GeorgianBayGuy
Extreme
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2010
- Messages
- 65
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Everyone;
I can't believe I am already thinking about firing up the sled in mid September! Am I alone?
Thought you all might like to see what was posted on the Canadian Yamaha Snowmobile blog 'Sled Talk' this week. It sure addresses the questions about skis and sliders...at the very least.
Quote:
The news will spread quickly next week and there should be no harm in giving you the holeshot. There are a couple of items, I think are really cool and plan to bolt onto my own sled as quick as I can get my hands on them.
One of them comes in the form of a new plastic ski which we have named the ‘Tuner’. It features dual keels and a selection of 4 different carbides that can be mixed and matched to dial in the ‘ handling character’ to suit the rider and suspension set-up. Jon had the chance to test the design and was blown away with the results. Darting can be all but eliminated, ski lift and under-steer can be balanced to preference and steering effort can be dialed to suit your tolerance. As a bonus, the ski is about a pound lighter than our current offering and can be retrofitted easily to most models. When looking at all the other skis on the market, the Tuner appears right on the mark and if the projected price holds true, it will have a distinct advantage at check-out.
There has been a lot of on-line conversation regarding maintenance kits for our front endbushings. We have sourced a supplier to produce ‘Oillite’ bushings to replace the stock plastic when the time comes. They differ from most current aftermarket offerings as they are made using a forging process which ensures uniform tolerances and consistent high quality. On that subject, the properties of Oillite (copper/iron alloy impregnated with self lubricating oil) allows for much tighter tolerances than the OE plastic parts. The end result is a much tighter feeling system that will significantly outlast the parts they replace.
There is one more item that is of big significance. I alluded in my last post to ‘one of snowmobiling’s biggest PITA’s’. Well to be more specific, hy-fax wear has to be one of the most common issues of debate amongst trail riders. The UHMW slider has remained virtually unchanged since it’s introduction over 4 decades ago. That is until now.
Yamaha has teamed up with Dupont to develop a new runner for extreme condition riders. It features bars of ‘Vespel’ material which are embedded into the UHMW runner in a unique compression molding process, at specific angles to keep the Vespel in contact with the clips. The end result yeilds much greater durabilty and less friction (read improved top-speed and mileage) under marginal snow conditions.
I have seen some testing data and heard the detailed explanation of this new product and it is so good that I am reluctant to make any concrete claims here until I try it myself. The stuff won’t be cheap but if it delivers as claimed….wow.
I won’t go into all the finer details of these new accessories here as there will be official bulletins issued next week that will answer most questions including pricing and availability.
I can't believe I am already thinking about firing up the sled in mid September! Am I alone?
Thought you all might like to see what was posted on the Canadian Yamaha Snowmobile blog 'Sled Talk' this week. It sure addresses the questions about skis and sliders...at the very least.
Quote:
The news will spread quickly next week and there should be no harm in giving you the holeshot. There are a couple of items, I think are really cool and plan to bolt onto my own sled as quick as I can get my hands on them.
One of them comes in the form of a new plastic ski which we have named the ‘Tuner’. It features dual keels and a selection of 4 different carbides that can be mixed and matched to dial in the ‘ handling character’ to suit the rider and suspension set-up. Jon had the chance to test the design and was blown away with the results. Darting can be all but eliminated, ski lift and under-steer can be balanced to preference and steering effort can be dialed to suit your tolerance. As a bonus, the ski is about a pound lighter than our current offering and can be retrofitted easily to most models. When looking at all the other skis on the market, the Tuner appears right on the mark and if the projected price holds true, it will have a distinct advantage at check-out.
There has been a lot of on-line conversation regarding maintenance kits for our front endbushings. We have sourced a supplier to produce ‘Oillite’ bushings to replace the stock plastic when the time comes. They differ from most current aftermarket offerings as they are made using a forging process which ensures uniform tolerances and consistent high quality. On that subject, the properties of Oillite (copper/iron alloy impregnated with self lubricating oil) allows for much tighter tolerances than the OE plastic parts. The end result is a much tighter feeling system that will significantly outlast the parts they replace.
There is one more item that is of big significance. I alluded in my last post to ‘one of snowmobiling’s biggest PITA’s’. Well to be more specific, hy-fax wear has to be one of the most common issues of debate amongst trail riders. The UHMW slider has remained virtually unchanged since it’s introduction over 4 decades ago. That is until now.
Yamaha has teamed up with Dupont to develop a new runner for extreme condition riders. It features bars of ‘Vespel’ material which are embedded into the UHMW runner in a unique compression molding process, at specific angles to keep the Vespel in contact with the clips. The end result yeilds much greater durabilty and less friction (read improved top-speed and mileage) under marginal snow conditions.
I have seen some testing data and heard the detailed explanation of this new product and it is so good that I am reluctant to make any concrete claims here until I try it myself. The stuff won’t be cheap but if it delivers as claimed….wow.
I won’t go into all the finer details of these new accessories here as there will be official bulletins issued next week that will answer most questions including pricing and availability.
