all star cruisers

All-star snow cruisers come standard with everything a serious trail rider could want. Serious power is available in engine sizes from 580cc to 669cc. Deep cushion saddles with step-up seating for the passenger are laid over lightweight aluminum frames that house extended travel suspensions. Fully equipped instrument clusters signal everything from low fuel to high temperatures. Key start convenience, reverse gear, heated hand grips and throttle lever are all standard. All the major top line cruisers come this way. But there are differences.

ARCTIC CAT PANTERA ($6,799.00)

One of the two sportiest dual riders for 1995 is Cat's Pantera. Based on ZR technology the Pantera comes standard with the ZR's fourth generation Arctic Wishbone front suspension, AWS IV. With a ski stance that stretches to 40 inches under full compression, the AWS IV provides an ample six inches of front travel. As with the ZR series, the AWS IV is comprised of chrommoly A-arms in its double wishbone configuration. Adding progressive rate springs, gas shocks and a swaybar makes this all star-cruiser extremely nimble on the trail.

At the rear, you'll find Arctic's FasTrack extra long travel slide rail suspension. The gas shock assists the spring setup to make the 8.5 inches of travel smooth through its entire range. Cat's unique fiberglass overload springs can be put into play by simply raising the spring tensioning device into position. While it may appear gimmicky, the fiberglass springing works well when you are riding two-up with a full complement of luggage. On earlier Panteras with the similar setup, we found the fiberglass springs easy to put into position and that they performed exactly as Cat's spokesmen said they would. When riding solo, you won't need the stiffening effect of the overload springs.

Perception and reality are not the same with the Pantera. At first glance the Pantera looks wide, long and heavy. Maybe it's the pillow-sized backrest in combination with the high windshield and ovoid-shape created by the cowling and bellypan. The sled looks big.

That's perception. The reality is that the sled, at least one-up, handles like a ZR Mountain Cat, which in many ways it is. Take a ZR 580 EFI, add a Mountain Cat length suspension and track and you have a Pantera minus the bells and whistles. You retain the key ingredients, like a ZR-type hydraulic disc brake that is far, far superior to the mechanical setup used in previous Panteras. You also retain the electronic fuel injection of the ZR 580 EFI model, though set to tamer, cruiser standards, but no less crisp. Cat's EFI is the best of any we've tested to date. Throttle response has always been exceptional.

Reality in the Pantera is a sled that combines the best of the ZR world with the cruiser world. This top Cat provides excellent handling in its class. It has all the key ingredients that premium touring sleds like Ski-Doo's Grand Touring offer. If there is a down side to the Pantera, it may be that the 580cc liquid-cooled twin, which runs very well and is quite adequate, may be a titch small for a sled for which Cat refuses to publish weight data. If you want a notch more in power, step up to the Wildcat Touring and its 700cc twin. It's Cat's muscle cruiser. The Pantera is the luxury cruiser.

With the Pantera you get sporty handling, weather-defying styling, hydraulic disc braking, electronic fuel injection, reverse gear, electric starting, hand and throttle thumbwarmers, full instrumentation, 11-gallon fuel tank, halogen head lamp, and mirrors.

On a scale of 1 to 10, with one being the best, our AMERICAN SNOWMOBILER test riding crew rated the brake effectiveness a 1.5; windshield effectiveness a 1.0; ride and handling a 3.0; and trail-ability a 2.0. The engine/drive accessibility, underhood accessibility and storage were rated fair.

POLARIS INDY RXL TOURING ($7,699.00)

Polaris has given the RXL an entirely new personality. In the solo rider category, the RXL with the new XTRA suspension front and rear is a refreshed sled. Now as a two-up luxury cruiser, the Indy RXL Touring is an adept machine that ranks alongside the Pantera in handling and tops in overall performance.

Ironically, the Indy RXL Touring is an offshoot of sleds once built specifically for the Scandinavian market a few years ago. On a tour of the Roseau plant back then, we spied a short run Indy 650 with two up seat, reverse and long track. We were told that it was a limited build unit destined for Scandinavia. Well, fortunately, we are getting a version of it for 1995.

