Apex lovers?? Is this the end??

[Nytros rule]

I started sledding on a 1969 Panther , it was the most classy and comfortable sled with the slide suspension .
I switched to Yamaha when Cat went out of business , and have never looked back .
SRV , Exciter , SX700 , RX-1 , Apex Gt ,Apex XTX , S........
One mans loss is anothers gain.
That's life !
This Cat Yammie relationship, will either be a 5 year side note in snowmobiling history , OR the biggest game changing revolution to ever happen to the structure of this industry !
Time will tell .

I personally hope it's game changing revolution.

 

[biffdotorg]

I am in total agreement with you guys as well on the points made above. Yamaha has no need for two top-dog sleds. So the Apex may go away. (and may come back better than ever)

I do love the 4-cylinder. The other feature I will miss, and it may not need it, but with one weak hand, I do love my power steering. And I miss it on the days I ride my daughters Viper.

I think we all have to agree that some of these machines just need to go away for a period until it can be brought back as an "ALL NEW" machine. Otherwise, nobody respects the changes from year to year. The Apex is the perfect example. So many have no idea how different an 11-16 Apex is from previous years.

Taking it away and then bringing it back is the way to do it. (Viper, Phazer and soon to be SRX) It has worked for car makers just the same way (Camaro, Challenger etc) You know it is different when it comes back later. If they brought out the "Apex replacement" as the Sidewinder or maybe as the SRX next year. I'm fine with that. I know in my heart that the nameplate may come back. They may even bring back Vmax 4 as it would be a more appropriate name and currently gone. It's just a name to marketing folk. To us we will keep memories of the first pull on an SRX, or making out in a Camaro to make us want the nameplate back. I will be waiting for the demo rides, that's all I can say.

 

[20/80]

I was into the dealer today and was looking at the 2016 Apex xtx what a nice machine it's so over engineered for quality compared to the viper sitting along side of it, I asked my guy at the dealer if Yamaha is ever going to build there own new chassis again he told me the Japanese reps are saying" just hold on" also the sidewinder engine was 3 years in the making in japan the mpi turbo kit for the viper dealer install was a north American option japan new nothing of it, they also do not recommend it for the viper engine it was not engineered to have a turbo on it, so there seems to be a communication barrier problem happening between Yamaha Japan and Yamaha north American, makes you wonder?

 

[Nytros rule]

I was into the dealer today and was looking at the 2016 Apex xtx what a nice machine it's so over engineered for quality compared to the viper sitting along side of it, I asked my guy at the dealer if Yamaha is ever going to build there own new chassis again he told me the Japanese reps are saying" just hold on" also the sidewinder engine was 3 years in the making in japan the mpi turbo kit for the viper dealer install was a north American option japan new nothing of it, they also do not recommend it for the viper engine it was not engineered to have a turbo on it, so there seems to be a communication barrier problem happening between Yamaha Japan and Yamaha north American, makes you wonder?

This is the same engine as the Nytro, it's been turbo charged and super charged to 270 HP + since 08 with nearly 0 issues till some of the late build 16's.
So if this new engine is designed to be turbo charged it should out last a few bodies.

 

[20/80]

This is the same engine as the Nytro, it's been turbo charged and super charged to 270 HP + since 08 with nearly 0 issues till some of the late build 16's.
So if this new engine is designed to be turbo charged it should out last a few bodies.

I would say so, it was totally designed and engineered for a turbo so the durability and reliability is there plus Japan is backing it up, a big win for any sledder that's lucky enough to own one, some of the turbo kits available put a lot of time and engineering into making them fit different engines for them to be reliable, Yamaha north America seen that and adopted MPI turbo kit for the viper, some rod problems late 16's but other than that they seem to be trouble free if installed right.

 

[Sasquatch]

I know you want an all Yamaha as do a lot of us, the fit and finish, the quality, no one can match.
But I have been part of this industry for a very long time and have seen a lot of innovation, especially in the suspension area come from the Cat engineering department, from slide rail suspension in about 1972 to trailing arm suspension in 1977 trail cat to AWS in 1983, the front suspension of choice by all manufactures now to WTF was Cat thinking in 2012 with the new wide A arm spacing, that made Doo Widen their A arm spacing in 2015? I think Cats engineering department is very good. Their problem has been assembly line quality control and a purchasing department that is always searching for the lost price supplier,
What they need is an engineering department that specs the quality they want and a purchasing and quality control department that follow those specs.
If Yamaha Quality control can fix the fit and finish and assembly line issues, WE the Arctic Cat and Yamaha owners will own and ride the best sleds in the business, and Cat and Yamahas sales numbers will continue to fall because WE will continue to ride our sleds for longer and longer because there is no reason to replace them.
The other guys will continue to increase sales because they continue to build what they build and sell replacements every two years for their quality products.

Or I'll throw this one at ya, WE could just ride a Cat! What is the difference, WE are the same family!

 

[MrSled]

Or I'll throw this one at ya, WE could just ride a Cat! What is the difference, WE are the same family!

Stop.. please. Deep breaths and move on.

