The subject says it all. The wife and I took the opportunity to take a few demo rides in Old Forge today. We got on two sleds two up and I had a chance to ride two sleds solo. I'll list my impressions here with the following understood:
A. These rides were short. A few miles at most and in groups that were made up of riders of all types so the pace was easy for the most part.
B. I have little experience with modern (post late 70's Kawasaki) sleds.
C. I have no idea what I'm talking about.
With the above in mind and as long as you agree that I'm not providing these reviews as flame war starters please read on.
The 4 sleds ridden were (in order ridden):
1.
Yamaha Venture Lite2.
Yamaha RS Venture GT3.
Ski-Doo MX-Z 50th Anniversary Edition4.
Ski-Doo GSX 1200 4-strokeThe Venture Lite, 2-up
This sled was not set up for the two of us, that was immediately obvious about the time we pulled away from the parking lot. The suspension was so soft that I was on one ski and bottoming the rear constantly. I'm talking about just going down the trail on the side of the road. Not trying to track any particular rut but just driving along, the machine would catch a track and jerk to one direction or the other (common on sleds I know) but when this sled did this, it would tip and mono-ski action would result. Additionally, going around turns required HEAPS of body english on my part to keep the machine tracking. The bottoming I was referring to was the rear suspension being maxed out on the smallish whoops on the main trail. What really surprised me was the motor. Yamaha uses the 499cc EFI twin in this machine, nearly the same motor as in the Phazer I believe, and it's not bad at all. It didn't have any issue pulling the two of us well past 50 MPH and in nearly as quick a fashion as the other sleds we were with. With the suspension setup the way it was however, I couldn't really test the limits of the motor as I was too busy fighting the machine to keep it upright. I was assured by the Yamaha rep that the suspension could be adjusted to our combined weight and the handling issues would be nearly resolved.
The RS Venture GT, 2-up
The list of shortcomings exhibited by the Lite were far out-shined by the long list of awesome features on this machine. The suspension was more than perfect, never wanting to rail on one ski or bottom even a little bit. This on trails that were much worse than the initial stuff that gave the Lite fits. The seats were amazing, the wife complaining about having to hang on for her life on the Lite but actually being able to enjoy herself on the RS. The motor, that amazing 1049cc, EFI, 4-stroke triple, was spot on. It didn't just sound like a sport bike, it delivered power as instantly and as smoothly as a sport bike. For $10,799 I guess I should have been impressed and I was.
The Ski-Doo MX-Z 50th Anniversary Edition, solo
Ski-Doo didn't have any 2 seaters on hand for us to demo together so I went solo. This machine was the first that I rode and it was a very unexpected ride. This is where my lack of experience with new sleds comes in as I had no idea these things handled so well. Whoops, ruts, off-cambers, bumps, rails, rocks, you name it, this thing just sailed over it. Instantaneous throttle response and direction change on demand were not things that I expected, at least not to this level of control. Flying along at well over 60 behind other riders that I couldn't see save for their tail lights and the snow-dust they kicked up, there was nothing that could upset this machine. More than one blind, 90 degree corner left me a little dry in the mouth but only after a quick shift of my butt off the seat, a turn of the handle bars and a tap on the throttle provided nearly flawless cornering. This thing flat hauls! It's not just fast it can handle at speed.
The Ski-Doo GSX 1200 4-stroke
I'm not sure if this machine was set up properly. The motor seemed to have the potential to be better. Not that the power wasn't all there as the 1200cc, 4-stroke triple surely made plenty of it, but the throttle response wasn't nearly that of any of the other three machines that I rode today. There seemed to be a delay from the overly stiff throttle paddle and that was a little unnerving. Especially when I had come to expect such perfect response from the other three. Keep in mind, my expectations were not high before today, in fact I had no idea what to expect. Additionally, riding solo I was able to bottom the rear end of this machine rather easily and on more than one not so bad bump/whoop. As with the Venture Lite I'm sure this is simply a quick suspension setup issue, but still, after two nearly perfect machines, this was a little unexpected. I should also add that the Ski-Doo rep said that he thought the clutching was off. I don't think this explains the lack of throttle response as I am sure I would know the difference. If the motor isn't revving, there isn't much the clutch can do for you now is there? :-)
That's all I have, like I said the rides were short. For me, considering my size, weight and riding ability I would not choose any of these machines to ride solo. Two-up the Yamaha RS Venture GT would certainly have to be a prime contender. I'm just glad that I had the opportunity to get some seat time on some new sleds. This experience was very worthwhile and has given me much to think about.