The Fuji-built 648cc triple is a natural for touring. Controlled by Polaris' electronic fuel injection setup, the engine puts out just over 100 horsepower. Those horses are well-mannered with smooth power at take-off and strong power in the midrange where cruising riders demand it. Top speed is adequate, but not all that important for two-up riding. We really like this powerplant and drive train in this format. It is the best setup for cruising we've seen to date. While not the most powerful (We'll give that accolade to Ski-Doo's Grand Touring), the RXL Touring's powerplant is the best package of the four sleds we'll compare here. It's reliable, smooth and time-tested in a wide variety of conditions.

Based on the traditional Indy styling, the RXL Touring shares styling cues with the short wheelbase RXL with XTRA. The taller windshield, two-up seat and backrest make the touring version stand apart from the sports version. Instead of an XTRA suspension setup, the RXL Touring relies on the XC-100 rear suspension and its 8.0 inches of suspension travel. Likewise the standard independent front suspension provides 8.0 inches of travel with coil springs over nitrogen cell shocks. Ski stance measures 40-inches from center to center. A standard fixed in position swaybar transfers ski action.

The Polaris front and extended length rear suspension work extremely well together. The only way to improve upon this Indy touring setup would be to offer a long tracked XTRA …and can that be far behind? The Indy IFS has evolved into a superior suspension that is very adept for snow cruising. The XC-100 rear suspension offers a very nice blend of "cush" and sports-oriented stiffness like the Pantera. The suspension and powertrain are definite assets.

Where the RXL falls a titch short is in ergonomics. In that category, we like the Indy XLT Touring better. The XLT Touring is based on the new style Indy and enjoys the benefits of the updated chassis and styling. Enhancements include better placed controls and a more integrated hood, windshield and driver's "cockpit." Performance is down to a "guesstimated" 90-ish horsepower on the XLT's 600 triple, so you are giving up something to have handlebar mounted rocker switches for the heated hand grips and a more powerful headlight system. You won't get the liquid-cooled hydraulic disc braking system that is standard with the RXL series either.

You do get a comfortable two-up seat with stepped rear platform and an adjustable backrest. One thing that we like about the new saddle is how Polaris designed in a little rump-stopper for the driver. Maybe it's a territorial thing, but we found this division of the seat helped define comfort both in two-up and solo riding.

We also enjoyed the lighter feel on the steering which was a direct result of the E-Z Steer carbides. This feature is offered on other Indy models and as an accessory. For snow cruising, we recommend it because it actually does two things. One, the flatter bar virtually eliminates any "hunting" sensation when riding at low to moderate speeds in some snow conditions. Two, the steering effort is noticeably reduced, especially on a liquid-cooled triple with lots of additional plumbing for liquid-cooled braking and front-mounted cooling extrusions.

Other standard features include electric start, reverse and mirrors. If you like the traditional styling of the Indy, want a powerful two-up cruiser, and still want to run with the big dogs on the lakes, this is your kind of cruiser.

Our test riders rated the Indy RXL Touring a 1.5 in performance, average in accessibility, fair in ergonomics, strong in braking effectiveness, and better than average in its class as relates to comfort and ride.

SKI-DOO GRAND TOURING SE ($7,999.00)

For years Ski-Doo has owned the luxury touring segment. This season, Cat's Pantera gives it a strong run for the money, even sharing the pillow-sized backrest, but matching up better dollar-wise and performance-wise with Ski-Doo's slightly smaller Grand Touring 580. No, the Ski-Doo Grand Touring SE can still be king for another season even though Polaris has closed in on the Bombardier snow cruiser with its 650cc RXL Touring. Give Bombardier its "Doo"- when it comes to making long haul snow machines, the Quebecois are the best. They have the most experience with well-groomed trails and know how to make a 300-mile day seem like an afternoon jaunt.

