2020 Release

[stevewithOCD]

I've been mulling this whole "they all have problems" points people have brought up.
I may not be being fair to my Yamacat.
I remember my first Apex had a bunch of issues. My second one has 20,000 miles on it, but i learned what to do, and what not, from the first Apex.
I made upgrades & took it apart every summer.
I've made some upgrades to my 'Winder & if i take it apart every year to address issues, i think i can make it dependable.

I just need a vendor to make an oil tank that doesn't leak.

 

[TPAY243]

Clutchmaster were would you like me to start 2007 Phazer that thing had so many problems and recalls i don't know where to start the same for my 2008 Nytro and 2006 Apex RTX was the worst riding and handling sleds i have ever had. That is not 20 i guess but a pretty good start. I could go on and on just saying the models they had before the Cat agreement were far from perfect. I just replaced my stater,flywheel,stator,and one way clutch on my Viper but my buddies Nytro had the same problem years ago.

 

[ClutchMaster]

Fair enough I never owned a Phazer or Nytro, but two SRX’s, three 2002 Vipers, and an Apex. No major issues, just little stuff. Shock calibration on the vipers was garbage but they offered revalved shocks for unhappy customers. I really don’t like riding alone on this 2015 viper, it just unsettling all the stuff that’s gone wrong. My buddies cat just lost the upper Chaincase bearing first ride of the season (same chaincase 3k miles), he even said he was lucky his friend went along.

 

[biffdotorg]

Clutchmaster were would you like me to start 2007 Phazer that thing had so many problems and recalls i don't know where to start the same for my 2008 Nytro and 2006 Apex RTX was the worst riding and handling sleds i have ever had. That is not 20 i guess but a pretty good start. I could go on and on just saying the models they had before the Cat agreement were far from perfect. I just replaced my stater,flywheel,stator,and one way clutch on my Viper but my buddies Nytro had the same problem years ago.

I think you may be forgetting that you happen to have purchased three new sleds in their first model year, ALL OF THEM! Sorry to say, you kinda asked for it. I’m with ya on the phazer. But after buying first model year on Apex and Phazer, you still grabbed an 08 Nytro? Oof. I would say my 2012 Apex came out in a very polished form after being out so many years, and after the first year of the big changes. Your three may be bad examples.

 

[TPAY243]

Biffdotorg i din't know first year sleds were excluded from the list i don't think that is an excuse. I never owned a 2011 or newer Apex i bought a 2008 anniversary add. And again it had the ohline shocks so the front end was much better than the 06 with air shocks but the rear with that stupid mono shock i had it send out 2 times for rebuild and revalve. Exhaust gaskets,the lower drive bearing went out at around 2500 miles and not mention all the suspension wheels and slides these are not huge set backs but after owning 2 differnt Apes i was a little Leary on buying another one. I kept the 08 until I bought my Viper in 14. As far as the the 2 strokes go 1994 v max 600, 97 sx700,98 srx 700,2002 Viper. The 02 Viper and SRX(other than crank shaft)were probably the best ones out of the crate. I just sold the 2002 Viper last year with over 8000 miles with hardly any problems. Oh buy the way it was a first year sled kinda.

 

[biffdotorg]

I hear ya, don’t let me badmouth your choices by any means. It’s just fair to point out, that a person is gambling on the first year of an untested platform.

That being said, yamaha has always done us right by giving us 5 year YES contracts for a song when we took the initiative to spring order a first year model. And also honored those contracts when it hit the fan. So, don’t let me bust your balls at all. It’s just a fair point.

 

[TPAY243]

Right on biffdotorg, I'm not trying to rip on anyone just saying that all makes of snowmobiles come with there own little problems. I'm probably going to piss off a lot of people by saying this but I think Yamaha and Cat should stay and work together in the future. I think that Cat could learn a lot about fit and finish and some drivetrain changes from Yamaha. I also think that Yamaha could learn a lot about chassis and suspension design from Cat. The longer they stay together i think the better the product will get.

 

[Mototown]

The first close look at Arctic Cat for me was back in 2003 my buddy bought a firecat ( I called it the fire chicken) it caught fire when he was working on it ...lol
We were out ridiing one weekend, we just finished a bunch of bush & high speed field s . We stop for a break, go to leave the fire cat steering is gone . One of the steering shaft welds had cracked on the collar , it was barely welded . It was a total safety hazard . How did it get through assembly at Cat ? Then when we got it welded the steering shaft turned fully to the right ,one of the arms would actually push the motor over before it hit the stop . It was a fast sled but it was garbage designed. The current cats are improved, but still not anywhere near Yamaha standards ...But next year will only be better & could be possibly be Yamahas & Arctic Cats best sleds to date .

 

[TPAY243]

Mototown I'm not saying Cat does not have problems, like I said before they all have something wrong with them one way or another but I will tell ya this, I think that the 03 Firecat has a way better suspension underneath it than that 08 Apex does. Durability wise no doubt the Yamaha. I'm at the point were i will give some of that up for a better suspension.

 

[Mototown]

Mototown I'm not saying Cat does not have problems, like I said before they all have something wrong with them one way or another but I will tell ya this, I think that the 03 Firecat has a way better suspension underneath it than that 08 Apex does. Durability wise no doubt the Yamaha. I'm at the point were i will give some of that up for a better suspension.

The 08 Apex shock for the the first 1500 miles is good . But it needs to be revalued , have fresh oil & nitrogen anything after that . I also had a ti 5.6 kg spring off my 06 yzf 450 . I guess I have a different opinion on suspension of Yamaha sleds because I can do the the changes myself.

 

[TPAY243]

That's very possible or maybe a different riding style, i guess we can agree to disagree

 

[Deeppow16]

Right on biffdotorg, I'm not trying to rip on anyone just saying that all makes of snowmobiles come with there own little problems. I'm probably going to piss off a lot of people by saying this but I think Yamaha and Cat should stay and work together in the future. I think that Cat could learn a lot about fit and finish and some drivetrain changes from Yamaha. I also think that Yamaha could learn a lot about chassis and suspension design from Cat. The longer they stay together i think the better the product will get.

I agree with this but it needs to be a 50/50 partnership and its not right now. If we want top notch sleds then both companies need to work together fully to achieve it. If they cant do that then its not a partnership. My personal opinion is there is no partnership now. Its simply one company selling to another company. If its a true partnership then we should see huge changes and we haven't.

 

[rtx moose]

 

[SumpBuster]

A little over 900 miles, through mud and slop from late spring....looks dam good to me! Just greased it.Picture is before greasing it. Wiped off any dust and dirt with a paper towel.

 

[tomanytoyz]

Just need more snow earlier and lasts longer ! Other company’s would — make and invest into snow machines . No snow No Go !
I love my Apex , all of it . When I first seen this new design I had to have it ! Bodywork // LED gauges , taillight, .RX-1 was and still cool to me but the Apex was and is better ! 2020? Yamaha will need to make another wow ! But again , if it snowed year round think what would happen to everything ?!?