Cool, I edited my post, was thinking Exciter because a previous CL deal that had fallen through was for Exciters, I got Phazers, which have better suspension than the Exciters .....
Got a service manual for both sleds too .... Just waiting for the snow (and registration, though in IL, I have a temp registration good for 120 days ....)
man you have bad taste, i always thought the older yamahas were the ugly stepchildren of the snowmobile world. Hideous. ...and this is coming from the guy who owns a 1997 polaris indy sport in the fuchsia color. google it if you want to see how truly ugly my snowmobile is.....
on a serious note, hope you enjoy them man. i live somewhat near you and hoping we get a good blizzard soon. this last one was way over hyped and only gave us a little bit of snow. wish i could have my snowmobile with me but living in an apartment sucks sometimes.
Unfortunately (at least here), the trail network for quads is practically non-existent, as we can't use them on the snowmobile trails.
man you have bad taste, i always thought the older yamahas were the ugly stepchildren of the snowmobile world. Hideous. ...and this is coming from the guy who owns a 1997 polaris indy sport in the fuchsia color. google it if you want to see how truly ugly my snowmobile is.....
on a serious note, hope you enjoy them man. i live somewhat near you and hoping we get a good blizzard soon. this last one was way over hyped and only gave us a little bit of snow. wish i could have my snowmobile with me but living in an apartment sucks sometimes.
They actually have the same suspension, though newer model might have more travel. Regardless I liked both for their handling and the Exciter for the fun factor. Both models weighed less than comparable sleds of that time which made for a lite nimble machine. Not so great for fast trail riding as they were squirrelly, but fun in the hills and mountains.
The old 440 Exciters were in a standard chassis. The 89 Exciter (I think that was the first year) used a liquid cooled 570, the same as what was used in the Vmax. They used a Phazer like chassis with a fairing. The Vmax was the fast trail model, the Exciter was more of an offtrail and mountain machine. Coupled with a 136 inch track they could go almost anywhere. The Phazer II and Exciter II came with this option and a slightly enhanced suspension. But they made the body a little more blocky vs the sleek look prior.
My experience goes back to 1986 when my dad bought a new Phazer and at the time our neighbors had an 84 model. It was super quick for machines at that time and a blast to ride. It's funny, but I still remember what it smelled and sounded like (that 'new' smell).
Man this thread just has me itching for some decent snow up here in manitoba! I grew up with Polaris, my first real sled was an 87 Indy Sport, this thing would do 80MPH strapped to the handlebars in a mile stretch. It felt like the world was going to end! In 98 I was lucky enough to get into a brand new (for the time) XC 600. This sled was a night and day difference compared to the old sport. I will never forget the first time my dad took it for a ride, I saw him putt off behind our tree line then all I heard was BBBBRRRAAAAAPPP... followed by silience. He then slowly came around the corner and he proclaimed I was going to kill myself on that machine.
To be quite honest any mid to late 90's polaris fan (440, 488) sport, super sport, trail, Or 500 liquid (Indy 500) Would be a great sled that should run for under 1000$ These sleds can take remarkable amounts of punishment with very little in the way maintenence. My cousin Inherited a 440 sport (a wonderful Maroon coloured beast, lol) with 9000 miles, he added pipes and a racing seat to it, and drove it for a very hard 5000 miles afterwards, and the sled held together!. Bottom line these sleds will help get you into the sport at a budget price, they will have a comfortable ride and ample power for most. Plus if you have a run in with a tree, rock, or culvert, you wont be weeping as much as if you just plowed your 14,000$ dragon into it! .
The old sleds make great bush beaters! even though I had the 600, I got an old Ski doo skandic with the 377. We chopped the tunnel where it was cracked, re enforced it with strapping, added a racing seat, replaced the smashed cowel as best we could with panelling, added a few tractor lights for headlights, and a pair of antlers on the front. what a beast! lol.
On a side note, if you were looking for a newer sled, you could get into a brand new polaris shift for 6000$. something to think about!
Heheh,
My taste isn't based upon the appearance or looks ... more so based upon what I know is fun for me to ride, and what I know should be relatively cheap to maintain ....
IMO my 87 and 90 Phazers are a lot uglier than the late 70s GP440 my uncle had ... but I didn't want to get something quite as old and have breakdowns 100% of the time, especially after I came across this deal ...
BTW, the 1997 Polaris Indy Sport doesn't look bad to me Though the color is kinda butt ugly on the sled ....
And yea ... the 3-4 inches that fell were a far cry short of the expected 6-10 inches promised for northern lake county.....
Anyhow, I have a grandma and an uncle who live in Sturgeon bay, Wi .... and they said they have 12+ inches on the ground, I am tempted to tow them up there, but I really want to get the trailer rewired first, as I don't want to get a ticket for no working breaklights/taillights on it .... So ... they probably won't Leave Illinois this season....
Also, apartment living can be nice for some things, but having to park in a parking lot sucks .... I was in a townhouse that had a communal parking lot up until about 2 years ago ... Initially, I thought it was great (my own place, no roommates, etc) .... but it got old ....
Now, I'm in a house, (no garage though .... so sleds will just stay on the driveway all year unless I go and rent storage for the off season) .... and there's so much more work to do .... but I don't think I'd ever like to move back into an apartment or condo or townhouse again .....
Tonight I will have a beer and drink to bad taste. Perhaps I will celebrate my joy of having bad taste with a delicious ice cold PBR.
Man this thread just has me itching for some decent snow up here in manitoba! I grew up with Polaris, my first real sled was an 87 Indy Sport, this thing would do 80MPH strapped to the handlebars in a mile stretch. It felt like the world was going to end! In 98 I was lucky enough to get into a brand new (for the time) XC 600. This sled was a night and day difference compared to the old sport. I will never forget the first time my dad took it for a ride, I saw him putt off behind our tree line then all I heard was BBBBRRRAAAAAPPP... followed by silience. He then slowly came around the corner and he proclaimed I was going to kill myself on that machine.
To be quite honest any mid to late 90's polaris fan (440, 488) sport, super sport, trail, Or 500 liquid (Indy 500) Would be a great sled that should run for under 1000$ These sleds can take remarkable amounts of punishment with very little in the way maintenence. My cousin Inherited a 440 sport (a wonderful Maroon coloured beast, lol) with 9000 miles, he added pipes and a racing seat to it, and drove it for a very hard 5000 miles afterwards, and the sled held together!. Bottom line these sleds will help get you into the sport at a budget price, they will have a comfortable ride and ample power for most. Plus if you have a run in with a tree, rock, or culvert, you wont be weeping as much as if you just plowed your 14,000$ dragon into it! .
The old sleds make great bush beaters! even though I had the 600, I got an old Ski doo skandic with the 377. We chopped the tunnel where it was cracked, re enforced it with strapping, added a racing seat, replaced the smashed cowel as best we could with panelling, added a few tractor lights for headlights, and a pair of antlers on the front. what a beast! lol.
On a side note, if you were looking for a newer sled, you could get into a brand new polaris shift for 6000$. something to think about!
I got myself a pair of Yamaha 480s an 87 and 90 .... I don't think I'll ever buy a brand new sled, though I'd like to eventually get myself a newer 4stroke with a turbo, or perhaps a vmax 800 .... something with a bit of power ...
Your 377 skidoo sounds like it would be hillarious to see on the trails .....
I have a Vmax 700 - haven't had enough room to wind it out, but from the bit I've played with it I can tell you it's pretty quick. Plenty fast for me.
My uncle had a pair of 80's SkiDoos...377's or 440's? I forget. They'd do right about 45mph with the throttle pegged.