Yamaha investing $$, where they can make $$ ?

[Berg570]

While Im an avid dirt biker, this actually bummed me out, as I would love a newly designed Apex MTX and or replacement.

If Yamaha is taking this on, which required huge investments, yet has not delivered us a TRUE new Yamaha sled, does this show lack of desire/interest in its financially struggling snowmobile division??

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/04/23/yamaha-pes1-ped1-electric-motorcycles-production/

Please tell me that I may yet see an updated Apex!!

 

[smokingcrater]

Doesn't matter if the snowmobile division has the highest profit rate in the entire company... Snowmobiling is a small market and yamaha has a small share of that market. Made up numbers, but would you rather make 70% profit on 1000 units, or 30% profit on 50,000 units.

 

[tomanytoyz]

Its what people buy . i have more dirt and pavement toyz then snowmobiles. most of the planet you cant ride a sled year round like bikes or quads ,or in some areas waverunners or boats..the population like these things.

You need snow

Yamaha knows this.

 

[nickleuci]

Gay

 

[Murse]

There are lots of other machines that could be fun if Yamaha does exit the business. Axys?? Artic cat 7000?

 

[Sasquatch]

I have three sleds one bike! Sledding three to four months, Bike 4 months of decent riding with a few months of crap its cold riding. Quads are seasonal depending on snow. Only ones out last winter where tearing up the sled trails. Grrrrr!

Yami has a turbo Viper for the mountains. Like it or not its the replacement for any kind of Apex mountain sled. Now a new Apex for the trails might come sometime in the future but why put it out when the current Apex is till sitting in showrooms. I think by next year when the current chassis is all sold then you will see a replacement. Not to many New Apex's out there for sale. Tons of Vipers as that is what the dealers stocked up on.

As for what an electric bike means to the snowmobile industry I can only say they built a electric bike for the greenies. Big deal, useless to me! In the citys of the world it will catch on I think! I just can't buy into the doom and gloom that Yamaha is getting out of sleds because of that or even putting out Catamahas. The current Apex is a perfect trail sled, it takes time to improve perfection. My fear is they will ruin the Apex trying to make it something its not.

 

[OVR4D]

When it comes to the electric market, there must be something they know that we don't. KTM took a long time developing their electric bike, but has finally started selling it in Europe (See: http://www.ktmfreeride-e.com/en). I think it's only a matter of time before we see this bike in North America. As someone who also rides dirtbikes, one of the biggest obstacles is having a place to ride (I'm talking moto, not trail riding). I think electric bikes will impact that, as they offer a viable solution to those who say "not in my backyard" because of noise and pollution issues. While the KTM Freeride-e is a little light on power and waaay too steep on price for me, I think that competition from other OEMs will bring even better bikes hopefully at lower cost. I would love to try one. Being able to ride close to home would be huge for me. Not having to clean the air filter element after every ride would be nice too.

As for Yamaha's intentions with snowmobiles, I don't think anyone really knows except their people at the top. I think even Chris Reid was initially caught off guard when Yamaha first announced its business relationship with Cat. It's all speculation, but if the only thing that Yamaha offers for 2016 is more ArcticCat built chassis' with Yamaha engines, I think we could all make a pretty good guess as to their plans going forward.

 

[Sasquatch]

When it comes to the electric market, there must be something they know that we don't. KTM took a long time developing their electric bike, but has finally started selling it in Europe (See: http://www.ktmfreeride-e.com/en). I think it's only a matter of time before we see this bike in North America. As someone who also rides dirtbikes, one of the biggest obstacles is having a place to ride (I'm talking moto, not trail riding). I think electric bikes will impact that, as they offer a viable solution to those who say "not in my backyard" because of noise and pollution issues. While the KTM Freeride-e is a little light on power and waaay too steep on price for me, I think that competition from other OEMs will bring even better bikes hopefully at lower cost. I would love to try one. Being able to ride close to home would be huge for me. Not having to clean the air filter element after every ride would be nice too.

As for Yamaha's intentions with snowmobiles, I don't think anyone really knows except their people at the top. I think even Chris Reid was initially caught off guard when Yamaha first announced its business relationship with Cat. It's all speculation, but if the only thing that Yamaha offers for 2016 is more ArcticCat built chassis' with Yamaha engines, I think we could all make a pretty good guess as to their plans going forward.

Electric is useless till its like gas and you can pull up and recharge in a minute and carry on for another couple hundred miles. Till then why ride something that you put away for a few hours or overnight so you can ride it another 60 miles or less. Electric has a long way to go before it replaces gas! Scary part is something no one thinks about, electric energy to replace gas in a world that already has electric shortages means we need a huge influx of electric producing plants. So what do we power them with? Nuclear? Coal? Natural Gas? Wood? Sun and wind don't have what we need, wind is not consistent nor is the sun.

You may be right and Catamaha's may be the only things coming with a Yamaha badge on it. Myself I can't get to excited about that, only depressed! I think Yamaha has a hit with the Apex XTX a Catamaha with a Apex motor would not even come close to that. Would be a sad day indeed! 5% Yamaha 95% Cat! It has to be all Yamaha or why even stay brand loyal? The Apex has to stay true to its roots or just let it die! IMHO!

