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How BIG of deal will the Sidewinder be to the History of sledding / Yamaha?

Yamaha is not going to buy Cat. If Yamaha stays in the sled biz, you will see no more Japanese built sleds. Only Yama/Cats. As far as R&D, for the most part there's none going on. The SW engine was designed and developed years ago. Yamaha just didn't have the kuhuna's to bring it out.
 

Yamaha isn't going anywhere. Look at the SxS world. They were silent for 10 yrs since all of the Rhino lawsuits. Now they are back and building some bad #*$&@,cutting edge SxS. We all knew they could build it but need to actually see them do it. I believe Yamaha was 10 yrs ahead of the game with all 4 stroke sleds. My bet 10 yrs from now over 60 percent of the sled market will be 4 stroke, maybe more. I believe the Arctic cat/ Yamaha marriage will be great for both companies. It will help bring new products to market faster. It's a win win for both companies. Arctic cat gets Yamaha motors and Yamaha attention to detail and Yamaha gets Arctic cat chassis and suspension. Working together I think they can build some amazing sleds.
 
Do you guys think other manufacturers will follow and produce 200 hp sleds, how can they NOT?
 
I believe brp looks very closely at what Polaris does and vice versa. They really don't seem to care what yamacat brings to the table. But maybe they should?
 
Brp could bring a strong turbo 4 stroke to market with ease but right now they wont. The etec sleds are cash cows for Brp. Think of how high priced the high end etec 800 sleds have become. In 09 I could buy a new Skidoo 800 for $9000. Now they are $13,000. Now factor in that most Skidoo 2 strokes need a rebuild between 5,000 and 7,000 miles. So instead of replacing motors or rebuilding guys just upgrade. Now you have high mile expensive used etects out there that will go down and need major repair. It's a win for Skidoo. So no way will Skidoo take sales away from the all mighty cash cow 850 by introducing a 200 hp sled. Now if Yamaha and Cat can make the new Sidewinder/Thundercat a must have sled and expand on the new motor with inovative new features they may force Skidoos hand.
 
I think that if the sidewinder has good reviews and minimal issues after this year then it will be a big deal for the history of sleds and Yamaha. It sounds like an amazing sled from the specs I hear about it but just like any first year sleds you don't know what they could bring out.
 
Mighty said:
Don't forget the windfall they have selling their 2 smoke oil...........
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I read on Dootalk that the new 850 was supposed to get 40 percent better oil mileage than the current etec 800 but after snowcheck sleds were sold they said that the testing showed better results at current 800 specs. Sounds like bait and switch to me. Use the less oil to sell sleds now raise oil usage to sell oil.
 
Had the same thing happen with my BRP Evinrude ETec 225HO. They said to run the 100 oil for break in with the motor set to 50 (using 2x the oil) then bring it back to get it changed to the 100 setting. Well that was 6 years ago and they still won't take it off the 50 setting. Talk about $$$ spent there!
 
Sleds are too expensive now..... I think they have crossed the line with the cost of many middle to upper end sleds. I am still amazed the sport thrives as well as it does. But I really feel we are at the breaking point with price, technology, and inherited cost of riding...... Maybe they will start leasing sleds?
 
I remember at the end of the 1st Apex season 2006 a TY member picked up a used GT for supposedly 6k and I thought damn I'll never spring order again considering what the cost was. I was still feeling like that last year but I think the Sidewinder is going to be a home run. Yes it's damn expensive but the beauty of the 4S sleds is they have their maintenance foibles but you can change the donuts and gas a go for thousands of miles. You can pick up used 4S Apexs from $3500 and still have a great trail sled. In all seriousness the knowledge on TY adds tremendous value and comfort that most of the problems are known and solved and you can get help here that is sometimes ahead of what the dealers even know. I don't ride street bikes but I ATV and wave runner and to me nothing comes close to the exhilaration and smiles per dollar of sledding even though the season can be so short.
 
uprider800 said:
I read on Dootalk that the new 850 was supposed to get 40 percent better oil mileage than the current etec 800 but after snowcheck sleds were sold they said that the testing showed better results at current 800 specs. Sounds like bait and switch to me. Use the less oil to sell sleds now raise oil usage to sell oil.
Click to expand...
doo talk as with this site there are alot of people with a lack of comprehension .brps statement says the 850 will go 40% farther on the same amount of oil as the 800 e tec .not use 40% less oil ,it's a no brainer ,,it's more cc .i will have 3 850s ,and a sidewinder ltx le .and then i'll do my own testing .i've been in this business over 40 yrs and love having 1st yr. anything .time will tell the good and bad of what ever you buy .but you can't enjoy anything 6 ' under .
 
HP on sleds cant really be compared to hp on new 4 stroke jet skis. Jet skis have almost no moving parts in the driveline, and its an impeller in water. There is really nothing to break in the driveline unless you suck up rocks in your jet pump or hit bottom. Snowmobile drivelines are a cluster-%&$ comparatively. Lots of things to break, lots of moving parts and they have lots of traction. Plus the fact that jet skis keep getting bigger and bigger. I have a honda aquatrax turbo and my parents have a couple of seadoo sparks. The sparks to me are way more fun, half the weight, they accelerate faster and holeshot way harder.

I dont know how many guys on this forum have rode a legit 200+hp turbo sled. Its no joke, especially when you get that crunchy high traction snow. I trail ride at 11psi, so prob in the 225ish hp range. On days where the trail has good traction, it is downright dangerous. You need to have serious respect for the power and how fast it can get you in trouble. Cruising at 30-40 mph, you smash the throttle and it lifts the skis and youre pulling past the 100mph mark in seconds.
 
I think its the "make or brake" sled. The Sidewinder IS the new flagship that draws people to the Yamaha name again. I'm hoping they are making a 1-2 punch with the second punch being one heck of a midrange sled for a low enough price that they can chomp away at market share. Last I looked though, the 800's were outselling the 600's recently and I think that's due to so little price difference between the 600's and 800's. Sledding NEEDS a "for the masses" affordable 500 class again. I also think Doo will have a "competitor" for 2018, the Maverick is getting a Turbo 900ace............
 
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