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Yamaha has given me no choice.... I'm going with SkiDoo!

M

maverick

Extreme
Joined
Nov 5, 2003
Messages
86
Location
Grand Lake, CO
Hi All!

For those that want the short story, after 12 years of being a relentless Yamaha supporter, I'm jumping to a SkiDoo Summit X for 2011.

For those that want more details, sit back and crack open a cold one...

I bought my first Mtn Sled, a 1998 Mtn Max 700, in October of 1997. And since then I have bought six other brand new Mtn snowmobiles over the years, all from Yamaha. Now for the average Mtn rider that's not really a big deal. Most guys (and gals) on this site can boast buying that many sleds, or more, over that amount of time. But I live in Grand Lake, Colorado. There's no Yamaha dealer here. It's at least an hour and a half drive to the nearest Yamaha dealership from here. There is, however, a Polaris dealer essentially right across the street from my house, and a Cat/SkiDoo dealer 15 mins down the road. Not to mention the fact that Grand Lake is the High Altitude Testing Center for SkiDoo and during the winter season the SkiDoo engineers, testers, and brass frequent my restaurant often, which has made me feel a bit guilty over the last four years because they support my business but I haven't supported theirs...

Now Yamaha has axed the Mtn Apex for 2011. A big blow to my Yamaha Pride considering that's the sled that I ride and have invested countless dollars (see mods below), hours of labor, and an ENDLESS ridicule from nearly EVERY OTHER RIDER in town because I'm the only Yamaha rider here. I was hoping for a upgrade in power (factory turbo?) and some light-weight mods, and all I got was cancelled. Fare well Mtn Apex.

The final straw was this past week when one of the SkiDoo testers asked if I'd like to test ride the new 2011 Summit X prototype. "Sure!". Now I've been sworn to secrecy on the details, but I will tell you this is BY FAR the best stock snowmobile I have EVER ridden. "Very Capable, yet Very Forgiving'" is the best way to describe this new sled. It is an 800 Etec, which means it gets as good or better milage than any Four Stroke and yet it has very little Two Stroke smell, and less weight. The sled was a dream to ride in any situation, and believe me, we put it through some tough spots. From the tight trees, to the deep powder, and to the top Super Chicken Hill, this sled didn't even break a sweat. I'll be first in line when it's time to sign-up this Spring for a new 2011 Summit X for next season.

I'll keep my 2007 Mtn Apex and still hang-out here at TY, but it looks like I'll be rubbing elbows with the Doo Crew on the SkiDoo sites next season as well. Thanks for the memories Yamaha, I'm upgrading to a SkiDoo next season! I'll let you know how it goes!
 

Your enemies always get strong on what you leave behind.
 
Good for you. In my opinion Yamaha has really dropped the ball on their 4 strokes over the last few years. Sure they were great and ahead of their time when no one else was making them.

Both Nytro and Apex motors are capable of so much more dead reliable HP and so much more weight should have been shaved off over the years. And let's get some machines that don't melt slides all the time. I don't think Yamaha should have to wait for the other manufacturers to catch up and surpass them before they start making small, barely noticeable changes on their sleds.

I'm done my rant...Come on Yamaha, show us what you are capable of!!!

P.S - The new Doos are pretty exceptional for a stocker.
 
Sure the new Doo is good for the first couple of rides but just wait for a month, then the jackshaft starts twisting off, electrical harness chaffs off, track blows to smitherines, and of the the catching on fire and blowing the motor deal. As long as there's a choice above polaris and Ski-Doo then I won't be buying either of them, I will go to Cat first.
 
If it turns out to be a POS, then so be it. That's what warranties and second sleds (my Apex) are for. But let's face it, SkiDoo is on the cutting edge of Mtn Snowmobile Technology. The Yamaha Mtn Apex is just cut. So I'm willing to give them a chance and reward them for being so forward thinking and inovative.

Maybe the 2011 models have most of these bugs you speak of worked out.... I remember owning two 2003 Mtn RX1's and they were not without their problems (jetting!), so I don't know why you're being so tough on SkiDoo's issues with the XP chasis.
 
