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First Impression 07 Apex GT

Timeline

Pro
Joined
Jan 1, 2008
Messages
129
Location
Orangeville & Wasaga Beach Ontario
Country
Canada
Snowmobile
16 APEX XTX
This is one sweet sled.
I got a chance to put 220 miles on it this weekend and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks to all the TYer's I was able to setup the suspension to make it handle very good. Plush ride but still able to handle the rough stuff. I will probably be getting the big boy spring in the future though.
The engine feels very nice with lots of power and torque. It also sounds very sweet while riding it. Actually a little louder than I thought it would be. Factory carbides are very inadequate and will be upgraded very shortly. Adding shims will be done at that time as well. Coolant seemed to be a very high concentration. I just removed some and added a little more than half a container of Water Wetter. As mentioned here, my over flow tank was empty when I picked it up new. I am not blaming the dealer for this but probably low from the factory because I topped it up when I went for my first ride and brought some coolant with me. When stopping to let it cool like I like to do for break-in it took a little more. This happened three times during the first day and stopped taking it in after that. Likely not bled thoroughly. It did not over heat at all during some extended road runs and warm temps. on Sunday.
One last thing to add to this long winded post. After reading an article last year about this sled the reporter criticized ski lift. A recent TV show said the same about the 08's If there is a Yamaha rep. on site during these test rides they should take along a guy who can spin a wrench as well as a sales rep. to set it up for the rider who is doing the evaluating. The press reports would be improved. If the technician would read TY he would know exactly what to do as I found my setup to have very little ski lift and with some tweaking I'm sure I can eliminate it altogether.
Thanks TY :rocks:
 

I bought a 2007 Apex GT, replaced my 2005 Vector. I admit I never really cared for the Vector that much, but this Apex is the best sled of any brand I've ever owned. I'm writing this from West Yellowstone. I brought the Apex out here after putting about 100 break-in miles at home...I've put on a little over 500 miles on it since we got here Saturday afternoon. We've had tons of snow since I've been here, so the trail riding is has been from impeccable grooming to deep loose snow to no overnight grooming at all. I've ridden the Apex fast and hard on biliard-table-flat trails, trails with 4-12 inches of snow on top, deep moguls, stutters, not to mention fields of deep snow and even some jumping on Two Top.

I put Slydog Powderhounds on it, set the rear spring preload, loosened the front springs, and that's it. My Apex will go through deep powder, but it's not happy about it and it's a lot of work, both before and after you get stuck. On the trail, OTOH, in all those varying conditions, the sled is fantastic. It is definitely in its element on Groomed Trails. Really soaks up the moguls, even the big ones. I actually found it useful to be able to dial in different amount of compression damping from the handlbar as trail grooming can vary widely from trail to trail out here. Corners flat, carves well with the Slydogs very predictable. Even trying to do it, I can't get it to lift an inside ski. I was really impressed with the ride, but to be objective, I switched off with a couple of buddies - one who was riding a REV, the other on some kind of Arctic Cat. Both were blown away by the ride and handling, so it wasn't just me.

What I learned: I'm going to add a 13 mm sway bar, and I think I'm going to drop to a 23 tooth top gear.

My handwarmers worked fine, had to turn them down (18.5 inch windshield). Coolant - I didn't check - this thread is the first I've heard anything about that.

All in all - great sled.
 
I have just over 800 miles on my new 07 Apex GT and have to agree that this is a great sled. Coming from a Nytro and RXWarrior before that, this sled is night and day a much better ride in power and comfort. So comfortable and cushy on the groomed Ontario trails I typically ride. I'm a light guy at 165 lbs so I could see where it will be too soft for 200+ riders.
 
BigMac. Does ur 18 1/2" windsheild have the bars on it? How does it work for wind protection? :Rockon:
 
BigMac said:
Coolant - I didn't check - this thread is the first I've heard anything about that.

