After one ride there was no looking back. Yamaha’s electronic power steering setup on the 2011 Apex is a ground breaking feature that will definitely be copied by the rest of the snowmobile industry.
The use of EPS along with some front end geometry tweaks and a new set of skis makes such a vast difference in the way the Apex handles, it’s an undeniable benefit.
Yamaha was first to put this feature on an ATV and it has revolutionized that industry to the point that nearly every OEM now offers power steering equipped models.
With the Apex, we’ve been surprised at how the biggest bonus is not just lighter steering effort. The fact is, the sled’s reaction to negative trail inputs is so much improved it feels like the engine has been dropped lower in the chassis.
There’s no twitching when your right or left ski hits something on the trail and the sled feels planted firmly with very linear feedback through the bars.
The system is variable ratio so steering effort increases as the speed goes up, leaving the rider with a nice, predictable in-control feeling all the time.
The downside? It adds a bit of weight – but we think it’s a good trade-off and well worth the extra cost, too.
