GypsyRoots
Expert
I am speechless.
OST
Expert
Gypsy;
That's downright sickening to see that much snow and ice accumulation.
Where have all the good YAMAHA designers gone?
Looks like someone didn't do their homework on this sled!
I feel so sorry for owners that have to keep their sled outside all the time with no place to thaw them out.
I'm getting sick ... this is my first YAMAHA, and I had to choose this model ... WTF was I thinking?
If it ain't the constant ice build up (which is an embarrassment in itself) it's the ever changing slides, or the front end falling apart (bushings), or the steering so loose it's getting frightening to trail ride anymore after 3500 miles on the sled!
Should we expect this kind of quality from a company which prides itself on quality and dependability? Hell no! Not from a second year sled. It would be different if I was abusing the sled.
I shouldn't have to replace front end bushings and steering post bearings every season, or two sets of slides for that matter. Didn't have to doo it with the old doo and didn't expect it with my new Yammie.
I have friends with cats that have never had front end or steering slop, or even changed the slides in 5 winters of sledding.
SUCKS TO BE A VENTURE LITE GUINNEA PIG!
That's downright sickening to see that much snow and ice accumulation.
Where have all the good YAMAHA designers gone?
Looks like someone didn't do their homework on this sled!
I feel so sorry for owners that have to keep their sled outside all the time with no place to thaw them out.
I'm getting sick ... this is my first YAMAHA, and I had to choose this model ... WTF was I thinking?
If it ain't the constant ice build up (which is an embarrassment in itself) it's the ever changing slides, or the front end falling apart (bushings), or the steering so loose it's getting frightening to trail ride anymore after 3500 miles on the sled!
Should we expect this kind of quality from a company which prides itself on quality and dependability? Hell no! Not from a second year sled. It would be different if I was abusing the sled.
I shouldn't have to replace front end bushings and steering post bearings every season, or two sets of slides for that matter. Didn't have to doo it with the old doo and didn't expect it with my new Yammie.
I have friends with cats that have never had front end or steering slop, or even changed the slides in 5 winters of sledding.
SUCKS TO BE A VENTURE LITE GUINNEA PIG!
the blur
Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
- Messages
- 9
I just signed contract on a new Venture Lite. Will take delivery this week.
I'm just hoping the ice issue will be resolved soon.
I have 2500 miles on my Polaris 2up, and I have totally rebuilt the suspension. rod ends, springs, shocks, etc, etc.
So I'm not surprised to hear the above post with 3500 mile suspension problems...
I'm just hoping the ice issue will be resolved soon.
I have 2500 miles on my Polaris 2up, and I have totally rebuilt the suspension. rod ends, springs, shocks, etc, etc.
So I'm not surprised to hear the above post with 3500 mile suspension problems...
GypsyRoots
Expert
OST said:
I hear you there!!!
But I am not done with the pictures yet, make sure to look again...
I'll post when I am finished with the pictures and start talking about a nightmare of a trip!!!!
Attachments
Isthatahemi
Expert
Crazy!
GypsyRoots
Expert
GypsyRoots
Expert
Now, a bit of the story behind the pictures I just posted.
I got some time off from work and decided to head downriver to Aniak.
Aniak is 110 miles downstream from Sleetmute, on the Kuskokwim river.
The weather finally cleared up after a big snow dump, but it got cold...
While Sleetmute was reporting -10F/-23C, Red Devil, Crooked Creek and Aniak were reporting -45F/-43C.
Those are ambient temperatures, not counting windchill.
Between the cold weather and the fresh snow, I knew that I would be breaking trail the whole way.
I had a blast!
12 inches of fluff on to of the 50 inches already on the ground made for some great river running.
My first trouble started soon after I left Sleetmute.
The machine was letting up so much steam that my goggles fogged up constantly! and I have never had troubles with that in the past!!!
x-cross helmet and goggles since I started riding... never an issue!
As annoying as that was, it was nothing compared to my next "issue".
I had been on a long straight stretch of river, when I came up to an area of both jumbled ice and open water.
That is when I realized I could not control the sled. the steering was frozen SOLID.
I jerked the sled and managed to carve away just in time.
