Goodbye Yamaha

[beanie]

Not sure who the Brandon folks are? Educate me ? Thanks

Was meant to be a joke related to our current administrations constant mess ups . Kind of like Yami not fixing the same ongoing issues they had for several seasons . Examples like drive shaft, oil leaks etc. Its great that many riders share fixes for us all . But most of the ongoing problems should of been taken care of by the engineers and factory by now .

 

[sailor joe]

Was meant to be a joke related to our current administrations constant mess ups . Kind of like Yami not fixing the same ongoing issues they had for several seasons . Examples like drive shaft, oil leaks etc. Its great that many riders share fixes for us all . But most of the ongoing problems should of been taken care of by the engineers and factory by now .

Beanie, it's a slow turning ship but think of all the sleds they will sell once the oil leaks are dealt with...maybe next year. Travis's BOP gasket should solve the oil leak problem. Joe

 

[sxr70001]

I think it's kind of funny that the OP opened an account on TY to tell us he was leaving Yamaha and then left and we are still going at it 8 pages later. He probably never had a Yamaha to begin with and if he did he should have joined earlier so we could have helped him along the way. Let's move on and enjoy our lives.

 

[full tilt viper]

Mr.V......

Great post. Looking at your profile it looks like you've been a TY member for about 8 years now. Not many posts from you in that time, but there's always a lot of lurkers who just use the site to gain knowledge about their sleds to enjoy the ride. Sorry to hear that your recent experiences with your 2018 SideWinder turned out so badly for you.

We've had a 2018 SideWinder in the family since brand new that my wife drives and it's performed flawlessly for us and she loves it and has no issues racking up the miles. We've had three 'Winders so far and will probably add a fourth in the future now that they've got power steering.

I can't blame you one bit for wanting to try something else after the issues that you've had, especially with your shoulder problems. Sounds like you've done everything you can to try and make your SideWinder more reliable but if you've lost faith in the sled and it's causing you pain to ride it then I think that it's time to move on to something else.

It sucks to see a long time customer leave a company that they've been loyal to and to also lose a long time relationship with your dealer who's taken good care of you, but with anything in life sometimes you just need to do what's best for you. A man's got to do what a man's got to do.

Since this is a site that's full of Yamaha enthusiast's I'd expect that they'll be a fair share of bashing you and your post, but I for one wish you the best in your future snowmobile endeavors. Heck, you're a longtime snowmobiler (Over 34 years!) so you can't be all that bad

Cheers!

Finally a measured , fair and reasonable response from XV1R! I owned a 2017 Tcat/Sidewinder and I completely agree with his level of frustration . It was the most unreliable ,overpriced poorly built chassis I'd ever owned., that's it period ! Happy to be back on an my MCX Apex with power steering , gas and go exactly the way it used to be with Yamaha . And oh boy forgive me for just being honest , what a touchy group , come on !

 

[sxr70001]

I stand corrected, he was a long time member who didn't post much. But he is gone and we are still going at it saying the same things that have been said over and over again. Maybe its just my age, when I was growing up everything leaked and overheated and had problems and we just dealt with it and moved on.

 

[20/80]

Finally a measured , fair and reasonable response from XV1R! I owned a 2017 Tcat/Sidewinder and I completely agree with his level of frustration . It was the most unreliable ,overpriced poorly built chassis I'd ever owned., that's it period ! Happy to be back on an my MCX Apex with power steering , gas and go exactly the way it used to be with Yamaha . And oh boy forgive me for just being honest , what a touchy group , come on !

How could this be true.... not the Sidewinder with the best built handling pro cross chassis ....you must be a troll, how could you lower yourself and go back to the Apex.... someone check this mans profile ...something just don't add up. LOL

 

[Apex2006]

