Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
True enough. My experience with ATV CVT's are with Polaris models, those are nearly identical.
kingofthehill
Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2009
- Messages
- 31
yes they need a sled between the vk and the mp. i decided to keep my TF for now as it is serving me well. i dont pull gigantic loads but a low gear would be nice to move the ice shack around. my tf has a flip up rail and this does make a big diff. love that feature.
i'd like to see a utility/touring that is geared for the average joe who doesnt need the extreme pulling capability of the vk, something that is good in the deep stuff and would go like a rocket on the lake.(am i dreaming?)I love the 120hp and have had that size for the last 15 years.the yami 80hp would not cut it for me. it just doesnt have the umf(is that a word?) that i want. hopefully yami will come out with something and wont price it out of range. i have a great yami dealer here and skidoo is to far away or id might just cross over. hpofully yami will keep a reign on their prices
i'd like to see a utility/touring that is geared for the average joe who doesnt need the extreme pulling capability of the vk, something that is good in the deep stuff and would go like a rocket on the lake.(am i dreaming?)I love the 120hp and have had that size for the last 15 years.the yami 80hp would not cut it for me. it just doesnt have the umf(is that a word?) that i want. hopefully yami will come out with something and wont price it out of range. i have a great yami dealer here and skidoo is to far away or id might just cross over. hpofully yami will keep a reign on their prices
eric3793
Pro
Gotta couple of VK stories from this weekend. We met a guy grooming with a tracked ATV who was having belt issues. We offered to tow him back to camp which was about 1/2mile away. He was certain that the ATV was too heavy and that a 4wd truck would be needed. The VK towed it to his camp and up his steep driveway without spinning or going over 4000 rpm. Then we towed a monster ice shack (8'X12') off the ice and up a steep hill to his camp. I think he my be getting a VK of his own real soon.
The snow was really deep and fluffy this weekend and the mountain trail needed to be groomed. We made a couple of passes with just the sleds to pack things down. We both got stuck several times because the snow seem bottomless...probably 5' deep. We should have waited for the trail to set up overnight but we decided to try it with the drags. The VK needed every one of the 120 horses to get back up that mountain. It was tossing snow from the track clear over the groomer! The skis only touched snow when I let off a bit to steer. The grooming job was a bit rough to say the least but what an impressive display of power. After 60 miles of grooming, my low fuel light came on. It got about 8 miles per gallon over two days of packing and grooming. Usually I can count on 17mpg when trail riding. The VK may be heavy and it may be tippy and the rear suspension may not be up to current standards but I LOVE this sled!
The snow was really deep and fluffy this weekend and the mountain trail needed to be groomed. We made a couple of passes with just the sleds to pack things down. We both got stuck several times because the snow seem bottomless...probably 5' deep. We should have waited for the trail to set up overnight but we decided to try it with the drags. The VK needed every one of the 120 horses to get back up that mountain. It was tossing snow from the track clear over the groomer! The skis only touched snow when I let off a bit to steer. The grooming job was a bit rough to say the least but what an impressive display of power. After 60 miles of grooming, my low fuel light came on. It got about 8 miles per gallon over two days of packing and grooming. Usually I can count on 17mpg when trail riding. The VK may be heavy and it may be tippy and the rear suspension may not be up to current standards but I LOVE this sled!
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
eric3793 said:
As I said before, it has some shortcomings, but it's a great sled and there is nothing out there that will outpull it.
getchuk
Extreme
i like the idea of the fi80 in a lighter workhorse chassie that floats on the snow!
Jack_Shaft
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Let's keep this thread going... I know Yamaha watches this site and if Ski-doo can build and sell so many utility models why can't Yamaha add at least one more?!
YETI
Extreme
I have yet to not be impressed with the VK Pro I agree there is some short commings as mentioned heavy ( but this helps on towing). Tippy well different wider skis might help, The shifting is the biggest problem along with over heating. I have put this sled in places I thought I would never go put it in low (after fighting with the ^%$^@ thing to shift) and just putput through powder 5 feet deep and fluffy it just amazes me how a sled so heavy can go. You can not wrestle it just let it go and then replan your direction. I to love this sled I would like to see fuel injection I think. I will have a video of two crazy vikings on the VK climbing a mountain. When checking new areas the VK and a mountain sled together make an almost unstopable team. Yamaha fix the shifting and overheating ( EFI & less weight?)