I stopped and took a look around... nothing but ice and snow for many many miles... cold out 45 below, with enough wind to kick up blowing snow, so you can figure windchill, it was just cold out... and no steering!
What was I supposed to do, DIE out there trying to remove panels and chipping ice?!?!?!
Daylight is short in the far north winter time, it was a disaster waiting to happen!!!
I do carry camping gear proven (by me) to work down to -60F/-51C, wearing only my base layer in the sleeping bag, but survival in the Arctic is serious stuff, you don't just stop for 6 hours to work on your sled in the middle of nowhere, it's absurd!
So I grab the skis and force them a little so I could have some minute semblance of control.
I rode 80 miles fighting with that machine, it almost hurt me several times.
And believe me, if I could have stopped and fixed it or traded machines I would have, I wasn't trying to prove anything.
I was literally riding for my life, because even when well prepared there are many things that can get you, it's no joke.
People freeze to death here all the time.
To make a long story short...
I got to Aniak and went to my friend's house where I thought I could thaw out the machine.
We lit the woodstove and waited... and waited ... and waited...
Although at the five foot level it was 60F/15C, I never saw a drop of water on the floor!!!
That's what happens when the shop isn't well insulated and it is -45F/-43C outside.
So I spent the better part of TWO DAYS chipping the ice out.
Very carefully as to not break things, but there were times that I was hitting the machine as hard as I could with a piece of 2x2 inch wood!!!
Ice is very hard in those temperatures.
Harder than the rubber track,
Harder than the steering boots,
Harder than the plastic panels,
Harder than the radiator,
Harder than the wires and other electrical components,
Harder than the steering system, as a whole or as individual components,
And I actually believe that that much ice can lead to structural failure of the frame and engine mounts...
Yamaha installed the brackets to prevent this problem, I don't think the solved it... I had PINE CONES (small ones) in the engine compartment, if you can't keep PINE CONES out, how the heck are you going to keep the powder snow out?!?!?!?!?!?
I am very disappointed at YAMAHA for putting out an unfinished product.
Many people are starting to switch to Yamaha, but like me, many will be disappointed.
To me, Yamahas have always been like the "Mercedez" of sleds, and now that I own one, I feel cheated.
I work very hard for my money and I do not feel that I am getting 10% of my money's worth out of this sled. Especially after the two thousand dollar fall tune-up!!!!!
Yamaha must wake up to the fact that they have a safety issue at hand.
If I was not an experienced rider, there would have been an accident.
I have never heard of a snowmobile that you cannot take out in the snow!!!!
Oh! and did you see the hole in the muffler????
I just picked up the sled from the dealer last month!!!!
And I told him that I thought the sled was getting louder!!!!
And then there is the new track fraying already!
I don't crap money, you know?!?!
I am sorry for going so long here, but I am fed up and this was my outlet...
You guys with VL/MP ou there, watch your steering...
And you thought ice in the tunnel was bad.....
Ps.
After chipping all the ice away, I helped my friends haul wood.
We rode 7 miles, deep snow in the woods, but 7 miles round trip.
When we got back to the house the sled was packed full of snow again... boots full, radiator packed... the full works, although I still had steering.
The next day, I hit the trail upriver and it was the same thing...
Frozen steering, frozen airbox... but with a new twist..
Every once in a while, when I hit a big drift or when I was turning (remember no steering, turns by leaning only), the engine would hesitate and almost quit, starved for air.
And at one point when I stopped, the machine BURPED, yeah burped! and I see all this oil coming out of the airbox, everything plugged full of oil and ice... a real mess!!!
I thought I was going to have to stay at one of the fishcamps in Napaimiut, but it stopped and the warm oil melted some of the ice, so I tried to start it and it was good to go... weird!
I got home and have not looked at the sled since... Been riding my bosses Skandic super wide track and loving it more everyday!
I don't want to switch, I love my Venture Lite for the ride, but these problems are unreasonable in my opinion.
Ok, it's late and the bottle of wine is gone...
Good Night
I got some time off from work and decided to head downriver to Aniak.
Aniak is 110 miles downstream from Sleetmute, on the Kuskokwim river.
The weather finally cleared up after a big snow dump, but it got cold...
While Sleetmute was reporting -10F/-23C, Red Devil, Crooked Creek and Aniak were reporting -45F/-43C.
