It’s finally over for Yamaha

[Snorunner]

Pipe dream....just like an all new triple 2 stroke

A Triple 2 Stroke! Well Kawasakis 1969 Mach1! 500. Blew the doors off the competition. I know I am dating myself. But there is hope. Triple 2 strokes have a lightweight midrange? But what do I know? I am not an engineer. Or Bean Counter. Just an average consumer. But apparently not enough demand. We can only dream. Or Restore! Thanks!

 

[number1kyster]

I would say lack of innovation and running the Delta Box chassis for over 10 years greased the slides. They (Yamaha as a whole) lost interest in the rather small market.
Blaming Cat in any way is a reach. They were the lifeline that extended the division another 11 years.

I couldn’t agree more Rich. IMO, Japanese companies in general take a more conservative approach which often results in innovation taking a back seat to reliability and longer product cycles.

It can be seen in other product lines as well. Japanese dual sports vs KTM or Husky. Japanese sxs and atv’s vs Can Am or Polaris.

IMO, the decline started in 2009 when Doo introduced the 1200, followed by the 900t. They handled and rode much better out of the box than the delta box sleds.

The reality is that Yamaha likely created an exit strategy when the FX Nytro was not a success. They decided to make an agreement with Cat instead of reinvesting in a new chassis and tooling of their own. I’m guessing corporate decided that the shrinking market wasn’t worth the investment, and the agreement was a less expensive option to stay in the business. I am sure they had a life expectancy on the deal.

 

[STAIN]

The reality is that Yamaha likely created an exit strategy when the FX Nytro was not a success

That was their last real attempt to make their own chassis and it was not met with a ton of enthusiasm.

For me, it was always the sweet Yamaha motor that drew me in, their chassis where never really industry leading or ground breaking in my riding lifetime. That Yamaha power was addictive and I was always willing to the spend time and money on the chassis to make it what I wanted to be able to have the engine.
In the end it was a business decision, they were not making enough money to make it worth while.

 

[number1kyster]

That was their last real attempt to make their own chassis and it was not met with a ton of enthusiasm.

For me, it was always the sweet Yamaha motor that drew me in, their chassis where never really industry leading or ground breaking in my riding lifetime. That Yamaha power was addictive and I was always willing to the spend time and money on the chassis to make it what I wanted to be able to have the engine.
In the end it was a business decision, they were not making enough money to make it worth while.

I agree. The Apex and the SW were prime examples of that. I made many upgrades to the rest of the sled because I loved the engines.

My 2007 Apex RTX was still my all time favorite, after I changed it to my liking.

 

[earthling]

That was their last real attempt to make their own chassis and it was not met with a ton of enthusiasm.

For me, it was always the sweet Yamaha motor that drew me in, their chassis where never really industry leading or ground breaking in my riding lifetime. That Yamaha power was addictive and I was always willing to the spend time and money on the chassis to make it what I wanted to be able to have the engine.
In the end it was a business decision, they were not making enough money to make it worth while.

I don't think it was about how much money they were making, they gave that up when they stopped building the chassis. It was about the future market. For them, putting $100M into the effort to rebuild the product line to be profitable would be an easy decision if they felt it was the wisest way to spend $100M, obviously it isn't and as much as I love the sport and Yamaha, I can see how the far easier decision to them would be to invest in electric motors, robotics, etc which are all huge growth markets.

 

[stevewithOCD]

Do NOT forget the TSUNAMI in 2011
That changed everything for Japan including Yamaha
They had to pull together to rebuild
A few thousand whiny Americans was LOW on the list of chit to be taken care of
I think initially they thought it was temporary
Then they realized they could sell motors which is exactly what the foundation of the company actually is

It's just business.....that's all

 

[Fast Lane]

I'm the same. The engine drew me to Yamaha. I was sick of dealing with 2 strokes and blow jugs. 07 Nytro still running like the day I bought it. At first friends made fun of my heavy sled. Now days arguably my sled is no longer considered heavy. Its also still racking up miles as friends sleds have long since blown up and sold for parts. At this point, I don't even care how many miles I put on it. Its a badge of honour in my eyes. I have no worries taking it way off the beaten path. I'm not worried of it blowing up and leaving me stranded.

 

[SumpBuster]

Johnny Skeptical will be back on his Yukon King, and Bunny ran off with his son. Thanks a lot Yamaha!
lol

 

[captainruss99]

I was quite shocked when I heard about Yamaha quitting, though I've heard the rumors for a while. Most all of my riding buds are Yamaha guys, and they are a bit confused about their future sleds. I've always been a Cat guy, and felt real good about the 7000/Viper engine. As far as the Catalyst goes, from what I understand, it would be just about impossible to shoehorn any current Yamaha engine, or likely any other performance 4 stroke into it. I have a feeling that Cat is going to get out of the 4 stroke market when the engine supply deal goes away. Will they continue to offer 2 different chassis? Who is going to spend the R&D dollars to develop a performance 4 stroke that would work in the Catalyst? Can or will they alter the new chassis to accept a 4 stroke? Doo did it with the wide body, but they have the market share dollars to do whatever they want. Very sad to see such a deep rooted company call it quits. Hurts the whole industry.

 

[twyztid]

I have a part or two around here yet! I think most of us saw this coming, just really didn't want to believe it would happen. I have no plans to close up but certainly have to evaluate my future direction. I could certainly see reproduction of parts that become obsolete becoming a potential market for me if guys continue to run the Yamaha sleds. Motors will last and last so I still suspect will keep them going as long as they can get parts for them.

It's understandable if you don't design anything new for the Yamaha sleds but I hope you continue to offer what you have already designed and have been selling. They area great parts/upgrades and I hope to be able to buy more for any future Yamahas that I buy (I don't normally buy new sleds).

 

[SumpBuster]

I have a part or two around here yet! I think most of us saw this coming, just really didn't want to believe it would happen. I have no plans to close up but certainly have to evaluate my future direction. I could certainly see reproduction of parts that become obsolete becoming a potential market for me if guys continue to run the Yamaha sleds. Motors will last and last so I still suspect will keep them going as long as they can get parts for them.

"If you build parts,
they will come"

 

[pdiddy]

Just wondering what was left on the drawing board and if any proto-types were built. I remember the patent for articulated steering from a few years back. That seemed pretty exciting if not super high end. There was too much time between the last Apex and Nytro updates to not have been something proposed and shot down. Any insiders here wanna risk their jobs and spill the beans?

 

[STAIN]

The insiders don’t Have jobs anymore!!!!

 

[Stubbs]

The insiders don’t Have jobs anymore!!!!

That notwithstanding, things have been extremely quiet, which surprises me. Maybe once the dust settles a few may open up about what could have been.

 

[1nc 2000]

Before it closed...