2016 Ride Review 2016 Apex XTX (with Single shot rear)

[Heritage]

A short...sweet review from AM Snow (Canada)

Why not ride a 146 Apex X-TX LE all day? That was the question we asked ourselves after briefly testing the new 2016s for a day. It is extremely hard to get a good feel for so many sleds in just a short 8 hours, but the new 146-inch SingleShot suspension impressed us. The Apex has such long legs, easy turning, and now an even better suspension that it has become one of the most all around comfortable, warm and fast sleds to ride. Sure, both the Vector and Apex sleds still have a more traditional ‘old school’ rider positioning, but the upgrades including the chassis damping system on the LE sleds this year reinvent these sleds as a blast to ride.

I love my 2011 XTX...but if the new ones rides better with the single shot....I will have to think about getting a 2016...the rear skid is my only grip with my xtx (and it's minor)...sounds like Yamaha made a great sled...even better!

 

[journeyman]

yep, hopefully the feedback is good!!

 

[snowbeast]

A short...sweet review from AM Snow (Canada)

Why not ride a 146 Apex X-TX LE all day? That was the question we asked ourselves after briefly testing the new 2016s for a day. It is extremely hard to get a good feel for so many sleds in just a short 8 hours, but the new 146-inch SingleShot suspension impressed us. The Apex has such long legs, easy turning, and now an even better suspension that it has become one of the most all around comfortable, warm and fast sleds to ride. Sure, both the Vector and Apex sleds still have a more traditional ‘old school’ rider positioning, but the upgrades including the chassis damping system on the LE sleds this year reinvent these sleds as a blast to ride.

I love my 2011 XTX...but if the new ones rides better with the single shot....I will have to think about getting a 2016...the rear skid is my only grip with my xtx (and it's minor)...sounds like Yamaha made a great sled...even better!

I agree with the statement about it ride,not sure if it out handles the apex xtx in 144 I now have w/tipped up rails,my sled came with both damping system,IMO its just a marketing buzz,i honestly see what they do,they are not a shock,but are suppose to remove unwanted vibbs from the sled I guess,at any rate I feel w/the taller seat the newer xtx's have like the 15 sleds have a little taller seat than the 11's right,or so I have been told,if it was up to me,sense I am short,i would of liked the shorter seat,as I was sitting above the windshield and very cold,plus for top speed its better having a taller shield that surrounds the body,sense the body makes for a lot more drag at speed than does a shield. I give the new 2016 a big thumbs up,and oh ya my 2015 thunbs up too.

 

[sgauthier]

don't believe they changed the seat height since 2011 but i could be wrong.

 

[ydog]

I've only got 304 miles on my new 2014 Apex XTX but will be taking it to 500 miles this weekend so I can change the oil/filter and service it prior to my last ride of the season in the U.P. next week, but I can tell you that I'm really liking this sled and will have a better opinion of how it handles and what it does top end when returning from my last ride.

 

[biffdotorg]

Let's just hope they come to any place with snow with a demo fleet. I am really wanting to get some seat time on a demo if at all possible. Keep your eyes peeled for demo rides!!

 

[jong22250]

Let's just hope they come to any place with snow with a demo fleet. I am really wanting to get some seat time on a demo if at all possible. Keep your eyes peeled for demo rides!!

 

[jong22250]

Snofest in old fordge ny next weekend called yamaha dealer in old fordge today and he assured me they will have 6 demo 2016 yammis there to ride

 

[Sasquatch]

A short...sweet review from AM Snow (Canada)

Why not ride a 146 Apex X-TX LE all day? That was the question we asked ourselves after briefly testing the new 2016s for a day. It is extremely hard to get a good feel for so many sleds in just a short 8 hours, but the new 146-inch SingleShot suspension impressed us. The Apex has such long legs, easy turning, and now an even better suspension that it has become one of the most all around comfortable, warm and fast sleds to ride. Sure, both the Vector and Apex sleds still have a more traditional ‘old school’ rider positioning, but the upgrades including the chassis damping system on the LE sleds this year reinvent these sleds as a blast to ride.

I love my 2011 XTX...but if the new ones rides better with the single shot....I will have to think about getting a 2016...the rear skid is my only grip with my xtx (and it's minor)...sounds like Yamaha made a great sled...even better!

I have to take issue with the traditional old school seating. If we ignore the earlier then 2003 yami or any other sled (I would call them old school) the RX in 2005 got a raise in the seat followed by the Apex in 06 with even more of a raise in the seat along with a moved forward bar and raised higher as well. The 2011 moved the bars higher and seating to my chagrin even higher and more forward. Hard on my poor old knees it is! I don't mind the raise in the seat as much as the forward, my knees don't bend much more then 90 degrees! Stop pushing me forward! Quite a few of the nowadays sleds are just painful to sit on never mind ride.

So saying a 2011 up Apex is traditional old school seating is so very far from the truth. IMHO As I watch the guys ride and listen to the knees lower then the hips over and over again I notice one thing they all ride with their legs back under them. If it was possible for me to ride like that my knees would be below my hips but alas it is not so! Funny thing is the number of people that don't like the Ski-Doo ride and say its to rough and want their mono back. Maybe the Single Shot with be the answer.

