2020 Yamaha Sidewinder S-TX GT: End of Season Review

The best of both worlds, without compromise!!!!

Almost every snowmobile buyer has been faced with this heartbreaking choice: do I buy a Solo or Touring snowmobile? This question does not even come up for snowmobilers who always ride alone and/or always in pairs. For all the others, which is most of us, it’s all about compromise.

So, if we occasionally or regularly have a passenger on board, we have two choices:

With the first one, we sacrifice performance and sportiness for passenger comfort. The look that turns heads and the exhilarating performances becomes a thing of the past. We choose to not follow our friends who ride solo not to delay them, and we buy a Touring!!!

The other option is to purchase a Solo machine with a booster seat. Here again, compromises prevail. Passenger comfort is significantly affected on long rides, and you end up with an unbalanced snowmobile that is more difficult to maneuver around corners or over bumps.

In both cases, the conclusion is the same: your purchase leaves you wanting more. Has Yamaha found a solution to this dilemma? With the Sidewinder S-TX GT 2020, we think so!!!

This snowmobile was the subject of a long-term trial throughout last season as part of the partnership between Yamaha Canada and SledMagazine.com. We covered nearly 4,000 km with this snowmobile in all conditions to thoroughly analyze the features of this new model at Yamaha. Here is our season review.

The 2020 Yamaha Sidewinder S-TX GT is a new model at Yamaha for 2020. It’s actually an evolution of the Sidewinder S-TX DX 146 that we tested in 2018. If in 2018 we could buy the equipment as an option to make a Touring version for two passengers, for 2020, all this equipment comes as standard. Yamaha designed the Sidewinder S-TX GT 2020 for long, comfortable rides for two passengers. With over 200 HP under the hood, it’s the most powerful touring snowmobile ever built, nothing less.

Its long list of equipment and features did not disappoint us. Here is an overview:

Electric starter and reverse with controls on the handlebars
Heated driver and passenger seat
Heated handles and visor outlets for driver and passenger
Passenger backrest, hand, and footrests
Removable suspension preload blades as needed
One long Ripsaw I 146 x 15 x 1.25-inch track
Rear hard storage
Removable and lockable rigid side suitcases
16.3-litre fuel tank for extra fuel, increasing total capacity to 50 litres
High windshield
Two 12-volt sockets

Of all these features, I have a few favourites. I was especially pleased with the 16.3-litre auxiliary fuel tank located in the rear trunk and connected to the main tank, which gives an impressive total capacity of 50 liters. This provides excellent range and eliminates the need to haul around the gas caddy that you never know where to put. Yamaha is the only one in the industry to offer this concept.

New for 2020 at Yamaha is a push-button starter directly on the handlebar. This avoids always having to stretch to turn the key, which is less well placed. The addition of a standard contact breaker cord adds to the safety of the occupants. You can dry your goggles, masks, or gloves during your rides using the engine’s heat with the goggle case located between the handlebars and the dashboard. Previously, this option was only available on mountain snowmobiles. The Stealth handlebar controls introduced in 2019 are very practical and intuitive.

The Yamaha Sidewinder S-TX GT comes standard with a high windshield that protects us from the wind without affecting visibility. However, mirrors are not included, which is disappointing for a snowmobile of this price. A comprehensive set of digital gauges displays all desired data.

The comfort of the heated seats is undeniable. And they sure heat up!!! Even in freezing weather, you can’t keep them at the maximum level for too long. The heated passenger handles, on the other hand, lack a bit of power. We also appreciated the heated visor outlets at the front and rear. Passenger footrests are well located and effective. The removable rigid suitcases are very practical when travelling for several days.

The LED headlights with accent lighting are very efficient. Of a very white color, this lighting is highly effective during night rides while at the same time, making us more visible during the day.

The SRV chassis has been tried and tested over the last few years and is well suited for long rides. It’s an extremely comfortable snowmobile for trail riding, and we don’t feel tired driving it, even after long days. The driving position is amazingly comfortable, and the seat height is ideal. We can adopt a multitude of positions, depending on our riding style. The handlebars’ height also allows us to ride standing up very efficiently when the situation requires it, and the transition is quite natural. For such a long snowmobile, it’s surprisingly effortless to ride even in tight corners. The Fox QS3 three-position shocks are easily adjustable with gloves. This is very handy when switching from Touring mode to Solo mode. Combined with the new front suspension geometry, the skis stay on the ground when exiting a turn, and the handling in twisty trails is surprising for a Touring snowmobile. The Dual Shock SR 146 rear suspension with preload blades does the job in bumps without hitting the bottom.

With more than 200 HP under the hood, we can talk about high performance. This 998cc turbocharged, fuel-injected, three-cylinder Genesis four-stroke engine was introduced in 2017 by Yamaha for its Sidewinder range. Its reliability lives up to Yamaha’s reputation as an engine manufacturer. It’s still the most powerful production engine on the market today. All this power arrives consistently at all speeds without any delay, both at low RPM and during recovery. It’s awe-inspiring and, above all, delightful when you push on the throttle.

With the Yamaha Sidewinder S-TX GT 2020, you’re sure to get one of the best long-distance Touring snowmobiles on the market. This bright red snowmobile does not go unnoticed on the snow. In our opinion, it distinguishes itself from others in its category by a unique characteristic. It offers the possibility of transforming into a Solo snowmobile in a few seconds if the situation arises. By removing the heated passenger seat, the preload blades and even the rigid suitcases, you get a high-performance Solo snowmobile. You go from the most powerful two-passenger Touring snowmobile ever produced to a sporty looking snowmobile. Farewell to the compromise when buying a snowmobile, as mentioned in our introduction.

What we really like:

The Genesis 998cc turbocharged engine strong accelerations and performance.
The Stealth handlebar controls with the new start button.
The precise driving and comfort for two passengers.
The booster tank and the long fuel autonomy.
The LED headlights.

What we don’t really like:

The two shades of red weren’t appreciated by everyone, especially the more porous panels.
The heated passenger handles lack power in freezing weather.
On a soft trail or after a heavy snowfall, the 1.25” track lacks a bit of traction with full-engine power. Some skidding can be felt when accelerating hard or uphill. We would like to have the option of choosing a more aggressive 1.5” track.

In short, this snowmobile is really designed for those who love long rides in pairs or solo. It really is the best of both worlds, without compromise. It’s comfortable, high performance and versatile. We have been very impressed with this snowmobile throughout the last season. We recommend without hesitation, the 2020 Yamaha Sidewinder S-TX GT.

The test was carried out without any problems or failures. We performed the first maintenance at the 5-star Platinum Yamaha dealership associated with this test, P. Labonté et Fils of Mont-Joli.