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Yamaha Learning and Improving at Duluth

Press Release
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Three days, countless laps, late nights, and a wealth of information is how to best describes Yamaha’s return to the track at the ISOC National Snocross in Duluth, MN, last weekend.

With laser focus on the forthcoming United States X-Country (USXC) series and a hopeful year-end pro championship, Yamaha descended upon the grueling Duluth track with one thing on their mind…knowledge.

While it may seem unconventional to prepare for the cross-country season at a national snocross race, the wealth of information and tuning improvements the team garnered from the weekend of “real-world” competition was unprecedented.

“You really can’t duplicate a true race situation in practice, no matter how hard the drivers push,” said Yamaha Snowmobile Racing Manager, Eric Josephsen. “Racers are wired different from the rest of us, and when faced with real competition, they push harder than they ever will in a test situation.”

The Yamaha team logged countless laps in the Pro Open ranks, going up against the best snocross riders in the world. By weekend’s end, the team had developed and tested new fuel and ignition mapping for improved holeshots and acceleration; clutching improvements; countless suspension tweaks for when the team encounters nasty ditch-line terrain later this winter; and specific ergonomic improvements for all three riders.

“The weekend was a huge success for us,” said Josephsen. “We came out of Duluth with more improvements and information than we could have ever imagined going in.”

One key attribute the team learned immediately after tangling with the huge bumps and full contact rubbing of national snocross is how incredibly durable the new Viper is.

“The sled is super tough,” said Eric. “Everyone on the team is looking forward to Pine Lake.”

The USXC series kicks off December 14-15, in Gonvick, Minnesota.

Yamaha fans can follow the team throughout the season at facebook.com/YamahaSnowmobilesUSA and youtube.com/user/YamahaSnowmobilesUSA.

Tucker Hibbert 2013 Duluth National Wrap Video

Supertrax Online
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Tucker “T-Train” Hibbert hits the 13/14 snocross season like a freight train delivering a jaw dropping performance at the 22nd Annual Duluth National.

The defending Pro Open champ makes the rough, technical track on the slopes of Spirit Mountain ski hill his playground lapping the 15-man field in the first main event of the season.

Can he keep train rolling? Stay tuned to TuckerHibbertTV and hang on tight — it’s going to be a heckuva year!

QUICK TAKE: 2014 Polaris Switchback

Staff Report
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QUICK TAKE: 2014 Polaris Switchback

If you’re comparing front ends on long track sleds, there’s simply no race between the competition and this Polaris.

The non-parallel A-arm system Polaris uses on its Pro-Ride and Indy sleds is the industry standard for predictable turn-in and precise handling in the bumpiest terrain.

There’s little, if any, noticeable handling compromise with the longer RipSaw 1.25-inch track, either and it’s what makes the SB such a pleasure to ride.

Very little body-english is required, just crank the bars and maintain forward seating. Keep the throttle on and steer to the apex, pivot and lay on more flipper – you’ll slingshot out of turns like Kyle Bush, but without losing as many friends.

Aside from very good skis, some of this has to do with weight and ergonomics. The Switchback is light and although not as light as a Renegade, feels incredibly light from the driver’s seat.

Steering effort is very easy and with the higher riding position this platform affords, takes little muscular input to ride through the twisties.

It feels almost motorcycle-ish.

Read the rest of this story in the upcoming issue of Supertrax, available December, 2013.

129-Incher vs. 137-Incher

Motorhead Mark Lester
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Dear Motorhead:

I’m a big fan of your show and opinions. I’m replacing a 2011 Crossfire 800 Ltd and wonder if you guys have ridden the new ZR much yet.

I ride 70% trails and found the Crossfire 141 to be a handfull on-trail, but unbelievable off. This sled can be the best sled ever and the worst sled ever on the same day.

Do you think the 129 is the best of all worlds Cat or is it XF 137?

Dave S.
Ottawa, ON

Hi Dave –

Thanks for your email and we appreciate your kind words!

I am familiar with your 2011 X-Fire and the way it generates both love and hate all at once.

Since you appreciated the longer footprint of your 11 X-fire I’d definitely encourage you to look at the XF 137. It is a trail biased X-over that can shred flatland powder.

The ride and handling of the 137 XF is completely transparent – you can’t tell the diff from a 129 – except in bigger bumps where the longer track bridges moguls better.

The 800 XF 137 is my fave although the 7000 is pretty sweet. Actually – I suspect the best XF 137 is yet to be built – a 600 DSI XF 137.

Hope this helps and let us know what you decide!

Motorhead Mark

FIRST PULL ON THE 2014 YAMAHA SR VIPER LTX

Mark Lester
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FIRST PULL ON THE 2014 YAMAHA SR VIPER LTX

I just had a monumental ride on a production 2014 Yamaha Viper LTX at sea level.

The freshly minted production sled needed about 50 miles (80 kms) to “free-up”. Honestly, it felt a little laggy and the clutches seemed reluctant to shift hard until the 50-mile mark, then the sled began to lay down rubber on white top.

