Why I started riding a Yamaha again.

Got boost want snow

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I am 5'7" and now weigh about 190-200 I have alway rode the big sleds and being of smaller stature I could muscle the machine for a couple of hours then would play out. Learned throttle control and can usually put my big sleds where the two strokes go and a lot of places they can't.
 

zx4ever

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I rode skidoo for years hence the username (zx4ever) I had a elan growing up then a bunch of summits. My last and final skidoo was a 03 summit 800 that I bought new. It was suppose to last me for years. But 3 motor jobs later I had enough and made the switch to Yamaha. I wanted to experience riding a sled for more than a year without doing a motor job. I now currently have 9000km on my Nytro and it’s still going strong with no end in site. The sled has some annoying handling issues but I mostly have dealt with them and got use to it. Yes it is a tank but I needed to get a sled that was going to last as I don’t have a bunch of disposable money to buy a new one. As I have a young family and busy life. I like riding Yamaha and love the power that it has and can deal with the rest of the bs that goes with it. Here is my sled towing a big load from one of my 5 day fishing trips. It is a very good multi use sled , from mountains to idling around the lake with the kids. Jadon 7EE63791-3C06-4316-A9CC-E6D417E572E2.jpeg
 

Lund

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Its an older video but, you be the judge.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtjsylwWboc

The sleds have not changed in chassis design much and i'ed be willing to say this is still true today, in the real world out in the back country the sled's are with in 20lbs. The Cat chassis doesn't pack snow, unlike the Doo and the Poo. This is also true with the SW, after a day out the Winder doesn't have a big snow load on it.
 

Couch

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Best sleds...well atleast two are ....pair of 1991 sno sports stretched to 121"....

Would like to try a winder in the trees (had 5 minutes on one but not long enought to be fair) .... Love the yamaha motor but will stay on the pro for another while as thats the riding style i prefer.
All the new sleds are better so its a moving target ....hope the yamaha cat provides better running gear than the pos nytro ....
 

Bikeswithtrax

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Interesting thread to read as I have been considering getting a sidewinder for myself. Sounds like it can cheaply and easily be bumped up to around 225 hp on pump gas, without hurting reliability too much. I have a snowbike for tight stuff now, and a sled for the bigger climbs would make a nice balance. Been a 2 stroke guy for a lot of years, had every major brand, and about as not brand prejudice as a person can be. If it works good, I don't care what the decals say it is.
What must do items are there on a Sidewinder to get it working well ?
Yes I am asking this as a legitimate question, because i really don't know. Are the suspension, track, skis, all good out of the box as is?
Thanks
 

Turblue

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Well from all my posts you can see that it is a pretty awesome sled. I came off a skidoo t3 174 and felt right at home instantly....now if your planning to ride tight tree vertical walls with no base for snow, it’s not a sled for that. Everything else is a blast ... Hp wise I think you can do 250ish on pump gas, but someone that has the power up would be better to answer that.

As for must do’s ...depends what your planning on riding...straight up chute climber? Or normal type riding? Maybe a cold air intake if your shredding pow every ride, rear bumper, magnetic tether, and that’s about it. Drive the piss out of it...it can handle it. Lol.
 

Lund

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Why i ride a Yamaha, the honest truth.
I trust them 100%, Yamaha history has proven to me that it can be trusted and i like them, the way they ride the way they feel, plus the big one is they put my mind at ease knowing they will bring me back after a long day's ride guaranteed unless i "F" up, its that simple.

Yes for sure they are not the easiest to ride, in fact maybe the hardest to ride, they are a challenge and i don't mind a challenging sled over a easy riding sled. Simply it is the reward of being able to ride something like this when everyone else shy's away from it and that makes it appealing to me. While an easy to ride sled will make you look good and i guess that's good for most, the challenge of riding these Yamaha's, you need to be better, it will let you know when your not good enough for the challenge or need more practice. Yes it can be frustrating and the sled can make you look like a newbie at times, like a love hate relationship but i'm sure no one else will do better on it and the best rewards are not given but earned, riding a Yamaha you earn your skill's and when that happen's there will be no feeling like it being able to tame the raw power of the 4 stroke and the skill needed to ride it.
Something like breaking the best Thoroughbred horses, sometimes the hard'es to break are the best rides, as it fits the work and earnest that goes with it.

Ok so why, well 90% of all my riding is with my wife. I might get out once or twice with the guy's during a season, unlike the majority of sledders that don't ride with their wifes or GF, infact i have heard many times from guy's saying "man i'm glad my wife doesn't ride".
In my case she loves riding and looks forward to it.
Now, when you ride a lot with your lady you need to consider the riding style or your going to hear about it...LOL, mark my words on that.
My lady don't tree ride, simple and do i want her too, not unless i want to spend the day digging. Not a chance and that's not including all the bumpers and body panels i'll have too replace.
That being said our riding is more open, while some will consider that boring, i can assure you i'll have more money in my pocket at the end of the season for mods and fuel LOL.
This fits the Yamaha sleds well, yes i could be riding a much lighter and nimble 2 stroke but like i said almost all my riding is just the wife and i, its basically riding by your self, almost.
This means, even though she's there she doesn't have the skill or strength of an experience backcountry guy rider and totally relies on me for riding backcountry. So my horse need's to be 110% dependable, there is nothing worst then being broke down with no one in sight.
Now if i was riding with just guy's, depending on the crew preference i'ed be on a 2 stroke, most likely to fit the crew, thats not the case.

I love riding with the wife and i feel lucky to have that, the experience has to be good for both of us. So i just as well ride the most challenging mountain sled on the market, even though some of the negative challenges that come with it the positive far out weigh them especially in time when you start to jive as one, the negatives are almost forgotten.

Why i ride Yamaha today
 

NoBrakes!

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My first sled was a Sno scoot, then a 340 Ovation, really wanted a Phazer but found a deal on an Exciter 2. Parents rode Phazers then onto every Vmax until the SX700 and newer Srx days. I loved those sled and still have them in my memories! Heck I think there’s still a 94 vmax 600 still in the shed
 
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