When Yamaha released images of the Phazer to the press last spring the snowmobile population took great interest in this new and innovative sled that uses a lot of technology borrowed from its YZ cousins. But looking past the cool design the spec sheet on the Phazer is not as impressive as its design. While it does have good suspension and ergonomics the two most talked about numbers; weight and horsepower are not as impressive. According to Yamaha the Phazer Mountain Lite weighs in at 514lbs and the twin cylinder four-stroke 500 pumps out roughly 80 horsepower. The power to weight ratio is about half that of other machines on the market so we were less than thrilled with the prospect spending a weekend on a Phazer in the steep and deep snow of Island Park Idaho. Nevertheless we geared up and headed into the mountains on a brand new Phazer Mountain Lite with a few buddies on Yamaha 700 Vipers.

When it comes to jumping and dropping the Phazer is in a class of its own. But not climbing!

The Phazer is powered by an all new 500cc twin cylinder four-stroke called the Genesis 80FI. It is basically two YZ250F dirt bike engines engineered together and coupled to an electronic fuel injection system. The Genesis 80FI has a five valve head and a counter balanced crankshaft to reduce vibration. The exhaust runs underneath the seat and is cooled by snow in the tunnel. Another new feature is a radiator that is mounted on the right hand side of the engine and according to Yamaha this relocates the mass of a rear heat exchanger further forward to improve handling. On our ride the engine was very responsive and torquey at low rpms but at higher rpms the power was really flat. It is much different to ride than other 2-stroke sleds whose power delivery is completely opposite, especially power valve equipped 2-strokes that have wicked top end.

The most impressive feature of the Phazer is the new sport rider-forward riding position. The tall narrow seat and high handle bars put the rider forward and over the skis. It feels a lot like a sport quad or dirtbike to ride. This riding position is particularly nice on rough trails or when boondocking. It does require a very different riding style than older conventional sleds. Conventional sleds like the Yamaha Viper, Ski-Doo MXZX chassis, or Polaris Edge, have a less aggressive riding position and require the rider to put both feet on one side of the running boards to side-hill or corner sharply. The Phazer on the other hand is easier to rider with feet on both running boards and in powder requires a lot of counter steering to change direction. It was interesting to switch back and forth between the Viper and Phazer and compare the differences that a few years of design development has achieved. Riders coming from other rider-forward sleds like the Ski-Doo REV will be more likely to feel at home on the Phazer.

The Phazer features double wish bone front suspension coupled to gas cell hydraulic shocks. Adjustable spindles allow the rider to change the ski stance from 37.6 to 39.6 inches. The second generation of the ProMountain suspension is used on the rear, it uses a cantilever system that is designed to allow the track tension to remain constant through the compression travel. The front suspension worked really well on our test sled under all riding conditions but we kept bottoming out the rear suspension when jumping and riding rough trails. That was with a 180lb rider with front shock on the firmest setting and the three stage spring adjuster on the firmest setting.

It is impressive how well the Phazer goes through the snow, even with its weight and power handicap it still moves through the powder well. It doesn?t goe fast through powder but it just keeps going. The Mountian Lite comes with a 14" wide 144" Maverik track with 2 inch lugs. Without modifying the engine the Phazer would probably have a hard time turning a larger track.

Test rider William Klassen carves the deep early season powder in Island Park

My feeling is that the Phazer is a great sled for those new to snowmobiling and the $7199 price tag makes it a comparatively low cost snowmobile. But experienced power hungry mountain riders may want to consider either modifying the Phazer with a turbo or supercharger to increase horsepower. Rumor has it that Yamaha is working on a new model for next year that will use the same FX chassis but with 120+ horsepower motor. Now that will be an impressive sled and may be worth waiting for.

The Phazer was an absolute blast to ride on the trail, aside from the rear suspension being a little soft we had no complaints.

Leave it Yamaha to be the manufacturer that pushes the envelope of snowmobile design. The Japanese giant has brought so much technology to the whole recreational vehicles industry and it seems they do not fear to go out on a limb to bring new technology to market. Sure they don&pos;t always get it right the first year but generally the trends they start are soon followed by the rest of the manufacturers. They were the first to make a competitive four-stroke dirt bike and now eight years after the release of the heavy YZ400F some manufacturers are beginning to drop their two-stroke bikes and the whole industry has shifted its focus to four-strokes. Yamaha were also the first to build a decent four-stroke snowmobile with the RX-1 in 2003, sure the RX-1 got a bad rap the first year but the new Apex and Vectors seem to be getting a warm reception from snowmobilers. The Phazer brings a lot of ATV and dirt bike technology to the snow and we may be witnessing the start of a snowmobile design revolution.

 

Author Note: Special thanks to the guys at Bully Dog Technologies www.bullydog.com for the loan of the sleds and helping make this article a reality.