The marriage of the superb 1049 Yama-triple to this chassis feels pretty doggone good. Not only was I impressed with the strong on-center feel and progressive, clean bite on initial turn-in but I was pleased with the sled’s low CG feel.

The 137-inch track had no adverse effect on handling that I could discern on early season snow. It felt good in the ditches – not at all like a 4-stroke was underhood.

Body movement capably countered any sidehill leaning and the sled soaked up buried objects under the minimal snow with ease.

The 137 FFA skid rocks. I’d suggest slightly less compression damping on the rear arm shock; unfortunately, it’s not a clicker.

I was pleased to find the sweet melody of the 1049cc, triple throttle body mill completely intact. In fact, it’s safe to say the Viper sounds just as good as the Nytro – and people behind you will not be complaining of exhaust fumes at head level – something high exiting Yama-pipes are known for.

The entire 84-mile ride the sled never sneezed, coughed or failed to do anything but start and run smooth. Once past 50 miles, shift RPM settled in at 8300-8450 which I think is just about right for this engine.

I suspect the Yama-spec clutching is conservative. I would like to see a little less weight in the primary for a more revy upshift and maybe less cam in the secondary to take advantage of it.

Here’s the deal: The Cat’s ZR 7000 version has already impressed us with its aggressive clutching and I suspect the Viper’s big end is suffering because of clutch calibration.

The good news is this: There’s 8-inches of ice on the lake here at Supertrax/Snowtrax World HQ and as soon as our ZR 7000 lands we’ll be putting it head-to-head with the Vipe to verify if our suspicions are justified.

Any Yama-groupie with experience, particularly with the 1049 triple, is gonna love this sled. While inevitable comparisons to Arctic Cat’s ZR 7000 will be repeated over and over all season long, I couldn’t help but wonder how the Vipe will fair against Ski-Doo’s 1170cc 4-TEC MX-Z and Renegade.

Frankly, I found myself thinking this just might be one of the best 4-strokes I’ve ever ridden – and I really don’t like 4-strokes that much.

Byers Motorsports Ready for 2014 Race Season

Press Release
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Byers Motorsports Ready for 2014 Race Season

The days are shorter, nights are colder and the smell of race fuel is in the air.

This can only mean one thing, the snowcross season is among us and the Supertrax/ Polaris/ Byers Motorsports team is ready!

The team has spent the past week at Planet X testing facility in Aurora, Minnesota putting laps on the new 2014 Polaris 600 IQ race sleds getting them set-up for competition.

Jamie Byers is returning again this season with his primary focus competing for the #1 plate in the CSRA National Circuit in the Pro-Open class.

As well as the CSRA Nationals, Jamie will also be competing at select ISOC National events across the USA in the Pro-Lite division.

“It feels great to be back on the sleds and the ’14 IQ racer is better than ever. The improvements made by the Polaris Race Department are very noticeable and will be beneficial this season.” Jamie said after testing. “I can’t wait to get out on the track in competition and bang some bars with other racers.”

Before driving back to Canada for the CSRA Season Opener in Sault Ste. Marie December 13-14, the team will be attending the ISOC Season Opener in Duluth, Minnesota.

The Duluth Opener is one of the biggest, most anticipated events in snowmobiling, attracting riders from all circuits and across the world to kick-off the snowcross season.

Returning as Title sponsors this season are Supertrax Magazine and Byers Equipment Motorsports. Dayco is also returning as the Official Belt of Byers Motorsports and Amsoil as the Official Oil. We would like to welcome EVS Sports and CV Tech AAB to the team along with our returning sponsors: Polaris, Gamma Sales, Fly Racing, Coldwave, Dragon, Woody’s Traction, Creecher’s Design, Clean Media and Powermadd.

*Photos credit Lindsay Elmhirst

Follow us on Facebook – www.facebook.com/byersmotorsports
You Tube Channel – www.youtube.com/byersmotorsports

Gearing Up for a Cold and Snowy Forecast

Press Release
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Cold temperatures and record snowfall so far this season is motivating snowmobile clubs and associations throughout North America to begin making plans for Take a Friend Snowmobiling activities to be held this winter.

Event planning has begun in many associations who are contacting the ISMA Office to obtain campaign support material. The Take a Friend Snowmobiling week is scheduled for February 8-17, 2014 but events can be held any time throughout the Winter.

Take a Friend Snowmobiling is a campaign to encourage snowmobilers to take a non-snowmobiling friend out and introduce them to snowmobiling. Research shows that most people would like to go snowmobiling and, in fact, rate their level of interest a “9” on a 10 point scale.

The Go Snowmobiling campaign is expanding as more clubs and associations are visiting the website to obtain information on how to hold a Go Snowmobiling event. Activity online continues to increase and the website is an excellent source of information for snowmobilers and non-snowmobilers alike.

