Wicked day on a Sidewinder!
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Central Sled and Cycle. It's a great deal. I've been trying to justify buying it myself. But not ready to sell my pro and can't justify 2 sleds.
sc800
Active VIP Member
Well we got out on Saturday for a sidewinder ride and they handle very very well and the power is awesome! Very smooth and linear power and you did not know you were even riding a turbo other than the shear power and giggle factor. It felt great to ride in the snow we had and found some deep spots untouched and some set up and even on the more set up snow it handled very well and felt no different than my T3 on Saturday in Elkford! One of the guys used to ride a 310 HP Apex and said this power is more usable and he was very impressed. Another guy said it's just like his cat but slightly heavier when not in deep pow but felt like it was on steroids! Zero lag and they are a rocket. You do not need to be full throttle in the spots the 800's need to be when climbing out of some deep hills so throttle control is key on them even when counter steering and initiating a sidehill etc. Very impressed and sounds like some changes possibly coming for 2018 models. They might have a winner on their hands! Thanks to Jamie and Randy for promoting these sleds and giving guys the opportunity to ride them for a full day! Jamie is a great guy, super personable and we all had a great day!
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sc800
Active VIP Member
Couple pictures. These sleds in the deep powder would be so fun but glad we were able to test them in lower snow and set up in spots. Was able to roll a few over and man will they chew out of an ugly spot if need be! So fun.
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Turblue
Active VIP Member
Yes the demo ride was very impressive as sc800 mentioned....i rode a tapex from 05-11 which was amazing sled power wise, but the end of the day I was wiped...then tnytro from 11-13 never did care for this sled. Then went to a pro 800 and currently skidoo t3 174. Ever since Yamaha went to a cat chassis I just haven't been interested, not that there a bad sled but just not a fan. The other reason I stayed away was the pile of cash needed to make them a rideable contender in the mountains, and by mountains I mean boondocking and tree riding. So fast forward to this year and the sidewinder sounds like guys are really enjoying it....hmmmm better find out how this thing works. Snow conditions were pretty good foot or more of fresh overnight, with a decent base.( some sugary spots with no base ). Temp was around -1
Initial impression on the trail, the power was very smooth and responsive. I couldn't even tell it had a turbo because there was zero lag, but the true story with that will be when riding off the trail. The other thing I noticed right away is how easy it steers on the trail..no ski pressure like its predecessors. When we got off the trail I figured it's probably going to take some time to get use to the handling and the weight again, but it didn't. If felt very comfortable right away(besides the handlebars being to low for me)and very responsive to rider input....,honesty the way it handled I couldn't tell it was heavier than my t3. They did such a great job centralizing the weight of the motor.
Needless to say I was very impressed with the sidewinder....I believe it performed just as well as my t3 and even better in some instances due to the power. The power was very smooth and usable....didn't ever feel I was screaming out of control. Throttle response was there all the time .....even a few spots I dropped into is is usually a good pull on the t3, the sidewinder had power to spare. The other thing I wanted to tested out was rolling it over when I was stuck weight wise and oil running out like the previous models. lol I found a few spots for that, with a bit of shovelling we rolled it over and had zero issues with the oil running out. Actually rolled over pretty easy. Side hilling was very easy...took a bit more to get on edge than my t3 but once your there it holds a line and doesn't wash out from what I could find.
Anyway I believe this is a true contender for mountain riding and will be riding one of these in the near future....thanks to Randy and Jamie for setting this up and Ghostriders in Fernie.
Changes I would make is higher bars, clean the controls up to be less congested, 174 3", tether, cold air intake, lightweight down pipe and different boards.
Initial impression on the trail, the power was very smooth and responsive. I couldn't even tell it had a turbo because there was zero lag, but the true story with that will be when riding off the trail. The other thing I noticed right away is how easy it steers on the trail..no ski pressure like its predecessors. When we got off the trail I figured it's probably going to take some time to get use to the handling and the weight again, but it didn't. If felt very comfortable right away(besides the handlebars being to low for me)and very responsive to rider input....,honesty the way it handled I couldn't tell it was heavier than my t3. They did such a great job centralizing the weight of the motor.
