comparison test skidoo vsyamaha in the 130horse 4stroke

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What we've seen in the last 3 years is a proliferation in the 4-stroke market.

While some Ski-Doo 2-stroke guys tell you demand for 4-strokes is dwindling and you won't see much growth there, Yamaha's 4-stroke guys say they've grown to be the No. 2 OEM simply on 4-stroke sales. In 2009, both are investing heavily in 4-strokes.

Yamaha and Ski-Doo are giving buyers more of what they want with long-track versions of their 130-hp 4-strokers. Enter the Nytro XTX and MXZ Renegade X 1200.

Yamaha goes long
It was expected that Yamaha would come with a long-track Nytro for '09, but few would have guessed the new Nytro XTX to be a full 144-in. long rendition.

As we've said many times, WE LOVE THIS ENGINE! The 1049cc, 3-cylinder, liquid 4-stroke was dynoed by Tech Editor Olav Aaen to have 138.6 hp at 8,500 rpm. So why not let it churn a 144-in. RipSaw track around a 6-degree tipped up rail?

This engine actually seems more at home with this application than the short-track version.

The Mikuni-carbed FI engine gets good gas mileage - 15.3 mpg in our Real World test - is reliable, runs on 87 octane, after its first break-in oil change it only needs to be changed every 2,500 miles, and it has an easy electric start.

In addition to the torquey engine, XTX also gets all new Nytro front-end updates AND a bump-straddling, torque-harnessing, 1.25-in. lugged, 15-in.-wide track. The fully coupled dual shock CK 144 rear suspension has a three-setting pre-load cam-type adjuster on the torsion springs so you can easily set ride height and stiffness to your liking. Also, coupling adjustments can be made via a turn of the collar on the control rods in back. You'll also get a remote reservoir adjustable clicker rear shock with 12 compression clicks.

Taking a cue from its mountain sled testers and snocrossers, Yamaha's XTX has big snow evacuation holes in the boards and a steeper running-board angle of 11 degrees vs. the former Nytro's 9 degrees. Yamaha also made significant changes to the front end of all its Nytro-based sleds. To make the sled more stable, the castor angle was increased from a more up and down 22 degrees to a relaxed 25.8 degrees. The trail at the ski bottom was increased here from 21.4mm to 42.5mm and a revised spindle and shorter A-arms were used to accommodate the castor angle change.

Camber also was increased and ski stance narrowed. You get GYTR dual-
clicker front shocks too, with 12 clicks of compression damping adjustment and 20 clicks of rebound damping adjustment. Talking with Yamaha engineers, they have experimented with slightly more "toe-out" on their '09 sleds. This was something we also worked on with our 2008 demo sled.

Initial hits
The engine, of course.

Tipped up rail. We liked it in the old Polaris Switchbacks too, but "market research" told Polaris that everyone wanted a 136-incher. We're glad Yamaha brought it back! Why sacrifice a shorter track when you can get all the on-trail benefits of a 121 and still have big bump-bridging capability and off-trail dominance? We'll see how this plays out, but I have a feeling this 144-inch Nytro XTX is going to steal sales from a lot of those 136-inchers.

Front end. We like the changes here and believe about 30-40% of the Nytro's darting and unpredictability in the corners has been dialed out. It corners flatter and there isn't as much nervousness in the bumps as last year's short-track.

Rear end. We also like being able to change coupling settings because last year there were NOT adjustable blocks on the Nytros. However, the XTX's couplers aren't as easy to change as some on other sleds.

Top speed. In initial speed runs, this thing has better top end than even some of its short-track brethren. On long open sweeping trails it will not give up anything to an 800 and seems to pull harder than any 700 from the last 3 years.

Running boards. Snow removal is much better with the big "slash" holes and the boards are easy to get a grip on.

Initial pits
Cold. This is inherent to the Nytro body style, the XTX is a cold ride. Even with the slightly larger windshield for this year, the Nytro isn't warm. There needs to be more heat in the handgrips too. Wattage needs to be increased to the bars ASAP if you want to ride XTX in temps less than 25 F.

Handlebar action. Nytro-based sleds are difficult, especially for smaller riders, to leverage in hard aggressive turns. Because the bars move in a more vertical action, riders actually end up pulling them into their crotch while the other end of the bar is high and away from one's body. Don't ask us how Steve Taylor does it for Team Yamaha on the snocross track.

Front-end dive. We noticed this last year on our Nytro, and it could partially be due to engine braking and suspension set-up, but after trying many adjustments, we think it might also simply be due to the sled's geometry. We noticed that every time we hit a big bump head on, the front end would basically dive into the bump unless we were heavily on the gas. While looking at our Nytro XTX photos, we noticed the front end kicked up a lot more snow than any other machine. If you are a snocross fan, we saw this on the race sled as well. Every time Steve Taylor hit a bump before take-off there was an explosion of snow around the front shocks.

No mountain grab bar. If you are going to have a 144-in. crossover sled that is a big 4-stroke, you should have a grab bar in the middle of the handlebars.

No storage. Saddlebags are your only option here.

2009 Yamaha XTX
Engine: 1049cc liquid triple 4-stroke
HP: 138.6 (AmSnow tested)
Exhaust: 2-valves, 3-1 rear exhaust
Ski Stance: 41.3 in.
Front Susp.: Next generation FX-style independent, double wishbone
Rear Susp.: Dual Shock CK 144-inch
Track: 15x144x1.25 in.
Fuel Tank: 7.4 gal.
Price: $10,549 US

Ski-Doo is all new
The yellow camp couldn't deny that there are buyers who simply want a 4-stroke, so Ski-Doo gave consumers a new high-performance, 130-hp 4-stroke, the 1200 4-TEC.

