2018 Yamahas

[vodoo child]

Ya' but look how ""LIGHT"" they are, compared to those heavy 4stk's. I guess after 2k miles when they pop, you point them down the mountain and push then go get another !!!!

 

[20/80]

Ya' but look how ""LIGHT"" they are, compared to those heavy 4stk's. I guess after 2k miles when they pop, you point them down the mountain and push then go get another !!!!

 

[journeyman]

Ya' but look how ""LIGHT"" they are, compared to those heavy 4stk's. I guess after 2k miles when they pop, you point them down the mountain and push then go get another !!!!

LOL!!

I would never buy one of the Doo 800's or 850's without buying the extended warranty. Pretty much all the Doo crowd seems to do that if they know better.

 

[20/80]

LOL!!

I would never buy one of the Doo 800's or 850's without buying the extended warranty. Pretty much all the Doo crowd seems to do that if they know better.

I wonder how many miles you could really get out of the 800 etec or 850 if you were a easy rider and really took care of it?

 

[journeyman]

I wonder how many miles you could really get out of the 800 etec or 850 if you were a easy rider and really took care of it?

A guy that I know has an 800 E-Tec, not new it's a few years old. It lunched at 7300 miles. His dealer said that's the most he's seen one go. He said most go before 5000 miles. It's not if, but when. I know a few years ago one of the Big dealers here by Mpls/St.Paul told me the 800 block was their number one part sold and stocked.

 

[Sasquatch]

Doo says motor designed for 300hrs. Even at 30mph average speed and that is not unreasonable my gps gives averages in the 25 to a high of 40 over 1000 mile trips gives the Doo 9,000 miles. Mountain riding is pin and pray so strain much higher. 4 strokes are more in the 1,000 to 2,000 hr range but in the mountains that would drop.

 

[Nytros rule]

Doo says motor designed for 300hrs. Even at 30mph average speed and that is not unreasonable my gps gives averages in the 25 to a high of 40 over 1000 mile trips gives the Doo 9,000 miles. Mountain riding is pin and pray so strain much higher. 4 strokes are more in the 1,000 to 2,000 hr range but in the mountains that would drop.

Doo's 300 hr. rating is at what? 20% load, 30% load and as load/throttle position increases longevity decreases exponentially.
Of all the 800 Doo's I've seen if they make 9000 K's, not miles they are crating it and getting it ready to ship to the Smithsonian.

 

[blueironranger]

A guy that I know has an 800 E-Tec, not new it's a few years old. It lunched at 7300 miles. His dealer said that's the most he's seen one go. He said most go before 5000 miles. It's not if, but when. I know a few years ago one of the Big dealers here by Mpls/St.Paul told me the 800 block was their number one part sold and stocked.

Same at my local Yami Doo dealer. Doo sends them a complete engines so they always have one in stock so warranty repairs can be taken care of quickly. Friend of mine ended the season at 5300 miles on his 800 Etec which is the most I've personally seen. Doo's claim of the 850 "4 stroke" durability is a joke too, they just implemented oiling tricks from the Etec Evinrude outboards which might help some but the reason the outboards live a long time is lower RPM and large displacement. An etec 150HO with similar HP is 3.0L, almost 4x the displacement, and they only make it around 2000 hours.

 

[20/80]

Doo says motor designed for 300hrs. Even at 30mph average speed and that is not unreasonable my gps gives averages in the 25 to a high of 40 over 1000 mile trips gives the Doo 9,000 miles. Mountain riding is pin and pray so strain much higher. 4 strokes are more in the 1,000 to 2,000 hr range but in the mountains that would drop.

300 hrs?= around 9000 miles on average at 25 to 40 mph, it would take me 12 years to put that many miles on with my yearly average of miles trail riding around here, but north of me many riders average 4-6000 miles, in saying that a etec would do me fine with my average where I trade every 3-4 years anyway but the guy's north of me would have to trade every year to be safe, this is where Yamaha shines, your probably paying close to $16-17 000 for a new etec 850 here with a low trade in value, I wonder if the 850 will stand up to 1000-2000 hrs that Doo is selling.

 

[Sevey]

They are still boasting how little oil the new 850 engine uses - which seems like the opposite concept of promoting longevity. After riding with guys that have them and seeing how little oil is used in a day - that is scary. That thing is spinning around inside at 9 grand with a sparse amount of lube. Only bad things can happen.

