Gone “Off-Roading”

Print readers can still find Bassett in American Snowmobiler

Snowmobilia.blogspot.com will continue to receive sporadic updates over the summer, but for more current Bassett “Rants & Raves” and inside opinions about new sleds, paste the enclosed link (http://snowmobile.off-road.com/snowmobile/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=423834&ref=25) into your browser as Bassett moves to snowmobile@off-road.com as a twice a month columnist on that site which also highlights off-roading info for ATVers, dirtbike riders, Jeep and 4wheel drive players as well as snowmobilers.

For those of you who prefer the printed page, check out Bassett’s appearances as Backtracks writer and occasional test reporter for this season’s American Snowmobiler magazine, which he founded in 1986 and turned into snowmobiling’s #1 paid subscription publication before selling it in 2004.

© 2007 Snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog

VINTAGE REVIEW


1968 Sno-Skat

One of many interesting sleds to see at World Snowmobile HQ

Things of note you’ll see at the new World Snowmobile Headquarters in Eagle River, Wisconsin, include a display of historic and unique snowmobiles. Among the current display of “traditional” Polaris Sno-Travelers and historic World Championship twin-track racing sleds is a quite rare “kit” snowmobile on loan by Jerry Wanty of Jackson (WI) to the HQ’s museum area.

Wanty’s redone 1968 Sno-Skat is unusual from a variety of points. It is a unique collectible due to its relative obscurity. The fact that it was sold as a kit adds to the uniqueness of the sled. And it also showcases some rather clever design aspects—one of which is being hyped in today’s sleds as breakthrough engineering. Guess the folks at Sno-Skat were 40 years ahead of their time with the 1968 Sno-Skat currently on display at the snowmobile headquarters museum.

The sled was offered as a do-it-yourself kit in 1968 and boasted a carrying capacity for one adult or “two mature children.” The unit’s 4stroke, single cylinder, air-cooled engine was set low in a recessed portion of the tunnel, just back of the steering post and ahead of the seat.

Promotional material stated: “The Sno-Skat offers an exceptionally low center of gravity because the engine is recessed or submerged into the frame. This design feature reduces overall vibration to a minimum while increasing the stability of the machine in operation.”

With the engine tucked away, engineers also enclosed the myriad of moving parts out of harm’s way, too.

“In addition to the low center of gravity created by the recessed engine,” touted the brochure, “the Sno-Skat presents no exposed drive chains or track. If you do happen to tip the machine, you will fall safely clear of all moving parts.”

The engine-mounted clutch was a typical centrifugal unit that you would use for a home-built lawn mower-powered , off-road go-kart. It was simple, efficient for the power output and relatively inexpensive. Braking appears to have been a matter of letting off the throttle and letting friction take over.

Even with a basic “lawn mower” type 5 or 7 horsepower motor, the Sno-Skat was said to achieve speeds upwards of 20 miles per hour, even with an adult who might actually match the diminutive sled’s 180 pounds of dry weight.

Since the engine in the display model was likely an “off-the-shelf” Briggs & Stratton or Tecumseh 4stroker, the fuel tank would have come with the motor and probably had about a quart of fuel capacity. But they would have provided ample fun time for those mature children.

The rear suspension used basic big-wheeled bogies while ski suspension relied on the flex in the shaped steel steering rods attached to the metal skis.

Passengers sat on a luxuriant (by 1968 standards) three inches of foam seat support.

Designed to be rugged, compact and exciting, Sno-Skat’s lightweight construction made it “…much easier to lift out and keep going if you happen to dig into a snow bank, etc.”

If you are in the Eagle River area and enjoy snowmobiling, you owe it to yourself to stop by the World Snowmobile Headquarters complex at 5121 North Railroad Street. For additional info and museum hours, call the Headquarters offices at 715-479-2186. Once the website is completed, you can check out events by visiting online at www.worldsnowmobilehq.com.

For right now, the Sno-Skat is one of the more interesting sleds on display. But, also you'll find a Polaris “Li’l Andy” and a nice sampling of other significant snowmobiles from the past. Check it out!

