VL in 3'of powder? hmmmm javascript:emoticon('')
Head Bang
I'm sure Snoblowr can defend himself,
Thanks, Bomba, you beat me to it. And yes I can defend myself. The RS Venture needs no defense, it's history speaks for itself. The Venture Lite and Multi Purpose are not even 1/2 the sled the RS Venture is. Try one for yourself or ask a new owner and you'll soon realize the reasons for all the complaints.
Don't dismiss or criticize our complaints until you've walked a mile in our snowmobile boots.
I did not buy a Venture Lite to ride in 3 feet of powder, I bought the sled to use as Yamaha advertised it : "Lightweight and nimble touring with incredible ride quality"; " Venture Lite advances two-up touring beyond bulky cruising yet provides Rider-friendly features designed around the needs of the long distance rider"; " The Venture Lite truly Re-defines the touring snowmobile"
I recently returned from a 6 day trip around the Gaspe in Quebec, 1400 kms. The snow conditions ranged from excellent groomed trails, hard packed recently groomed trails, up to 6 inches of powder on groomed trails, drifted snow on hard packed trails and blizzard conditions.
The ice buildup on the tunnel on these sleds is an aggravation by itself. When it is combined with the high center of gravity and the ice buildup on the steering components, in the boots and on the sway bar it is an accident waiting to happen.
In 1400 kms I accidentally went off trail 15 times due to frozen steering and loss of control, and once hit another sled. Eleven of those times I was just stuck, once hitting and breaking a trail marker post; and I let the sled idle while my riding buddies helped me out. In four of the incidents I was not only stuck but the sled rolled over spilling antifreeze each time. In 3 of the 4 I was able to hit the kill switch as the sled went over. On the fourth I could not get to the kill switch and the sled continued to run until the system shut it down. End result was more codes flashing than you could shake a stick at. Ultimately the boots on the FI had jarred loose below the airbox (there doesn't seem to be much to keep them in place) and a Yamaha mechanic happened by and got the sled running again. Only cost me a couple beer at the next stop. We would have been towing otherwise.
Snow spray from the skis enters the engine compartment and melts dropping down on the sway bar, boots and control arms. Additional snow spray from the skis accumulates on the wet area around the sway bar, forms ice and if ridden long enough in the same conditions forms a block of ice that restricts steering. On each of the 11 times I went off trail and got stuck I let the sled idle while we pulled it back on the trail. The heat from the engine was enough to melt some of the block of ice around the steering components, resulting in regaining temporary steering control. Riding further along the trail the ice built up again eventually resulting in loss of control and another stuck situation. By now my riding buddies are ready to abandon me and my Venture Lite, and who could blame them.
The steering updates don't do anything to prevent this frozen steering condition happening on a repeated basis. Some of the mountain trails we rode ranged from 900-2800 feet above sea level and trailside drops were anywhere from 100-900 feet straight down. A little unnerving when steering control is inconsistent on your sled.
This condition is dangerous and needs to be rectified before someone is seriously injured or worse.
The attached pictures were taken after my Venture Lite sat in my 50 F degree garage for more than 20 hours overnite Sunday and into Monday. The ice is packed in solid and obviously has a high degree of hardness to last that long.
Loss of steering control has so far cost me or resulted in 1 Venture Lite bumper, a Ski Doo bumper, a VL windshield, 4 pissed off riding buddies, countless beers to try and make things right, and trip delays.
I am sending this report to Yamaha Canada and Chris Reid. If I don't receive a positive response within 48 hours, I am contacting Transport Canada with a formal complaint and requesting a recall of all Yamaha Venture Lite and Multi Purpose 2007 and 2008 models sold in Canada.
Enough is Enough!
