got to be great!!
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