2018 Sidewinder Who's Getting One??

bigfish said:

I have a 2017 to try in my trailer now lots of fresh will be a fun day tommorow

Click to expand...

Lund said:

Any one who thinks a 2 stroke can run with a 4 stroke on boost hasn't been in the sport very long or is in denial. There is no comparison.
That video i would be willing to say that the SW has only a pipe and fresh air intake, nothing more, the sled is new on the market and power up kits are just coming out.

Click to expand...

Kibbels said:

I have SC mine... going to switch out rear shock to QSL. I would have SC Special LE but can't stand the red white... I'm going to TRY and leave it 162... my extra $$ will be for EVP 275 hp PG &
how much did you pay? If you don't mind saying.

Click to expand...

06yamahaapex said:

Kibbels said:

I have SC mine... going to switch out rear shock to QSL. I would have SC Special LE but can't stand the red white... I'm going to TRY and leave it 162... my extra $$ will be for EVP 275 hp PG &
how much did you pay? If you don't mind saying.

Click to expand...

With all do respect I don't divulge what I pay for stuff. I didn't shop around.. Bought local to support the gals and guys that work at Cycle Works Red Deer... They are a great bunch in there.

Click to expand...

fredw said:

Lots of two stoke turbos making 10lbs fairly reliable these days, out with a few at 12lbs a few weeks back, they might not be making the max hp the four strokes make but they can handle there own pretty decently.. A 200-250 two stoke is a pretty sweet sled

Click to expand...

fredw said:

Lots of two stoke turbos making 10lbs fairly reliable these days, out with a few at 12lbs a few weeks back, they might not be making the max hp the four strokes make but they can handle there own pretty decently.. A 200-250 two stoke is a pretty sweet sled

Click to expand...

Lund said:

Stopped in at Yamaha today, darn them new 2018 SW MTX 162 is over $20,400. before taxes. Yikes, glad i bought my 17.

Click to expand...

Kibbels said:

Been in 3 Yamaha dealers and not one was that high.... the On Line MSRP isn't even that so that number is fawked...

View attachment 203588

Click to expand...

Kibbels said:

I have SC mine... going to switch out rear shock to QSL. I would have SC Special LE but can't stand the red white... I'm going to TRY and leave it 162... my extra $$ will be for EVP 275 hp PG & MaptunerX....

View attachment 203553

Click to expand...

Xmrider163 said:

So I just got back from revy and got to spend 1 full day on each of the new sleds. Skidoo 850, Polaris 800 and Yamaha Sidewinder. I've never done a review or given my opinion on the internet but maybe this will help some people's last minute snowcheck decisions. My previous sled was a 2014 XM 163", I am by no means a professional but I am a consumer and after riding each brand for 1 entire day doing some tree riding/sidehilling/climbing these are my results. So Let's start with the sleds:

Skidoo 154" and 165" 2017
Polaris 163" and 174" 2017
Yamaha Sidewinder 162" 2018/2017

Day 1 I rode the Polaris sleds back to back but mostly the 174". I liked the Axys but it felt the least powerful of the 3 by a noticeable amount. It was the easiest sled of the bunch to hold a side hill, and a 174" does take some playfulness away that I personally didn't like. Downhill powder turns it was the bottom of the 3 for me. I also would prefer the 36" front end upgrade over the wider stock setup. The Polaris display and GPS was a nice feature. I believe 1/4 of the guys riding with me for this testing weekend will be ordering a pro 163" and was happy.


Day 2 is the skidoo day I mostly rode the 154" and man is it a snappy fun sled. It felt just like my 14 Xm but improved in every aspect. The boon docking and downhill powder turns were incredibly simple on this machine. What I didn't like was the sidehill washout it was the worst of the 3 brands I rode. I didn't like the new display, thought that was horrible and just collected snow all day. And as everyone knows all of the internet and forum "issues" with this new 850 was pretty much a big deciding factor. The 120kms I did ride I had zero issues other then the vibration on my feet. So it won't be an 850 doo in my future or anyone in my groups aswell.

Day 3 was the Yamaha Sidewinder it's the entire reason why the 4 of us went to Revy. Ryan @ Argyll Motorsports in Edmonton set us up with Jamie Moberg the Yamaha demo rep and what a day we had. The night before Jamie texted me and said that Randy Swenson would be joining us for the demo ride and his buddy Rossy! Wow can these 2 guys ride sleds. And the Turtle Mountain Tour they gave us was incredible. I almost need to make a new thread on here to showcase how Yamaha takes care of a guy wanting to test a sled. But back to the review on the MTX 162" Sidewinder. What I liked was what everyone who puts a leg over this sled likes the POWER was awesome. It makes the stock 2 strokes feel pathetic and lacking. This machine was the easiest to downhill powder turn, held a sidehill as good as the pro, much better then the doo. It didn't boondock as nice as the 2 strokes but was still a ton of fun to boondock don't get me wrong I did a ton of it. The climbing was incredible with the QSL shock in the rear skid. I was climbing spots I wouldn't even try on the 14xm I had. Even did a little chute with Randy's and Ross's guidance. Now let's get to the elephant in the room the "weight" well at 643lbs wet is what I've gathered from the forums before riding it had me a little reserved on the sled. But after riding it until 7pm coming down the trail with nothing but smiles and wanting to head backup for a ride until midnight I don't think its gonna be a problem. As for riding style it's different for sure the 4 of us had never been on a turbo 4 stroke and spent the first hour of the day stuck trenching and rolling the sleds. Randy and Rossy were constantly giving us tips and technique changes and Bam it finally clicked and we were jumping, climbing, boondocking, sidhilling very comfortably.