© 2007 Snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog

More Rants

Vintage Sleds A Threat?

There are reasons for growth of vintage sledding.

At the peak of last week’s near-blizzard in central Minnesota, we stopped our sled ride to gather at a pit stop along the Soo Line trail. As we parked our brand new (low mileage!) ’07 test sleds outside the trailside bar; we noticed a couple of 1970s vintage Scorpions parked alongside the front edge of the parking lot. Both were in wonderful shape—especially considering that each was easily 35 years old. One hood had a nicely painted patriotic theme while the other retained historic Scorpion black paint on its scoop nose.

Upon entering the bar, we noticed a couple of younger fellows—well, at least younger to me. One was outfitted in a Scorpion-logoed red and black hooded sweatshirt. The other had the Carhartt thing going for him. They were the owners/riders of the two Scorpions and they were of a similar —if not younger— vintage as their sleds. My riding partner, a veteran Scorpion enthusiast and former Scorpion factory racer, knew the lads. We struck up a conversation.

Now, with no apologies, I will admit that this vintage thing has perplexed me some. I do get it. After all, I still have the 1969 Ski-Doo 320SS that was given to me one Christmas by my folks. And I have possession of one of three 1964-65 10-horsepower Ski-Doo Olympiques that my Dad sold the first year he was a snowmobile dealer. So, yes, I get the heritage and emotional side of vintage sleds. I don’t quite get why younger guys are so eager to ride and embrace vintage sleds.

The “Carhartt Guy” said, “It’s kinda like riding a Harley for the snow.” Does that mean the sleds leak oil and ride hard? Yes and no!

“Carhartt Guy’s” buddy said that he could invest a little money and get a long-term ride that put him in touch with what snowmobiling was all about. It sounded a little Thoreau, but what I think he meant was that even though his sled’s top speed was well under 50 miles per hour (the state speed limit in Minnesota, by the way!), he enjoyed a sense of adventure of being a participant in winter.

Also, he pointed out, once he invested the hundreds or a few thousand dollars to get the vintage ride where he wanted it, he could have a nice sled for years to come. One that didn’t require huge repairs—since he could repair most of it himself. If he wanted to update the suspension, he could do it quite easily. Since these were older sleds and since Scorpion parts of those years were somewhat interchangeable, the lads could update the early Scorps with later Scorpion parts. The famed Para-Rail rear suspension could be added to virtually any older bogie model. The engine could be upgraded with newer and more reliable electronics and carbs could be switched out from Walbro to Mikuni.

While the guys liked working on the sleds to make them “theirs,” they enjoyed riding them more. Interestingly, more and more younger riders are finding old sleds to enjoy. They are cheap compared to the $10,000-plus required for today’s newer, heavier and more complex sleds. But, as “Carhartt Guy” noted, “Parts for the old sleds are getting harder to find and more expensive as more people are getting into vintage.”

Yes, indeed, more people are getting into older sleds. While we were at the pit stop another small group came in. One of the younger fellows climbed off a John Deere, the old silver and green one.

With the reality that vintage snowmobiling is growing in popularity, how does this impact the existing sled makers? Is there a realization by today’s snowmobiling crowd that today’s sleds are too expensive for the length of the season? Is there a feeling that today’s sleds are just too heavy and way too complicated? Is there a feeling that there is a growing insider club of vintage sleds —like there is with street rodders, classic car buffs and, yes, Harley guys— where you can be an individual with a remade sled customized to you by you that has greater appeal than the sled makers realize?

When we went to Eagle River (WI) for the races this past January, we were impressed with how big vintage sled racing has become. Working for Snow Week “back in the day,” I covered many of those sleds that I was seeing compete in the vintage events at Eagle River. The difference is that the vintage sleds weren’t falling apart and leaving debris all over the historic oval as the originals had done. And today’s vintage sled racers are actually better overall drivers on average than many of the old time competitors. Vintage racing is impressive. And growing.

As one aftermarket pioneer told me. “If you put a few thousand dollars into building up a vintage race sled, you could race that sled for years. But if you race the new sleds, to be competitive you have to get a new one every year.”

