At the age of 42 I returned to snowmobiling, something I had done only as a teenager. My first machine was a used 1995 Artic Cat 440 Panther Deluxe 2 up bought for $2500 in 2002. This has been a trouble free machine to this day and it is now set up for dragging trails and makes a perfect work sled, but a few all day rides on our narrow and often bumpy western Massachusetts trails were remembered as much by the sore back and legs as by the fun of the ride. So I knew I was in the market for a new machine at some point, but with winters often marginal and short it took me a while to convince myself (and my wife) that I should spend the money on a new sled.
I don't have a lot of chance to ride other sleds so I did my research my reading snowgoer, checking online reviews, and going to the New England Power Sports show every fall, but I it took a while to find the right sled.
Here is the criteria I set up:
1. The sled needed to be good for our local riding which is about 60% narrow trails, 35% open woods roads, 5% open field and lakes
2. It needed to be fuel efficient both for my pocket and for the lack of gas stops on the trail system.
3. It needed to handle the bumps more then groomed trails.
4. A good windshield and heated grips were desirable
5. Electric start and reverse were good options, but not required.
6. I needed to spend the least amount I could for a good sled.
From my criteria the big sleds were out of running. I'd love to ride one someday, but they are just overkill for our area. One friend bought the first year of the Yamaha RX-1 with the 1000cc sport bike engine. Great fun, but too heavy and too fast for me. The Ski-doo Rev was the first snowmobile with the high, forward seating style to come to market and that really peaked my interest, but I really didn't want to buy a 2 stroke sled. Though my 2008 Ski-doo came to market with the new e-tech engine that looked like it would be clean enough running with high enough gas mileage for my tastes, but this was also the second year of the Yamaha Phazer model with the 4 stroke 500cc engine. Between these two sleds (the Ski-doo Rev with E-tec 600, or the Yamaha Phazer) I knew that one of them was the new sled I needed.
When I looked up the prices it ended up a pretty clear choice. The Ski-doo with the E-tec was about $10,000. The Yamaha was $7800 and in early 2009 Yamaha offered, and still is offering to date, a $1600 rebate on many models including the Phazer. So a few days after that offer came out I drove out of my local Yamaha dealership the proud owner of a 2008 Yamaha Phazer GT for only about $6200. I did have one modification done which is to have the tunnel cover added with the heat shield under the sheet which basically turns the sled into the 2009 model and is really a necessary conversion (I think it cost $150).
So, I year later how do I like the sled? Well I'll tell you. I don't think I could have gotten a more perfect sled for the local riding seen and it sure has put the capital F in Fun.
Power:
In the review online at www.snowmobileworld.com they had two main complaints. One was handling and the other was a lack of power. The complaint seemed to be basically that this was not a hot rod, wouldn't win and drag races, and wouldn't hit 100 mph. They are right about these things, but that's not what this sled is for. My old Arctic Cat 440 is about 60 hp and so this is a step up for me. Based on my trail break down above, I spend most of my day between 25 and 50 mph, which is a perfect range for this sled. It will do 80 with a long enough stretch of open field or lake, but that's not something we have much of around here. I find there is plenty of power and quick enough response to kick the tail our around corners and enough top end to have fun on the lake.
Handling:
The sled did need to be dialed in for better handling. Initially it understeered quite a bit, but shortening up the strap on the track to put more pressure on the skis basically solved this problem without making the steering too heavy. Over time I'll probably play with different carbides to see what difference this makes.
It is a tippy machine and needs to be ridden aggressively in corners. For me, this makes the ride more fun. My wife prefers the Artic Cat with its lower stability and precise steering (it has Simons Flex-Skis). I like to hang off the machine around corners and this is built for that kind of fun. The extended hand grips (heated to the ends) give you plenty to hang on to and there are these great toe hold areas on the running board to hook your feet in when you are hanging off the sled. The high, narrow seat makes it easy to shift your weight back and forth and the tall handle bar keeps your position and balance nearly perfect.
Comfort:Last weekend I did a 90 mile, 6 hour ride over some of our typically bumpy trails. Sure, I was tired at the end of the day, but not sore and no aspirin needed the next day. I'm sure that it is the high seating position and great suspension travel that made this a perfect ride. I could just feel the sled rocking and rolling through the bumps and when it was really bad I would stand up and let the machine rock under me with the my feet hardly moving. Amazing!
The heated hand grips are great. The windshield and some well placed wind deflectors kept my body protected from the cold and just enough heat comes up through the seat from the muffler to make it feel like the heated seat of a Volvo.
Oh, and no headache from exhaust gases.
Other:
This 500cc four stroke doesn't really sound like a snowmobile engine, but it sounds like the future. Turn the key and away you go. I suspect that the maintenance costs will be fail low as long as I do the oil changes and other regular maintenance. The cooling system seems well designed for a variety of conditions. Some other brands have trouble with overheating at slow speeds or packed snow/ice conditions. The Phazer has a forward mounted radiator with electric fan so that makes it less dependent on snow for cooling. The gas mileage is great. I've gotten between 17 and 21 mpg since I bought the sled.
The sled is lightweight enough to yank out of a snowbank, but the reverse makes that a rare possibility. I have a slight complaint about the electronic shifter. When I push the button for reverse it doesn't always engage until you pick up the back end and put it down. The same with going back to forward. I'll probably have the dealer look at this the next time I take it in for service.
Summary:
I love this sled. It's comfortable, nimble, cheap to feed, and all this at about the lowest price for any snowmobile. It's also a sled that folks come over to check out for its cool looks. If I lived out west or in northern Maine I'd probably want a faster more powerful sled, but in western Massachusetts I can't think of a better fun machine.
