2021 Release?

[tjmrtx]

Everyone assumes that Yamaha has nothing to do with the Cat designs and unless there is proof that they don't, its just hot air...If you look at pre Yamaha Cats and post Yamaha Cats, there is huge difference in the designs and quality.

I respect your opinion , but i feel differently. I think yamaha has little to no say in how cat produces sleds. I honestly dont believe a thing yamaha says on the subject. If they had the input they say they do then you would be seeing more yamaha parts scattered throughout sleds more. I mean come on cat has had chaincase problems all the way back to the firecat. I have to believe yamaha would have done something about that at the least. It just shows how this is cat dominated by going on arcticchat.com and you never hear the cat guy talking about the junk yamaha motors in them. They have it make over there as they get a great motor and get to complain about there own manufacturers issues.

 

[74Nitro]

I respect your opinion , but i feel differently. I think yamaha has little to no say in how cat produces sleds. I honestly dont believe a thing yamaha says on the subject. If they had the input they say they do then you would be seeing more yamaha parts scattered throughout sleds more. I mean come on cat has had chaincase problems all the way back to the firecat. I have to believe yamaha would have done something about that at the least. It just shows how this is cat dominated by going on arcticchat.com and you never hear the cat guy talking about the junk yamaha motors in them. They have it make over there as they get a great motor and get to complain about there own manufacturers issues.

Trust me, there have been many improvements and there is Yamaha input. There are many improvements just from the Viper to the Winder.

 

[sailor joe]

JMS- thank you for taking the time to contribute the discussion. 2600 miles this year on my 2020.Venture TF. All smiles.

Can you speak briefly on the Transporter 800? I do most of my riding on trail. Could that sled be used effectively in a adventure touring application? Thanks!

greatwhite, happy to hear the TF worked out well for you..I must have gotten a lemon and there was no making lemonade with my TF. I ended up selling it and getting a sidewinder 2up. I got it 2 weeks ago and was lucky to get 750 miles on it before the snow gave up in New England. Just curious, did you ever hear the drone between 32-38mph?

 

[MrSled]

Sorry, just commenting there is a fix for the 2021 and prior Yamaha chain case now for the masses.

I get that, but these topics go off on some tangent with little effort at times..

 

[mysledblows]

Reading this thread and I’m starting to fully understand how bill Murray must have felt in the Groundhog Day movie.

 

[SaddleBagger]

I get that, but these topics go off on some tangent with little effort at times..

Maybe I missed it but do we know if the new chaincase cover without site glass is available and if it will bolt up to my '17 ?

 

[mysledblows]

Talk is cheap....

My wife sent me that one yesterday

 

[20/80]

Maybe I missed it but do we know if the new chaincase cover without site glass is available and if it will bolt up to my '17 ?

You will probably have to buy the whole chaincase assembly to get the cover.

 

[ClutchMaster]

This, this this is the epitome of the problem with the consumer. The exact reason why there will always be someone complaining, change or no change.

Some complain that there are no changes, and others complain that there are too many changes making things more expensive.

These OEM's also have to be careful at how quickly they add a fix. If they don't fix something, it may be that the amount of failures does not warranty a total retool, nor be addressed. If they fix a few, then the consumer demands a service bulletin to address the issue if it arises. If they fix it during model year, then the customer expects a total recall, even if it does not fail. At every level, the MFG has to determine the cost of fix, compared to the cost of lost reliability and customer satisfaction. And at every level, there will be complainers.

Same goes for just feature changes like skis. Come out with it one year, and replace it the next, admits that it didn't work, and the customer demands replacement. Come out with it one year and replace it 6 years later, and the customer may have found a work around to make it work (like we have in the aftermarket) There will be complainers no matter what.

Or you make small changes over the years and try to fly it under the radar. Just like when folks called out Jaret on the Sidewinder fixes. They addressed quite a few of those, hoses, site glass etc. But if they had brought it to our attention, 90% of previous owners would demand that they get theirs replaced, even if it had not failed. And now, that may just be the case. So Yamaha, in this case, has to weigh the cost of those service bulletins, or potential recalls with the cost of customer satisfaction. This is called business finance. And business finance doesn't read sled forums, until someone puts a pricetag on your customer satisfaction.

