If we could only use one word to describe the 2019 Yamaha Sidewinder M-TX LE 162 it would be: fast.
Some will chide us for using that word over another word (heavy) that seems to continually be associated with Yamaha mountain sleds. But we think—follow us on this—the Sidewinder M-TX LE is more fast than it is heavy.
That was our first impression when riding the Sidewinder M-TX LE last spring at the annual new model photo shoots in West Yellowstone, MT. It’s not just fast, it’s wicked fast. When the Genesis Turbo kicks in you had better be hanging on because it will set the snow on fire.
The snow was plenty deep in West Yellowstone when we got to ride the Sidewinder M-TX LE 162. During part of our ride we were romping in a meadow and when the sled is on top of the snow it did manage well and, as mentioned before, was very fast. There is virtually no turbo lag so once you learn when it kicks in, you’ll have a better feel for what the sled can do and where it can do it.
For 2019, the Sidewinder M-TX LE 162 is in a class all by itself—at least in terms of Yamaha’s mountain lineup. You might remember we told you this past spring that Yamaha was dropping all its other mountain sleds to just this model (as part of an overall lineup reduction from 34 to 12 for MY2019).
And the only way to get the Sidewinder M-TX LE was to put your money down during Yamaha’s Spring Power Surge program.
But if you did manage to get your hands on one, you got a handful for sure.
Here are some of the highlights of the Sidewinder M-TX LE 162.