At the end of the testing sleds trip the verdict was this. 3/4 of us will be snowchecking a Yamaha Sidewinder it's hands down the best sled I've rode and cannot wait for next season!! I'll post a couple videos for guys to see. And some pics of the trip. Remember this is the "Average Joe Review" not the professional rider/magazine review.

On a side note the Red/Black Sidewinder 2018 looks mean in person and it's the one I'll be snowchecking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Xmrider163 said:

So I just got back from revy and got to spend 1 full day on each of the new sleds. Skidoo 850, Polaris 800 and Yamaha Sidewinder. I've never done a review or given my opinion on the internet but maybe this will help some people's last minute snowcheck decisions. My previous sled was a 2014 XM 163", I am by no means a professional but I am a consumer and after riding each brand for 1 entire day doing some tree riding/sidehilling/climbing these are my results. So Let's start with the sleds:

Skidoo 154" and 165" 2017
Polaris 163" and 174" 2017
Yamaha Sidewinder 162" 2018/2017

Day 1 I rode the Polaris sleds back to back but mostly the 174". I liked the Axys but it felt the least powerful of the 3 by a noticeable amount. It was the easiest sled of the bunch to hold a side hill, and a 174" does take some playfulness away that I personally didn't like. Downhill powder turns it was the bottom of the 3 for me. I also would prefer the 36" front end upgrade over the wider stock setup. The Polaris display and GPS was a nice feature. I believe 1/4 of the guys riding with me for this testing weekend will be ordering a pro 163" and was happy.


Day 2 is the skidoo day I mostly rode the 154" and man is it a snappy fun sled. It felt just like my 14 Xm but improved in every aspect. The boon docking and downhill powder turns were incredibly simple on this machine. What I didn't like was the sidehill washout it was the worst of the 3 brands I rode. I didn't like the new display, thought that was horrible and just collected snow all day. And as everyone knows all of the internet and forum "issues" with this new 850 was pretty much a big deciding factor. The 120kms I did ride I had zero issues other then the vibration on my feet. So it won't be an 850 doo in my future or anyone in my groups aswell.

Day 3 was the Yamaha Sidewinder it's the entire reason why the 4 of us went to Revy. Ryan @ Argyll Motorsports in Edmonton set us up with Jamie Moberg the Yamaha demo rep and what a day we had. The night before Jamie texted me and said that Randy Swenson would be joining us for the demo ride and his buddy Rossy! Wow can these 2 guys ride sleds. And the Turtle Mountain Tour they gave us was incredible. I almost need to make a new thread on here to showcase how Yamaha takes care of a guy wanting to test a sled. But back to the review on the MTX 162" Sidewinder. What I liked was what everyone who puts a leg over this sled likes the POWER was awesome. It makes the stock 2 strokes feel pathetic and lacking. This machine was the easiest to downhill powder turn, held a sidehill as good as the pro, much better then the doo. It didn't boondock as nice as the 2 strokes but was still a ton of fun to boondock don't get me wrong I did a ton of it. The climbing was incredible with the QSL shock in the rear skid. I was climbing spots I wouldn't even try on the 14xm I had. Even did a little chute with Randy's and Ross's guidance. Now let's get to the elephant in the room the "weight" well at 643lbs wet is what I've gathered from the forums before riding it had me a little reserved on the sled. But after riding it until 7pm coming down the trail with nothing but smiles and wanting to head backup for a ride until midnight I don't think its gonna be a problem. As for riding style it's different for sure the 4 of us had never been on a turbo 4 stroke and spent the first hour of the day stuck trenching and rolling the sleds. Randy and Rossy were constantly giving us tips and technique changes and Bam it finally clicked and we were jumping, climbing, boondocking, sidhilling very comfortably.

At the end of the testing sleds trip the verdict was this. 3/4 of us will be snowchecking a Yamaha Sidewinder it's hands down the best sled I've rode and cannot wait for next season!! I'll post a couple videos for guys to see. And some pics of the trip. Remember this is the "Average Joe Review" not the professional rider/magazine review.

On a side note the Red/Black Sidewinder 2018 looks mean in person and it's the one I'll be snowchecking.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...