I call BS, no offense, but the sooner a problem is addressed the less that will need too be warrantied. With the vast number of driveline failures since 2012, do you honestly think if this was a Yamaha built machine of 2000 era this would still be going on? Absolutely not! Within a year or two Yamaha would have fixed the problems. The simple solution BOP has with the wedge is a perfect example that most fixes are not a huge cost to the company, mass produced his device would likely be under $25 cost to Yamaha.
They have done the math and building reliable snowmobiles that last more than 10k miles without a hoard of issues isn’t profitable, people simply won’t buy as many new sleds.
They have seen SkiDoo and other manufacturers building disposal junk and the masses continue to purchase like hotcakes. They are just making money like every other company so I don’t really blame them, it’s just sad too see the legendary quality go down the tube.
In all reality it’s the consumers fault this has happened. If we continue to justify shortcomings, expect lower quality!
Trust me they are watching and listening too feedback, here and at the dealers. If people accept status quo it won’t get better.

 

[Wannaviper]

I just got back from 4 days in Quebec and saw a TON of Yamaha's. Winders, Vipers' and older Delta box models. Even an old V-Maxx 4!!! Also saw more SRX's in 4 days than I have seen on the trail ever combined!! I saw mostly Ski-Doo but I bet Yamaha was the second most branded sled I saw.
Somebody is buying!!!!
BTW my 17 Winder just turned 8k miles and I think it is the best Yamaha I have ever bought.

I spent this weekend in Quebec, and like you, I saw a lot of Yamahas, mostly Sidewinders, and I saw more SRX's in two days there than I have seen all season here in Maine. Given the fact that they are competing with the Canadian manufactured Ski Doos, for a lot less money, I was really surprised to see them.

 

[mikextx]

I get that, but these topics go off on some tangent with little effort at times..

Lots of passionate people here. On both sides

 

[Wannaviper]

Lots of passionate people here. On both sides

A lot of passionate opinions about what Yamaha has done, hasn't done, and should be doing. I feel badly for JMS and the Yamaha crew in general because this is a very tough crowd to please. Maybe one of the Moderators could start a poll. How many Delta Box (All Japan Sled) owners are there out there, and what percent of them own/have owned a Viper or Sidewinder. Conversely, how many Pro Cross owners are there, and what percent of those current Sidewinder/Viper owners previously owned DB sleds. Finally, how many, what percent, of the current Pro Cross owners are new to Yamaha or never owned a DB sled. Then from each of those three groups, how happy are you now with your current sled, and how many/what percent want to see Yamaha return to manufacturing sleds in Japan vs. what percent want Yamaha to continue with the current Cat arrangement?

Nobody asked me, but my final thoughts on 2021 are that Yamaha did good, not great, but pretty darn good. They didn't stun the world, but they did expand with new models that should satisfy a lot of the Yamaha faithful, giving many of them what they have been asking for Just maybe those new models will bring in some new riders, and make the Yamaha mountain guys' dreams come true. They have fine-tuned most if not all of the issues from the original Viper, and I think it is a great sled. Don't even get me started on the Sidewinder. It is still king of the lake, and I get all "weepy" just thinking that I have to put mine up for the season soon. Finally, thank the heavens, the Tuner ski has gone the way of the dinosaur!

My Yamaha experience is now evenly divided in terms of time (not miles) between Delta Box and Pro Cross sleds. I loved my Vector for all the reasons that the DB guys still love them today, but when I switched to the Pro Cross sleds, my "affection" for Yamaha snowmobiles became an absolute "passion." For whatever reason, even though I have the same number of years riding DB and Pro Cross, I have better than triple the miles on the Pro Cross. Riding my Sidewinder is pure joy, and the worst part of any ride with it is turning off the key at the end of the day.

 

[vice108]

A lot of passionate opinions about what Yamaha has done, hasn't done, and should be doing. I feel badly for JMS and the Yamaha crew in general because this is a very tough crowd to please. Maybe one of the Moderators could start a poll. How many Delta Box (All Japan Sled) owners are there out there, and what percent of them own/have owned a Viper or Sidewinder. Conversely, how many Pro Cross owners are there, and what percent of those current Sidewinder/Viper owners previously owned DB sleds. Finally, how many, what percent, of the current Pro Cross owners are new to Yamaha or never owned a DB sled. Then from each of those three groups, how happy are you now with your current sled, and how many/what percent want to see Yamaha return to manufacturing sleds in Japan vs. what percent want Yamaha to continue with the current Cat arrangement?

