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Every one of our test riders was excited to get some miles on our Phazer FX demo sled, and it was interesting to get people's feedback. Many thought they wouldn't be able to keep up with the rest of the group riding the smaller horsepower sled, some thought they would be too heavy to ride the Phazer, while others insisted it wouldn't be comfortable. Well, here are the conclusions that we came to after a full season.
Lean on meAt a dry weight of 485 lbs. and an
AmSnow tested wet weight of 563 lbs., the Phazer is not as light as many had hoped. However, one of the first things you notice about this sled is how quickly it responds to a little leaning and body English. Especially in the open powder of your grandparents' back-40, this thing will carve out figure 8s in the snow like a hot knife through butter. All you need to do is drop one shoulder in the powder and the sled will swing around like a jet-ski.
Keeping the 498cc, 80-hp, 2-cylinder, 4-stroke flat in the corners can sometimes be a little trickier than other machines, but again, with a little extra lean, the Phazer responds nicely. Several of us who tried the 2008 Phazer RTX, with the Fox Float shocks up front, came away happier with the 40mm GYTR HPG, piggyback clickers that came on our '07 FX. Dialing in compression and rebound was easy, and we were able to keep the FX flatter in the corners and small bumps. However, the Fox Floats on the new RTX do much better in the Volkswagen-sized moguls and when coming down from a medium to large jump.
Getting betterThe rear suspension is certainly capable, and it will handle more than the average Phazer rider will put it through. But we were happy to see that Yamaha upgraded the rear suspension package for 2008. The FX rear end would often get squirrelly in the stutter bumps and wasn't all that happy in the really big bumps either. Yamaha smartly opted to put the new dual shock CK rear skid into its 2008 Phazer RTX. With a 36mm KYB HPG reservoir compression clicker rear shock, this suspension is more adjustable than the original ProActive CK Torsion Spring on the 2007 FX.
The seat and, most importantly, the riding position on the Phazer FX are extremely comfortable. Some of our larger riders jokingly called the seat a "rear flosser" for obvious reasons, but still agreed that it provided a comfortable position. Also, despite a tendency for that inside ski to lift in the corners, the steering effort was minimal.
For '08 there also are side panels that enclose the once open rear exhaust area just above the tunnel. This helps reduce some of the snow accumulation we experienced on our '07 sled. There always was some build-up of snow and ice near the front of the running boards due to lack of big snow removal holes in the boards up front. Often there would be a half inch of ice accumulated under our feet after a couple hours of riding.
Who will ride it?This is the perfect sled for teenagers to go spend hours of fun on tight wooded trails or drifted-over hayfields. The open front, small windshield and hand guards give the sled a racy, albeit cold, feel. We saw many more of these sleds on the trail than we expected (many with bigger windshields); Yamaha did an excellent job with promoting its "2-Phazers, 2-outfits and a 2-place trailer" offer.
When we asked people why they bought a Phazer, the response was usually: 1.) I bought one for my wife/son/daughter who wants something that's easy to ride. 2.) I bought it as an extra sled for guests, or as a back-up machine. 3.) I wanted the reliability of a 4-stroke.
I rode this sled many times with big displacement groups and was never last through the trails. While the big sleds will rumble by you on an open lake, the Phazer will never get lost in the dust on the trail.
2007 Yamaha Phazer FXEngine: 499cc Genesis 80FI 2-cylinder, 4-stroke
Exhaust: Single rear
Ski Stance: 42.3 in.
Front Susp.: Independent double-wishbone w/40mm HPG, piggyback clicker shocks w/compression and rebound adjustability
Rear Susp.: Proactive CK torsion spring w/KYB, HPG aluminum shocks
Track: 14x121x1.0-in. RipSaw
Fuel Tank: 8.1 gal.
Dry Weight: 487 lbs.
Wet Weight: 563 lbs.
Price: $7,199 US
Real World Stats¼-mile: 15.48 seconds
Top Speed: 81.57 mph
Average Fuel Mileage: 16.7 mpg
+ Positives+ Great seating position
+ Easy steering
+ Loads of expensive technology for a relatively small price
+ Strong low-end grunt
+ Fits in the back of even a small bed pickup
+ 4-stroke mileage, lack of oil consumption, reliability
- Negatives- No wind protection = cold
- No storage except for a small plastic belt/tool box strapped to the open rear-end of the tunnel
- Snow builds up in foot wells
- You should use more than 87-octane fuel for best performance
- Suspension is only capable, not extraordinary