Greetings from snowy Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, site of the Yamaha dealer meeting.  For '08, Yamaha replaced the Vector Mountain with the new FX Nytro MTX and given all the other mountain sleds the MTX designation.  For '08, the lineup will include the Phazer MTX, FX Nytro MTX, and Apex MTX.  As always, there are a couple of versions of the FX Nytro MTX and Apex MTX including some 40th Anniversary LEs. 

The biggest news is obviously the new FX Nytro platform, which is an entirely need sled which is very closely based on the Open Mod snocross sled that the Yamaha race team has been running this year.  Starting with the engine, here are the highlights:

*  Engine is a fuel injected 1050cc triple with four valves per cylinder

*  Engine does not need gear reduction like the Apex

*  Oil system is a dry sump configuration

*  Compression ratio is 11:1 and is designed to run on 87 octane fuel

*  Engine is 10.2 pounds lighter than the Vector engine

*  Yamaha claims it makes 134hp, 14hp and 7 foot pounds higher in output than the Vector engine

*  Powerband is supposed to be very broad, with the engine making 95% of peak for 1200rpm

*  Uses a new style of Mikuni fuel injection which is still an open loop system (meaning no O2 sensor)

*  Fuel injection will still have a fast idle mode for warmup

*  They have developed an interesting new feature called the Engine Braking Reduction System (EBRS), whereby the fuel injection system lets a small amount of air around the throttle bodies, which makes the engine braking effect of the four stroke less dramatic

* Engine has a new head design and new cams which have narrower lobes and have also been tuned for increased lift and duration

*  Crankshaft is 1.7 pounds lighter than the Vector crank

*  The engine is over 10 pounds lighter overall than the Vector engine, much of which comes from using Magnesium covers wherever possible throughout the engine. 

*  For more weight savings, the piston pins are tapered

*  The cam chain tensioner uses oil pressure to keep tension on the chain, instead of simply a big spring

*  The new engine will be legal in the ISR rules for the 600cc two stroke class

*  For cooling, the mountain sleds have a cooler mountain mid way down the tunnel, a front tunnel cooler, and a front radiator which is mounted underneath the windshield and console area

*  In terms of the chassis, it is built with many die cast pieces built with Yamaha's CF Die Cast process, which yields much stronger and lighter pieces than traditional die cast aluminum

*  The chaincase is much like the Phazer, with the back half cast in the chassis and then finished with a Magnesium chaincase cover. 

*  The steering post now goes over the engine, more like a traditional sled and eliminates the multiple rack assemblies we have on the Apex, which should make the steering feel a lighter tighter and more positive

*  Exhaust still exits in the rear of the seat

*  Front suspension is entirely new and unique to this sled

*  The hood, headlight, and windshield were all designed to be lighter weight

*  The rider sits 14" forward of the current Vector/Nytro platform

*  Reverse is still manually actuated and controls the reverse gear in the chaincase, although the linkage has been redesigned

*  The tunnel tapers at the top and the seat has been designed to be narrow on the MTX version much like a new Polaris seat, which makes riding on one knee and swapping which side you're riding on easier

*  The floorboards are fairly wide and do have some holes to let the snow out

*  The MTX has a 3" pitch, 15" wide Maverick track that's 153" long with 2.25" lugs still driven by the extrovert driver arrangement like the Apex currently uses

*  Yamaha claims that the sled is just over 600 pounds in wet, ready to ride configuration.  The lightest Nytro MTX without reverse weighs 542 pounds dry and since it only holds 7.4 gallons of fuel, that is conceivable.  According to the brochure, the Nytro MTX is about 50 pounds lighter than the Apex, although their Apex weights seem to be a little on the optimistically low side. 

*  According to Yamaha's internal hillclimbing tests, the Nytro's performance fell between the Summit 600 and the Dragon 700, which also seems conceivable given the horsepower, weight, and track considerations

*  It comes with hooked handlebars and a standard mountain bar, as you'd expect

*  The front shocks are HPG style, but are not rebuildable or revalvable

It should be interesting to see how the sled works on the hill.  Their marketing position is that the sled works really well for boondocking and play riding and wasn't designed to be the big high marker like the Apex.  Given the weight and horsepower of the sled, expecting it to fall somewhere in the 600-700cc class does seem about right. 

There are also a couple of updates to the Phazer MTX and the Apex MTX.  The Phazer MTX gets a new mid height windshield, hooked handlebars, and new body panels designed to reduce snow accumulation on the boards.  The Apex MTX gets a new rear rack that saves three pounds and the base models will also include reverse as standard equipment. 

So...to summarize, here are the highlights on Yamaha's 2008 lineup. 

Phazer MTX   

$7,399

80hp

515 pounds

144"x14" Maverick track

Blue/White or White/Orange

FX Nytro MTX

$10,299 without reverse

$10,599 with reverse

$10,799 40th Anniversary Edition (with reverse)

134hp

542 pounds without reverse

550 pounds with reverse

153"x15" Maverick track

Blue/White or White/Red 40th Edition Graphics

Apex MTX

$11,399

150 hp

596 pounds w/reverse

162"x16" Maverick track

Blue/White

Apex MTX SE

$11,799

150hp

592 pounds (no reverse, Fox Floats)

162"x16" Maverick track

White/Red 40th Edition Graphics

For those customers who order a new sled on the Spring Power Surge Program, the offer includes no payments and no interest until March 2008, a free 3 year warranty, a 40th anniversary collector's edition gift, and a rebate/free accessory offer. 

Given the durability of the four stroke engines and a 3 year warranty, buying a Yamaha does legitimately offer the promise of buying a sled and riding it for quite a while without any unexpected expenses.  Given that we've doubled the horsepower on the Apex and still done nothing but pour gas in it and turn the key all season, it's hard to argue with the reliability of the products. 

Yamaha has several photos and more details specs up on the their site at www.yamaha-motor.com.  Also, don't forget the Yamaha Spring Show is March 7 from 4-9pm at the Ramada at 120th & I-25. 

Thanks,

Donavon