I rode the new 2011 Yamaha's and........

[snowman4]

I have a 2009 Apex LTX and I had a 2006 Attak.

I rode the new 2011 Yamaha's and thought they were very nice machines but I noticed that the seat made you slide towards the front of the tank when I rode hard through the bumps. The rear of the seat is nice for smooth Canada riding but mogul pounding it sucks! Change the seat!!!!

I have stock Yamaha skis on my 2009 with either dooly's or slim jim's on it and it steer's great for me, the EPS or power steering makes it feels easier when riding at slower speeds but when I was pounding on it it didn't feel any easier than what I have right now.

The motor felt a little more powerful but it wasn't like OMG this is way faster than my 2009 Apex. Yamaha needed to make this motor more like 170 HP. Any one could buy a new Clutch kit & stud an older Apex and make it walk a 2011.

The windshield was awesome, best improvement they made in my eyes.

The rear suspension was very smooth on the Apex SE model and the Black was incredible, it looked GREAT. The Standard Apex had a nice ride too, it seems like the 128 and some new valving in the shocks helped out with the ride quality. The Apex XTX rode very nice, thought it was the nicest riding(but I'm a long track guy) the only thing was I wish the front end could be up higher, the XTX needs Fox Floats on it. In the deep snow I can tell it will dive like a typical front end nose heavy Yamaha will do.

All in all I think they a have a nice sled for 2011 but the Price tag for what your getting is completely out of the ball park. My 2009 Apex LTX is just as good and only cost me $9500 as a left over this year. $15,000 is just much coin to spend, make the sled 170-175 HP and I would of bought one. DON'T anyone kid themselves either, Yamaha had the technology too make a 175 HP sled.

I know I'm going to keep the 2009 Apex LTX but look for a 2010 or 2011 Vector LTX GT. Plus I will be taking a ride on the new 2011 Skidoo 1200 4tec and dont let anyone tell they suck because I have 300 plus miles on a 2010 1200 Renegade X and let me tell you it was a blast.

The $15000 price tag is just not worth it but this is just my opinion. Happy Trails.

The new Skidoo 800R etec shorty is not worth $12,500 either!!!! Its a 2 stroke for that price.

 

[Tayz588]

yeah I will never buy a sled for that much...I think spending over 8,000 for a snowmobile is very hard to swallow..which is why im real happy riding my Phazer!

 

[SharkAttak]

yeah I will never buy a sled for that much...I think spending over 8,000 for a snowmobile is very hard to swallow..which is why im real happy riding my Phazer!

 

[Rash]

Just came back from riding 2011 also...

mixed feelings also..

It is a Better Yamaha. Much better handling, with EPS, you can put much more aggressive skis and ski pressure so better cornering and still feel light.

The suspension is smoother, and the motor a little more torquey but nothing a clutch kit can't get to.

It is a better sled, no doubt.

the steep price will definintly prevent me from moving up from a finely tuned 2009 to a slightly better 2011...

Luke warm..

RASH

 

[maxdlx]

The suspension is smoother, and the motor a little more torquey but nothing a clutch kit can't get to.



So a clutch kit in this motor will once again set it back out front. Apples to apples

 

[Rash]

If your in the market for a new sled, the 2011 Apex are a great lineup..

The price is steep, but the product is much more tuned and ridable in stock form then the 2006 and up Apex's wich needed many a mod to be nice...


If you have a "dialed in" apex with skis, clutch kit, suspension mods, yamheater...

well... i would stay, stick with it...

:exc:

 

[SledFreak]

How much does this new Apex weigh?

 

[whitedust1]

To me if weight is about the same 136 would have been better than 128. 144 even tipped up seems too long. I have to ride them next to my 2007 Attak GT to know if really worth upgrading for 15K. Really nothing wrong with my Attak but was hoping weight would be reduced in 2011. Getting too old to hump the Attak out of stucks need something lighter so may have to look at Doo 4tek Renegade.... I thought Yam forever but 2011 Apex not what I thought was coming from Yam.

 

[RW06GT]

The suspension is smoother, and the motor a little more torquey but nothing a clutch kit can't get to.



So a clutch kit in this motor will once again set it back out front. Apples to apples

Glad someone picked up on that. More power is more power, however you slice it. A clutch kit on an older apex might? get you even with a 2011.

I really hope to get a chance to ride one and determine if it's worth it for me to upgrade. No one will pay 15,000 for these sleds. I'm guessing somewhere in the mid 12's will get one in my hands. Either way, the price, while high, will not stop me from purchasing.

 

[drifter]

I want 170 hp.
I want a lighter sled.
I want a new seat.
I want a longer track.
The price is too high

You want all this and you're complaining about the price now??

