2020 Release

[cannondale27]

The “Stig”!

 

[cannondale27]

Someone in minacqua knows. Speak!

 

[Mototown]

So if I follow your logic that textron is dismantling AC putting the division in a downward investment cycle why in the word would they share R&D 2s engine costs and tooling with Yamaha in a shrinking overall market? I don’t see bean counters from either company embracing that project. Lol I’m pretty sure Textron came to Yamaha with a gun to their head to buy X amount of units over last year and Yamaha said no freakin way SRX for 2019 or nothing the contract is winding down and inventory is too high. I’m also reasonably sure the OEM agreement will continue for some models BUT Yamaha is well positioned to go it alone with a limited build Apex replacement if that is the chosen path. Yamaha is equally well positioned to close it all down as well. I don’t see any possible way Yamaha would build a 2s engine at this time just no money to do so.

There is 3 all new yama kitty's in 2020 , so does a turbo 600 & 850 4 stroke sound better?

 

[Mototown]

Also the sidewinder is the replacement for the Apex , which with limited upgrades ( get rid of the self tapping screws holding on side panels, new sub frame to hold clutches straight, & bolts & parts that don't rust after limited use ) is a really good sled that no one can touch speed wise . Arctic cat 800 is all ready obsolete compared to the 840 Polaris by 20 hp . A yama 2 stroke is worth building for a 4-5 year run with Arctic cat until it's sold off .

 

[Vmax]

All I can say is

 

[soldi]

I've been here for a few years now, and same thing every year (and I contribute) but dang, Yamaha has some loyal fans and they are not treated right.. times change, so must manufacturers.. all this Yamaha is a great engine supplier is just a poor excuse for lack of commitment.. they have 2stroke dirtbikes (the 125cc if I remember right) 2stroke oubords, technology leader in many areas.. but in snowmobiling they are way behind (the winder I'm not giving them credit for.. but yeah the engine is great)..

Cost of small scale manufacturing is not the same today as it was 10 heck 5 years ago, what they based previous decitions on sent necessarily true today.. as a customer we deserve to know where they are going.. CR was good with communication but no information but they need to say where they are heading now and not wait till mars, or 2020 or later..

If they want to stay in the snow

1- production in USA or Finland (for Russian market)
2 - 3 engines
3 - 1 chassis

 

[TURBLUE]

Yeah I’m starting to get disappointed...local dealers are dropping the sled line. Tough sell here forsure. Sure would be nice for some insite on the future of their commitment to the sledding community. Guessing if a dealer is dropping the sled line there may be nothing exciting on the horizon. IMO the Sidewinder is the best sled Yamaha has made, handling and power responsiveness......But I am not a huge fan of the fit and finish of the cat chassis.

 

[Tarzan]

Yeah I’m starting to get disappointed...local dealers are dropping the sled line. Tough sell here forsure. Sure would be nice for some insite on the future of their commitment to the sledding community. Guessing if a dealer is dropping the sled line there may be nothing exciting on the horizon. IMO the Sidewinder is the best sled Yamaha has made, handling and power responsiveness......But I am not a huge fan of the fit and finish of the chassis.

Yamaha has NOT made it,just the engine and maybe the cluthces.

 

[TURBLUE]

Yeah I’m starting to get disappointed...local dealers are dropping the sled line. Tough sell here forsure. Sure would be nice for some insite on the future of their commitment to the sledding community. Guessing if a dealer is dropping the sled line there may be nothing exciting on the horizon. IMO the Sidewinder is the best sled Yamaha has made, handling and power responsiveness......But I am not a huge fan of the fit and finish of the cat chassis.

Yamaha has NOT made it,just the engine and maybe the cluthces.

Yeah forsure. Just meant would be nice to see a more refined chassis if the want to use cats.

 

[T-Bone]

I see numbers like in the attached (11,000 units sold world wide and only an 8.5% market share with all trends declining I wonder why Yamaha even continues in the sled business. With only 3,000 unit sold in the US and 4,000 in Canada in 2017 with numbers decreasing since the introduction of the "Yamaha" Viper. Yamaha is a rich company with lots of cash on hand and they could have done something about this mess a long time ago but their pride got in the way. Hard to believe they were at one time the market share leader in sled sales. Pride goeth before the fall.

 

[whitedust1]

I see numbers like in the attached (11,000 units sold world wide and only an 8.5% market share with all trends declining I wonder why Yamaha even continues in the sled business. With only 3,000 unit sold in the US and 4,000 in Canada in 2017 with numbers decreasing since the introduction of the "Yamaha" Viper. Yamaha is a rich company with lots of cash on hand and they could have done something about this mess a long time ago but their pride got in the way. Hard to believe they were at one time the market share leader in sled sales. Pride goeth before the fall.

Yep that’s why I don’t see anything coming except easy money 4s replacement with Eps for the Apex designed by Yamaha. No 2s engines just no ROI for the tooling to do so. Drop the NA 4 banger in a new chassis with eps and the faithful will buy. The hay day of snowmobiling is behind us. If you want a 2s engine plenty available in inventory and new from other OEMs. Yamaha is not going to get involved with 2s engines at this time that ship sailed in 2003. I don’t think Yamaha will close the snowmobile division just operate at low inventory levels that they know they can sell.

 

[TURBLUE]

I truly believe the market needs a reset and not just Yamaha sled...all of them. This sport is getting very expensive and hard for new families to get involved. All of us that grew up in it, and have affect others to join are getting less and less every year. Manufacturers need to break the mold and change direction to get more people into the sport.

 

[Sasquatch]

I really have to wonder how much better Yamaha can do to build a better handling chassis than Procross. Working on my viper there are quite a few areas where I could see Yamaha Tech improve various parts to reduce weight and add strength like using the aluminum casting process they have to unify the lower A-arm frame and front engine cradle into one unit. The Procross front suspension still remains the best in the buisness, bar none, though the G4 Doo comes close now. The other great unknown is how long does Textron want to hang on the the Arctic Cat division since they already pulled/rebranded everything else BUT the sleds. I personally think that the Cat/Yamaha sled divisions are headed for a merger down the road.

I could believe that!

 

[Sasquatch]

Reading that Yamaha can't build 2 strokes is kinda funny lol . Arctic cat is currently being dismantled by textron , chances of them investing mega bucks on there own 2 strokes to put into a new yam kitty in 2020 is slim & none .... now if your partner who has racing back ground building race motors , it's only makes sense for them to make u a competitive 2 stroke. If arctic cat is putting 2s in that chassis it will be Yamaha. If you look at motocross, Yamaha was the first switch over to 4 stroke race bikes , mostly because the emission threats down the road , which never came to reality. Now that Yamaha has a partner to split costs for development of new 2s sleds & trump making a laughing stock of global warming & emissions standards, chances are good ....

Nice thought but Cat just dumped a pile of money into building their own line of two strokes and its a big ask to dump them and the production line and the people involved. On top of this Cat has said that on the two stroke side they are competitors. There is nothing wrong with Cat two strokes they are as reliable as the rest and the reason I don't want any of them!

 

[Sasquatch]

There is 3 all new yama kitty's in 2020 , so does a turbo 600 & 850 4 stroke sound better?

No such thing as a Yama Kitty. Yamaha sells Catamaha's