For readers of All-Terrain Vehicle Magazine who live in the snow belt you may have seen Yamaha’s all-new Phazer snowmobile this winter. What does a snowmobile have to do with ATVing? Maybe nothing, maybe something big.
We all know the amazing reputation Yamaha’s Banshee gained over its almost 20 year span in the market. This incomparable twin cylinder two-stroke 350cc dune shredder is a literal legend in many parts of the market.
Here’s an interesting twist. With EPA standards effectively killing all remaining full-size 2 stroke ATV’s and Yamaha in need of updating the Banshee, the Phazer may hold a key to what could be the most radical 4 stroke replacement for the sport’s most radical 2 stroke duner.
The Phazer is powered by a twin cylinder 500cc 4 stroke which is based heavily on (are you sitting down?) a pair of YZ-F 250 top ends! Yep, that’s the Yamaha motocross mill time two! The Phazer 500 is EFI inducted and grafted onto a sweet crankcase, which uses a gear reduction drive to power a CVT.
The Phazer mill spins an amazing 11,800 RPM but reduces this number to 8000 RPM via a counter shaft primary drive. Yamaha claims the Phazer 500 produces 80 horsepower!
Would this mill work in a re-born Banshee? Uh, yeah, we think it would work real well.