waynes
Veteran
I have had two vk pros 06 and 08 and between the two sleds have driven them over 16000 kms without any major issues. If yamaha could do something with the tippiness and put a softer skid underneath they woul have hands down the king of the widetracks. the thing pulls like a tractorbut rides like a tank. hope somebody in the blue factory is listening as I will be ordering a 2011 sled and if they don't make a few changes I will most likely turn to the yellow camp as I have owned 9 bombis over the years and found for the most part they were reliable and good off trail snowmobiles. Just my two cents worth
kingofthehill
Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2009
- Messages
- 31
Theres a couple of decent deals around my neck of the woods for 06 VK's. Might just pick one up and still keep my TF and decide later which to keep. Are there ugrades for the 06 such as for the shifting? Im not to w
orried about the overheating since I wont be working it that hard. Did they put a shield for the exhaust to keep the snow from melting around the sliders? As far as the tippiness goes, my TF was the same way but by tightening up the limiter one hole, putting the rear shock to the middle setting and the front coils at thier stiffest setting, the tippiness all but disappeared, just a little harder to steer on the hardpack.
orried about the overheating since I wont be working it that hard. Did they put a shield for the exhaust to keep the snow from melting around the sliders? As far as the tippiness goes, my TF was the same way but by tightening up the limiter one hole, putting the rear shock to the middle setting and the front coils at thier stiffest setting, the tippiness all but disappeared, just a little harder to steer on the hardpack.
waynes
Veteran
The 06 didn't have the problem with the shifting as it only had the hi/r transmission which worked the same way as the tf.
kingofthehill
Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2009
- Messages
- 31
ok thanks...watever they come out with I hope they dont price it out of range for most people...right now the VK at their new price is $15300 otd in Canada which includes the $1000 rebate and that doesnt include studs,cover and spare belt. Very pricy.
kingofthehill
Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2009
- Messages
- 31
oops...just checked out yamie site...2010 are out,same VK, better add another $450..that would be $15750 otd..OUCH
riley.l
Newbie
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2008
- Messages
- 9
When is yamaha going to put a 24'' track under the vk pro, I think that would be the ultimate machine,
greg sellentin
Veteran
I agree, but look at the images in the photo gallery on their website.
There isn't one image of the VK pulling anything. It's indicative of their marketing aim. They must sell a lot of these as touring machines. As pure utility machines... not so much.
Another thing to ponder is why isn't there a 22" track on the market anywhere. Seems like a niche waiting to be filled. Just give me 2 more inches, I'd be happy. cough, cough. No pun intended.
There isn't one image of the VK pulling anything. It's indicative of their marketing aim. They must sell a lot of these as touring machines. As pure utility machines... not so much.
Another thing to ponder is why isn't there a 22" track on the market anywhere. Seems like a niche waiting to be filled. Just give me 2 more inches, I'd be happy. cough, cough. No pun intended.
Labrador 0723
Newbie
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2008
- Messages
- 11
Changes to the VK Pro
We have raced it 3 times in Cains Quest. It never gets stuck in the front -- always stuck up in the air with the track in a hole. Weigh up front doesnt seem to be an issue. Required changes -- 1. New rear skid. Current one breaks and bottoms out. Need a way to stiffen when carrying gear or a passenger. Fiberglass helpers would be great.
2. Make it easier to shift gears and move to a shifter similar to the old VK 3. Reconfigure the rear exhaust -- you are always carrying 50lbs of ice that you have to beat off. Causes idler wheels to freeze and probably contributes to suspension issues.
4. Size the rad big enough so there is no tunnel heat exchangers. Reduces ice build-up as well.
5. EFI would be great for cold starts
6. Better passenger grip warmers
We have found the front end , power train and engine bullet proof. We put double carbides on them and it's a changed machine with respect to handling. We love to race them again if changes were made. They are fast enough to stay with the leaders if you could keep the rear suspension in one piece
. It would have no problem turning a 24" track.
I guess we can all dream. Hope someone is listening
We have raced it 3 times in Cains Quest. It never gets stuck in the front -- always stuck up in the air with the track in a hole. Weigh up front doesnt seem to be an issue. Required changes -- 1. New rear skid. Current one breaks and bottoms out. Need a way to stiffen when carrying gear or a passenger. Fiberglass helpers would be great.
2. Make it easier to shift gears and move to a shifter similar to the old VK 3. Reconfigure the rear exhaust -- you are always carrying 50lbs of ice that you have to beat off. Causes idler wheels to freeze and probably contributes to suspension issues.
4. Size the rad big enough so there is no tunnel heat exchangers. Reduces ice build-up as well.
5. EFI would be great for cold starts
6. Better passenger grip warmers
We have found the front end , power train and engine bullet proof. We put double carbides on them and it's a changed machine with respect to handling. We love to race them again if changes were made. They are fast enough to stay with the leaders if you could keep the rear suspension in one piece
. It would have no problem turning a 24" track.I guess we can all dream. Hope someone is listening