As new sleds get more expensive, more complicated, less mechanic friendly and much heavier, vintage sleds may pose a threat to new sled sales. Vintage sleds are simple, fun and can be made quite reliable. When your butt is a foot off the snow rebounding from a bogie wheel suspension and cradled in a modest foam seat, the vintage sled’s 40 miles per hour top speed seems like a 100 mph on a modern sled. You experience winter first hand on a vintage sled. That’s part of the secret to the growth of vintage sledding.

© 2007 Snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog

Rants & Raves

Ski-Doo Sets New Standard?

After having been around the snow biz since I was a high-schooler back in New Hampshire, it sometimes seems that it’s just the same ol’ thing, just a different day. Back then; Ski-Doo was #1 with the lion’s share of the snowmobile market.

Hmmm! Fast-forward to today and Ski-Doo is #1 with an ever-growing share of the snowmobile marketplace. The company that reinvented winter back in the 1960s has its sense of history firmly in place as it just introduced some all new “light-footed” snowmobiles of today that have as much impact as those original “light-footed” sleds of yesteryear.

Power To Weight—The big difference is that the new sleds Ski-Doo just unveiled with an all-new rider forward positioning are not merely lighter than the previous REV, but come with more power. Meaning, simply, much more performance due to an incredible power-to-weight shift. If we do a little math —and remember, we are writers not math hounds— we get the new Ski-Doo 800 coming in with a power-to-weight (PTW) ratio that charges each horsepower with 2.8 pounds of sled to carry down the trail! Now, giving Yamaha’s all-new lightweight Nytro 4stroke the benefit of the doubt, it comes in with a PTW of one horsepower to 3.5 pounds of sled weight. That’s the basic math.

We won’t pretend that we weren’t concerned about Ski-Doo and its future. Once the powersports group was broken off from Bombardier proper a few years ago and became an independent entity backed by venture capital, we judged that Ski-Doo would have a fight on its hands for sheer survival, much less market dominance. But Ski-Doo used its legacy product of snowmobiles, revisited the way and why snowmobilers rode their sleds and came up with the REV platform. A gamble? Yes! But one that changed the recreational snowscape as much as those light-footed sleds of yore did. If you don’t believe the REV was successful, look at the competition. Every other manufacturer makes a big deal of its rider-forward ergonomics. Argue that Yamaha’s Snoscoot was the first with the concept, but Yamaha abandoned it to follow the mainstream.

Could Doo—My problem with Ski-Doo was not one of “can do.” Rather, more could do! Could Ski-Doo without the benefits of Mother Bombardier have the resources and capabilities to score another REV success? Voila! Ski-Doo has pulled off what very few snowmobile companies in the #1 position have been able to do—follow up a market leading success with another market leader. It has yet to be proven that the new REV chassis combo will be a big hit, but we are betting it will because it isn’t just about weight.

Check out the Ski-Doo web site and take a very close look at the sled’s details. First, there is the weight reduction. Taking a page from Yamaha’s book, Ski-Doo engineers combined functions of some pieces to reduce overall weight. It’s worked well for Yamaha.

Second, there is the benefit of proven power from tried and true Rotax powerplants that are known to provide excellent performance. And the fuel mileage of these 2strokers is totally under rated, which gives the power source an advantage beyond simple horsepower. Lighter weight to haul usually means improved mileage as well as speed and acceleration.

Third, there is the simple fact that the new Ski-Doo shows that Ski-Doo engineering “Gets It!” The engineering team thinks in terms of a total package. The front and rear suspensions are designed to provide maximum usage of their components. Shock rod lengths are there to be used as the rear suspension couples front action to rear action. The front end reflects a concept of balance. Supple up and down action balanced with progressive side-to-side action.

Fourth, rider positioning was rethought. But not to the extreme. Adding an inch or so of rider height created a way to give the rider more legroom while allowing him to maintain better control. The engine is mounted low. The secondary clutch is mounted nearly straight up and down to accommodate the riding position. A glance at the sled’s dynamics as portrayed on the Ski-Doo web site suggests a nice balance between center of gravity retention and centralizing the mass of heaviest componentry—engine, exhaust, clutches, etc.

