Yamaha RX-1

I just purchased a brand new RX-1 ER, and should be picking it up Monday.  Before you diehard performance riders start giving me crap about buying this porker, read WHY I chose this sled.

The only sleds I have ever owned were an old Massey Storm and my ZRT-800.  Other than the mechanical problems, I enjoyed the ZRT.  Although it wasn't light with that tripple under the cowl, I'm not exactly light either, at 6'4" and around 275 lbs (closer to 300 dressed for the trail).  The ZRT always handled high speed cornering without a problem, and I never found anyone I couldn't keep up with on the trail.  Taking this into account, I compared the weight of the ZRT to the RX-1 and found that the RX-1 was almost exactly the same weight.  So, although its not as light as the new performance sleds, I am used to riding hard on a sled of this weight.  Considering I was also looking at touring sleds, the RX-1 should seem downright light!  At this point weight was still on my mind, but it wasn't my #1 factor in choosing a sled.

On to more critical choices!  I took a good look at my riding style and goals.  I like to RIDE, period.  Although I enjoy wrenching on a sled to bolt on accessories, I don't enjoy tearing into one to do maintenance or repairs.  I would rather spend that time riding.  IF (thats a big IF) Yamaha didn't screw up and send this sled out with problems that are going to show up later, the sled is a trail rider's dream.  The only maintenance for the sled is to grease the suspension, check the motor oil, chain case oil, and ride.  No jetting every time you go up a mountain or the temperature changes a little.  No more changing plugs.  Change the chain case oil every year (or a little more if you ride a LOT of miles), the engine oil every 2-3,000 miles, and adjust the valves at a little over 20,000 miles.  No kidding!  This sled should be low in maintenance and high in fun.

Another major selling point for me was the lack of injection oil.  No more trying to find decent quality oil at a gas station in the middle of the night while on a long ride.  If you need fuel, just pull up to the pump and fill up with 87 octane gas! Premium fuel isn't required, although I'll probably run at least 89 octane just to play it safe.

I can't leave out the cruising range on a tank of gas.  Although I haven't seen any official figures, I've heard this sled should go close to 200 miles on a tank of fuel.  Considering I was averaging around 100-130 miles with my ZRT, that is a LOT of riding on a tank!  There are a lot of gas stations that close early, leaving night riders with very few choices for pit stops.  My friends were telling me that trying to get from Pittsburg to Twin Mountain after 9 pm is very difficult, since all gas stops along the way are closed.  With almost a 200 mile cruising range, I could do that trip easily.  In fact, when it comes time to ride to Pittsburg from the Keene area again, I should only have to fill up once along the trail.  Thats for a 340 mile ride!

One last consideration many people pointed out is the lack of a pull starter on the RX-1.  If the battery dies, you are done unless you get jump started.  This kind of bothered me a little until I talked to people who have owned electric start sleds.  None of them had ever had to use the pull rope except at the end of the summer before they charged the battery for the season.  Although I would have liked to have seen a way to start the RX-1 manually, I really can't picture doing it to a 1000cc 4 stroke.  In reality, as long as the battery is maintained there is no reason to need a jump start while on the trail.  If the sled is so hard to start that it kills the battery, then you probably have something more major wrong than just a dead battery, and chances are you wouldn't be getting started even if you had a jump available.

To sum it all up, I have become lazy, and I want to spend my time riding.  I want a sled I can just get on and ride, and only have to perform minor maintenance as needed.  I want a plush ride without fear of changing plugs or running out of injection oil.

Those are my reasons for choosing the RX-1, now I'll see if I made the right choice when I pick it up Monday.  I know of some places that already have enough snow to do a little riding, so I'll be able to test the sled and start breaking it in.  I'll update this page with my thoughts and opinions after riding the sled for the first time.

Now comes the fun part: accessories.  I have already ordered a Yamaha tank bag and a rear luggage set consisting of saddle bags and a small trunk bag.  I need to install a plug for a heated visor, and an accessory plug for my GPS for those long trail rides.  I'll ride with the sled bone stock for a while, probably this season, then start considering performance parts.  The first that I'm strongly considering is an aftermarket exhaust system.  The sound is great, and it ads about 4 horsepower, but the real selling point is the 11 pounds it saves over stock.  I think any other performance parts I consider will be for weight savings instead of just horsepower.

Stay tuned for the updates!  We are already planning a trip north later this week to start the break-in of my new sled.  I'll report back with my opinions after the first trip and compare this porky sled to my previous porker.  At least this one should be reliable.