The Grand Touring is the Trail Master. It has the biggest engine at 669cc. It has the most power at a "guesstimated" 110+. It has the most innovative engine trinkets designed to make power. You'll find a rotary valve intake, which very precisely meters incoming fuel. You'll find a variable exhaust port modifier system, which effectively boosts low end torque and top end horsepower. The result is a very sophisticated two-stroke twin that delivers strong power. Ski-Doo ensures that most of the engine's power gets from the crankshaft power take-off to the track via Bombardier/Rotax designed clutching. The TRAC design has proven to be the answer for Ski-Doo. The drive clutch, which offers externally adjustable RPM settings, has proven to be extremely reliable although somewhat heavier than some other manufacturers' clutch designs.

While the Ski-Doo engine is more powerful than the 650 triple in the RXL Touring, in the Grand Touring models we've tested, both in the new and older chassis, we've found the gearing a notch or two too low for our personal tastes. This is a purely subjective thing. There's no doubt about the engine's strength or the clutching's reliability. We'd opt for a taller gear and give up a little bottom end. This sled has the overall power to accommodate it.

Speaking of accommodations, what can we say but, "Wow!" You can tell that Ski-Doo engineers only have to lift a garage door to gain access to one of the finest snowmobile trail systems in the world. The Grand Touring SE reflects it. There's a stylish - and comfortable - saddle with a raised passenger platform and rump ridge divider for the driver. The handlebars are placed so that they fall perfectly into your hands. Your feet extend into the cowl's protection and the windshield whips cold air up and over your head.

The Direct Shock Action front suspension has 6.5 inches of vertical travel working through coil springs and high performance gas shocks. The 40-inch ski stance provides a stable platform when combined with the low-mounted engine under the hood.

The rear suspension is a stretched version of the C-7 unit seen in previous Grand Touring models. It has three multiple valving adjusting shocks, progressive action springs, and 7.5 inches of real world travel.

All of these suspension components hang off the all new lightweight aluminum touring chassis. This is a specifically refined version of the earlier F-2000 chassis upon which Ski-Doo is basing its new generation of snowmobiles. It is a superior design and well suited to the luxury cruiser segment.

You'll find a large 11.1-gallon fuel tank, high output 220 watt magneto that'll run all of your electrical toys like the handwarmers for you and your passenger, thumb heater, electric fuel gauge and illuminated speedometer and tach.

Although Ski-Doo has had the progressive linkage throttle for a number of years now, it is a definite asset for long distance riding. It really makes a difference in how you perceive performance and how you enjoy your ride.

And, of course, the SE has all the standard luxury appointments like electric start, reverse, passenger footrest, parking brake, carbide runners and halogen lighting. And, like the Yamaha Vmax 600, Ski-Doo opts for a self-adjusting mechanical disc brake, which we found works just fine in this model.

If you want the luxury but are willing to settle for a little less performance, there is Grand Touring with the 580cc twin and a version with the 470cc twin. The latter is a real gem for people looking for a very reliable but less expensive two-up cruising snowmobile. We would give the Grand Touring 470 a definite thumbs up and rank it as one of the best touring values on the market.

As for the Grand Touring SE, our AMERICAN SNOWMOBILER test riders rated the power well above average in the class, handling was good, ergonomics were excellent, underhood accessibility to components was average, and brake effectiveness was average.

YAMAHA VMAX 600 DX ($6,899.00)

Yamaha, the company that brought niche marketing to snowmobiling, is trying to simplify its lineup by offering variations of its theme of three Vmax models. Yamaha has done away with the "cutesy" stuff of sticking a new deep lug track and graphic treatment on a sled and making a separate model like the powder special. Maybe Yamaha is too successful in simplifying its line at a time when the other guys are creating more and more models. Maybe it's working against them. The perception of us and many other snowmobilers is that Yamaha doesn't have the model variety of the competition. The reality is quite different.

While Yamaha offers Vmax models with three engine sizes- 800, 600 and 500, it also offers further variations of each Vmax model. Within the Vmax models is where you find the variety. In the Vmax 600 segment, you'll find a gem of a touring sled, made even better this year thanks to a new secondary clutch that is proving to be everything the engineers claimed it would be.