Rough Trail Leader—Frankly, we’ve been a bit amazed that Ski-Doo has been the leader in rough trail technology in recent years. This is a company whose engineers open R&D’s overhead doors and head onto one of the best-groomed trail systems in all of snowmobiling. For those “hommes” to intellectualize rough trail riding and the ergonomics of rider position in big bumps and pockmarked, rutted out terrain comes as a bit of a surprise to us. This is the company that gave us the Everest—nice for touring, but not very good when the trails got rough—and Safari series. We have been incredibly impressed that Ski-Doo brought us the REV. We would have thought that Polaris or Cat would have done that since their engineers open the R&D doors in northwestern Minnesota and head out on to some of the most pitted out roadside ditches you can imagine!

That brings us back to another reason we are impressed with what Ski-Doo has done. When a sled company has been #1, it has been hard to retain that title. Yes, Polaris was #1 for more than a decade living off the Indy and its many iterations. But when it came time to make the great big jump forward, Polaris gave us the Fusion 900. Goodbye #1!

Arctic Cat was #1 for years, but in tough times back in the late 1970s and early1980s, Cat went out of business and was saved by diehard Cat engineers and marketing types who brought it back to life and created the biggest comeback in snowmobiling history—in great part due to an even more diehard core of Arctic Cat owners who would rather give up riding if they couldn’t have a Cat!

Yamaha was #1 after Arctic Cat fell into receivership, but despite its lineup of interesting sleds like the Enticer, SRX and SRV, Yamaha fell off to a distant fourth place in a group of four. With a renewed commitment to snowmobiling and a major commitment of 4stroke technology, Yamaha has rebounded and now challenges Ski-Doo.

Ski-Doo vs Yamaha—The Ski-Doo/Yamaha challenge is an interesting one. The two companies are opposite in engine technology. Yamaha is 4stroke-centric. Ski-Doo is open to both 2stroke and 4stroke—sort of. For its performance line, Ski-Doo opts for clean burning 2strokes that are lighter and pack more power per cc than a 4stroker. Ski-Doo offers a V-twin 4stroke for its trail-oriented lineup of Legend type machines, but believes that performance riders want lightweight performance first and foremost. And, for Ski-Doo that means 2stroke Rotax performance.

Based on rides this winter of the new Blizzard 800cc twin, we agree that performance riders can get strong performance and good fuel efficiency from 2stroke-based sleds. Just recently at a gas station in central Minnesota, we compared fuel efficiency between Ski-Doo’s Blizzard 800 and Arctic Cat’s Jaguar Z1 4stroke. Having traveled the same distance, the 4stroke thirsted for a gallon more of fuel than did the 2stroke Ski-Doo. Keep in mind that the Suzuki-built Cat motor uses a computer-corrected fuel injection system versus the carbureted throttle body style feeding the Ski-Doo 2stroke twin. We were quite surprised at the result of that fill up. Ski-Doo’s Rotax engineers know a little something about squeezing power and efficiency out of its engines!

Bottom Line—The bottom line in this discussion is simple. Ski-Doo has established a new standard for snowmobiles. There is power-to-weight. There is comfort. There is big bump performance. There is engine power. There is engine efficiency. There is a heritage that is taken very, very, very seriously by a legacy sled brand! And, there is a very large challenge for the competition.

© 2007 Snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog

RANTS & RAVES

Cat Lays Off 65 As Slow Sales Settle In— Just as Polaris did earlier, Arctic Cat accepted the reality of its marketplace and decided to cutback, dropping up to 65 employees from its ranks. Most of the cuts came in the Thief River Falls, MN home area.

Although snow has fallen with a vengeance in upstate New York this past week, the reality of snowmobiling for the past few years has been sluggish sales, a laggard economy and marginal traffic into snowmobile showrooms. With boat shows and RV shows vying for consumer attention across the country, sled sales are taking another hit. People want to talk warm weather, figuring that winter is past and its time to get ready for the boating, fishing, and camping seasons.

