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Yamaha Vector MountainWeight: 661 lbs.
Turning radius: 18.8 ft.
Our fleet of test drivers didn't think it fair to compare this sled to the other steep-n-deep eaters, but looked at it for its specific mountain niche.
Drivers liked the sled's electric start, wide running boards, mountain-specific handlebars and its tall seats. They also praised its good looks, smooth power and quick throttle response, along with its equally smooth front and rear suspension. But most of our testers felt the sled is better suited for the trails and needs more power.
We think the sled is priced right, and is a great beginner's mountain sled. Its smaller horsepower engine tractors through the deep snow, but we feel it won't blow out the track and could spin down and get stuck.
Ergonomically, the sled is great and lighter riders will have a hoot on it. This improved RX-1 Mountain-like chassis gets our vote for the most-improved existing chassis this year, and we hear there are even better things coming for 2006.
This sled, like the RX-1 Mountain when it was introduced, is being marketed as a boondocker, but our riders disagree - they view the RS Vector Mountain as a trail or crossover sled. The deeply passionate boondocker desires power in a lightweight package and the Vector, as good as it is, doesn't quite deliver enough in these categories.
Thanks this year to the participating dealers, Covert Operations for scale operations and to TJ's Yamaha for hosting the event. Other participating dealers: Rexburg Motor Sports, Rexburg, Idaho, (Arctic Cat, Polaris, Ski-Doo and Yamaha); Ron Williams, Cory Williams, Bobby Barney and Trev Burt; Mountain Magic Sports, Preston, Idaho, (Arctic Cat); Bret and Jody Rasmussen; Butterfield Express, Pocatello, Idaho, (Polaris); Mike Butterfield and Craig Jensen; Star Valley Ski-Doo, Thayne, Wyo., Delmar and Mike Suter; TJ's Sports, Alpine, Wyo., (Yamaha), Jason DeCora.