 

[OVR4D]

Electric is useless till its like gas and you can pull up and recharge in a minute and carry on for another couple hundred miles. Till then why ride something that you put away for a few hours or overnight so you can ride it another 60 miles or less. Electric has a long way to go before it replaces gas! Scary part is something no one thinks about, electric energy to replace gas in a world that already has electric shortages means we need a huge influx of electric producing plants. So what do we power them with? Nuclear? Coal? Natural Gas? Wood? Sun and wind don't have what we need, wind is not consistent nor is the sun.

Couldn't agree more. But where I am, there's not a lot of options for people who want to ride dirt bikes for motocross. Trail riding (with approved exhaust) is not as limited, but let's face it, the tree huggers have a lot of pull with local and state government, and it's becoming more and more difficult to ride. You can't even ride on your own property without offending someone these days. I think electric dirt bikes make sense for certain situations. They provide a way to ride where you would otherwise be unable, not because they are better for the environment (your point about the true cost of electric vehicles has not fallen on deaf ears), but because they are less offensive to certain groups and so are more easily tolerated.

 

[Sasquatch]

Couldn't agree more. But where I am, there's not a lot of options for people who want to ride dirt bikes for motocross. Trail riding (with approved exhaust) is not as limited, but let's face it, the tree huggers have a lot of pull with local and state government, and it's becoming more and more difficult to ride. You can't even ride on your own property without offending someone these days. I think electric dirt bikes make sense for certain situations. They provide a way to ride where you would otherwise be unable, not because they are better for the environment (your point about the true cost of electric vehicles has not fallen on deaf ears), but because they are less offensive to certain groups and so are more easily tolerated.

Worst part is there is just way to much truth in what you say! I'm so glad I lived the 70's with all kinds of toys to play with. I'm lucky here as I live in the bush but sadly the tree huggers are starting to affect us. From their highrise apartments in the GTA they try to control my wilderness without ever having stepped a foot in it. Think I'm going to build a fire tomorrow night in the back yard and howl at the moon till midnight!

 

[Nytros rule]

Worst part is there is just way to much truth in what you say! I'm so glad I lived the 70's with all kinds of toys to play with. I'm lucky here as I live in the bush but sadly the tree huggers are starting to affect us. From their highrise apartments in the GTA they try to control my wilderness without ever having stepped a foot in it. Think I'm going to build a fire tomorrow night in the back yard and howl at the moon till midnight!

In my part of the world the biggest threat to our sport is exhaust. I live not far from a resort community of Golfers, Quaders, Bikers and Snowmobilers that are talking about closing the area to Snowmobilers and a small town about 200 Kl. away that lived for Snowmobilers that has closed it's doors toSnowmobiles thanks to MBRP, OSP, JAWS, SLP, ETC.and all of the people (love that growl) and can't stay off the throttle in populated areas.
Sasquatch if you light that fire tonight I'll light one too a we can make it big enough to light up MB.

 

[wavemaster]

My guess? In the end, it will all be electric - cars, toys etc. And this is coming from a diehard "anything with a motor and I am interested" guy. Too many advantages all the way around to be avoided.

The battery and charge are behind right now but that is quickly changing. Internal combustion is all but played out. Not that there will be no improvement to IC as well, there will, but the gains in IC will be incremental/small going forward - at the end of the day, there is only so many BTU's (energy) in a gallon of petrol.

There is a German company that is working on a "crushed lithium" battery increasing the storage capacity 10 times over what is available now in the same footprint of size/weight. The current Tesla has over a 200 mile range on a charge, using these new batteries it could go over 2000 miles on a charge - that much storage, you could power a pickup truck towing. Or they could reduce the size/weight of the batteries by 90% and still get the the 200+ range. And that is what is currently going on, in the future storage, charging, generating etc will continue to improve by leaps and bounds. You won't stop for hours to charge your bike, You will grab another battery out of your pack and continue on.

Low/No emissions,
No real noise,
Very few components - and most of them not moving,
Maintenance - not much,
Very recyclable,
Power - 100% torque at zero RPM.
Battery/Electric Motors have a much smaller footprint than Engine/Transmission/Drivetrain/Fuel Tank. So more compact, or more room for comfort, either way it is an improvement.

Thankfully I got to grow up with Braaaaaaaaaaaap. My kids are now as well but I do wonder about their kids. I'm sure they will laugh at generations of old that used those heavy, old, big, slow, noisy, smelly motors that you had to keep putting gas in - lol.

 

[Murse]

Too much money in oil to go all electric. The world economy revolves around oil. There will not be electric vehicles in our lifetime. Not in mass production as long as profit and taxes are involved.

 

[smokingcrater]

There will not be electric vehicles in our lifetime. Not in mass production as long as profit and taxes are involved.

umm, chevy volt, nissan leaf, Tesla? Any of those ring a bell? Think of it this way, there were more pure electric vehicles sold in the US last year than worldwide Yamaha snowmobile sales...

 

[Murse]

I should specify. Purely electric vehicles replacing gas vehicles will not happen in our lifetime. There is to much weight on the economy in oil.