Cat has found that sales of its line of recreational toys has slowed as even its well-regarded ATV and utility vehicles are falling prey to what is seen by analysts as a saturated market. For both Cat and its neighbor in Roseau, MN, the powersports business requires a cinching up of the belt until market conditions turnaround.


Yamaha To Announce New Sleds To Dealers At Month’s End— Expect any announcements about new 2008 snowmobile products to be made in Wisconsin at a major Yamaha dealer conference. You can bet that dealers will learn just how excited the California-based distributor of Yamaha motorsports products is about the exceptional record its snowmobile racers have racked up this winter. The snocross victory in Brainerd was a big boost for the advancement of 4stroke performance. A win at the Soo and Corey Davidson’s gutsy showing at Mille Lacs Lake cross country event are encouraging signs that Yamaha sleds can compete—and win—against all comers! Yamaha marketers will be sure to explain to its dealers that when it comes to performance, Yamaha 4strokes can lead the way. And, of course, they will expect the dealers to order product.

Western Sales Equal Unreality— If you look at the sales statistics for the most recent season or two, you’d think that the West leads the way in snowmobiling. That fact is misleading as the west has been the only place with consistent snows. The high percentage of sleds sold in that market reflects this anomaly. But unless it never snows again in the east or Midwest, it is a mistake to look at those total sales in the west as a dominating pattern. Once the gods of snow settle back in and dump on the rest of the US, the percentage of sales for the west will drop like a stone.

Of course, no one knows when normal winters will return and with it, normal sales patterns. As for right now, marketing types are earning their money as they find that their once smart promotional programs are falling flat. Ask any veteran snowmo-guru with a decade or more of experience and that person will tell you that the only ingredient to creating marketing genius is SNOW! Anything else is a well-intentioned placebo.

Improved Reliability But C’mon— We can’t help but notice that as sleds become more reliable, sled makers are making routine repairs a bigger and bigger pain in the posterior! We went to change a sparkplug on our REV the other day and discovered it was way more difficult than it should be. Thanks to the REV’s frame design, one plug lies nearly impossible to reach. You can extricate it in only one way and it requires patience that some of us don’t really have.

Yamaha’s Phazer twin and the new Cat motors are essentially hidden in the bowels of the new sled engineering designs that center mass under the rider. We’ve seen a Phazer guru decide that it was easier to remove the fuel tank to access the engine than remove side panels. You almost have to remove the Cat’s new 4stroke twin to get at its plugs. The manufacturers’ response to all of this is that today’s sleds are s-o-o reliable that you won’t be changing plugs anyway. You betcha!

Yes, we have come a long way in sled reliability, but when you’re out on the trail and a belt blows or a sparkplug fouls and the hood comes up, don’t you really think that a $12,000 toy should be immune from all that? We aren’t that removed from our grandfather’s day after all are we?

Future Sleds And Computerization— Manufacturers are so proud of themselves for what they’ve brought to market. And for the most part they are deserved credit. Still, we can think of some things that we should come to expect on sleds that carry price tags north of $10,000.

For example, with all of today’s mini-computer this and that on our cars, why don’t sleds incorporate them on the braking systems? How about an anti-lock braking system for the track? When you screw up and have to grab a handful of brake, what happens? The track immediately locks and starts to slide. It can fishtail, making your emergency maneuver trickier. If it had anti-lock braking, it would stop you more quickly and in a more controlled, more easily directed manner. Anti-lock braking? With sleds having 150-plus horsepower and top speeds easily in excess of 100 miles per hour, shouldn’t there be a bit more concern on the stop-ability of the modern sled?

How about mini-computers in suspension systems that are predictive and reactive to trail conditions? The vast majority of consumers don’t set their suspensions properly for the way they ride. The vast majority of dealers— making a $100 over their cost on a sled — aren’t going to fine-tune a suspension for the dollar-conscious customer. This means that suspension set up falls back to the consumer. Or the manufacturer can use computerization to fine-tune a sled’s ride. With the advent of modern electrical systems on today’s sleds, there has to be a way to tune reactive suspension to a snowmobile.

