1996 yamaha ovation le

 
The Ovation is to Yamaha what the Jag is to Arctic Cat: uncomplicated and easy to live with, offering a time-tested 340cc fan-cooled twin and a basic, yet effective, suspension system.

The Ovation for 1996 is little changed compared with last year's model. When you have a reliable economy/family sled like this one, there is little need for improvement. At $3,899 the 1996 Ovation LE is still a decent bargain when you figure that its price only went up $30 from last season.

Two test sessions ago we pounded the living heck out of a Yamaha Ovation test sled. We rode it full throttle over some of the worst moguls we could find in South Dakota's Black Hills. The sled impressed us with its toughness and outright ability to take abuse. In most cases this entry-level Yamaha will never be asked to prove itself like our test sled. It will be as reliable as the setting sun and will prove its value on a daily basis. This 337cc machine is fun to ride. Considering its price tag we couldn't complain.

Positioned between the Phazer II and Bravo LT, the Ovation's Yamaha-built twin uses a two barrel Teikei Y26W-2 carb to fuel its two fan-cooled, piston-ported cylinders. Because its carb uses a single opening at low speeds and double opening at high speeds, this low-buck entry is adequately fuel efficient. From a rider's standpoint, the carb's butterfly throttle valve design will be even more appreciated because it offers an extremely light feel at the throttle. For those old enough to remember sleds with Tillotson or Walbro carbs, the Ovation's throttle pull is along those lines. Fortunately, the performance and maintenance are better.

Like Cat's Jag, Yamaha's Ovation is relatively modest in power output. The Yamaha twin is smooth across the powerband, but won't get you any pink slips for low ETs at a drag strip. The engine's power is quickly transferred to the clutch. Since the engine is modest, Yamaha opts for a familiar three swing arm primary drive clutch, similar in concept to the one seen on the larger 485cc Phazer series. At 7.6 inches in diameter, the Ovation's clutch is seven-tenths of an inch smaller than the Phazer's. Less than one-half inch in diameter distinguishes the secondary clutch of the Phazer II and Ovation- the latter being smaller. This setup isn't the latest in Yamaha clutch technology, but you won't be disappointed. Take-offs are smooth as the engine engages the drivetrain cleanly. Midrange is good, but once you hit three-quarters throttle, you've got plenty of time to gaze at the passing scenery waiting for maximum throttle and top speed.

Where Cat's Jag and Polaris' Indy Lite rely on trailing arm linkages for the front suspension, Yamaha scores points with a telescopic front suspension. It's a definite asset on the Ovation. It's clean in the snow, great in straight-ahead mogul running, and extremely simple in concept. The damper resides in the strut housing, like a MacPherson strut in a Toyota. The hydraulic strut damper will fade if pushed in tough terrain at top speed for a long time. If the Ovation is ridden moderately as it was designed to be ridden, you will find the Telescopic Strut Suspension is better overall than its competition.

Front and rear suspension travel are only slightly less than that found on the Phazer. Measuring 5.5 inches with Telescopic Struts in the front and 7.6 inches with Modified Pro-Action in the rear, the Ovation gives up only .5 and .2 inches of respective travel. Smallish and light in weight at 390 pounds, this Yamaha is very agile, even over some of the worst moguls. Credit goes to the effectiveness of the telescopic struts.

With a narrow 34.3-inch ski stance, the Ovation will feel "tippy" making you question its stability. Au contraire, rough rider. When we pushed the Ovation in really rough trails, we thought for sure that we would get bucked into the bushes. No way. The ride was assuredly bouncy, partly due to the lack of a roll bar tying the TSS-suspended skis together and partly due to the sled's light weight. But, ultimately, the Ovation is very stable. At moderate speeds you probably won't notice the jounce. Pushing the sled at speed in rough terrain brings out the jounce.

Designed as a trail sled, the Ovation's diminutive fan-cooled engine won't make it a great hill climber. Its narrow ski stance, TSS and light weight do combine, however, to make it very maneuverable in deep powder.

Value-wise the Ovation LE has a reasonable asking price of $3,899. For a sled under four grand, this economy Yamaha comes nicely loaded with standard features that include electric start, hand and thumb warmers, high windshield and parking brake. Other features we liked on the low-buck Ovation were its mechanical disc brake, speedometer, odometer, gas and oil gauge and 8.1-gallon fuel tank. It goes many miles without having to make a fuel stop.

Although the graphics were the only things to really change on the 1996 Ovation, we were pleased to find that it retained its great value. We were also reassured to find that this sporty little Yamaha didn't tire us; while the Ovation doesn't have the pop of a high performance Vmax, it's still got a lot of spunk.