Snowmobile Shows held across North America have experienced record activity and attendance. Chambers of Commerce and Visitor and Convention Bureaus in the snowbelt understand the importance of snowmobiling to the economic activity for their region, they are also reaching out to support the Go Snowmobiling Campaign. Clubs and Chambers of Commerce are partnering to hold events in their local area.

With snowy forecasts in the near future for most of North America, outdoor enthusiasts are looking forward to the prospect of going snowmobiling this winter.

Our Facebook page www.facebook.com/GoSnowmobiling is expanding and we presently have over 2700 “likes”. Please visit our page and “like” it to be kept up on events and fun snowmobiling posts. Snowmobilers from around the globe are sharing stories, pictures, and ideas through our Facebook page. Take some time to visit us. You will smile and you will start making plans to “Take a Friend Snowmobiling.”

This will be a great winter to take a friend snowmobiling and participate in a club or association ride.

www.gosnowmobiling.org

Is There A Common Issue With Cleanfire 600 Mills?

Motorhead Mark Lester
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Dear Motorhead:

I love reading all the articles on here and find the comments people post about them to be quit informative as to what happens on a large scale. For example, how people talk about their reverses breaking on their 2012 Arctic Catss, which recently happened to me.

My question is I have a 2012 Switchback Adventure 600 and I’ve never read anything on here about there being issues with the liberty 600 engines but, my sled 600 broke in the first 450 miles as it ended up having an electrical problem with one of the injectors that was causing the sled to shut off.

I was recently at a dealership and one of the mechanics told me that’s a common problem with that sled. Is this true?

Is this sled going to have continued problems or is this just a rival dealership blowing smoke?

Joe O

Joe!

Thanks for your email!

We’ve been using Polaris 600 Liberty powered sleds for the past 7 years and have yet to see an injector fail.

IMO the 600 Cleanfire mill is among the most bulletproof 600 class engines available.

That’s not to say there could never be a problem – that’s why OEM’s offer warranty’s – to ensure you’re looked after in the event of an anomaly.

Some early Cleanfire 800 Liberties did have injector issues – however the 600’s did not.

Hope this helps.

Motorhead Mark

Cat’s 7000 C-TEC 4 with a 137-Inch Track

Staff Report
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Cat’s 7000 C-TEC 4 with a 137-Inch Track

The new XF 137 version of the Slide Action 129 actually handles bigger trail bumps more effectively by bridging moguls.

The slide action effect in jigglers is equally effective producing a plush response to this trail annoyance.

Okay, is the Slide Action XF 137 as plush as the benchmark Ski-Doo Renegade rMotion? Yes and no.

The front arm response to chatter is exceptional. We can’t deny this thing vacuums trail trash at any speed.

The rear arm response is where the rMotion is better and we have a suggestion to help Cat improve big bump, rear arm impacts.

The rear arm shock used on all versions of the Slide Action skid (Sno-Pro or LXR) does not offer compression adjustability.

We think adding a rear clicker would be the right move and would allow the rider to dial compression damping in or out while setting the torsion springs to the preferred preload.

The extra weight of the 4-stroke is negligible in this application and trail sensations are superb.

The 1049 turns-in easily, following a linear arc programmed by the pilot’s digits on the sweet hooker-equipped handlebars.

Acceleration is urgent and the inherent torque of this 135-hp 4-stroke extrudes into the bigger 137-inch, 1.25-inch lugged shoe with earnest authority.

When striking off-trail or running untramped lakes, the 1049 uses its extra track length to chew down and then pull up on top of unpacked snow.

Read the rest of this story in the upcoming issue of Supertrax, available this month!

PROJEKT THINKTANK MESSENGER

Staff Report
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PROJEKT THINKTANK MESSENGER

If you’re looking for great bag to carry your documents and paperwork along with your laptop and devices to work or for air travel, look no further.

The ThinkTank Messenger bag from Projekt is a beautifully crafted, sleek, over-the-shoulder bag that can hold just about everything you’d need to get your work done.

There’s a soft, fur-lined laptop sleeve with a velcro strap that will hold your laptop securely without scratching its surface while taking it in and out for use.

There’s also room in the divided pocket of the main compartment to hold folders, documents, magazines or a book or two and the body is rigid enough that your documents won’t fold or get crushed.

While on your shoulder, items are ergonomically within reach and the zippered quick-stash pocket can be accessed to grab your wallet or key and the concealed tablet pocket on the side is great for holding your iPad or eReader.

The shoulder strap is manufactured from premium 2-inch seatbelt webbing and the cushioned padding rests comfortably on your shoulder.

There’s also a Recoil Handle System in case you need to hold the bag like a briefcase and when not in use, the handled recoil back into a hidden pocket out of view.

Projekt has a number of really great products to suit a wide range of luggage needs. Visit projektco.com for more information.

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    SNOWTRAX has established itself as the most watched snowmobile TV series in North America.
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