In many ways the modern snowmobile hasn’t changed all that much from the days of Eliason’s first motor toboggans. Evolution is slow, yes. But if snowmobile makers want to convince us consumers that their products are worth all the money they are asking, shouldn’t they be making more breakthroughs in things other than top speed and horsepower. And, if you follow computerization to its logical next step, it could very well be a way to make suspensions more effective and lighter in weight. We won’t hold our breath.

© 2007 Snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog

OPINION

Future Sled Marketing...

It Ain’t Rocket Science


It has amazed us over the years as to how snowmobile-marketing types think that snowmobile enthusiasts are not very bright. These gurus of hype and product planning seem to think that the average snowmobile fan can’t figure out what’s coming next, or what should be coming next from each manufacturer.

We will agree that often the final execution of a product plan can still surprise us from time to time. For one we have been both surprised and impressed with Yamaha’s commitment to its sled biz. Any normal bottom-line American company would have pulled the plug on snowmobiles about six years ago when Yamaha’s market share was sinking lower and lower into the single digits. But, because Japanese companies tend to think longer term than every financial quarter, Yamaha snowmobiles survived and are doing quite well with the company’s commitment to 4stroke performance.

Still, it should come as little surprise that snowmobile companies that are involved in racing would eventually offer some form of a consumer sled based on the racing machine. Ski-Doo never missed a beat in its history. There were free-air Rotax-powered trail sleds based on oval track racers. There were the Blair Morgan “signature” models. And even this season there is the MXZ X-RS, a snocross-like “big bump” sled for the trail warrior.

Arctic Cat historically has followed racing successes with either trail performance models or letting race tricks dribble down into everyday consumer models.

In our opinion, Polaris marketing types have been the most outrageously behind the curve in recent years. Back in September 2005, when it was suggested that the about-to-be-introduced-at-HayDays race sled would lend itself to a nifty “trail version” that could entice the Polaris faithful to Polaris dealerships, we were told in a very arrogantly condescending manner that no such plan would be in the works and, essentially, chastised for suggesting that the almighty Fusion 900 wasn’t worthy of drawing showroom traffic on its own. Sorry! Even with unprecedented offers on Fusions, customers are managing to stay away in droves. Fortunately the Dragon and IQ models are driving some semblance of traffic and helping Polaris regain some respect among its faithful.

But, a decontented race sled version for the mogul and ditch set? In ’05, it was a stupid idea. However, rumors of Polaris preparing a preeminent ditch banger with a serious snocross pedigree for the very near future have been on the radar for more than a year. Hey, how hard is it to at least offer a snocross replica for the few hundred (thousand?) wannabe-racers out there?

With snocross racing specifications and rules changing to incorporate 600cc twins and 1,050cc 4stroke triples as the base engines, could we expect to see some new big bump sleds for the aggressive trail riders? While Polaris is rumored to have an 800cc motor ready for next season, does it really take a marketing guru to figure out where Polaris’ sled line is weak? We will admit to liking what Polaris has done with the 140 horsepower, turbocharged Weber 4stroke in the IQ chassis. But it doesn’t take a Masters degree in marketing to figure out that the Weber setup is too heavy and lacks consumer sizzle to be the headliner in the Polaris performance line of the future. It’s nicely suited for trail and cruising performance, yes. Polaris has to fend off Arctic Cat and Ski-Doo, both of which have more than a 700cc twin where it counts. We figure a race-bred mogul masher to battle Ski-Doo’s X-RS at both the 600 and up levels has to be in the plan. If not, Polaris is more arrogant than even we could imagine!

Arctic Cat could offer a “Tucker Hibbert” replica that would draw interest, as would an updated “Blair Morgan” Ski-Doo replica. That leaves Yamaha out of the picture—for now!

You snocross fans know by now that Yamaha’s R&D 4stroke snocrosser won its class at Brainerd, Minnesota, earlier this month. In the process the victory became the first ever for a 4stroke in such competition, for which Yamaha is justifiably proud.