Most of the guys that have Doo's seem to roll them regularly. Every 2 seasons they flop out another $10k for a new one. I bet their RRSP contribution isn't that robust. lol.
MS

 

[20/80]

They are still boasting how little oil the new 850 engine uses - which seems like the opposite concept of promoting longevity. After riding with guys that have them and seeing how little oil is used in a day - that is scary. That thing is spinning around inside at 9 grand with a sparse amount of lube. Only bad things can happen.

Most of the guys that have Doo's seem to roll them regularly. Every 2 seasons they flop out another $10k for a new one. I bet their RRSP contribution isn't that robust. lol.
MS

LOL, But if you talk to any rider on a etec its the best sled since slice bread and reminds you of how stupid you are for buying a Yamaha 4s tank.

 

[Sasquatch]

I think it really depends on two things, your pocket book a where/how you ride. I have not seen where Doo is claiming anywhere near 1000 hours for their 2 strokes, that's 30,000 miles and well into 4 stroke territory. The 800's needed to be pulled apart every 3 to 4thousand miles to re-grease the bearings. The 850 has not been out for long enough to tell but WELL oiled bearings in a two stroke lasted about 300 hours or 9,000 miles on the trail and is the reason I left 2 strokes behind (new bearing replacement not cheap). Well that and mr squeeky that visited every once in a while. Two stroke guys trade every second year and play the new tech game, I never liked being the guy who test rode the first year of anything. That likes to bite you in the A$$ way to often and you have to deal with all the bugs being worked out.

So you buy a 4 stroke and ride it forever if the chassis will stay together, saw a lot of chassis from different manufactures with all the rivets that came loose or cracking tunnels etc over the years. So if your pocket book is deep, trade up regularly for the new tech and don't cry when your turn comes up to sit while your sled is in for warranty again and again, it will come up at least once in your lifetime! Or ride it for many years and repair what breaks and wears out. I went to 4 strokes and Yamaha for that reason, the engine will last if looked after forever and a day. The chassis will last just as long with little repair/maintenance. Course tech leaves you behind a bit but the advances have been small for the last 10 years. Two strokes lose value with age and mileage four strokes less so. Course like with cars perceived value is linked to tech and less on longevity so maybe like cars sleds are useless when old tech and become disposable!

With the advent of turbos on 4 strokes its buyer beware as you may think your getting a nice clean pampered sled but its been hammered hard and returned to stock just for you! So 4 strokes may begin to drop in value for that reason. With the number of sidewinder guys pumping them up and the numbers increasing of the buy new every few years type of riders, check the sled out very carefully. So easy to mod so easy to return to stock. I used the Sidewinder as an example but even the Viper got a lot of turbo's and less so the Apex Nytro!

So lets test this old tech out, I have a 05 Warrior with an AD Boivin skid and 18,000 miles, want to buy it? Still 9,000 miles till its first major service!

 

[SumpBuster]

I always sold my doos before 5000 miles, and bought another. Yamahas have instilled a confidence I never had riding a 2 stroke. I KNOW I'm getting home with my apex. Or Vector. Or rx. Because they have since 2004. Sure, broken suspension parts, but that can be ridden back as long as the engine is still running. And they always were.

 

[superfan75]

Yeah I got over 11,000 miles on my Warrior and it still runs great. It doesn't just run it runs great !! It purrs like a kitten when it idles and still pulls hard when you crack the throttle. I know its old and outdated, but I don't care. I don't have a bunch of money in it, but I can still go out and have a good time and know I'm not coming home attached to a tow rope (not that anyone could tow it. LOL). I can't justify putting more money into a different sled when the winters are so unpredictable in VT. I didn't get to ride at all last year and this year I got about 450 miles and then the snow melted in about a week. Even with the 20" of snow we got last week the riding sucks and its already half gone. I didn't get a chance to get out this weekend, but my friend said I wasn't missing anything. People on newer sleds can't believe my sled runs and drives so good for an old machine and then I tell them how many miles are on it they almost fall over. Then the "heavy tank" jokes quiet down about. LOL.

 

[SumpBuster]

I was surprised! We got 30 inches of snow here last week, and yesterday took a nice ride locally, but a cowpath trail back home to make a loop, only had 2 tracks...and it was deep. The road banks were big too, so we decided Id lead and see what happens. Plus the unbroken hill with drifts looked challenging...at this point in the year, if she stuck, leave it and come get it with the loader forks come spring.
Lots of cornfield, drifts, and no tracks were really no issue. The curve skis and that a arm under armor and ripsaw 2 did a great job...when she was sinking in, just open it up and the front pulled out like a jet ski and away I went with a backhoe style trench...never got stuck!! I was pretty happy since the last 2 years were mostly tug hill trails. Ole Ape x did good!