“Where are the rest of the Yamaha snowmobiles?” and speculating about our future.

[T-Bone]

I don't think so, I think they are moving away from Cat, they are trying to get rid of as many procross left overs as they can, the are not investing in the pro cross chassis anymore than they have to, new stickers, shock packages that's about it, Viper will be gone next year, but Viper guy's not need to panic what's coming to replace the viper will be cutting edge and pure Yamaha.

If Yamaha is going to build a pure Yamaha sled then they should tell us today. Let the customers and dealers clearly know they are truly committed to developing Yamaha sleds. If they don't do this then it is just more of the same from the last 11 years. That's how long its been since Yamaha released a new pure Yamaha.

 

[cannondale27]

Guys Yamaha and all the other Japanese do this all the time with bikes and quads. When inventory goes down they will bring them all back or better! If not we just keep riding till we see something we just have to have. The key here is not to panic and do something you will regret. Our sleds will run for many more season. We just have to be patient and have fun while we wait.

 

[journeyman]

Guys Yamaha and all the other Japanese do this all the time with bikes and quads. When inventory goes down they will bring them all back or better! If not we just keep riding till we see something we just have to have. The key here is not to panic and do something you will regret. Our sleds will run for many more season. We just have to be patient and have fun while we wait.

Yes I think I can get another season out of my trusty 4 stroke!!

I hear so many on here and other forums whining about Yamaha not making a 2 smoker anymore. Seriously I could care less, I have been there and done that, no thanks! Everyone has their own reasons for their type of riding but I too have my own reasons for not wanting another one.

I think we all know of the track record of the E-Tec's, well a good friend who's son is a Polaris factory rider was just out west recently test riding one of the 2019 Polaris RMK 850's......it blew up with 16 miles on it!! Polaris has it apart as we speak trying to figure out why. Chalk up another reason for myself not wanting another 2s.

 

[20/80]

im not shure if you guys remember when Yamaha called back all 1981 srx 500 models and pulled back all dealer inventory of 1982 srx and disposed of them somewhere then what you got was the 1983 VMAX 540 after that Yamaha thought of pulling the plug on sleds back 1991 then what you got was VMAX4 so its hard to tell but did you know TEXTRON at one time back in the 70s had stake in Polaris I was looking at old you tube promos for Polaris and all the others and there it was plain as day polaris is a TEXTRON ezgo company ?? but at one time skidoo was skidoo now they changed the ATV to CANAM and arcticat did too with TEXTRON

Yes.. I read a article on the early SRX not to long ago on this very thing you mentioned, also I remember Textron owning Polaris back in the early 80's, I had a 500 indy triple with the Textron tag on it I believe it was a 81 model with independent suspension, also I remember Textron trying to break up Polaris and sell it off, but the workers of Polaris put their money together and bought it, Textron was getting rid of Polaris at the time, history with Textron may repeat itself.

 

[CooperT]

That’s why I don’t care for a 2 stroke anymore, I don’t want to rebuild the engines. I just wanna turn the key and go!

 

[Elton Buss]

That’s why I don’t care for a 2 stroke anymore, I don’t want to rebuild the engines. I just wanna turn the key and go!

You are feeling the same as I. I would buy a new sled every three years,until 07.
I told the dealer I have used for 20 years the biggest mistake yamaha made was putting a 4 stroke engine in a snowmobile. I still get on my o4 warrior and I get a big smile on my face. There is nothing like it. The only reason I would sell it is to get rid of carbs. My 07 attack is just that much better.
I don't get to ride more than 750 miles a year so my sleds last a long time. I still work on my 01 SRX I sold to a friend with 3,000 miles on it and I HATE it, it stinks up my garage and clothing.

 

[earthling]

That's a pretty transparent letter for a company like Yamaha, good for them.

For the naysayers. If Yamaha wanted out, they would not be holding the line, they would be dumping price. It is far easier to justify the impact of a lower margin and gross profit per division (for the business unit) which would be the result of dumping prices than it is to do what they are doing which is manage the inventory, maintain price, and do right by the channel. That is a very difficult decision to make. Seriously. I cannot express how difficult it must have been to go to the boss and explain to them that you are intentionally limiting top line revenue in order to balance the business. People get fired over that kind of bravery (for the wrong reasons but it happens). For those of you that read their current activity as squeezing blood from stone (trying to make the last few dollars out of what they have).. I am telling you that the current activity would not be a smart tactic. If you were selling the company you would have to establish brand value, market share, internal efficiency, and most of all, bottom line. Flushing out the channel doesn't get you there. Limiting sales doesn't get you there. Pissing of customers doesn't get you there. Rebuilding channel is the activity of a company who has something to gain in the future, not something to lose.

That is not to say that there have also been mistakes. For a company to make these very tough decisions there has to be some internal admission of error. One could argue that the error was in forecasting which would have them manufacturing too many sleds and stuffing the dealers with inventory that they can't move. The obvious justification would be 'no snow' but that is not what I read in the letter. What I read (and I have written many letters like this) is an admission, albeit a soft one, that they are working on something new and they want to manage demand where they have brand loyalty. This means that someone had to draw a line in the sand and pick which side they want to be on, do they continue to turn out the same product, and treat the channel the same way or do you implement change. Public letters like this rarely get written in a vacuum and by one person, they are typically vetted by a cast and crew including legal and marketing. If they were just out to pump inventory to get out of the business, the letter would read very differently.