Those are ambient temperatures, not counting windchill.
Between the cold weather and the fresh snow, I knew that I would be breaking trail the whole way.
I had a blast!
12 inches of fluff on to of the 50 inches already on the ground made for some great river running.
My first trouble started soon after I left Sleetmute.
The machine was letting up so much steam that my goggles fogged up constantly! and I have never had troubles with that in the past!!!
x-cross helmet and goggles since I started riding... never an issue!
As annoying as that was, it was nothing compared to my next "issue".
I had been on a long straight stretch of river, when I came up to an area of both jumbled ice and open water.
That is when I realized I could not control the sled. the steering was frozen SOLID.
I jerked the sled and managed to carve away just in time.
I stopped and took a look around... nothing but ice and snow for many many miles... cold out 45 below, with enough wind to kick up blowing snow, so you can figure windchill, it was just cold out... and no steering!
What was I supposed to do, DIE out there trying to remove panels and chipping ice?!?!?!
Daylight is short in the far north winter time, it was a disaster waiting to happen!!!
I do carry camping gear proven (by me) to work down to -60F/-51C, wearing only my base layer in the sleeping bag, but survival in the Arctic is serious stuff, you don't just stop for 6 hours to work on your sled in the middle of nowhere, it's absurd!
So I grab the skis and force them a little so I could have some minute semblance of control.
I rode 80 miles fighting with that machine, it almost hurt me several times.
And believe me, if I could have stopped and fixed it or traded machines I would have, I wasn't trying to prove anything.
I was literally riding for my life, because even when well prepared there are many things that can get you, it's no joke.
People freeze to death here all the time.
To make a long story short...
I got to Aniak and went to my friend's house where I thought I could thaw out the machine.
We lit the woodstove and waited... and waited ... and waited...
Although at the five foot level it was 60F/15C, I never saw a drop of water on the floor!!!
That's what happens when the shop isn't well insulated and it is -45F/-43C outside.
So I spent the better part of TWO DAYS chipping the ice out.
Very carefully as to not break things, but there were times that I was hitting the machine as hard as I could with a piece of 2x2 inch wood!!!
Ice is very hard in those temperatures.
Harder than the rubber track,
Harder than the steering boots,
Harder than the plastic panels,
Harder than the radiator,
Harder than the wires and other electrical components,
Harder than the steering system, as a whole or as individual components,
And I actually believe that that much ice can lead to structural failure of the frame and engine mounts...
Yamaha installed the brackets to prevent this problem, I don't think the solved it... I had PINE CONES (small ones) in the engine compartment, if you can't keep PINE CONES out, how the heck are you going to keep the powder snow out?!?!?!?!?!?
I am very disappointed at YAMAHA for putting out an unfinished product.
Many people are starting to switch to Yamaha, but like me, many will be disappointed.
To me, Yamahas have always been like the "Mercedez" of sleds, and now that I own one, I feel cheated.
I work very hard for my money and I do not feel that I am getting 10% of my money's worth out of this sled. Especially after the two thousand dollar fall tune-up!!!!!
Yamaha must wake up to the fact that they have a safety issue at hand.
If I was not an experienced rider, there would have been an accident.
I have never heard of a snowmobile that you cannot take out in the snow!!!!
Oh! and did you see the hole in the muffler????
I just picked up the sled from the dealer last month!!!!
And I told him that I thought the sled was getting louder!!!!
And then there is the new track fraying already!
I don't crap money, you know?!?!
I am sorry for going so long here, but I am fed up and this was my outlet...
You guys with VL/MP ou there, watch your steering...
And you thought ice in the tunnel was bad.....
Ps.
After chipping all the ice away, I helped my friends haul wood.
We rode 7 miles, deep snow in the woods, but 7 miles round trip.
When we got back to the house the sled was packed full of snow again... boots full, radiator packed... the full works, although I still had steering.
The next day, I hit the trail upriver and it was the same thing...
Frozen steering, frozen airbox... but with a new twist..
Every once in a while, when I hit a big drift or when I was turning (remember no steering, turns by leaning only), the engine would hesitate and almost quit, starved for air.
And at one point when I stopped, the machine BURPED, yeah burped! and I see all this oil coming out of the airbox, everything plugged full of oil and ice... a real mess!!!
