Last Updated: 07/15/07

First Look:

 The M10 is a very well engineered suspension; stamped rails, parallelogram geometry, coil over dual rate springs both front and back with an overload spring in the rear shocks. Very easy shock angle adjustment on the side for rider weight and supplied shock wrenches for pre-load adjustment to refine your ride. The variety of colors choices makes it very appealing.

 The M10 can be summed up in three words, ride, comfort and control. Expect to get exactly what’s advertised.

  Our first impression out of the box was the M10 looks very similar to what we already have, however there were a few noticeable differences. The most apparent difference was in the rear shock assembly. The large multi-rate spring mounted more vertical with a shorter additional spring stashed inside the primary coil for big bump handling. This is one of the features we like the best in the overall design, it was not just a bottoming bumper or hard stop but an adjustable overload helper. The next difference was in the front swing arm. The front arm is able to swing completely through the rails indicated to us that that the length of travel is far greater then stock.

Installation

 In our opinion the universal mount kit seamed cumbersome additional shims where required to get the mount bars to sit flat. The additional material supplied in the mount kit did add strength to the tunnel that compensates for the missing center mount of the Pro-action.

 The RX1 install was much simplified from the universal mounting kit, almost a bolt and go, vs. about an hour of scratching your head wondering what do with all the parts found in the universal mounting kit.

 In either case expect to do a little grinding and stock bracket relocation to replace the pro-action. Unfortunately to re-install the pro-action you will be buying new Yamahas brackets. It was interesting to see how close the universal mount kit was to the original Pro-action mount, almost as if the thing would bolt in the existing front holes.

 We spent about 4-6 hour on the install using the universal mount kit and 2-4 hours on the RX1 bolt and go.

 When doing your initial tuning pay some attention to the front of the sled as well. In some cases a change in the spring preload may be necessary to handle the corners.

The ride

 With the stock settings for our weight and riding style (a little more aggressive per M10 set up instructions) our first impression was “Where did the bumps go”, small 6-12 inch stutter bumps where gone.

 We then proceeded to find some nasty big bumps, we came across some 12-20” moguls, about 2’ feet apart, and held it to the bar, to our surprise it handled it with comfort and control. It was amazing, no severe trauma, we could handle it with no loss of control and stay seated. It seamed that the faster you went the better the ride. Even though under those riding conditions, you have the tendency to stand up on the big bumps, with the M10 it’s not necessary.

 Although you may want to lean toward the softer side, we found that when going for the big bumps a little more aggressive setting was much more comfortable.

 Our test rides involved two different shock options on two different sleds. An M10 Ohlins on a SRX and a FOX version on an RX1. The fox version (with the non-adjustable rear) will take a little more tuning to get decent results. With the exception of the quick adjusting rear shock the Ohlins version required little to no further adjustments from the recommended settings. In our option pay the additional $ for the adjustable shocks, you will have more control over the ride.

M10 Pros and Cons

** We found by using shorter coupler blocks (provided by FAST) transfer was much better in the Pro-action and recommended in the RX1 to get the best overall performance.

** Due weight transfer, and some slight top end loss this is probably not the best choice if you are planning on drag racing or looking for top speed.

Summery

 We are extremely impressed with the M-10 under all trail conditions. It flat out "rocks". Keep in mind that no matter what the suspension you run, you will feel something. When set-up properly the M-10 eats anything you toss in its way with complete ride, comfort and control. We had with difficulty finding any negative issues.

 In our opinion this suspension is designed for the rider that is looking to get the most trail performance from their snowmobile. The M10 is money well spent.

Test Riders Quotes:

“I was pretty much ready to give up snowmobiling, I was tired of the sore arms, sore back and sore legs when riding the seemingly endless moguls in our part of the country, after riding the M10 I’m once again excited about snowmobile.”

“Wow!!!”

“I can’t believe that after the first weekend out for the year I went home with no back pain.”

“For the first time in 10 years, I rode 300 miles with no back pain. I wanted ride 300 more.”

“That f#$#*er rides awesome.”

“Why did you ever let me ride the M10 now I know what I’m missing when I’m riding my stock sled all day.”

 Special thanks to Neal Warling for letting us stay and test at his place in Paradise MI.

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All the information in this article is based on Totallyamaha’s test results and opinions of Totallyamaha.com and its members. If there is any other information you would like to add from your own experiences with either of the test suspensions, feel free to email the webmaster@totallyamaha.com

Totallyamaha is not responsible for any damages that these modifications may cause to your vehicle; any modifications are your responsibility if you choose to do so. We are providing information ONLY. Some of these modifications may VOID your warranty and that is your responsibility to look into. The Totallyamaha users have passed along most of the information found on this site. If you have any questions or concerns about anything on this site talk to your dealer before using any of the information. Totallyamaha will not be liable for any damages or personal injury from any modification performed from this site.