Fit and finish

[gmcman2012]

i just don't get what all the talk about fit and finish is i have 4 brand new Yamaha and they all rub body panels and the pin's don't all ways line up i think to many of you are stuck in your ways and have the i ride Yamaha its the best............ after 180 mi's to day i say 1 Yamaha 3 ski doo and 1 Polaris being towed in. GUESS WHAT NOT ONE ARTIC CAT. so for all the problems they have i guess they must have had a good day........

 

[Chrisj]

i just don't get what all the talk about fit and finish is i have 4 brand new Yamaha and they all rub body panels and the pin's don't all ways line up i think to many of you are stuck in your ways and have the i ride Yamaha its the best............ after 180 mi's to day i say 1 Yamaha 3 ski doo and 1 Polaris being towed in. GUESS WHAT NOT ONE ARTIC CAT. so for all the problems they have i guess they must have had a good day........

It's mainly the edges of the plastics, they're sharp and have pieces of the molding process still on the edges painted. No rounded edges like the current Yamahs's. I'm not brand loyal at all but it don't take a smart person to figure out Yamaha has a quality feel to it. I don't think this sled will rub body panels cause the gaps are 1/2 wide around the whole machine and the plastics have a feel of a kinder surprise toy. I would want to put this sled on it's side at all. I'm sure it's cracking panels. You could literally snap the front vent like a twig with your fingers. The black piece that houses the gauge and comes down the tank, you can put your finger under one side and the other side is pressed into the tank plastics it's so tight. I'm not one to complain, it's just not what I expected for the hype this machine is getting.

On a side note the Dealer said it has all Yamaha bushings and strengthening done to tunnel and the R-TX on his ride with yamaha topped out at 96 mph.

 

[Rich Kay]

Well......I will throw my two cents in now.. I still feel deep inside Yamaha is getting out of the sled biss! I hope Iam wrong but thats how I see it! Cat needed some engine replacements....yamaha will not build or respond to a new chassis of there own, They (yamaha) have alot to offer for well liked power in a sled so with the market the way it is in the sport yamaha only can see it viable to supply engines. Yes they are still going to make a sled with a Yamaha wrapper over it but in time they will be just a powerplant suppylier (as I see it now) . Its the easiest way out of the biss and still getting a peice of what is left! Again ..I hope iam wrong ,Its that that you see ALOT of this stuff happening in corporations today. Its all about the boys at the top no matter how loyal ya think Yamaha or any other sled maker is to its customers.

 

[Ak Yammy]

^^^OR if history repeats itself (Kawasaki/Sno jet merger) Yam is buying CAT. HMMM.

 

[Ak Yammy]

Before we go completely nuts on the fit and finish and the "superior" all Japan sleds I would like to tell you I have had a frustrating season on my Apex. In fact my machine is down at the moment for the second time in two weeks. It was a beautiful day with good snow and sun and I am waiting on parts for a week or more. In fact in 5600 miles I have had to do a fair bit of work on this sled. Motor has been flawless but I have had my hands on almost every other part on this sled.
The list:
-starter
-donuts
-4 sets of hyfax
-suspension wheels
-clutch spring
-shock valving that was almost unridable (fixed by Pioneer)
And this season:
-broken front suspension arm that bent two shafts and damaged transfer rods
-drive bearings
Plus it handles like a dump truck in the tight corners and big bumps.
BUT I still love this machine! In the smooth and semi smooth open stuff it is one of the best machines I have owned (and have owned and ridden many). So I do put up with these annoyances for the 4 cyl. 4 stroke reliable power and thanks to this site have been able to do all repairs myself.
SO in short NONE of them are perfect I've owned them all and they all break!!

 

[awolb69]

Before we go completely nuts on the fit and finish and the "superior" all Japan sleds I would like to tell you I have had a frustrating season on my Apex. In fact my machine is down at the moment for the second time in two weeks. It was a beautiful day with good snow and sun and I am waiting on parts for a week or more. In fact in 5600 miles I have had to do a fair bit of work on this sled. Motor has been flawless but I have had my hands on almost every other part on this sled.
The list:
-starter
-donuts
-4 sets of hyfax
-suspension wheels
-clutch spring
-shock valving that was almost unridable (fixed by Pioneer)
And this season:
-broken front suspension arm that bent two shafts and damaged transfer rods
-drive bearings
Plus it handles like a dump truck in the tight corners and big bumps.
BUT I still love this machine! In the smooth and semi smooth open stuff it is one of the best machines I have owned (and have owned and ridden many). So I do put up with these annoyances for the 4 cyl. 4 stroke reliable power and thanks to this site have been able to do all repairs myself.
SO in short NONE of them are perfect I've owned them all and they all break!!

I'm right with ya on this one. Although my 2011 Nytro XTX has never been down for any part of the 3 seasons I've rode it, it has been far from a high quality piece. Right out of the box when I was picking it up brand new it was only running on 2 cylinders while the dealer was going over the delivery check list with me. Turned out to be a coil wire was never connected from the factory. Then at about 200 mi the nut for the right upper ball joint came off while riding which of course caused the right susp. to basically fall apart. Hyfax wear was a huge issue until I installed the Dupont sliders for this season. Almost 2500 mi with minimal wear. The whole front susp. from a durability standpoint in a complete P.O.S!! I had to replace both upper ball joints and outer tie rod ends after the first season (3300mi) and at the start of this season I had to replace all the A-arm bushings. Now at 6500mi all ball joints and all tie rod ends and the new A-arm bushings are all shot again. This crap isn't cheap to replace and its not covered by warranty. Oh and that leads to the front tube subframe that bends way too easy. I had mine replaced this fall after glancing off of a large rock buried in the snow with the left ski last year. It did no visible damage when it happened and I continued to ride the sled with no problems until I noticed the dreaded ripple between the lower A-arms while changing the oil this past fall. This season, I've blown 2 belts (all stock clutching) had it overheated on me several times from the snow packing up on the heat exchanger, the throttle cable came apart on me and after my last ride last Tuesday the #1 cylinder coil took a crap. Also my seat has two huge rips in the vinyl from just riding and sitting on it. Maybe the Apex and Vector sleds are a little better quality wise than the Nytro but from my standpoint I don't see where Yammi is all that much better than any other manufacturer. Maybe in some areas worse. I have ordered a new Viper and I personally could care less about mould lines on the plastic body panels or if the gauge "appears" cheap, or if the body parts don't line up perfectly. I DO care about the machine being fun to ride and mechanically reliable and looking good. I think the Viper will do all that and more!