Just got back from Pittsburg NH, did 1010 miles on my 2008 nytro, would've been 1100 or so but my buddy's firecat blew its jackshaft bearings and had to be towed out on the last day. Just wanted to talk about my set up and likes/dislikes, comments etc. I got my nytro last year, all stock except for a studded track. This was a replacement for my Phazer, which I loved, however it just didn't have the power I wanted to pull out of high speed turns or take on the long sweeping trails. I set it up to be a trail sled, my improvements are as follows:
Curve XS skis with 4" round bars
OFT relocator
OFT block off plate
Trail tank
Tall windshield with side deflectors
Hygear Slicast A Arms
Sled Start HIDs
Yamaheater
WRP +2" seat
Fox Float X front shocks
Moflow front vent
Duraflex ice scratchers
Dupont hyfax
Schmidt Bros Comfort clutch
So, I set up the slicast a arms with the 09 stock camber settings (2 washers on either side) for my first two days of riding. Set caster to 2 (spindles slanted more rearward). Honestly my sled looked a bit like a dunebuggy with this set up, the skis were ridiculously cambered and while they worked well the first night and second day, when conditions changed they started to push badly which made me lose all confidence in the sled. I read the instructions that came with the a arms which said to combat pushing, tilt the spindles further inward. Just looking at my skis we decided that that was not a good idea and as they sat, the skis couldn't be working as they were designed because they were so far from flat. I changed one side so that 3 of the 4 washers were on the outside, at which time I realized something was tweaked on the other side. With same settings one ski was obviously more "tilted" than the other, no matter how the sled was parked, jacked up, whatever. I could not determine why that side was tweaked, the bottom a arms looked straight, spindles looked straight, subframe doesn't appear to be bent (shocks are centered), so I ended up putting all four washers to the outside on that side and that made both sides look about the same. Amazing that one thin little washer can make such a difference. Anyway, I'd say for the 2008, a good basline with the slicast a arms would be 3 washers on the outside and caster 2 notches tilted back. With this set up, the front end hooked up and was predictable in all but the sloppiest of corners. There was minor darting with this setup, but nothing scary, more just an annoyance in certain conditions. I was fully capable with riding one handed through everything but the depest of whoops. Definitely still has bump steer, but nothing you can't deal with. I got some inside ski lift but mostly when I was being lazy and not hanging off. So, for the rest of my set up, I set my rear torsions at hard (I've got the x clicks but did not put them on the hardest 4th setting), I set my rear shock compression at stock per the owner's manual (no rebound on the standard rear shock) and I set the center shock at stock settings, but with the spring set basically to rattle. I installed float X front shocks and originally set compression and rebound to 8 clicks which is about in the middle, with air pressure set to 65psi. on the third day I backed off on compression 3 clicks and rebound 2 clicks which seemed to tame the front a bit more in the hard bumps and whoops. I will probably drop the pressure to 60 next time I ride (next year) to see how that goes, but overall this was a nice set-up. Had both limiters set to full out (I believe stock), did not have an issue with the front end coming up (although I had to really stay light on the throttle mid turn or it'd float the skis or cause serious push).
So, this sled basically did what I wanted it to do: ride like my phazer but with power. I could definitely feel the weight in the really tight slow stuff where the phazer just loved to be tossed around, but in all other scenarios the nytro really just seemed like phazer's big brother. The engine did not wow me like I thought it would, but seemed to be more of a subtle power plant that would give when you really asked it to give. Seemed you really needed to mash on the flipper to get real power but when you did, it answered. Conditions were loose for most of the week so I don't think the track ever really got a chance to hook up. I think the OFT relocator and the WRP seat were key to making the transition from the phazer seemless, however I'd actually like a higher seat (which WRP made a +4), the seat on the phazer is just so easy to transition from side to side in the turns. The material on the seat was also a little too grippy for my liking, but it worked fine. One mistake I made was I cut my rear flap down (it had been backed over and stabbed by studs). From the get-go, I had crazy amounts of snow dust landing on my back, covering the rear of the seat, tail light etc. It was on the hairy edge of freezing during the day so that dust seemed to land on me and instantly melt. I was using an old school one-piece suit that immediately started leaking, to the point that when I stood up water would run from my butt down my legs into my boots. I bought a new 2 piece suit on my third day and that kept me mostly dry (there was one other day where my butt still got a little wet through the bibs). So, I plan to buy a Skinz flex flap and flap savers for next year. My brake light was unusable for the entire trip because it was caked in snow.