 

[snowman4]

Their is just NO reason for the price to jump that much, PERIOD!!!!

I'm a die hard snowmobiler just like anyone else but $15,000 for a sled that received a new windshield, a new seat that sucks, maybe 10 more HP, a new look and power steering(which you don't need to drive a Yamaha) is absolutely ridiculous in my eyes.

But then again this is just my opinion. Happy trails

 

[SledFreak]

I want 170 hp.
I want a lighter sled.
I want a new seat.
I want a longer track.
The price is too high

You want all this and you're complaining about the price now??

BS drifter.... If they would have done what everyone wanted which was this AND IT WAS STATED IN THEIR SURVEY WHAT THEY WANTED, since the National manager stated in his video was people wanted A LIGHTER SLED AND MORE POWER. I know when I completed the survey, I said I wanted 170-180hp and bring it in at 500lbs. I know the EPS will be great as I have it on my Grizzly 700. Having a well handling/riding sled is just part of the package. Not offered as an upgrade???? The 2011 sled will be better, I have no doudbt it is, but they did not deliver what everyone wanted. If they would have, people would not be bitching about the price so much. They would find the money some how..... You can sell it the way you want, but people are tired of Yamahas marketing techniques. People want lighter and more hp. There is no reason why they can not deliver this.... All they did was stretch their engineering.... Who knows when they will actually deliver a sled capable of being the top gun. IMO, it was 2006 and 2007, after that, they became 2nd and third place as far as performance is concerned. I am not stating this sled is bad, but I really believe that Yamaha did not deliver what people have been asking for since the Apex. Really, the RX-1 was their first kick at the can and it was not unitil the Apex came out where it was a capable trail sled... This sled needed to be evolved through the years starting in 2008, not as a new release in 2011. All they did was made improvements.

 

[Preacher]

I hoped for more ponies but if you tried to build this sled at 500 pounds it would not last half a season.

 

[drifter]

The 170 plus HP catagory is such a limited market, that Yamaha would alienated a large percentage of riders that want a Premium trail sled that is affordable to operate and insure.

Look at the polls on here. look at the posts on here. 142 of 216 said they were not buying a sled of any brand. 47% of 270 say they were impressed with the lineup. So 270 people are the vast majority? You say everyone wants that? 270 is about 6 dealers allocation of sleds. Far from everyone. I think Yamaha has done alot more research that just looking at a message board.

Unemployment is over 10%. You have Obama and his spending machine driving this Country into unreversable debt loads. How can any company justify an all new product release, spending millions on R&D, marketing, and release when the economy is in the tank and no one is working with many more losing jobs everyday? And on a seasonal product that would appeal to a VERY LIMITED consumer base? Look at it with a realistic perspective of a company and its objectives and quit biching. Go buy an Arctic Cat with 170hp and see how you like that.

Sales are down nearly 50% across the board for every manufacturer. You don't think price increases are coming from everyone to offset their losses in sales?

 

[SledFreak]

The 170 plus HP catagory is such a limited market, that Yamaha would alienated a large percentage of riders that want a Premium trail sled that is affordable to operate and insure.

Look at the polls on here. look at the posts on here. 142 of 216 said they were not buying a sled of any brand. 47% of 270 say they were impressed with the lineup. So 270 people are the vast majority? You say everyone wants that? 270 is about 6 dealers allocation of sleds. Far from everyone. I think Yamaha has done alot more research that just looking at a message board.

Unemployment is over 10%. You have Obama and his spending machine driving this Country into unreversable debt loads. How can any company justify an all new product release, spending millions on R&D, marketing, and release when the economy is in the tank and no one is working with many more losing jobs everyday? And on a seasonal product that would appeal to a VERY LIMITED consumer base? Look at it with a realistic perspective of a company and its objectives and quit biching. Go buy an Arctic Cat with 170hp and see how you like that.

Sales are down nearly 50% across the board for every manufacturer. You don't think price increases are coming from everyone to offset their losses in sales?

Please don't try to teach me about economics here.... The economy is what it is... This sled was built way before the world/U.S. economy took a dump. Chris reid from yamaha Canada rode this sled over 3 years ago... The economy was still very good then....

You want to talk polls? You said 47 Percent of the 270 that voted were impressed? Would'nt you think it should be more like 75+ if it was a good release?

I never said this sled was bad. What I did say was Yamaha did not deliver what the customers in the surveys wanted as was indicated from the Yamaha National Brand Manager in Canada. These were direct quoates from his video. "they wanted a lighter sled and more power" Lets face it here 4 strokes are not light. At least if they are going to be heavy, they may as well get the power to weight ratio a little more in line. This sled needs to be 170hp min to get a good Power to weight ratio. 180hp would be better.