So, on Friday, while I was in Alpine Wyoming test riding a couple new suspensions for the Nytro I got a call asking if I would like to take out a pair of supercharged Nytros for a day of test riding. Obviously you never say no to this kind of opportunity.
The Yamaha rep dropped off a trailer with two new Nytros on it.
One had the new "OEM" MPI supercharger on it that puts out 5-6psi/175HP, and the other had the MPI Stage 2 Supercharger that puts out 15psi/280HP
For comparison..
Stock = 130 HP
OEM Supercharger = (+45hp) or 175HP
Stage 1 Supercharger (+90hp) or 220HP
Stage 2 Supercharger (+150hp) or 280HP
As many of you know one of the primary reasons that I choose the Nytro in the first place was my desire to be able to add forced induction to the engine down the road without worrying about grenading it in the process. Of all the mountain sleds on the market, the Nytro is hands down the most "boostable" sled out there.
I started off the day on the OEM SC sled.
From the moment that I started the engine and moved the first 10ft off the trailer I could tell there was a significant difference. One of the things I have really had to work on with my SE was throttle control, learning to place my thumb exactly in the right spot to get the Nytro to do what I want. Given time your thumb "learns" exactly where it needs to be to get the sled to creep along at 3mph in the parking lot as you come around the from one side of the trailer to the other. Placing my thumb in the same position resulted in the sled moving faster and more vigorously than I expected. In short, I was surprised.
The engine has a more robust solid sound to it. Not that the normally aspirated Nytro sounds bad, but its a lighter more hollow sound than with the supercharger on it. This one is hard to describe, but the engine sounds denser, more beefy, and this is NOT an exhaust sound, but the mechanical sounds coming from the front of the sled. In short, its a very pleasant sound!
It only took me a few minutes to make the adjustment from my aspirated sled to this supercharged one. The power is absolutely SILKY SMOOTH from minimum throttle to Wide Open. There is no place on the power band that feels lacking, and the power is always right there. No delay, no hesitation at all. You push on the throttle, and as the engine itself spins up so does the power in a really linear manner. More than anything else it feels like you have a 4th cylinder running, as though the whole engine was pulled and replaced by a bigger, stronger, harder pulling engine.
I can't say how many times I have thought that what my Nytro needs more than anything else is another 30-40hp. When I am in fresh powder I often run the engine at WOT, and wish I had a little bit more. When I hill climb, I am running at WOT and wish I had a little bit more to call on. This OEM Supercharger that Yamaha has MPI building is EXACTLY what the stock Nytro needs.
The extra 45hp is PERFECT for all normal recreational "FUN" riding.!! I don't think there is anyone who owns a stock Nytro that would be unhappy with the performance of this SuperCharger, unless your into big time hill climbing, or running in very deep powder on a regular basis. For general riding/boondocking this sled was a JOY TO RIDE. It's hard for me to convey how nicely behaved the extra power was.
Top speed was right at 90mph as well, which makes it no slouch.
Now, let me contrast that with the MPI Stage 2 Supercharger.
HOLY COW, what a HUGE difference!
The Stage 2 sled was a totally different ride.
While the two sleds were basically identical, the performance couldn't have been more different!
This thing had a visceral power to it that was begging you to let it loose.
It WANTED to take off.
It was like being on a thoroughbred horse that wanted to run, but you were pulling in the reigns and holding it back.
Pick your line on the mountain, point the nose, push the throttle and HOLD ON FOR THE RIDE, because she was going up, with or without you!! When you opened up the throttle, you HAD TO HOLD ON or the sled would take off without you. Seriously, the pull from the acceleration was awesome. It felt like the sled was going to take off out from under you and leave you behind (which it did for me once when I made the mistake of hitting the throttle at the wrong moment).
At 90mph, with both sleds side by side, I could throttle up the engine to 100% and just leave the other sled behind like it wasn't even there.
For the 4 hours or so that we rode these two sleds today in Island Park, we never found a mountain that we could open up the Stage 1 to 100% for a long climb. The hills we were playing on were just TOO small. The darn sled would be accelerating all the way up the mountain and we would have to let off on the throttle well before max boost was ever achieved. This engine has some serious legs and wants to be in the STEEP and DEEP where it can breath deeply and really run. Mostly what was happening was a long series of short blips to the throttle all the way up the hillside. This sled would be perfect for a place like Cooke City with huge open hillsides of chest deep powder!
I had never been on a sled that could pull a wheelie before, and its a heck of a sensation to hit the throttle and feel the front end of the sled come up and off the ground. With only 2 full seasons of riding behind me, I could get into some serious trouble with this!!
One more thing that was really striking between the two sleds.
FUEL CONSUMPTION.
This came as a real suprise to us today. The stage 2 sled burned a LOT more fuel than the OEM one did. For the same day's riding, the stage one burned 2-3 bars more gas than the OEM did. I have not filled up the two sleds yet to know the exact number of gallons, but we had to call the day after only a few hours because we were down to two bars on the stage one and still had to get back to the trailer. I can clearly see why guys with the big blowers upgrade to the larger fuel tanks and often carry a spare can as well. That smile that you can't wipe off your face comes at the price of an extra few gallons of gas burned on every trip.
All in all it was a terrific day.
Both sleds were incredibly fun to ride, and both behaved VERY differently.
My guess is that Yamaha is going to sell a TON of the new OEM supercharged sleds!