In an earlier chat with Yamaha’s racing team manager, we learned that the Yamaha race sled has been a constantly evolving work in progress for the R&D team. When asked about the use of a Vector-type engine in the current race sled, we were told that next year’s rules call for a triple cylinder maximum of 1,050cc in a three cylinder maximum format. Final drive cannot be of a gear reduction setup as with the Apex 4stroke. Being very coy, Yamaha suggests that the snocrosser engine meets racing specs and is to the Vector triple as the Apex quad is to the original RX-1 quad. What’s that mean?

What we know beyond a doubt is what we can glean from photos of the snocrossers in action at Brainerd and the Winter X games—where the Yamaha failed to qualify. Check out the early photos of the Yamaha R&D snocrosser at Duluth. Then check out the photos of the Yamaha snocrosser that ran at Brainerd. You tell us what you see. Is that a highly evolved new front suspension? What else can you determine?

Check out the Polaris, Ski-Doo and Arctic Cat models as well. How much of that look will make it from snocrosser to trail sled within the next season or two?

Based on the fact that sled sales outside of the western snow states totally stink, we guess that snocross replicas may make the cut for the coming model year to help ignite a spark of interest at the dealerships. There are big bucks spent on racing and a sled manufacturer would be ill served not to use it to create excitement for its dealers and its loyal customer base. But, hey, we’re just your average snowmobile enthusiast, what could we possibly know!

© 2007 Snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog

SLED RIDE

Yamaha Phazer

Much Promise. Some Concerns.

If any of you have ridden older vintage sleds like the 1960-1970 Ski-Dooes, the first John Deere models or, even, Yamaha SL models with the engines mounted up on the front of the tunnel, then you know how little weight there is over the skis and how it impacts cornering and handling. The front-end bite on those early sleds is marginal at best. Even moving your body as far forward as possible can’t get you secure bite on those leaf spring-supported skis.

Now, move forward three to four decades. Test ride Yamaha’s all-new Phazer lightweight. Nice front suspension. Well-designed stabilizer bar to maximize side-to-side weight transfer from ski to ski. Modern ski and runner design. Everything that should guarantee great handling. Easy steering is assured. Ski bite is not.

As much as we absolutely love the Yamaha Phazer as a concept, we can’t come to grips with the Phazer on the trail. Frankly, because we were excited about Yamaha’s new concept, we have made a point of test riding as many production models as possible. Our favorite of all Yamaha Phazer iterations is the GT model, which corners flattest of all and seems to have the most ski bite when riding hard. Still, it is not enough.

Upon reflection as to why the Phazer leaves us wanting, we have concluded that Yamaha engineering went a titch too far when centering the unit’s mass. Yes, we fully recognize that we are absolutely NOT the Phazer’s target market. But we have been able to professionally ride, evaluate and judge snowmobile performance fairly and objectively from our first ever test session in the days of tunnel-mounted sleds to today.

Back to our point. Yamaha takes this whole centralized mass thing seriously. Overall they have done a wonderful job with making the Apex handle and ride like a much lighter sled than it is. And we compliment them for their success in snocross and proving that 4stroke performance can win against 2strokes. Still, in the case of the Phazer, we feel that the sled’s handling, which we can only rate as “unsure”, is a direct result of moving the engine and its components too far to the center, too far off the ski centerline. We also think that Yamaha engineers went a bit overboard with their concept of rough trail handling and designed a front suspension that is too active and not backed up by a similarly active rear suspension.

When we test rode the prototype Phazers a year ago, we commented to key Yamaha product people that we felt the front end action was too “tippy” and uncertain in its handling characteristics. We suggested that Yamaha consider a thicker sway bar to better control side-to-side motion. Of course, we are just snowmobile enthusiasts and not trained engineers and what do we know. We were told that the way the prototype Phazers were was what consumers would want in this sled. Okay, fine. But interestingly enough, when we saw ALL of the final production Phazer models at Hay Days this autumn, virtually all of them were fitted with upgraded sway bars. Huh?

Let’s give Yamaha credit for creating a very viable –wonderfully fun—sled for all snowmobilers. With a real top speed in the upper 70s on hardpack, the Phazer will compete with sport performance fan-cooled models like Ski-Doo’s REV MXZ 550F and even Cat’s base liquid-cooled 500cc twin models, but it will not handle with a well-ridden REV which has better bite from its racing inspired front end and twin-bladed skis.

