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Yamaha RX-1We weren't exactly sure what to expect from Yamaha's newest version of its 4-stroke RX-1, but we found that it could hang with its lighter, 2-stroke competitors in a quarter-mile. The RX-1 hit 102.35mph on our radar, which means it wasn't far behind the other three sleds, especially the Cat and Polaris.
Our test rider noticed, however, that the RX-1 had what he called an "optimistic" speedometer - in its best run the Yamaha's speedo showed 122, which was 19mph faster than what we recorded on the radar gun. Maybe we should call this a "wishometer!"
Where the RX-1 shined most was in fuel consumption, its 4-stroke getting 16.9 mpg on the trails - 6 mpg more than the next best 2-stroke guzzler. This means we got a lot more trail miles with this model before each fill-up. Add to that the fact that we didn't have to put oil in the sled, and our budget watchers were happy.
The RX-1 was a lot of fun on the trails, too. Our riders liked its smooth throttle pull, and adjustable mono-shock rear suspension. The sled was the most stable of our foursome at high speeds but tended to push hard in the corners. The blue machine is also only a sit-down rider as it is not ergonomically engineered for a standing riding position, but that's changing next season. See the sneak peek of '06 sleds that follows.