Over heat light....I expected this to be a problem based on everything I've seen on this site, but it was not. While warm out, conditions were good most of the time, I just had to be sure to knock built-up snow out of the tunnel when I had the chance. I had one low snow trail where, on the way back up the mountain, my heat light came on (poor trail conditions, slow going, etc). I pulled off to let the motor cool, then dropped my scrachers until we got off that trail and didn't see the light again that day. ONly other time I saw a light was when I trenched the rear end (on the side of a groomed trail believe it or not) and left the motor idling while I tried to free the sled for a few minutes. I pulled off into some fluff and spun the track and light went out. Those were the only two times I saw the light all week. And that was the only time I used my scratchers. I do have a home made vented dash piece on my sled that let out alot of heat at stops. Also kept my gloves warm which was nice.
Still need to inspect my Dupont sliders, but at a glance they still looked really good and meaty. I just did not have time to get down and look at them in detail on the last day, and I am now 500 miles from my sled so I will have my buddy take a look when he gets the chance.
The trail tank was nice, peace of mind, but you definitely can't fill it all the way up or you'll be peeing gas under your left foot for a few minutes. My fuel gage is definitley off too, it reads 80% full when it's half, not a huge deal, just need to be aware.
Curve skis, worked well on this sled. 4" round bars seemed to be plenty, but I've got 6" rounds in the trailer that I will probably use once these wear out. Wouldn't mind just a bit more bite out of these skis, the 6" bars should do that. That said, as described above, the skis bit in and held in most conditions except fresh ungroomed powder (they pushed through turns at higher speeds) or when the trails just got really chewed up in the corners, I got occasional push. But for the most part, they had a tiny bit of predictable push for a fraction of a second, then bit in and held perfectly with good throttle control. Too much throttle too quick would lighten the skis up too much and cause push on exiting the turn, but sometimes that was OK and was what I wanted. When the skis were really planted, was very easy to lay on teh gas and kick the rear end around. Overall, I really liked the curves on the Nytro. They did OK in fresh powder off trail, seemed to float fine for the most part. I did get stuck in about 4 feet of powder but that was user error.
The tall windshield and side deflectors did a good job of keeping me warm, although, as I'd read, the tall windshiled directs wind right into your face. Standing up, the ride got alot quieter. Would be interested in trying a mid-hight shield next year, we'll see if I get to it or not.
Yamaheaters did their job and my hands stayed warm for the most part. Sometimes the grips still seemed to take awhile to heat up, but in the end, they'd get there and I'd be good to go. Plenty of times I had to turn my grips down as they were just smoking hot.
Sled start HIDs are out of this world fantastic. I put a set on my nytro and my buddy bought a set for his F1100T. The fit and finish of the kit and ballasts was much nicer than the cheapo kits out there, the wires were all the right length, etc. Definitely costs more but zero headache and nicer end product. I had to do a bit of adjustmet on my headlight but once I did, the trails were just LIT UP. Could see so much better than with stock lights, and further too. Never once used high beams once I got the lows set. Definitley recommend this product. These lights also let me know there was a big boy giant moose standing in the middle of the trail LONG before I got within a dangerous distance. THAT WAS ONE OF MY JUSTIFICATIONS FOR BUYING THESE LIGHTS, and it actually paid off. Can't put a price on safety and these give you that for sure. Also make night riding fun, no more squinting looking for turns, you see it all.
Clutching - power wise I have nothing to compare to, as I hadn't driven this or any other nytro prior to installing the clutch kit. But, having ridden the phazer with its terrible stock clutching, and reading that the nytro has similar issues with stock clutching, I can tell you the comfort kit is fantastic. Smooth engagement at low speeds, easy to back up, etc. So much nicer than stock clutching, and at $150 for the kit and a 30 minute install time, can't beat this clutch kit if you're just looking to improve engagement and low speed characteristics.
I'm sure there are other things I'd like to talk about but that's probably enough for now. This sled railed in most trail conditions, I could keep up with anyone, with confidence, no white knuckle handling that I've read about on the 08's (guess the slicast and curves must do the job!) and this sled, as set up, really did do the job I set it up for, a more powerful replacement for the phazer. I had one 220 mile day, and while tired, was never uncomfortable. The sled just works as set up and I recommend all mods I've done to date. Would like more storage but the windshield bag I've got holds more than you'd think.