We suggest that the Phazer could benefit from better skis, perhaps even a very aggressive dual runner design that could grip the snow with more authority. But overall, the flaw in the Phazer design may be two-fold. First, as mentioned, too much weight has been moved aft of the skis effectively unweighting the ski runners too much for the kind of handling and cornering ski bite a lightweight and nimble sled like this should possess. Second, while Yamaha engineering spent much effort in lowering the sled’s actual center of gravity (very commendable, by the way!), the Phazer design (in our opinion) moved the rider too high in the saddle, effectively offsetting the “CG” gain from the lowered and central power train positioning. Even moving way up on the saddle, almost onto the gas cap, is not enough to get the skis to bite like we think they should. When you do this, you totally unbalance the rear end, making it want to skip around on you in really tight trails. Because there are only 80 high-strung ponies to work with, you can’t really throttle your way out of a crossed up corner.

To us, the Phazer is a wonderful sled to begin with. Light enough (about the same as a fan-cooled REV or Indy). Ergonomically suited for younger or more diminutive riders. It is more than adequate for spirited riding, but not for snocross action. It is incredibly well finished in overall quality. And it is seductively priced.

But truth is, its looks as a lightweight sport machine are deceiving. Based on price and features alone, it is a fascinating value. While it is a good bump sled, it is not a great one.

What you get for your money may prove to be legendary. It is a 4stroke with a high-revving twin that requires a secondary drive to get engine revs within “clutchable” parameters. Think Apex quad engine instead of Vector triple. As a high revver, the Phazer seems a bit weak at low revs, but coming on well enough at midrange and top speed.

Despite what the digital display will show, the Phazer enjoys a relatively new Yamaha tradition of showing off extremely optimistic speeds. At an indicated top speed of 85 to 88 miles per hour, the actual ground speed will be nearly 10 mph lower as we discovered when riding with riders aboard higher horsepowered sleds. My Phazer indicated a speed of 87 mph. The other riders who said their sleds’ speedometers indicated that they were doing 80-85 mph left me in their wake. This isn’t really a surprise with the Yamaha speedometers, which have been prone to optimism since the introduction of the RX-1 and its 120 mph read-outs!

While the target market of youthful and nimble ridership will find the seating okay; an older, broader-beamed ridership will find the narrow-top saddle as comfortable as a Chippendale dancer’s thong.

Light and relatively nimble, the Phazer is uniquely styled. It comes with gotta-love-it electric start —and reverse on all but the cheapest version. It is light in weight, making it very easy to load and unload on to your trailer or into the back of your pickup.

Overall, we love the concept and while we accept the sled’s limits, we feel a bit put off at what we feel should have been one of the sport’s all-time, trendsetting all-stars. Maybe future Phazers will get it ALL right!

Photos: Yamaha

© 2007 Snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog

TRAIL REPORT



















All Signs Say
Snowmobiling A-OK
From Hurley, WI
To Bergland, MI

Get your sleds loaded for snow and head your tow vehicles to the Wisconsin/Michigan border towns of Hurley (WI) and Ironwood (MI). This is where trail groomers actually have snow to groom this season. And, while the warm (unseasonably so) temperatures turned today's January riding into March-like conditions, the weather is breaking toward the cold side, which will hold trail conditions until the arrival of projected snow storms early to midweek next!

Just back from a day on the trails around Bergland (MI), we can report that the groomers were out early --and so were dozens of snowmobilers. If you're enthusiasm has been on hold, shake it loose and call places like Hurley, Ironwood, Wakefield and Bergland for the most current conditions.

Remember that to a native of these areas, current conditions are only fair but to snow-starved snowmobilers from Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa-- well, this is winter playtime. Real snow. Real groomers on real trails. And the promise is for more snow soon,

As riders based in Minnesota, we can tell you the stores, gas stations, restaurants and lodging sites in the Hurley/Ironwood/Bergland areas are eager to see you. We can report that in this totally abnormal season, the riding here is real.

© 2007 snowmobilia/Jerry Bassett

To comment go to – http://www.amsnow.com/jerrysblog