overall impressions of the 2003 sleds
Amsnow
Yamaha
Yamaha has invested in the best 4-stroke snowmobile power system that we have encountered. The RX-1 is smooth, quiet, powerful and fast. As one Yamaha rep likes to say: "The SRX was sneaky fast. The RX-1 is freaking fast!"
What we rode in Idaho a few days ago is much improved in handling and steering over the prototypes we tried at Yamaha's Wisconsin test facility. The RX-1 was a pleasant surprise when we made it take a few trail lumps. The suspensions work very well. The front end is not Blade quality, but it's very good. Heck, what was the most pleasant surprise was how light the sled felt. We know it weighs more than the old SRX, but it handled and turned as though it we pounds lighter than that Yamaha classic.
Power-wise? The R1 derived snowmobile engine will do more for a 40-year-old than the SPORTS ILLUSTRATED swimsuit issue or a double dose of Viagra.
The SXViper was one of our top faves last season and remains so in 2003. But where we thought the Viper was about as smooth as it gets… well, it's been surpassed by the 4-stroke RX-1. This sled has put the sled biz in a tizzy. It wasn't the 1,000cc, 150-horsepower-ish power, or the 130-plus miles per hour it can hit. No, it was the $8,500 base price that created a bit of consternation in corporate offices. And we're not talking about corporate offices in Japan.
The RX-1 is the BIG story at Yamaha. The REV is news at Ski-Doo. Firecat is the talk at Arctic Cat and ProX and subtle changes are points at Polaris. The entry of Blade on this playing field is news. But the Blade front suspension is the strength there.
In the days ahead we'll be looking at more specific impressions from what our test riders gleaned. For now, these were the highest points.