Yamaha done with sleds

[Mototown]

If the government gets serious about emissions, there is no way 2 stroke s will pass real emissions tests .4 strokes might pass some , but the writing is on the wall if the government clamps down, & that looks to be way it’s going even if trump gets in for 4 years lol . So enjoy the next 7-8 years while it’s here

 

[74Nitro]

Oh I'm well aware. The Yamaha is every bit as competitive as the others except it lacks b*alls.
They keep getting dusted on the straights.

 

[74Nitro]

If the government gets serious about emissions, there is no way 2 stroke s will pass real emissions tests .4 strokes might pass some , but the writing is on the wall if the government clamps down, & that looks to be way it’s going even if trump gets in for 4 years lol . So enjoy the next 7-8 years while it’s here

I agree, but don't underestimate the political power in Quebec....

 

[fxnytrortxkid]

They are entertaining the idea but they already see how unrealistic it is. The grid can’t handle it and they technology isn’t there to make it logical for 75% of people as their primary mode of transport. A second car sure, or if it’s a primary for commuting it will need a secondary that’s not electric to handle things like trailering and what not. As far as sleds, when we’re up north riding and it gets super cold the power goes out all the time because the grid can’t handle the extra load from heating homes and charging cellphones. Now you wanna put thousands of sleds and cars all plugged into it? The whole area survives on natural gas or diesel back up generators.

Dirt bikes will remain 4 stroke and like f1 there may be an electric class or series that no one pays attention to because it sucks and life will go on.

There is 1 and only one solution for all of our issues and it will help with global warming and electric production, nuclear.

That said sticking to my sidewinder and will add a 2 smoker in 26 season and demote mine to a race/toy/back up sled unless this motor gets repurposed into a Polaris as is rumored.

 

[Mototown]

I agree, but don't underestimate the political power in Quebec....

It will be basically California, when ban the gas powered dirt bikes that will be the beginning.

 

[Bigblue1]

how dare you bring that radical right winger MF into this debate! What does he know? Sleds should be free, then Yamaha would have plenty of demand!

Maybe Brandon will pay for it. OOps, he's batting 0 for 4 this week!

 

[Doowithblue]

Agreed about the 2strokes. They won't pass. Heck Polaris still doesn't have a full DI motor yet. But neither of them are clean by any means. I was hungover one morning and decide to ride in the back of 3 doo 850s. My eyes were watering badly and got instant headache. They are far from epa compliant. Huge oil burners.

 

[stgdz]

The vibes is the biggest issue for me. Anything over a 700 should be a triple.

 

[1nc 2000]

Send those g... damn environmentalists to Canada and have them put out those polluting fires. Nothing but a plume of smoke here.
Thise fires put out more pollution than all the vehicles.
Then after that make them go row all those container ships. They use more fuel than anything out there.
Rant over

 

[fatchance]

If the government gets serious about emissions, there is no way 2 stroke s will pass real emissions tests .4 strokes might pass some , but the writing is on the wall if the government clamps down, & that looks to be way it’s going even if trump gets in for 4 years lol . So enjoy the next 7-8 years while it’s here

Well, here's the thing. And I know this from getting pushed around by Ecco Natzi's Bias for years now in the fishing industry. The government may ease there way into regulating these things while conservationists push their BS, but the reality is the government can't go overboard and completely wipe out an industry in the swipe of a pen. They move much slower and methodically as both sides often tend to get their point of view across and in most cases it lands somewhere in the middle. Look... There's still 64 GTO's driving on our roadways. Think they would pass an emissions test of today? I personally think if Yamaha is choosing to bow out because of future emissions testing, it's a cop out. What's the actual number of new units produced compared to active units? I bet it's a tiny fraction of the sleds on the trails.
Now who knows, think of the market share they gained with the 4 stroke when they designed the Apex. Game changer right? Then the Sidewinder came along, but they had to share the wealth with Arctic Cat. Maybe (but doubtful) plans were in the works for the next level up, but they knew they were on the razors edge for emissions as is and would never be able to pull it off.
Next chapter...... Polaris merger? Again, shared wealth, but maybe just maybe they can pull a rabbit out of their (@SS) hat and regain a big chunk of market share and it's worth keeping the sled division alive. Being a huge Yamaha fan I really hope this happens. Besides.... For once I could sit side by side with my faithful Polaris buddies and not argue with them about their shitty sled!