The single shot rear 146 skid without having rode one seems to me to be aimed at the off trail users. It may be a smooth rider and it may even handle the heavier rider but I question the turning without the tipped rail as in a corner that has bumps I can feel the skid slow the turning rate over the bumps as it bridges them. Its turn like a short track, turn like a long track thing back and forth as you cross the bumps. Flat smooth corners it feels like the sled turns quicker and consistent though the corner and its turning gets slower then faster over and over in a corner with bumps. Not a big issue with the tipped rail but you may loose the short track feel altogether with the Single Shot 146.

Maybe its not the skid at all I feeling in a corner and it is related to the front end so I would like to try one to see what it corners like. What it handles the big bumps like and what it handles the G outs like. Plus how does it handle a fat guy on its back! Now that I have installed the star kit in my XTX the single shot is not enough for me to upgrade as the skid rides so nice over all the bumps now and handles my fat arse!

 

[CaptCaper]

I didn't know that. About the seating. Your saying my Attak gives me more room to sit back on the machine? I like that and being 6'2" and bad knees and a gut I always sit back to the point of hitting the hard plastic inner support at the rear. So these newer 2011 and up Apex will not let me do that? If so is there a seat aftermarket that will allow this?

I have to take issue with the traditional old school seating. If we ignore the earlier then 2003 yami or any other sled (I would call them old school) the RX in 2005 got a raise in the seat followed by the Apex in 06 with even more of a raise in the seat along with a moved forward bar and raised higher as well. The 2011 moved the bars higher and seating to my chagrin even higher and more forward. Hard on my poor old knees it is! I don't mind the raise in the seat as much as the forward, my knees don't bend much more then 90 degrees! Stop pushing me forward! Quite a few of the nowadays sleds are just painful to sit on never mind ride.

So saying a 2011 up Apex is traditional old school seating is so very far from the truth. IMHO As I watch the guys ride and listen to the knees lower then the hips over and over again I notice one thing they all ride with their legs back under them. If it was possible for me to ride like that my knees would be below my hips but alas it is not so! Funny thing is the number of people that don't like the Ski-Doo ride and say its to rough and want their mono back. Maybe the Single Shot with be the answer.

The single shot rear 146 skid without having rode one seems to me to be aimed at the off trail users. It may be a smooth rider and it may even handle the heavier rider but I question the turning without the tipped rail as in a corner that has bumps I can feel the skid slow the turning rate over the bumps as it bridges them. Its turn like a short track, turn like a long track thing back and forth as you cross the bumps. Flat smooth corners it feels like the sled turns quicker and consistent though the corner and its turning gets slower then faster over and over in a corner with bumps. Not a big issue with the tipped rail but you may loose the short track feel altogether with the Single Shot 146.

Maybe its not the skid at all I feeling in a corner and it is related to the front end so I would like to try one to see what it corners like. What it handles the big bumps like and what it handles the G outs like. Plus how does it handle a fat guy on its back! Now that I have installed the star kit in my XTX the single shot is not enough for me to upgrade as the skid rides so nice over all the bumps now and handles my fat arse!

 

[Purplecoffin]

I didn't know that. About the seating. Your saying my Attak gives me more room to sit back on the machine? I like that and being 6'2" and bad knees and a gut I always sit back to the point of hitting the hard plastic inner support at the rear. So these newer 2011 and up Apex will not let me do that? If so is there a seat aftermarket that will allow this?

You could easily put a tilt style riser on. I would think that would allow you to sit back... ???? Yes/no?

I have a super tall seat on my sled, but I am only 5'7". Easy transition from sitting to standing.

 

[CaptCaper]

You could easily put a tilt style riser on. I would think that would allow you to sit back... ???? Yes/no?

I have a super tall seat on my sled, but I am only 5'7". Easy transition from sitting to standing.

I don't think so. If you look at the new seat style vs old you can see were you couldn't sit back further.

 

[Purplecoffin]

I don't think so. If you look at the new seat style vs old you can see were you couldn't sit back further.

Gotcha, just a thought. ☺

 

[Sasquatch]

I didn't know that. About the seating. Your saying my Attak gives me more room to sit back on the machine? I like that and being 6'2" and bad knees and a gut I always sit back to the point of hitting the hard plastic inner support at the rear. So these newer 2011 and up Apex will not let me do that? If so is there a seat aftermarket that will allow this?

I gives you a bit more maybe, its not that the 2011 Apex up has less stretch room. Its that when they raised the seat they also moved you forward so doing that they took back whatever leg stretch you gained on the seat being raised. Plus the new muffler runs length wise on the 11 up rather then crosswise on the 10 back. This takes away a bit of cushion at the back of the seat.

The 11 up is comfy enough but I sit at the very back of the seat where I had a bit more room on the old Apex seat and it was more comfortable both leg wise and had a bit more cushion. If they had used the 10 seat and raised it higher it would have been perfect, but they could not as they changed the muffler and possibly narrowed the seat at the rear. I know way less fits in the back compartment then before and mostly because the opening is smaller.

I like the 2011 better then the 10 back but just wish I had a bit longer seat so when my knees get to hurting I could sit back away from the bars a bit more to give my knees a break. Once they begin the ache one wrong bump can send me forward and make me almost pass out for the pain. Sitting back a bit relives the pain and give me a bit more strength to hold me from going forward. Ya I know I'm a cripple.

 

[ydog]

One things for sure I like my new 2014 Apex XTX and the way it rides and handles the bumps......it pulls harder than my 2007 Apex out of the corners but I don't think it's as fast on top end as my old Apex. I do like the taller seat and just love the power steering so all in all I'm set for a few years regardless of what Yamaha does......time will tell.