Totallyamaha's

2011 "Mystery Sled" Ride Report

Written By: Tom Grawey aka MrSled

 

Well guys here it is... the Mystery Sled Ride review.. is it an Apex?? Is it a 4 Cylinder?? Was it on an extreme diet?? I will do my best to tell you exactly what my thoughts are on this new sled....

 

 

The model tested: 2011 "Mystery Sled"

 

Totallyamaha’s test crew consisted of:

 

“MrSled” (Tom – 6’2”  235 lbs.)

 

Ride Fact:

Location: Hurley Wisconsin at the Days Inn

Temperature: 25°.

Trail conditions as tested: Wooded areas, Rail Grades. Tight twisty-wooded trails with stutter bumps and corners with 1-2 ft moguls. The wooded trails varied from ice, to loose snow to hard packed surfaces. I logged about 95 miles on the new ride and had varying conditions that any trail rider would experience in a afternoon of hard riding.

 

I will be using the same grading system we had in past reviews to give you the best idea of how the sled actually performed. Grading A thru F, A being best and F being worse.

 

Facts and Features:
Performance: At this point this was all observed and not hard facts

Genesis® 4-stroke engine based on the notation on the seat... 4 cylinder based on sound and under sled exhaust.
Advanced fuel injection - based on past Yamaha sleds and turn key start with no choke

Rear-exiting exhaust
Camoplast® Rip Saw™ track... looks to be 128 but its definitely not a 121. I also did take note of the brackets on the tunnel that hold the skid in place... and how that skid is mounted...

  

Handling:

Tested model looked to have the base model aluminum bodied shocks up front with possible changed spindle design and mono shock in rear with tunnel adjuster. Power Steering ?? Not sure but it sure turned easy.

Comfort:

Mono Shock Trail skid (length not determined)
Sculpted narrow seat with more height that shifts the rider a few inches forward.
Digital gauge
Quick-release, single-piece hood and side panels..... newly designed

Hand warmers and Thumb warmer that work :)

Helmet heated shield plug mounted on bars..

12volt acc outlet

 

Engine:

Power: A+

Response: A+

Sound: A+ super quiet

Vibration: A+ or none

 

Clutching:

Engagement: A+

Back shift: A+

Up shift: A+ 

 

This new Genesis 4-stroke engine was very smooth and sneaky fast. By far the smoothest motor that I have driven to date. It had a nice arm stretching feel in the mid range but I really feel the speedo is spot on. This sled is so smooth and if truly accurate it gives you the false sensation that it should be faster but that's all based on seeing those false numbers all these years.  I truly feel that the speeds we are accustomed to seeing on the standard apex dream meter are just that a dream (off 15 mph) and this sled is just flat out reality.

 

Gas mileage based on the distance that we traveled would be very relative to an  Apex.... 70 miles there was still 3 bars left on the gauge. 

 

Suspension/Handling

Overall Ride Quality: A+

Big Bump Absorption: A

Stutter Bumps: A

Cornering: B+

 

I was truly in awe as I drove this sled.... power steering or whatever Yamaha has done is pure joy to drive. You have to drive this sled to really appreciate the awesome-ness of the steering. It give you the sense that the sled has shed 40 lbs.... featherlike steering that's so good you want to drive the sled faster with more confidence into each corner. I have to congratulate Yamaha on the rear skid.... finally valving that works. Like in the 2010 Vector, when set right on the tunnel adjuster, the sled can hammer thru the trail trash like no other.

 

My biggest complaint and it could have been the trail conditions (ice and loose) or even me over and under steering, the sled seem to push and have excessive body roll.... but all of that can't be adjusted out.

 

Ergos/Fit and Finish:

Seat Padding –A

Seat Material – A

Handlebars – A

Gauge – A

Throttle Pull –A

Brakes “Feel” – A

Fit and Finish – A

Wind protection - A

 

I am going to touch on a few other refinement... hand warmers work (Thank You) not just work... they get so hot you need to turn them down. The wind protection was perfect: looks to be a new 3 piece shield. Finally the seat: perfect density, nice height for us tall guys aiding in us being able to stand without adding the pressure to the knees. The transition from sitting to standing gets better every year on the trail models.

 

 

Final thoughts:

You have to try this sled. Yamaha has addressed many issues on this new sled, from hand warmers that work, superior wind protection, grease zerks on all front suspension pivots, seat comfort and the industry leading steering device.