It was mentioned somewhere, I remember reading it. Some found their coolant to be at 100% causing over heating. Cutting back to 60/40 and adding Water Wetter cured it. The coolant was mentioned to be on the low side and someone said their over flow was always empty.
Enjoy your great sled.
 
RIYAMAHA said:
BigMac. Does ur 18 1/2" windsheild have the bars on it? How does it work for wind protection? :Rockon:
Mine is the PowerMadd/Cobra. Doesn't need supports or bars. At 100 mph across Hebgen Lake it was solid as a rock. As for wind protection, it's perfect. Nothing on the neck, nothing on the chest, and my hands were perfectly comfortable with warmers actually turned down.
 
2006 Apex GT

I purchased a used 2006 Apex GT this fall with 1600 miles.
First time owner of a Yamaha product.
Individual had replaced the pivot arms at that time.
I have put on an additional 800 miles. The front pivot arm has shattered and the Ohlin EC shock is now requiring revalving.
I had set up the spring at 272 mm.
It is interesting reading the solutions provided through TY 4 stroke and the dealer solutions. First is deny any issues. Bring it in we will try to fix it. No parts in stock.
When launched in the fall of 2005 the initial advertising for the Apex GT was that it could handle a variety of conditions including rough trail.
2006 model groupings included the Apex GT in the rough trail category with the RTX.
Now the theme is groomed trail only. Though features and benefits wording still state that the Apex GT can handle moguls.
I have tried moderate rough trails and barely survived.
Every 2-300 miles I find myself having to make repairs to a sled I would still consider new. Pivot arms (3rd set), steering bushings, shock revalves, EC shock wiring (3rd set), seat wearing out at the seams, flap guard dissintegrated, replaced handle bar warmers (3rd bar), corrosion throughout the engine and more.
My down time is higher in the last 3 months than my previous sled of 3 years and 6000 miles.
Describing the Apex GT as a premium snowmobile is a stretch.
This is by no means a universal snowmobile.
I think I know what it was like to be a Harley Davidson owner 25-30 years ago. Be a good mechanic.
Dramatic improvements required.
 
Geez, Sorry about your luck. The previous owner must have been very hard on it. It's definitely not a ditch banger sled. Although for long trips on groomed trails it is nice. Perhaps the Nytro would be better suited for your riding style.
I hope once you get all the bugs out of it you will be happier.
 
champ1, I guess you could be correct, but I always thought that GT in Apex GT stood for "groomed trail" so I can't see Yamaha ever grouping the sled in the "Rough Trail" group.

You don't mention your weight but one drawback or design issue to the Apex is that in it's stock form it won't happily accomadate riders over about 190lbs (with gear) IMO. As discussed in other threads heavier riders will cause the sled to bottom out excessively and this in turn will do major damage to the pivot arms. If the shock valving and spring is properly calibrated for the heavier rider the pivot arms will hold up much better.
 
NY_Nytro said:
champ1, I guess you could be correct, but I always thought that GT in Apex GT stood for "groomed trail" so I can't see Yamaha ever grouping the sled in the "Rough Trail" group.

You don't mention your weight but one drawback or design issue to the Apex is that in it's stock form it won't happily accomadate riders over about 190lbs (with gear) IMO. As discussed in other threads heavier riders will cause the sled to bottom out excessively and this in turn will do major damage to the pivot arms. If the shock valving and spring is properly calibrated for the heavier rider the pivot arms will hold up much better.
I'm about 210 with gear. I set the preload on my 07 at about 41mm compression and have more spring to work with - I never bottomed out once in West Yellowstone, where the trails really suck for moguls on the way back into town at the end of the day. I was usually riding with 3 bars of compression damping, I'd go up to as much as 5 bars when it got really rough. Love the suspension. Sorry for your bad luck. I know that Yamaha did some significant re-valving between 06 and 07. Apparently they did decide that the GT couldn't be both a Groomed Trail and a Rough Trail sled. Oops... :dunno:
 


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