I have yet to have any major problems with my Rx-1. But Ski-Doo is trying so hard to make their sleds light that they are greatly compromising their reliability. A guy in the FX Nytro Mountain promo video on the Yam site last year said "We do not compromise the reliability of our sleds for a lighter weight." Like, not saying any names or anything *cough*Bombardier*cough* haha. The fact that the panels tend to pop open after a bit of a hard landing doesn't help either. I'd much rather a heavy, reliable sled than some lightweight POS. I don't carry my sled I ride it and the extra weight just makes you an all round better rider because it makes you stranger and used to throwing around all the weight, I can handle my buddies MXZ like a toy compared to him. Hopefully they do have the quirks worked out of them because they are half decent sleds and lightweight is a nice thought, but I doubt they will. Anyways go get it, test it out and let us know!
 
I'm not bashing Yamaha in any way, shape, or form. As I already stated, I am a True Blue believer. You talk about your RX1 being a great sled, and I agree, I still have and will keep my Apex. But the point is this, I haven't given up on Yamaha, they've given up on me by cutting the Apex Mtn from their lineup. The Nytro is, at best, a 600 class sled. That's not enough for me at this altitude (9-12000 ft). I believe in moving forward, not backward, and it seems as if that's the direction Yamaha has taken by cutting the Apex from their mountain lineup.

On the other hand, SkiDoo, seems to be moving forward in the Mtn Market, and I like that way of thinking. Will I be disapointed? Maybe. But without risk there's no reward! And I refuse to be afraid of change. Change is progress!
 
it makes you stranger

Good thing I don't ride a mtn apex, I is strange enough already LOL
 
maverick I wish you luck and keep us posted. It would be nice to hear a real comparison from a true yammi rider riding a doo. I agree with you that yamaha pulled the rug from under the mountains guys feet. I mean come on they have no sled in 2011 Yamaha quit on them. If he is looking to spend money on a new sled in 2011 tough luck for Yamaha as they should have given him a sled to compare and buy if he so chooses.
 
HEAR!! HEAR!! I totally agree with you for going with a Doo for next year. I too would look elsewhere if I were buying a new sled in 2011. Yami needs a big boy sled and I just don't feel that the Nytro (as good of a sled as it is) is that sled. At least not for me! Good luck! ;)!
 
Please keep us posted. It would be nice to get an unbiased comparison.

I think all the sleds have their faults. Oddly enough the most reliable sled for me was a 1998 polaris 600 xlt. It is still running today with 15,000 miles. Only replaced the head gasket at 8000kms and a water pump. It sold me on buying sleds at the end of their production cycle (that was oneof the last years for the xlt).

I violated this rule when I bought my 06 APEX GT. It required a fair amount of TLC. Most of these gremlins were worked out by the 08 model. So my preference would be to see Yamaha put some effort into improving the durability of the chasis and maybe looking at some innovation in the clutch system that takes better advantage of the wide 4-stroke power band and high revs. For some reason it drives me crazy to see such a beautiful powerplant attached to a drive system that does not allow it to rev freely like it was designd to.

People forget there has been way more R&D done on the motor than any other snowmobile motor out there. This motor is proven. I know cause I own the two wheel version too which is why I made the jump to the APEX in the 1st place. They could turbo it but the drive train as it exists today just isn't up to it in the long run. The guys I see running turbo sleds are not your average riders. There tend to be very mechanically inclined and spend a lot of time wrenching. Labour of love I suppose...

Just my 2 cents :hide:
 
I will do my duty and keep everyone here informed of my new venture out of the 'Blue Zone' when I bring home the new Summit next Fall. My heart truely lives and breathes Yamaha, and this decision was not easy, but Yamaha made the decision to drop the Apex, and therefore they dropped me as well.

Today I experienced a perfect example of how Yamaha has lost ground to SkiDoo:

I rode with a large group of Newbies today, 8 total. 6 of them were riding a stock '09 or '10 SkiDoo Summit and two of them were riding stock '08 Mtn Apex. EVERYBODY got stuck (except me). However, the SkiDoos were stuck FAR less and everyone of the newbies enjoyed riding the SkiDoos more than the Apexes for assorted reasons (they all traded sleds back and forth). Bottom line: The SkiDoos are more stable, easier to ride, and easier to get unstuck for a Newbie than the Apex. That tells me that the SkiDoo is not only is a more capable sled in the powder, but also if it's easier and more fun for a Newbie to ride, then the SkiDoos are going to OUT SELL the Apex and probably the Nytro as well. Yamaha better wake-up and smell the mocha-chino because if they don't, the only Yamaha we'll be able to buy in the future will either have wheels or white and black keys! They'll be completely squeezed out of the sled business by superior competition.
 
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