Needless to say I was very impressed with the sidewinder....I believe it performed just as well as my t3 and even better in some instances due to the power. The power was very smooth and usable....didn't ever feel I was screaming out of control. Throttle response was there all the time .....even a few spots I dropped into is is usually a good pull on the t3, the sidewinder had power to spare. The other thing I wanted to tested out was rolling it over when I was stuck weight wise and oil running out like the previous models. lol I found a few spots for that, with a bit of shovelling we rolled it over and had zero issues with the oil running out. Actually rolled over pretty easy. Side hilling was very easy...took a bit more to get on edge than my t3 but once your there it holds a line and doesn't wash out from what I could find.
Anyway I believe this is a true contender for mountain riding and will be riding one of these in the near future....thanks to Randy and Jamie for setting this up and Ghostriders in Fernie.
Changes I would make is higher bars, clean the controls up to be less congested, 174 3", tether, cold air intake, lightweight down pipe and different boards.
Last edited:
dragonweld28
Supporting Vendor
They really are amazing machines. I have ridden Paul's Sidewinder a few times and I think its getting faster as the motor breaks in. Heres another little clip from Revy. There's some video of me on my Axys 174 as well. Really shows how fast these sidewinders are!
Turblue
Active VIP Member
Lund
Active VIP Member
Changes I would make is higher bars, clean the controls up to be less congested, 174 3", and different boards.
[/QUOTE]
I'm building one with some of your changes, 174, with CR boards, it is my understanding that it will be the first of its kind. Or maybe one of the first. LOL
The sled should be on display in the fall show in Vernon.
[/QUOTE]
I'm building one with some of your changes, 174, with CR boards, it is my understanding that it will be the first of its kind. Or maybe one of the first. LOL
The sled should be on display in the fall show in Vernon.
dragonweld28
Supporting Vendor
Ya, they are CR boards.
Rotax_Kid
Active VIP Member
Nice Review! I was amazed at how fast you felt comfortable on the machine and how well it looked like it worked for you. You definitely didn't look out of place on it.
I rode the same machine for a very brief amount of time on Sunday. Power is seamless - no surge, no lag, no nothing - you would swear it's just a larger motor with more power and not turbo charged. Yamaha did a great job on this powerplant. Machine hides it's weight very well. It doesn't ride heavy at all, feels quite agile actually.
I think it's great that Yamaha is working to get some butts on the seat and try before you buy. If we weren't able to, I'm sure most, like myself, would have just written the machine off like it was a modified Viper. It isn't, it's a lot better. Kudos to Yamaha and the other 3 could take a good lesson from them IMO.
canuck5
Active VIP Member
Put some more km on my winder this last weekend I already liked the sled but this is what amazed me jumped on buddies viper with 240hp kit and as soon as you throw a leg over it you realize your are fighting that machine way more than my sidewinder had him jump on mine and he said the exact same thing feels like a two stroke and wow is that turbo ever snappy. Happy with my purchase for sure!
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Turblue
Active VIP Member
Easy to ride....thats exactly how I felt riding it. I can't compare with a viper since I have never rode one.
pfi572
Active VIP Member
Nice reviews guys and shows class !!!!
To bad others can't doooooo the same.
Keep it up .
To bad others can't doooooo the same.
Keep it up .
Turblue
Active VIP Member
Turblue
Active VIP Member
Turblue
Active VIP Member
The other thing I would like to add is when I was stuck it seemed to really pop out of the hole with a small ski pull. The attack angle on the track was low compared to the apex or nytro. Typically with those it required a lot of effort to get them moving due to the ski pressure....I really wasn't expecting it to be a good as it was....looking forward to riding one next year.
kmcl
Active member
I found the same thing. I have only had 3 or 4 times (knock on wood) where I have needed any more that a ski tug or a quick rollover and back at it. Huge difference from the mpi viper I was on last year.
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kmcl
Active member
Awesome review! Really highlights a lot of the reasons why I love my sidewinder!
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Turblue
Active VIP Member
I put a bit more detail in the post on snowest if anyone is interested
https://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431871
https://www.snowest.com/forum/showthread.php?t=431871
Frosted flakes
Active member
What's your guys thought on the 18's? I noticed really the only difference is the drop and roll chain case, piping is now routed around the top a arm, and LED lights. Is the plastics the same? Does the drop and roll chain case make a huge difference? I'm asking because I'm going to be on one of these bad boys, I just need to know to pull the trigger on a 17 or lay out some more mola for the 18.
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