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.