I have been a faithful Yamaha snowmobile customer for over 34 years. Their attention to detail, quality and reliability were second to none. I’ve owned 14 Yamaha sleds over the years and enjoyed every minute of it until now. Three of my 2 strokes went past 25,000 km with not one of them ever being re-built. I usually average 5000 km per winter, once hitting 6600 km. I am a serious sledder who is meticulous about maintenance and has always tried to stay current.
People ask if Yamaha will continue to build snowmobiles, I’m afraid they’ve already exited the market. Their union with Arctic Cat has produced vehicles that have left me aghast. In no way do I fault Arctic Cat for any issues, Yamaha put their name on sub standard equipment so the blame falls squarely on their shoulders. They simply should have exited the business and sold engines to whoever wanted them.
My 2018 Yamaha Sidewinder has been the most disappointing and unreliable machine/vehicle I’ve ever owned. Yes it goes fast, it goes very fast. I’ve put over 14,500 km on it. I’ve tolerated all the prior Yamaha heavy weights but this one is over the top. Handling issues out of the gate necessitated a change of skis and thousands of km’s of fiddling with the suspension to get it dialed in to the best possible handling outcome. This website proved invaluable for assistance. I’ve had 3 tendons on each shoulder surgically reattached due to separate accidents. I can do 50 push ups, shovel dirt or split wood all day, ride my dirt bike, carry whatever I need to etc etc. The only thing that hurts my shoulders is driving this machine. Day 2 my shoulders actually throb like after my surgeries. I feel like it's an all day wrestling match. I’ve found myself consciously avoiding tight twisty trails on this snow plow. Yamaha’s addition of power steering for 2022 clearly demonstrates there is a problem. More weight!
Then there is the whole issue of quality and reliability.
-Steering shaft seized at ball and not lubricated from factory. When shaft female socket heated up from engine you could steer. This was a strange one
-Major side to side play in steering shaft collar below bars.
-Clutch rollers that seize up regularly despite annual disassembly and cleaning of clutch and all components.
-Fuel pump relays that continue to freeze despite same issue being present on both prior versions of the Apex (which I owned).
-Limiter straps that both needed replacement for some unknown reason. Perhaps the endless fiddling to try and dial in suspension.
-Belt blowing issues that appeared at 8,000 km. Luckily being forewarned about this issue I had fabricated a belly pan protector
-Taking top gears out of the chain case twice, now dealers suggesting annual replacement.
-Bearing tolerances so poor that the drive axle spins within the inner race. My axle had to be cut in half for removal it was so badly damaged. All needed replacement
-Fasteners and rivets all over sled corroding due to poor quality. At time of Arctic cat union a dealer commented better fasteners used on old Yamaha crates than new snowmobiles.
-Chain case maintenance system designed by someone who never had to perform it. Unable to remove any filings without complete disassembly.
-Instrument cluster had to be removed and backing pads installed to stop vibration and movement..
-Ignition switch that is now spinning in a stripped plastic lock nut. I’ve never once touched this assembly.
-Oil tank blowouts requiring a roll over valve bypass.
-Dirt and debris that continually runs down the sides of the tunnel from plastic items all rubbing and wearing.
-Decals that have all become de laminated on the tunnel with clear protective covers peeling off them and flapping.
-Tail light that wiggles because rivets have all come loose.
-Windshield that cracked simply due to vibration.
-Excessive price.
My patience hit the end of the road with this machine, I actually grew to hate the machine and all the BS associated with it. I became afraid to drive it as something always went wrong. Machine is now sold and off to a new home.
I will still be an avid sledder, however it will now be on a different brand. Perhaps my most upsetting issue is leaving my long time dealer of 34 years with whom I have had a fantastic relationship and stellar service.
Good bye Yamaha.

 

[NYTurbo]

How could this be true.... not the Sidewinder with the best built handling pro cross chassis ....you must be a troll, how could you lower yourself and go back to the Apex.... someone check this mans profile ...something just don't add up. LOL

Now here's a TROLL.

 

[20/80]

Now here's a TROLL.

More of a Surfer

 

[1nc 2000]

Post from people who own sidewinders!

How about a positive " I love my Sidewinder thread".

I think I need to take a break from TY! I work in a mining camp and am not much for social media however I always look forward to ending the day and logging in here. It seems that most of the chatter is negatives about one thing or the other. Yup I've blown a few belts. I've stripped and...

ty4stroke.com

 

[rtx moose]

Finally a measured , fair and reasonable response from XV1R! I owned a 2017 Tcat/Sidewinder and I completely agree with his level of frustration . It was the most unreliable ,overpriced poorly built chassis I'd ever owned., that's it period ! Happy to be back on an my MCX Apex with power steering , gas and go exactly the way it used to be with Yamaha . And oh boy forgive me for just being honest , what a touchy group , come

 

[rtx moose]

There are way more TROLLS on here than people think!!!pretty easy to pick them out!!!

 

[20/80]

Kinda Funny and abit childish, the Winder engine is a piece of art right from Yamaha just like most of their engines, but to say that the Winder is all good may be for some owners, and some owners that can afford and have the ability to fix them, not all owners can do that, so when a owner of a Winder has a bad experience and chooses to share his experience as a member in a post on this forum, you Sensitive Winder/Tcat guys jump all over it completely CSI Their profile and when they joined calling them nothing but a TROLL, all that member was doing was sharing his honest experience, some may agree with him and their Trolls to, you guy's call me negative, LOL, there is two sides to every coin.

 

[jonlafon1]

20/80 its that you do not have a Sidewinder and you post in the Sidewinder section. Anyone CAN post in any section and it is what it is.. If I posted in the Apex area(negatively) and don't have or never had a Apex I would be opening myself up to troll comments and attacks on my posts.. I do agree with you on some of your comments about gas n go and guys not wanting to wrench or having the ability to wrench.. WE ALL know the issues and the fixes so either do the MODS or go ride a DOO or POO..

 

[1nc 2000]

I think the reason 20/80 is so bitter over the sidewinder is because that engine didn't come out in the apex chassis.
Before the announcement of the sidewinder back in 2016 he knew what was coming and described it to us without naming it.