 

[Sasquatch]

LOVE LOVE my apex like most on here. However I cant WAIT to see what the tuners do to the sidewinder once its released and on the dynos. I think 300hp with a tune won't be out of the question. That motor is so much more robust then my apex motor and that thing boosted is the king of reliability. So while I wont be going anywhere for awhile, I'm finally excited to see a yammie that could replace my apex and not leave me feeling blue (pun intended LOL) I just revised my insurance on my apex to match the retail of the sidewinder LOL. This was a smart move on Yammies part, the cat chassis is awesome and they needed a powerhouse motor like that to get the attention of poo/doos. Although I am a 4cyl freak, I think that motor could actually replace it. Can't wait to hear one run, and drive one! Till then I will enjoy my Ferrari on snow, the sound...ohh the sound...

The Sidewinder will never replace the Apex. The Apex is an iconic sled that can not be replaced it can be substituted by but never replaced. The Sidewinder is a replacement for the Turbo Viper which was a replacement for the Turbo Nytro. The Apex replacement has not been built and may never be! Long live the King!

 

[adubs916]

I think the talk of the Apex replacement being dead is not true at all. Think about it, in the press documentation it stated that the turbo 998 project was started before the Cat deal got going. What the hell was was Yamaha building a new 998T for, the old Deltabox II chassis? I think not.

Also consider, Yamaha pushing Cat to use this motor as it's replacement to the 1100T Suzuki. Can you imagine the '17 Cat 9000 with a Yamaha 998T and Yamaha with BNG for '17? The entire snowmobile world would declare Yamaha dead as a snowmobile company. Either one of two things led to the '17 line up as we know it. 1. the new chassis that the 998T started development for is not complete yet, or 2. it is complete and they are just waiting for the grand entrance next year as a 2018.

The Sidewinder is a great stop-gap sled bridging the old Apex until the new chassis is released. I could also see them having both 998T sleds side by side on the sales floor for a few years as well. Sidewinder for the more cross-over type riders and the new chassis sled as the ultimate trail-lake racer types.

 

[20/80]

I think the talk of the Apex replacement being dead is not true at all. Think about it, in the press documentation it stated that the turbo 998 project was started before the Cat deal got going. What the hell was was Yamaha building a new 998T for, the old Deltabox II chassis? I think not.

Also consider, Yamaha pushing Cat to use this motor as it's replacement to the 1100T Suzuki. Can you imagine the '17 Cat 9000 with a Yamaha 998T and Yamaha with BNG for '17? The entire snowmobile world would declare Yamaha dead as a snowmobile company. Either one of two things led to the '17 line up as we know it. 1. the new chassis that the 998T started development for is not complete yet, or 2. it is complete and they are just waiting for the grand entrance next year as a 2018.

The Sidewinder is a great stop-gap sled bridging the old Apex until the new chassis is released. I could also see them having both 998T sleds side by side on the sales floor for a few years as well. Sidewinder for the more cross-over type riders and the new chassis sled as the ultimate trail-lake racer types.

I agree, also it gives Yamaha time to refine any problems encountered with the new motor using the cat chassis as a platform for real world testing, the more that sell from cat or Yamaha the more feedback which is a very important part of engineering development of new products this in turn paves the road for Yamaha's new chassis, so in return Yamaha gets the sales and the feedback...smart

 

[cobrajet ltx dx]

Right now there are people running a 16 apex and the sidewinder side by side up north. At 80 mph rolling start the sidewinder is walking away from the apex with little to no effort. This new sled is scary fast and this is very reliable intell.

The apex is still the flagship for Yamaha so the next few years should be interesting.

From what I hear from people that are running this sidewinder up north, this sled HAUL'S the MAIL and is the real deal.

 

[Stigapex]

I am afraid that the 4-cyl engine is out. Yama dont need that engine anymore. Thats very bad.
people that havent drived a 4-cyl 4-stroke yama-engine in a sled, they dont know what we are talking about. No other engine have simular power in the middle. No other engine is so fun to drive. If you compare all n/a engines delivered in sleds, the apex engine feels best. The funny thing is. If you compare aftermarket boosted sleds with simular hp, the apexengine feels like the most powerfull. I have driven a lot of 300hp sleds, nytro turbo, 1200 turbo, apex turbo. Apex has the best and most powerfull engine.
But I am pretty sure its over soon. I will keep my 2011 Apex XTX, but i will probably buy a Sidewinder also.


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[vodoo child]

God I hope you guys are right. If not I can see myself riding a 07 Attak GT with vintage registration stickers!

 

[cobrajet ltx dx]

I agree that the apex engine is a great motor, have ridden a couple and a 16 recently in Maine.
I will tell you this being a 21 yr master Subaru tech all manufacturers are building smaller cc motors that make great power with weight savings. The insurance companies have a big influence with that and sled motors are not exempt from that either.
1000cc or under and now we have a sidewinder. See the trend.

 

[tomanytoyz]

The cheeks are wider on this Sidewinder then a Viper.room for a 4-cyl engine hopefully.

Hearing that there maybe no Apex next year (name change) ,but I didn't hear ))) no 4 cyl engine !

The videos of the Sidewinder look fun ! But it shows >> just hand fulls of throttle ! I like that but ,I can do the same with the Apex and cruise .!

Ok with a name change, give us a 4 cyl engine . Same or better ! Sidewinder will fill the void for some .