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I gotta tell ya, when Yamaha rolled out the Nytro last season I thought it was the flashiest sled I'd seen in several years.
The flame graphics running up the nose, the yellow A-arms and exhaust covers, plus the yellow handguards give it a youthful appearance. With its solid 120-horse 4-stroke geared for low-end torque, I was pretty sure it would be strong off the line too.
I was right. This ditchbanger was a hoot and as predictable as lousy Super Bowl halftime entertainment.
Our proof came during our Real World Shoot-Out last winter when the Nytro was quickest from 0 to 30 mph and 0 to 60 mph, plus quickest to 660 feet, where it took 8.98 seconds compared to the next best sled, Polaris' 600 H.O. Fusion at 9.06 seconds. Yamaha set the gearing and clutching in Nytro to give it that early pull.
The other 120-horse sleds will beat it in the quarter-mile and have higher top-end speed, but that matters only if you're lake racing. Early quickness serves you well on the trails as you burp the throttle between turns. It's easy to control Nytro there and also jam on the power if you want to launch off some moguls. But it's that corner-to-corner grunt that makes Nytro a blast.
The sled's higher and wider handlebars along with its taller seat make it easier to stand as you pound ditches, as does its wider running boards.
Yamaha's hooked bars are easy to grip too, but that seat can become a little hard on longer rides, so know your riding preferences before you decide between this and a Vector, a more traditional long-distance rider.
Certainly if you want something you can pound on, the Nytro is a champ. The new ProActive CK rear suspension and piggyback HPG shock with compression clicker and torsion spring suspension give it good bump thumping ability. You can tighten it up or smooth it out, depending on that day's ride.
Likewise the adjustable Fox Float shocks up front give you more flexibility. These come with the standard air pump, so you can add air to the shocks to tune in the ride and handling you want.
Not surprisingly, the Nytro was a solid performer for us all season, and other than gas and replacing some rear suspension wheels that were covered by the factory, we had to perform no maintenance. Gas mileage was better than most of our test sleds, but still lower than we'd like at 13.7 mpg.
Weight? Some will consider it an issue at 533 lbs., but this feels only moderately heavier than other sleds in the class.
The sled remains essentially unchanged for '07, adding additional flames to the Backdraft graphics package on the black base and then adding red handguards, side panels and belly pan. A blue over gray color scheme also is available for '07.
Yamaha NytroEngine: 973cc Genesis 120 3-cylinder, 4-stroke
Exhaust: 3-1-2 rear exiting
Front Suspension: Independent double wishbone w/Fox Float shocks
Rear Suspension: ProActive CK torsion spring
Ski Stance: 42.7 in.
Track: RipSaw 15x121x1.25 in.
Gas tank: 10 gal.
Weight: 533 lbs.
MSRP: $8,699 (2007) US/$12,099 (approx.) CA
Real World StatsTop Speed: 90.64 mph
¼-mile time: 14.38 sec.
MPG: 13.7