Hey guys here is my review on the XM ride! First of all I would like to thank our local shops LIFESTYLES HONDA & I90 HONDA these guys did a great job on getting the sled ready for the few lucky ones to ride the XM prototype. There were about 12 of us from Lifestyle Honda (thank you Greg and Carl) that all had a great time in trying out the new sled in perfect conditions for sledding, blue bird sky’s / fresh deep snow/ all kinds of terrain to do our testing. We had extreme riders to somewhat beginner riders from old (me) to young guns that tear it up! I got ride the XM for about an hour and in this short time I put it through the same type of riding I do when I go out on the weekends. Trails/ boon docking/ hill climbing and rough whooped out trails that hurt on the way back home. The XM surprised me as it did with rest of our group, it took the abused that all the riders gave it with all coming back with yes, a smile on our face, saying that it is the easiest sled I have ever ridden! In the deeper snow it is like riding a wave runner, lean into it with a little gas and you were through your turn, effortlessly, going I got do that again, and again just fun! And no snow build up on the boards, (thank you DOO) Dropping into drainage ditches that the front end would go completely into the snow thinking I’m going to get stuck, pin the throttle and it popped right out and kept going straight or side hilling no problems. Boon docking the XM easy to turn thru the trees, just lean and a little gas, and your there. Hill climbing, the XM is in creditable! When you put the power house ETECH engine in the XM, WOW! This sled is going to get a lot of people in places that they could not get to before and put a lot of people in places the shouldn’t go do to their skill level. It climbs period! I was riding a 12 XP 163, and someone else was ridding the XM 154 and the way it gets up on the snow, it compatible, meaning it will go everywhere the 163 went. This was not hero snow either! This was 2’ plus of new snow. Side hilling the XM was easy, I’m not the greatest side hiller in the world, but it was easy to do. When the young guns got on the XM (Carl) if the hill was a mile long I still think he would just keep going through the trees and back out the other side! Amazing! At the end of the day I got to ride the XM to the trucks down the whooped out trails, this one thing I did want to do, being an X Moto crosser, let’s see how it will handle the big bumps and the pounding that we all do heading home. My body never thanked me so much, the front end is so supple, it absorbed every hard hit with no bone jarring pain to the wrist, or shoulders. The skid, same as the front, no harsh bone jarring spike through the back! All in all if had to pick what I think is the best new feature of the XM is, FUN FACTOR! It is just a kick to ride effortless, on a sled, knowing that whatever you put it into, chances are it will get you through it, and when you doo, try not to smile to hard, and yes you will probably say what I did time and time again WOW!
Snowhunter1
Snowhunter1
Now the sled, nice package, made me feel like I was thirty again, making moves and pulling them off, I tried to get myself into situations, dropping into creek beds, off chamber stuff, sidehills, and it pulled through in every situation. This isn't in nice fluffy powder that we've been getting spoiled by, it was in 40 degree and raining, Cascade Crud that we are all used to and I felt like a rockstar for about 2 hours, nothing bad to say, all good improvements, this thing should shine in good conditions. Then I had to go back to my '08, I'm going to miss it.
