TurboJamie
TY 4 Stroke God
I was in to see an old friend who was our yamaha dealer when I was dealing in apex's and nytro and had a really nice long talk about the machine's etc with him.
He made some excellent points when we were discussing what we are riding now vs yamaha etc... He made some great yamaha points like their service department used to be busy in winter doing service etc now he couldn't survive on the service because the sleds last so long they are not working on them anymore like they used to.
He also mentioned price point with no real entry level sled to get new blood in the door to sell to. We talked in depth about sales and what was selling etc and we both agreed that he really needed something to sell to be competitive, he mentioned at the recent show the cat booth was overflowing with people and they were twiddling their thumbs, he said he couldn't help but feel angry as they didn't have a sled that was appealing to the masses like the othes.
He made some excellent points when we were discussing what we are riding now vs yamaha etc... He made some great yamaha points like their service department used to be busy in winter doing service etc now he couldn't survive on the service because the sleds last so long they are not working on them anymore like they used to.
He also mentioned price point with no real entry level sled to get new blood in the door to sell to. We talked in depth about sales and what was selling etc and we both agreed that he really needed something to sell to be competitive, he mentioned at the recent show the cat booth was overflowing with people and they were twiddling their thumbs, he said he couldn't help but feel angry as they didn't have a sled that was appealing to the masses like the othes.
Reminds me of the Maytag commercials the service repairman very bored. Its true Yamaha quality and this site as well helping people fix their own sled instead of going to the dealers would surely bring down the amount sleds coming into dealers for repair. I would guess they mostly get warranty work.
my yammi dealer here in my hometown is calling it quits,for about the same reasons as turbojamie's dealer said,sleds are expensive,they last forever and yamaha's current line up is missing some entry level sled,so they are selling everything yamaha,generators,sleds,atv's,parts etc...,plus,they have a hard time having a good,steady mechanic
Yamaha's corporate strategy appears to be fixated on maintaining #4 in sales. They are doing a hell of a job!
They remind me of Ski-doo in the late 80's early 90's. Their sleds were heavy, not popular and they were #4 in sales. Their Rotax rotary valve engines were better built and more reliable than the other makes (yes including Yamaha) but the chassis were just not competitive. Back in the early 90's Doo's biggest selling sled was their flagship Mach 1. I thought I read somewhere that last season Yamaha's biggest selling model was the Apex.
Ski-doo didn't rise to #1 by steadfastly sticking with the same plan and producing the same sleds year after year with minimal changes. They came out with a brand new chassis in '93 that was lighter and much closer in performance to the Indy and starting gaining market share. They also went to a single common chassis for all their performance sleds which is the most cost effective way of building snowmachines. Ask Polaris how sucessful the Indy chassis was.
Yamaha currently has too many specialized chassis that are all old and in drastic need of handling and weight reduction upgrades. I wouldn't be so hard on them had they made real improvements to the Nytro and Phazer but no, they haven't. Even the Apex is still using the basic RX-1 Delta-box chassis. It isn't truly rider forward and is a cumbersome chassis off a groomed trail. Nobody else is running a performance chassis that is that old. It is so frustrating that Yamaha has these great motors and they are left languishing in over weight, top heavy, ill handling chassis.
I was told that Yamaha only produces sleds so they can offer their motorcycle dealers something to sell in the winter time. I think that is true. Too bad, I like my Nytro but I kinda figured that there would be some real updates that came along some 5 model years later. With the other OEM's, you can buy a 1st year sled and update it as it progresses along through each model year. With Yamaha you buy the sled and the factory gives you little to no incentive to upgrade or replace the sled with a new model because they keep selling the same old thing year after year. I bet there are guys at Yamaha frustrated beyond believe that the bean counters or someone is holding them back from developing new stuff.