The focus on new in all of their public messaging tells me that they have a plan, have internal alignment, and they are in it to win. It may be late for some people on the site, its always going to be late for the skeptics, and it certainly doesn't feel good for those who want the best for the brand but the reality is that these are the tough things you have to do in business to be successful, not what you do if you want out.

Good for them for being transparent. I would rather deal with a company that is transparent in the face of tough times than to be misled. The reality is that the larger corporate culture (and I am not talking about Yamaha) is to drive growth, not sustainability, its about pumping and dumping product and about being cutthroat, not about building a healthy business. If Yamaha wanted to hurt their dealers they could easily have done far worse than what they are doing now. Lets hope that the division has been given the responsibility to do the right thing and to rebuild into a healthier business, that would be good for everybody.

 

[CooperT]

Holy crap, very well said! I just learned my lesson for the day...makes perfect sense.

The naysayers aren’t looking at the big picture unfortunately.

 

[03RX1-ER-LE]

Those that are saying they are leaving Yamaha and buying elsewhere, goodbye and good luck! I am not going anywhere and neither is Yamaha, they are the best damn sleds on snow IMHO. They are not doing anything different that any other company does. When the auto manufactures see a back log of vehicles, they close plants and lay off employees and let inventory catch up. We have been in a strange weather pattern for a couple years, is it global warming or weather cycles, who the hell knows. We may be in for some huge winters again, (from my lips to Mother natures ears) you never know. If that does happen new sleds would be hard to find. For left over sleds selling lower then the new sled you bought, that happens, however you were first to the new technology. I purchased my 2017 F150 September of 2017 when 2018 hit the lots. Did I want a 2018 with the new grill, no I did not need the latest and greatest. So what did I gain by buying left over model, between rebate and employee price the truck was 10k off. Port Yamaha was offering some awesome deals on winders, 10k looked really good, did I want to buy a new one, hell yeah. However my old Iron just keeps going like the energizer bunny, so here I am for a few more years on mine.

 

[mikextx]

"Yamaha intends to reward those customers who place a deposit and register a 2019 unit. Each customer will be entered intointo SPS Sweepstakes, where they can win 1 of over 100 Yamaha prizes, ". Gimmie a break, some people still haven't received their promised gearbags from the '18 spring order. Now they're gonna go publishers clearing House on us with prizes. Lol. They're offering the extended warranty too. For what? Where you gonna take it when Yami is done. To a cat dealer I guess. Since it's a cat sled anyway. As far as them still offering the VK, and venture in Europe. They're Just getting rid of the rest of the parts

 

[Turtle]

If they really do indeed have a bigger plan for 2020, it would be great if they could give us some sort of idea of what to expect. Maybe something like surprising us by getting back into snocross, or a mid season release. For those holding on (not getting a 2019 model) it could help calm people's nerves and solidify a 2020 spring buy, vs loosing patience and making an in-season purchase from another manufacturer. I think many who have been holding on to their true Yamaha waiting for a new one (not jointly from Cat) are really getting tired of waiting. In this business, waiting for a manufacturer to suit your needs results in sale lost to a competitor.

 

[mikextx]

Difference is that Polaris had an actual snowmobile to sell Textron, Yamaha doesn't. Only engines and clutches

 

[mikextx]

The people who have waited so long for new Yamahas got rewarded with ArcticCat belt, chaincase, loose bolts, and all the other issues that come with Cats. No redesigned Apex, no 2stroke , no Rider forward......just Cats with decent engines. I wonder how many people would buy a new 2019 Chevy pickup that was in all reality a 2012 Ford f150, with a LS engine, and Chevy emblems? Apparently alot of TY guys would be good with that.

 

[20/80]

Difference is that Polaris had an actual snowmobile to sell Textron, Yamaha doesn't. Only engines and clutches

Textron is a monster company now, they are only interested in making profit, Period! Craig Kennedy that is the head of the engineering department for Cat snowmobiles is under a lot of pressure to produce and gain market share in the sled industry, believe me when I say this, its Cats last kick at the can for their sleds and Craig Kennedy knows this, that's why Textron is slowly renaming the off road division of Cat, like the all new Havoc with its Weber engine, when the Cat name is not making any sales difference in markets Cat will be phased out, and Textron will not even blink a eye doing it, when Yamaha pulls away from Cat ands starts competing for market share with their new chassis, Textron will pull the plug on Cat snowmobiles and their legacy sadly will be gone.

 

[northern srx]

OK, just an opinion... a letter presented by the division leader discussing the immediate plan - discounts on new non-current sleds and limited MY 2019 sled production - makes sense to me as we have a shrinking market and have had less than stellar winters in the snow belt the past few seasons creating a surplus of product. Now, on occasion, I drive past the new "North American snowmobile headquarters" for Yamaha and their parking lot is NOT empty! IF they were not moving forward, WORKING ON SOMETHING, would my observation not be different??? The Cat deal was made initially for 5 years, then hints that it would continue, then the Textron deal which may have changed / complicated everything. Yamaha is proud to be a 4 season supplier of recreational vehicles and must adjust to remain viable in this market segment. Business wise, they will only manufacture what they can sell. There has been NO comment on people leaving or being let go so... I will continue to ride my Yamaha sleds and be optimistic for the future.