 

[SumpBuster]

Send those g... damn environmentalists to Canada and have them put out those polluting fires. Nothing but a plume of smoke here.
Thise fires put out more pollution than all the vehicles.
Then after that make them go row all those container ships. They use more fuel than anything out there.
Rant over

And all that pollution is keeping us cooler! Had the wood stove going a few weeks ago here in upstate NY, smelled smoke, but it wasnt the birch I tossed in...in a matter of minutes I couldnt see a half a mile from the blue haze of the Canadian two strokes, uh, wildfires burning down! Pretty impressive the scope of it all. Smoke is back again and now wanting the humid hot south breeze instead of cool Canadian air we usually enjoy. Aside from that, the first throttle squeeze of a potential Polaris with a 998t will see the engine dissappearing into the distance leaving the cheezy lightweight chassis wishing for the good old days of Fuji power.

 

[20/80]

Thinking Polaris may wedge their own new 4 cyl 225 hp 4 stroke engine in a sled, they may even turbo it, Polaris alway's use to put out a hot rod sled, maybe they will, their new 2L 4 cyl with a turbo in a sled would be fast, real fast, they may take over the Winder's title, just a thought

 

[Turboflash]

They are entertaining the idea but they already see how unrealistic it is. The grid can’t handle it and they technology isn’t there to make it logical for 75% of people as their primary mode of transport. A second car sure, or if it’s a primary for commuting it will need a secondary that’s not electric to handle things like trailering and what not. As far as sleds, when we’re up north riding and it gets super cold the power goes out all the time because the grid can’t handle the extra load from heating homes and charging cellphones. Now you wanna put thousands of sleds and cars all plugged into it? The whole area survives on natural gas or diesel back up generators.

Dirt bikes will remain 4 stroke and like f1 there may be an electric class or series that no one pays attention to because it sucks and life will go on.

There is 1 and only one solution for all of our issues and it will help with global warming and electric production, nuclear.

That said sticking to my sidewinder and will add a 2 smoker in 26 season and demote mine to a race/toy/back up sled unless this motor gets repurposed into a Polaris as is rumored.

AKA - hydrogen!

 

[STAIN]

Will we see the end of the true "muscle sled" with the end of the 998T?
Polaris hasn't really had a true contender for speed sled since the Indy 650? The Boost seems to be doing o.k but longevity is yet to be proven. They do have the new 900 also so maybe they are getting serious. Thier current 4 strokes are not geared towards performance.
Ski-Doo used to make an effort here with their TNT's, Blizzard's, Mach Z's but their latest efforts seem halfhearted, like they knew they couldn't get there. They really brought a knife to gunfight with the 900t in my opinion.
Cat seems to be the company that takes the title of " fastest production sled " seriously. A history of King Cat's, EXT's, Wildcats, Thundercat's and 9000's prove that they like to be a leader in that category. They responded every time someone challenged them for that "fastest sled " title.
Who will step up to take the mantle? Do they run what they have and let the chips fall where they may? Does anyone care? Does the new management group at CAT care as much about this category as the old regime did?
There is proof that consumers care about this segment and the Sidewinder also proved that just because it is very fast doesn't mean it can't handle and ride well.
I guess we just sit back and wait and see what the remaining players do........

 

[Doowithblue]

Nice post Stain. I always laugh when the rags claim the hyper market is too small yet when i go out riding all i see is 998s and boosted 900Rs lol.