They remind me of Ski-doo in the late 80's early 90's. Their sleds were heavy, not popular and they were #4 in sales. Their Rotax rotary valve engines were better built and more reliable than the other makes (yes including Yamaha) but the chassis were just not competitive. Back in the early 90's Doo's biggest selling sled was their flagship Mach 1. I thought I read somewhere that last season Yamaha's biggest selling model was the Apex.
Ski-doo didn't rise to #1 by steadfastly sticking with the same plan and producing the same sleds year after year with minimal changes. They came out with a brand new chassis in '93 that was lighter and much closer in performance to the Indy and starting gaining market share. They also went to a single common chassis for all their performance sleds which is the most cost effective way of building snowmachines. Ask Polaris how sucessful the Indy chassis was.
Yamaha currently has too many specialized chassis that are all old and in drastic need of handling and weight reduction upgrades. I wouldn't be so hard on them had they made real improvements to the Nytro and Phazer but no, they haven't. Even the Apex is still using the basic RX-1 Delta-box chassis. It isn't truly rider forward and is a cumbersome chassis off a groomed trail. Nobody else is running a performance chassis that is that old. It is so frustrating that Yamaha has these great motors and they are left languishing in over weight, top heavy, ill handling chassis.
I was told that Yamaha only produces sleds so they can offer their motorcycle dealers something to sell in the winter time. I think that is true. Too bad, I like my Nytro but I kinda figured that there would be some real updates that came along some 5 model years later. With the other OEM's, you can buy a 1st year sled and update it as it progresses along through each model year. With Yamaha you buy the sled and the factory gives you little to no incentive to upgrade or replace the sled with a new model because they keep selling the same old thing year after year. I bet there are guys at Yamaha frustrated beyond believe that the bean counters or someone is holding them back from developing new stuff.
I got my Polaris and I've not yet ridden it, but when guys mention fit and finish on here, I forgot what an important part that plays when examining something you bought. I've been so used to my Yamahas over the past 6 years and then my Ski-doos for the 10 before that I just learned I took fit and finish for granted.
I've been quite critical of Yamaha since last spring and I think I now better understand their priorities and business plan. Gaining market share is not a big priority nor is having the lightest, fastest, best handling, or best performing machine on the market. They put a lot more emphasis on producing a reliable, durable product that owners can operate like a car. Turn the key and go.
No sled is perfect and Yamaha has its share of issues but the overall package is very good and most people will never ride the sled hard enough to discover the short comings. I had to fix some quality control issues on my Polaris even before I rode it. I can't believe it was let out the door with one item. I got a good look at a Polaris Shift that was being prepared for the Iron Dog and could not believe the issue my buddy found in the brand new, just out of the showroom rear skid. Seeing these issues makes me feel kinda bad for being so critical of Yamaha.
I also got to look over a new, '12 Cat at a dealer and that big gap in front of the steering post does look terrible.
I've been quite critical of Yamaha since last spring and I think I now better understand their priorities and business plan. Gaining market share is not a big priority nor is having the lightest, fastest, best handling, or best performing machine on the market. They put a lot more emphasis on producing a reliable, durable product that owners can operate like a car. Turn the key and go.
No sled is perfect and Yamaha has its share of issues but the overall package is very good and most people will never ride the sled hard enough to discover the short comings. I had to fix some quality control issues on my Polaris even before I rode it. I can't believe it was let out the door with one item. I got a good look at a Polaris Shift that was being prepared for the Iron Dog and could not believe the issue my buddy found in the brand new, just out of the showroom rear skid. Seeing these issues makes me feel kinda bad for being so critical of Yamaha.
I also got to look over a new, '12 Cat at a dealer and that big gap in front of the steering post does look terrible.
dilligaf
Pro
AKrider said:
I think you understand why some of us have gone Yamaha. But, some of us push our Yamaha's harder than you think.
TurboJamie
TY 4 Stroke God
pat the rat said:
Pat how are the trails coming along? I just got home from elk lake we bought a big brush mower and towed it from elk to gowganda and back! Trail looks awesome!
For some reason dad thinks there is a cat dealer in Earlton is he right?
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