Curve XS skis with 4" round bars
OFT relocator
OFT block off plate
Trail tank
Tall windshield with side deflectors
Hygear Slicast A Arms
Sled Start HIDs
Yamaheater
WRP +2" seat
Fox Float X front shocks
Moflow front vent
Duraflex ice scratchers
Dupont hyfax
Schmidt Bros Comfort clutch
So, I set up the slicast a arms with the 09 stock camber settings (2 washers on either side) for my first two days of riding. Set caster to 2 (spindles slanted more rearward). Honestly my sled looked a bit like a dunebuggy with this set up, the skis were ridiculously cambered and while they worked well the first night and second day, when conditions changed they started to push badly which made me lose all confidence in the sled. I read the instructions that came with the a arms which said to combat pushing, tilt the spindles further inward. Just looking at my skis we decided that that was not a good idea and as they sat, the skis couldn't be working as they were designed because they were so far from flat. I changed one side so that 3 of the 4 washers were on the outside, at which time I realized something was tweaked on the other side. With same settings one ski was obviously more "tilted" than the other, no matter how the sled was parked, jacked up, whatever. I could not determine why that side was tweaked, the bottom a arms looked straight, spindles looked straight, subframe doesn't appear to be bent (shocks are centered), so I ended up putting all four washers to the outside on that side and that made both sides look about the same. Amazing that one thin little washer can make such a difference. Anyway, I'd say for the 2008, a good basline with the slicast a arms would be 3 washers on the outside and caster 2 notches tilted back. With this set up, the front end hooked up and was predictable in all but the sloppiest of corners. There was minor darting with this setup, but nothing scary, more just an annoyance in certain conditions. I was fully capable with riding one handed through everything but the depest of whoops. Definitely still has bump steer, but nothing you can't deal with. I got some inside ski lift but mostly when I was being lazy and not hanging off. So, for the rest of my set up, I set my rear torsions at hard (I've got the x clicks but did not put them on the hardest 4th setting), I set my rear shock compression at stock per the owner's manual (no rebound on the standard rear shock) and I set the center shock at stock settings, but with the spring set basically to rattle. I installed float X front shocks and originally set compression and rebound to 8 clicks which is about in the middle, with air pressure set to 65psi. on the third day I backed off on compression 3 clicks and rebound 2 clicks which seemed to tame the front a bit more in the hard bumps and whoops. I will probably drop the pressure to 60 next time I ride (next year) to see how that goes, but overall this was a nice set-up. Had both limiters set to full out (I believe stock), did not have an issue with the front end coming up (although I had to really stay light on the throttle mid turn or it'd float the skis or cause serious push).
So, this sled basically did what I wanted it to do: ride like my phazer but with power. I could definitely feel the weight in the really tight slow stuff where the phazer just loved to be tossed around, but in all other scenarios the nytro really just seemed like phazer's big brother. The engine did not wow me like I thought it would, but seemed to be more of a subtle power plant that would give when you really asked it to give. Seemed you really needed to mash on the flipper to get real power but when you did, it answered. Conditions were loose for most of the week so I don't think the track ever really got a chance to hook up. I think the OFT relocator and the WRP seat were key to making the transition from the phazer seemless, however I'd actually like a higher seat (which WRP made a +4), the seat on the phazer is just so easy to transition from side to side in the turns. The material on the seat was also a little too grippy for my liking, but it worked fine. One mistake I made was I cut my rear flap down (it had been backed over and stabbed by studs). From the get-go, I had crazy amounts of snow dust landing on my back, covering the rear of the seat, tail light etc. It was on the hairy edge of freezing during the day so that dust seemed to land on me and instantly melt. I was using an old school one-piece suit that immediately started leaking, to the point that when I stood up water would run from my butt down my legs into my boots. I bought a new 2 piece suit on my third day and that kept me mostly dry (there was one other day where my butt still got a little wet through the bibs). So, I plan to buy a Skinz flex flap and flap savers for next year. My brake light was unusable for the entire trip because it was caked in snow.
