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What is it about guys? Why is it that we think that a sled, a car… anything with a motor… can only be great if it is the most powerful in the herd? Why do we succumb to raw power even when it beats the holy crud out of us on a long rough ride? Why are we so willing to sacrifice lightweight, nimble handling and all-day fun when it comes to our rides?
Given the choice between a 150-horsepower sled and one with, say, 65, we gravitate toward power. We choose brute force over finesse.
Guilty as chargedI plead as guilty to horsepower lust as anyone. But I have learned that you can run with the fast crowd on less than 150 hp. And it can be a heckuva lot more fun.
In fact, it can be more rewarding to know that you can keep up to your big bore buddies with less than half the power, less weight and more guile. Exchange guile for experience and you have the secret to the '06 Ski-Doo MXZx 550F's fun. In the right circumstances, this 550 fan-cooled motor dropped in this REV chassis can provide you with enough Blair Morgan witchcraft to drive your high-horse buddies nuts!
For '06, Ski-Doo lowered the front end, added dual runner Pilot skis and put good shocks front and rear on the 550F. Those were the key modifications that changed this model from economy fun to a pure sports package.
Trust me, under the hood there's nothing special going on. The 550 Rotax fan-cooled twin has been around a while. It's a solid performer with exceptional low end, good mid-range and, let's be kind, moderate top end. Our test sled hit 80 mph at our Real World Shoot-Out.
It delivers a consistent 13-14 mpg whether you ride hard or not. It powers to the track via a Bombardier Lite drive clutch, which began life decades ago under the Securistat Power-Bloc clutch banner. So, nothing special in the drive system, it's just solid, reliable and durable. Traits you want.
I've learned to appreciate the fan-cooled REVs. I'd ridden a 2005 GSX 550 fan the previous season and it was a bit heavier than the '06. It had electric start and more bells and whistles, but it came with budget shocks, oil dampers that over-heated easily when riding aggressively. When riding hard you pitched the sled into a turn like a rally car driver. You went in hard, flicking the handlebars to wrestle direction and never, never touching the brakes. Unless, of course, you screwed up, which could happen if the older style skis didn't bite.
But 2006 is different. You don't pitch the '06 MXZ 550F into a turn. The MXZ 550F is a serious sports machine. The reworked front end is brilliant. Come in hard. Pick your line and let the steering guide you through. If you blow the line, make a quick steering adjustment and the MXZ 550F reads the change, sticks itself where you want and lets you slip the rear end around to compensate. You're what determines how fast this machine will go. It's not all motor!
With the '05 suspension, when you steered into a turn, it was more of a suggestion. The sled tended to push like an evil-handling stock car, not the '06. Only occasionally might you need to guard against the rear stepping out, but just in really tight turns.
The high-pressure gas shocks that came on the '06 MXZx 550F package are worth the price. Even on warm days of aggressive riding, the shocks never felt as though they were wasted, as they had in the '05 GSX.
Ergonomics are excellent, although we'd like to see Ski-Doo borrow an idea from Arctic Cat's Crossfire and make the knee area more concave. You also may want to opt for a windscreen that offers more protection. At least these are easy to take off and install.
That brings us to the REV's fuel tank design. Yuck! It has to be the slowest filling fuel tank we've ever seen - and we've seen 'em all!
The first time you add fuel you'll think you filled it, only to notice that the gauge registers little more than half full. From that point on you have to trickle fuel in. The REV's tank also is oddly shaped and will scare the dickens out of you when you first go riding. Within a few miles the gauge will go from totally full to half full. You'll think that the sled is either leaking fuel or sucking it worse than a 2-stroke ski boat! You should have an easy 125-mile range though.
Still, we found the 550F one of the most fun snow toys we've ridden in years. When riding with friends on their Crossfires and Vectors and IQ 600s, we could only be embarrassed on long power line trails or lakes. But we figured that we'd already embarrassed them enough in the tight trails.
How much did I like the 550F? Well, for the record, I thought it was so much fun that I bought it.
Ski-Doo MXZx 550FEngine: Rotax 553cc, 2-stroke
Exhaust: Single tuned pipe
Drive/Driven: Bombardier Lite/Formula RER
Front Suspension: R.A.S. w/HPG shocks
Rear Suspension: SC-4 w/HPG center and rear shocks
Ski Stance: 47 in.
Track: 15x121x1.0 in.
Gas Tank: 10.6 gal.
Weight: 435 lbs.
MSRP: $6,349 US/$8,449 CA
Real World StatsTop Speed: 80.29 mph
¼-mile time: 16.47 sec
MPG: 13.5