Nobody asked me, but my final thoughts on 2021 are that Yamaha did good, not great, but pretty darn good. They didn't stun the world, but they did expand with new models that should satisfy a lot of the Yamaha faithful, giving many of them what they have been asking for Just maybe those new models will bring in some new riders, and make the Yamaha mountain guys' dreams come true. They have fine-tuned most if not all of the issues from the original Viper, and I think it is a great sled. Don't even get me started on the Sidewinder. It is still king of the lake, and I get all "weepy" just thinking that I have to put mine up for the season soon. Finally, thank the heavens, the Tuner ski has gone the way of the dinosaur!

My Yamaha experience is now evenly divided in terms of time (not miles) between Delta Box and Pro Cross sleds. I loved my Vector for all the reasons that the DB guys still love them today, but when I switched to the Pro Cross sleds, my "affection" for Yamaha snowmobiles became an absolute "passion." For whatever reason, even though I have the same number of years riding DB and Pro Cross, I have better than triple the miles on the Pro Cross. Riding my Sidewinder is pure joy, and the worst part of any ride with it is turning off the key at the end of the day.

I'll be anxious to report on my new sidewinder next season after flogging my Apex RTX since 2006!

 

[20/80]

A lot of passionate opinions about what Yamaha has done, hasn't done, and should be doing. I feel badly for JMS and the Yamaha crew in general because this is a very tough crowd to please. Maybe one of the Moderators could start a poll. How many Delta Box (All Japan Sled) owners are there out there, and what percent of them own/have owned a Viper or Sidewinder. Conversely, how many Pro Cross owners are there, and what percent of those current Sidewinder/Viper owners previously owned DB sleds. Finally, how many, what percent, of the current Pro Cross owners are new to Yamaha or never owned a DB sled. Then from each of those three groups, how happy are you now with your current sled, and how many/what percent want to see Yamaha return to manufacturing sleds in Japan vs. what percent want Yamaha to continue with the current Cat arrangement?

Nobody asked me, but my final thoughts on 2021 are that Yamaha did good, not great, but pretty darn good. They didn't stun the world, but they did expand with new models that should satisfy a lot of the Yamaha faithful, giving many of them what they have been asking for Just maybe those new models will bring in some new riders, and make the Yamaha mountain guys' dreams come true. They have fine-tuned most if not all of the issues from the original Viper, and I think it is a great sled. Don't even get me started on the Sidewinder. It is still king of the lake, and I get all "weepy" just thinking that I have to put mine up for the season soon. Finally, thank the heavens, the Tuner ski has gone the way of the dinosaur!

My Yamaha experience is now evenly divided in terms of time (not miles) between Delta Box and Pro Cross sleds. I loved my Vector for all the reasons that the DB guys still love them today, but when I switched to the Pro Cross sleds, my "affection" for Yamaha snowmobiles became an absolute "passion." For whatever reason, even though I have the same number of years riding DB and Pro Cross, I have better than triple the miles on the Pro Cross. Riding my Sidewinder is pure joy, and the worst part of any ride with it is turning off the key at the end of the day.

I'm glad your enjoying your Winder but you know your post should be sent to Craig Kennedy, you should be thanking him, its the company he is working for that has given you that ride, not Yamaha, just like the new mountain max 800, the venom, his company built them, not Yamaha, Dodge Ram truck has a Cummins engine in it, its still a Dodge Ram truck, its not called a Cummins, but if Cummins spent millions in advertising and put their stickers on all over the truck than I guess yes it would be a Cummins Truck then.

 

[MrSled]

I'm glad your enjoying your Winder but you know your post should be sent to Craig Kennedy, you should be thanking him, its the company he is working for that has given you that ride, not Yamaha, just like the new mountain max 800, the venom, his company built them, not Yamaha, Dodge Ram truck has a Cummins engine in it, its still a Dodge Ram truck, its not called a Cummins, but if Cummins spent millions in advertising and put their stickers on all over the truck than I guess yes it would be a Cummins Truck then.

Can we just give it a rest?? I think everyone understand the point. Its been stated over and over. Lets move on now.