I thought I was going to have to stay at one of the fishcamps in Napaimiut, but it stopped and the warm oil melted some of the ice, so I tried to start it and it was good to go... weird!
I got home and have not looked at the sled since... Been riding my bosses Skandic super wide track and loving it more everyday!
I don't want to switch, I love my Venture Lite for the ride, but these problems are unreasonable in my opinion.
Ok, it's late and the bottle of wine is gone...
Good Night
Attachments
BombaPolaYama
TY 4 Stroke Master
the blur said:
My friend, get out of that contract if possible! That is probably the only way that Yamaha is going to sit up and pay attention.
Believe me, the stuff that you read here is not BS - myself and others, wouldn't take time to write this if we weren't totally frustrated and disappointed! You do not need the aggravation that others are experiencing!!
I bought a VL in January and (you can read my posts above) it is one of the worst decisions I have ever made. I also feel like a guinea pig with this being my first Yamaha (Japanese quality ????) and 4 stroke. I read of some icing issues on here prior to purchasing and guys were talking about 40lb of build-up and it didn't seem too serious; but you only realize what it is actually like when you see it for yourself.
I know the Polaris two-up was completely redesigned in 2004 (Edge) and have had major issues, but I can only speak of my own experience: I own a 2002 550 fan Sport Touring with 9000+ Km and have had absolutely no suspension issues - no bearings, bushings, wheels, springs (other than installing heavy duty springs the 1st season), shocks or slides have been replaced, and the track is in perfect shape. The only thing that happened with it, and it was my own fault for riding in warm April conditions - , was that the rings stuck and had to be replaced. If the Polaris died tomorrow I wouldn't feel as ripped off as I am with my VL!
the blur
Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
- Messages
- 9
I'm kinda tied into the contract, as my current sled is not running.
and I need a sled for this weekend. So I'll let you all know how the icing problem is
I ride on groomed trails only, & have a heated enclosed trailer...
If it is a major problem in the North East, ...... maybe I'll move to a Venture RS GT next season....
Thanks though for the heads up.
and I need a sled for this weekend. So I'll let you all know how the icing problem is
I ride on groomed trails only, & have a heated enclosed trailer... If it is a major problem in the North East, ...... maybe I'll move to a Venture RS GT next season....
Thanks though for the heads up.
venturer
Veteran
Looks like a class action lawsuit in the making when someone is seriously injured or killed in the wake of yamaha's ignorance of the serious safety issue at hand. Wake up yamaha and deal with it. Don't be an ostrich.
BombaPolaYama
TY 4 Stroke Master
the blur said:I'm kinda tied into the contract, as my current sled is not running.
and I need a sled for this weekend. So I'll let you all know how the icing problem is
If it is a major problem in the North East, ...... maybe I'll move to a Venture RS GT next season....
Thanks though for the heads up.
Okay, you are a brave man who has been sufficiently warned!
I thought I (we) could save at least one poor soul from the aggravation? ( I won't even bother to tell you about the reversing problem?)I also ride on groomed trails 95% of the time and the machine also exhibits the same problems there - she'll pick up snow, be very noisy and even vibrate. Believe me, these factors in combination with the high revving 4 stroke, is no quiet machine!
All the best.
the blur
Newbie
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2008
- Messages
- 9
is it nosier than a 2 stroke ?
(yes, that's a serious question, as I wear ear plugs now)
(yes, that's a serious question, as I wear ear plugs now)
BombaPolaYama
TY 4 Stroke Master
the blur said:
In my opinion yes, this is by no means a quiet sled.
A guy told me by PM that he wears earplugs on his VL and I have considered it. Maybe that rider and others can post their observations on the noise as well.
My wife, who rides mostly on the back says it is worse sitting behind and described it as a "constant drone" when you get snow in the tunnel. And, you'll get vibration back through the handlebars as well.
venturer
Veteran
I had a 2 cycle venture which I recently traded for the 08 VL. I didn't wear earplugs with the 2 stroke, but I have to wear them with the 4 stroke to keep my sanity. The irritating noise from the tunnel area with all the ice buildup around the exhaust far exceeds any noise from the engine. So much for the quieter 4 stroke.