This 1170.7cc, dual-overhead cam, inline, 3-cylinder engine is available in models across Ski-Doo's line, but for this comparison we were interested in the 4-TEC powered MXZ Renegade X 1200.

The 137-in. long Renegade is built for crossover performance. The 1.25-in. lugged track is 16 inches wide so there's a big footprint for off-trail flotation.

Since this Renegade has the 4-stroke engine, it comes in the new REV/XR body, which has a wider hood and slightly different aesthetics than the REV/XP chassis. Several changes were made to the original XP chassis in order to house the larger 4-stroke mill, which brings the Renegade's dry weight to a Ski-Doo estimated 521 lbs.

One of the first things you'll notice on this sled is the low engagement speed of 2,800 rpm. It's sneaky fast on the draw, and if you just mash the throttle out of the gate, it won't even feel like you've started moving until you're suddenly cruising down the trail.The big 4-stroke engine winds out at a low 7,750 rpm too.

Initial hits
Shock calibration. The smoothness of the X-package prototype 1200 shock calibration was perfect. While this is an X-sled, it cycled through its suspension with plush initial stroke and also great bottoming resistance. Extra oil in the piggyback shocks kept them from fading as we got into the bigger bumps and pushed hard through the ripple bumps.

While we don't suggest trying this at home, we watched snocross rider Willie Elam do half a dozen whip-jumps off a natural ramp in Colorado, and the big 4-stroke took the landings well. Even Elam commented on the set-up. The Kayaba HPG clicker take-apart aluminum front shocks are easy to adjust and so is the racing clicker on the rear arm. An HPG take-apart aluminum shock also sits in the front arm.

Smoothness. Clutch engagement, throttle pull, exhaust tone and just about everything on this sled, from a performance standpoint was smooth. Cornering was impressive, but not quite up to the level of the 2-stroke XPs. We believe the small bit of tippiness we felt was due to a slightly taller vehicle height than the XP sleds (3.5 in. taller) and the heavier engine. The best "smoothness" feature of the 1200 was how easy the mechanical reverse was to shift. This is possibly the fastest forward to reverse and vice-versa system out there.

Top end. For only 130 horses, this sled hung right with the 700, 800 and larger straight 4-stroke sleds on the top end. It was not nearly as fast as some sleds out of the hole, but top-end speed was great.

Tank size. With a 10.6-gal. tank and at a Ski-Doo estimated 18.3 mpg, this sled's range should be more than 190 miles. We love not filling tanks every 60 miles, wasting time gassing up.

Initial pits
Brakes. The brakes felt mushy to everyone that rode the Renegade. It's very easy on this sled to build up speed because of the small amount of engine noise and with its long legs, a rider could conceivably get in trouble quickly without a super braking system. The brake set-up on the 1200 Renegade was mediocre.

Engine Braking. Much of the engine braking was dialed out from the first to the second pre-production rides, but many of our riders still felt there was too much. Personally, I like a little engine braking as it helps set you up for the next corner. Too much and the front end dives, especially in loose snow, too little and you are constantly on the brake. Ski-Doo is close to the right amount of engine braking, but as of our last ride, still wasn't quite there.

Rubber Band Syndrome. At press time this was being corrected, but due to a low initial engagement speed and extremely smooth shift-out, it sometimes felt like this sled was on a rubber band. That made it difficult at times to drive aggressively in the low-midrange of the powerband.

No storage! Just about anyone would sacrifice 2-3 lbs. to have a little trunk.

Final thoughts
Ski-Doo's Renegade 1200 is best suited for longer days as it takes less effort to ride than the Yamaha XTX. Yamaha has come a long way in figuring out the Nytro's front-end and we like the 144-in. track. You've really got to drive any Nytro-based sled, as the harder you push it, the better it will handle. If Ski-Doo can get the clutching dialed in on the 1200, it will possibly be the best first-year 4-stroke to date.

Basically, if you want a tougher sounding sled, with better off-trail capability, more initial burst from the engine and a sportier look, then the Yamaha XTX is your sled. If you want a sled that can rip up the powder AND still be an extremely comfortable long-mileage machine, go for the Renegade 1200X.

2009 Ski-Doo Renegade X 1200 4-TEC
Engine: 1170.7cc Rotax liquid triple DOHC 4-stroke
HP: 130 (S.D. claimed)
Exhaust: Single-head pipe, baffle muffler
Ski Stance: 47 in.
Front Susp.: Dual A-arm with T-A alum. Kayaba HPG clicker shocks
Rear Susp.: SC-5 w/T-A alum. Kayaba HPG front-arm shock and T-A alum. Kayaba HPG racing clicker rear-arm shock
Track: 16x137x1.25 in.
Fuel Tank: 10.6 gal.
Price: $11,299 US

Odds & Ends

Yamaha: The "trail" of their ski is larger
This means that the distance between the contact area of the ski and imaginary contact point of the steering axis with the ground was increased. More trail tends to mean more stability, while less makes for more positive steering.

Ski-Doo: Good on gas
The 4-TEC 1200 engine runs best on regular 87-octane fuel. OEM estimates show it getting 18.3 mpg/22 kpg too!

DRY WEIGHT VS. WET WEIGHT, WE DO THE MATH -
The Ski-Doo MXZ X Renegade 1200 weighs 521 lbs. dry and has a 10.6-gal. fuel tank. The Yamaha Nytro XTX weighs 542 lbs. dry and has a 7.4-gal. tank. If a standard U.S. gallon of unleaded gas weighs about 6.5 lbs. at riding temps (gas is more dense in cold temps), simply computing the wet weights after filling sleds with gas, these two would be almost exactly the same weight (less than a pound difference). So, after adding oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, grease and all the other little nuances, these sleds should be within pounds of each other when totally wet. We'll do our own wet weight tests later this season and find out!