[Roton]

I was up in Northern Maine at The Forks this last weekend, snowmobiling in 50 degree weather. Since my 800 was suffering from a broken primary, I whipped out my spare 500 MXz and rode with it. I gotta tell ya, while it's no 800x, it's still a great trail sled. I was riding with my buddy and his girlfriend and they both have Yamahas, an '00 SRX 700 and an '00 SRX 500. She wanted to try the Ski Doo 500, so we switched. Within the first mile I knew there was no comparison. I mean, not even close. The Ski Doo killed the 500 SRX. I had to almost pry her off the thing after about 20 miles. Now this was much more than the way the sleds are set up. My Ski Doo is adjusted soft for my 110 lb. son, so for her, let alone me, it's certainly not optimized. My buddy was pissed because she was whining so much after that, so I told him to try it out. When he got off, he was incredulous. Yeah, the 700 SRX would win in the end out on the lake, but on the trails, he liked it better. He even commented how the engine and clutching were crisper than his 700. Too bad about my 800x being unavailable, otherwise he'd really be crying.

 

[99SRX700]

Roton I think you are a missing a few factors that would effect the situation you described. I just posted a reply on another topic in the ski-doo board that is similar to what I am about to explain to you. I have a 99 SRX 700 and when I first got the sled it was slow and the worst handling/riding sled I have ever owned. It wasn't until I set the suspension up when I realized how much I really liked this machine. Two of my friends will tell you the same thing. They also bought Yamaha machines and weren't happy with them. They will tell you the same thing that I did...they were slow and handled like crap. Tuning your suspension makes a HUGE difference. The reason yamahas are always out of tune is because they are such a pain to set up that most people don't bother or don't follow through in getting right where they want it. Now both of my friends are happy with their machines (after spending almost the entire season tuining the rear end they have finally found what they wanted). I ride with a lot of ski-doo guys and I can't say that the doo rear suspension is any better than an accurately tuned yami rear end. In fact most of them prefer the yammi rear suspension over their own doos. Although it depends on what you are comparing. If you are talking about the yammie 11 inch skid then you are mistaken. The 8 inch rear skid does ride very harsh because it is very stiff. I am sure your friends may have taken time to tune their sleds but I doubt they are even close to where they should be. As for the clutching the doos are more crisp but the yammis are much smoother. That is all a matter of opinion. Also I think you got your letters mixed up. Yamaha didn't make an SRX 500, they made an SXR 500. I don't know why they did that...it gets very confusing. The SRX and SXR are very different machines.

 

[Roton]

99SRX700,
     Sorry about the SRX and SXR thing. I usually have to think about it for a few seconds to get it right and even then many times I don't. Yeah the 500 is the SXR twin. Actually, I'm really glad you responded because frankly, I was shocked at how poorly these sleds handled when I rode them. I've heard great things about how they are supposed to handle, and these two just didn't. My buddy's sled is the SXR 700 with the single pipe. I agree completely about the smoothness of the Yamaha clutching versus the crispness of the Ski-Doo.

   Here's a question for ya. He bought the 500 for his girlfriend to ride. It was used with about 2400 miles on it. The clutching was stock. The real problem they are having is that, while his girlfriend is hardly a speed demon, the sled is consistently getting only 6 to 8 MPG! We were riding real slow on rocky bare trails in many spots, so gas mileage was on the low side anyway, but after 65 miles we stopped for gas an hers took 10 gallons to my 6! I know there are probably a lot of possibilities here, but have you heard of any problems with this sled and fuel mileage? By the way, the SRX 700 triple/triple is a killer sled on the lake and on the trails!

Thanks

 

[99SRX700]

Roton,
    I am assuming this is the same motor yamaha used through the mid 90's in there older V-maxes. I don't know much about them but I know they are really bad on gas. A friend of mine was averaging 6mpg out of his 95 600. Although this is a 500 because it is from the same era I am sure the problem can be found there too. What I am getting at is that I think thats just the way the motor runs. A lot of people think there is a problem because they hear so much about how good the yammies are on gas but that only refers to the new triples 97 and up (The single pipe triples get around 14 to 15 and my SRX got 18 last weekend).
        As for their suspensions...usually these sleds come out from the factory the exact opposite from where they should be and ride really bad. Every situation is different but they probably need to increase the pre-load on the front spring in the rear suspension and go from there. Thats a good starting point anyway. I could be wrong but this has been the case with every yamaha I have seen. Also backing off the rear spring once the have got the front spring where they want it will soften it up a bit to make for a smoother ride. The ideal would be to have it set up so the sled sags about an inch when you sit on it. Any  more is too soft any less is too stiff.

 

[99SRX700]

One other thing...They will also have to let their limiter straps out quite a bit