And for those more seasoned riders who need the extra power, you can't beat the stage 2 kit from MPI. I have new found respect for those who can pilot that rocketship!
The Yamaha rep dropped off a trailer with two new Nytros on it.
One had the new "OEM" MPI supercharger on it that puts out 5-6psi/175HP, and the other had the MPI Stage 2 Supercharger that puts out 15psi/280HP
For comparison..
Stock = 130 HP
OEM Supercharger = (+45hp) or 175HP
Stage 1 Supercharger (+90hp) or 220HP
Stage 2 Supercharger (+150hp) or 280HP
As many of you know one of the primary reasons that I choose the Nytro in the first place was my desire to be able to add forced induction to the engine down the road without worrying about grenading it in the process. Of all the mountain sleds on the market, the Nytro is hands down the most "boostable" sled out there.
I started off the day on the OEM SC sled.
From the moment that I started the engine and moved the first 10ft off the trailer I could tell there was a significant difference. One of the things I have really had to work on with my SE was throttle control, learning to place my thumb exactly in the right spot to get the Nytro to do what I want. Given time your thumb "learns" exactly where it needs to be to get the sled to creep along at 3mph in the parking lot as you come around the from one side of the trailer to the other. Placing my thumb in the same position resulted in the sled moving faster and more vigorously than I expected. In short, I was surprised.
The engine has a more robust solid sound to it. Not that the normally aspirated Nytro sounds bad, but its a lighter more hollow sound than with the supercharger on it. This one is hard to describe, but the engine sounds denser, more beefy, and this is NOT an exhaust sound, but the mechanical sounds coming from the front of the sled. In short, its a very pleasant sound!
It only took me a few minutes to make the adjustment from my aspirated sled to this supercharged one. The power is absolutely SILKY SMOOTH from minimum throttle to Wide Open. There is no place on the power band that feels lacking, and the power is always right there. No delay, no hesitation at all. You push on the throttle, and as the engine itself spins up so does the power in a really linear manner. More than anything else it feels like you have a 4th cylinder running, as though the whole engine was pulled and replaced by a bigger, stronger, harder pulling engine.
I can't say how many times I have thought that what my Nytro needs more than anything else is another 30-40hp. When I am in fresh powder I often run the engine at WOT, and wish I had a little bit more. When I hill climb, I am running at WOT and wish I had a little bit more to call on. This OEM Supercharger that Yamaha has MPI building is EXACTLY what the stock Nytro needs.
The extra 45hp is PERFECT for all normal recreational "FUN" riding.!! I don't think there is anyone who owns a stock Nytro that would be unhappy with the performance of this SuperCharger, unless your into big time hill climbing, or running in very deep powder on a regular basis. For general riding/boondocking this sled was a JOY TO RIDE. It's hard for me to convey how nicely behaved the extra power was.
Top speed was right at 90mph as well, which makes it no slouch.
Now, let me contrast that with the MPI Stage 2 Supercharger.
HOLY COW, what a HUGE difference!
The Stage 2 sled was a totally different ride.
While the two sleds were basically identical, the performance couldn't have been more different!
This thing had a visceral power to it that was begging you to let it loose.
It WANTED to take off.
It was like being on a thoroughbred horse that wanted to run, but you were pulling in the reigns and holding it back.
Pick your line on the mountain, point the nose, push the throttle and HOLD ON FOR THE RIDE, because she was going up, with or without you!! When you opened up the throttle, you HAD TO HOLD ON or the sled would take off without you. Seriously, the pull from the acceleration was awesome. It felt like the sled was going to take off out from under you and leave you behind (which it did for me once when I made the mistake of hitting the throttle at the wrong moment).
At 90mph, with both sleds side by side, I could throttle up the engine to 100% and just leave the other sled behind like it wasn't even there.
For the 4 hours or so that we rode these two sleds today in Island Park, we never found a mountain that we could open up the Stage 1 to 100% for a long climb. The hills we were playing on were just TOO small. The darn sled would be accelerating all the way up the mountain and we would have to let off on the throttle well before max boost was ever achieved. This engine has some serious legs and wants to be in the STEEP and DEEP where it can breath deeply and really run. Mostly what was happening was a long series of short blips to the throttle all the way up the hillside. This sled would be perfect for a place like Cooke City with huge open hillsides of chest deep powder!
I had never been on a sled that could pull a wheelie before, and its a heck of a sensation to hit the throttle and feel the front end of the sled come up and off the ground. With only 2 full seasons of riding behind me, I could get into some serious trouble with this!!
One more thing that was really striking between the two sleds.
FUEL CONSUMPTION.
This came as a real suprise to us today. The stage 2 sled burned a LOT more fuel than the OEM one did. For the same day's riding, the stage one burned 2-3 bars more gas than the OEM did. I have not filled up the two sleds yet to know the exact number of gallons, but we had to call the day after only a few hours because we were down to two bars on the stage one and still had to get back to the trailer. I can clearly see why guys with the big blowers upgrade to the larger fuel tanks and often carry a spare can as well. That smile that you can't wipe off your face comes at the price of an extra few gallons of gas burned on every trip.
All in all it was a terrific day.
Both sleds were incredibly fun to ride, and both behaved VERY differently.
My guess is that Yamaha is going to sell a TON of the new OEM supercharged sleds!
And for those more seasoned riders who need the extra power, you can't beat the stage 2 kit from MPI. I have new found respect for those who can pilot that rocketship!
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