That gem is the Vmax 600 DX. All Vmax 600s are powered by the same 598cc liquid-cooled twin. That means that snow cruisers can count on a very reliable, very strong performing motor. That strength comes from Yamaha's fetish for maximizing performance by utilizing reed valve induction and a pair of flat-slide 36mm carburetors which result in excellent throttle response.

As we noted, the introduction of the Yamaha VX clutch system also means that Yamaha owners can count on more of the engine's power getting to the snow. While the primary clutch gained some refinements, the magic is in the secondary, which is Cat-like in design with an open torque cam design for better cooling. Wider bearing spread reduces binding and cuts down on friction. The sheave angle was increased from 14 degrees to 14.5 degrees and results in improved belt grip and overall efficiency. The overall result is improved backshifting, very important for a two-up snow cruiser working under load, and quicker upshifts, also important for economy and efficiency.

By adding a longer track and two-up saddle to the base Vmax 600, you see the beginnings of the Vmax 600 DX. Outfitting the 600 with a deep block track measuring 136 inches in circumference gives the DX version improved traction for virtually all trail conditions. That also means that the extended length version of Yamaha's Pro-Action Link suspension comes standard as well. The rear suspension provides up to 8.5 inches of travel working via nitrogen gas shocks for improved damping response.

Yamaha's standard Telescopic Strut Suspension with 7.2 inches of travel balances the suspension system front to rear. Like the other snow cruisers in the luxury end, the Vmax 600 DX has a 40-inch ski stance.

From a personal comfort standpoint, the DX has the new infinitely adjustable thumb/grip warmer with a ceramic heating element. This dial-a-setting heat control has to be an improvement over past Yamaha handwarmers, which we found to be marginally effective at best. The electrical power output has been boosted from 150 watts to 175 watts. The DX handwarmer system includes passenger grip warmers, too.

The windshield is 2.5 inches higher on the new DX series. The seat is new and offers a step platform for the passenger as well as more storage than previous seats.

The reverse gear system with its "beeper" warning device is a factory installed unit and differs from the optional dealer installed kits available for other Vmax models. It's easy to operate and really makes getting this cruiser on and off a trailer simple.

Standard features on the DX include electric start, a 10-gallon fuel tank, lightweight plastic ski skins good for improved performance in weighty snow, and full instrumentation including a speedometer, tach, trip meter, electric fuel gauge and warning lights.

Our test riding session showed us that the Vmax 600 DX has the performance of the Pantera, which you should expect since both models rely on "600" twins. The handling was average. We suspect a stiffer roll bar would be an advantage on the DX, but Yamaha owners familiar with the body roll inherent with the TSS won't find it a problem. All riders will like the way the DX gobbles up head-on bumps. The underhood access was on a par with all the other sleds in the group. Seating and overall ergonomics were very good. All of these snow cruisers are good two-up riding machines and the DX is every bit the equal of the Grand Touring and Pantera. We thought that the Polaris RXL Touring and Cat's Pantera offered the sportiest ride while the Yamaha and Ski-Doo have more plushness built into them.

The Yamaha is a very nice piece of equipment. Fit and finish are high marks. The 600 engine is a pleasure, especially when combined with the new clutching. Obviously, Yamaha could make quite a statement if it created a Vmax-4 DX. Now that would be a luxury cruiser to end all luxury cruisers. It would have the amenities of the Vmax 600 DX but with an incredibly powerful and smooth four-cylinder engine. We've got to stop, the very idea of such a sled is making us drool.

YOUR CHOICE
Overall, when it comes to luxury touring, there are four very solid choices. Two, the Cat and Yamaha, have moderate powerplants to propel their weighty luxury appointments. Two are powered well, but one of the two offers more sports riding orientation while the other comes from a long tradition of trail cruisers bred on the superhighways of Quebec. If you like luxury riding with a sporty flair, you should choose between the Cat and Polaris. If you like sedan quality ride on your sojourns into snow country, either the Ski-Doo or Yamaha is better suited to you. We have no overall favorites among these four. They all work exceptionally well, are very reliable and durable, have all the features you could ever need, and provide a plush way to see the country side. You decide.