Over heat light....I expected this to be a problem based on everything I've seen on this site, but it was not. While warm out, conditions were good most of the time, I just had to be sure to knock built-up snow out of the tunnel when I had the chance. I had one low snow trail where, on the way back up the mountain, my heat light came on (poor trail conditions, slow going, etc). I pulled off to let the motor cool, then dropped my scrachers until we got off that trail and didn't see the light again that day. ONly other time I saw a light was when I trenched the rear end (on the side of a groomed trail believe it or not) and left the motor idling while I tried to free the sled for a few minutes. I pulled off into some fluff and spun the track and light went out. Those were the only two times I saw the light all week. And that was the only time I used my scratchers. I do have a home made vented dash piece on my sled that let out alot of heat at stops. Also kept my gloves warm which was nice.
Still need to inspect my Dupont sliders, but at a glance they still looked really good and meaty. I just did not have time to get down and look at them in detail on the last day, and I am now 500 miles from my sled so I will have my buddy take a look when he gets the chance.
The trail tank was nice, peace of mind, but you definitely can't fill it all the way up or you'll be peeing gas under your left foot for a few minutes. My fuel gage is definitley off too, it reads 80% full when it's half, not a huge deal, just need to be aware.
Curve skis, worked well on this sled. 4" round bars seemed to be plenty, but I've got 6" rounds in the trailer that I will probably use once these wear out. Wouldn't mind just a bit more bite out of these skis, the 6" bars should do that. That said, as described above, the skis bit in and held in most conditions except fresh ungroomed powder (they pushed through turns at higher speeds) or when the trails just got really chewed up in the corners, I got occasional push. But for the most part, they had a tiny bit of predictable push for a fraction of a second, then bit in and held perfectly with good throttle control. Too much throttle too quick would lighten the skis up too much and cause push on exiting the turn, but sometimes that was OK and was what I wanted. When the skis were really planted, was very easy to lay on teh gas and kick the rear end around. Overall, I really liked the curves on the Nytro. They did OK in fresh powder off trail, seemed to float fine for the most part. I did get stuck in about 4 feet of powder but that was user error.
The tall windshield and side deflectors did a good job of keeping me warm, although, as I'd read, the tall windshiled directs wind right into your face. Standing up, the ride got alot quieter. Would be interested in trying a mid-hight shield next year, we'll see if I get to it or not.
Yamaheaters did their job and my hands stayed warm for the most part. Sometimes the grips still seemed to take awhile to heat up, but in the end, they'd get there and I'd be good to go. Plenty of times I had to turn my grips down as they were just smoking hot.
Sled start HIDs are out of this world fantastic. I put a set on my nytro and my buddy bought a set for his F1100T. The fit and finish of the kit and ballasts was much nicer than the cheapo kits out there, the wires were all the right length, etc. Definitely costs more but zero headache and nicer end product. I had to do a bit of adjustmet on my headlight but once I did, the trails were just LIT UP. Could see so much better than with stock lights, and further too. Never once used high beams once I got the lows set. Definitley recommend this product. These lights also let me know there was a big boy giant moose standing in the middle of the trail LONG before I got within a dangerous distance. THAT WAS ONE OF MY JUSTIFICATIONS FOR BUYING THESE LIGHTS, and it actually paid off. Can't put a price on safety and these give you that for sure. Also make night riding fun, no more squinting looking for turns, you see it all.
Clutching - power wise I have nothing to compare to, as I hadn't driven this or any other nytro prior to installing the clutch kit. But, having ridden the phazer with its terrible stock clutching, and reading that the nytro has similar issues with stock clutching, I can tell you the comfort kit is fantastic. Smooth engagement at low speeds, easy to back up, etc. So much nicer than stock clutching, and at $150 for the kit and a 30 minute install time, can't beat this clutch kit if you're just looking to improve engagement and low speed characteristics.
I'm sure there are other things I'd like to talk about but that's probably enough for now. This sled railed in most trail conditions, I could keep up with anyone, with confidence, no white knuckle handling that I've read about on the 08's (guess the slicast and curves must do the job!) and this sled, as set up, really did do the job I set it up for, a more powerful replacement for the phazer. I had one 220 mile day, and while tired, was never uncomfortable. The sled just works as set up and I recommend all mods I've done to date. Would like more storage but the windshield bag I've got holds more than you'd think.
Nytro40th
TY 4 Stroke God
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2007
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- 1,798
- Location
- Amherstview Ontario
- Country
- Canada
- Snowmobile
- 2014 SR Viper RTX SE
Curve Industries
TY Advertiser
Nice work and you've made some great choices for upgrades!
- Sean
- Sean
