cacsrx1
Expert
Sled Dog said:AKrider said:Sled Dog said:For a mountain sled I somewhat agree with you. For the guys who like to cruise on trails or open fields (they probably buy more sleds) the weight is a mute subject and in fact is better for stabilty and comfort. Durability and quality does equal more weight and for the trail riders durabiltiy and reliabilty means either walking, being towed or not. When I am going through ungroomed fields and hitting drifts I am glad my sled is heavier to take the pounding and keep the sled more stable instead of launching. The weight between comparitive 4S HP sleds is very minimal as well. If Yamaha wants to compete in the mountain sled it is going to have to go to 2S for now until they figure out how to get the weight down for the mountain riders.
Weight is never a moot subject. Yamaha would have better sales in the midwest if their sleds weren't so fricking heavy. For off-road use light is right. The Nytro sure as heck isn't more stable because it is heavy, in fact it is unstable because it is top heavy, among other issues.
Why can't a 4 stroke be the same weight as a 2-stroke? I would have never believed it with dirt bikes in the 80's yet here we are. The other three OEM sleds are built light. Yamaha's are not and their chassis aren't even that durable. In fact they have the weakest suspension components and chassis of any of the OEM's. A Ski-doo XP chassis looks absolutely fragile. But, they hold up. I didn't believe they would but now that my buddy is racing the Iron Dog on an XP and I've had the opportunity to learn about the sled my opinion has changed. The last time Yamaha had a competitive chassis was with the trailing arm Vmax.
The Nytro and Phazer show some really innovative thinking when it comes to sled construction but they could be so much better. If Yamaha copied what people are doing to lose weight from the factory we'd see some real improvement.
Does weight make a real difference to trail riders who ride groomed trails? Does weight make a real difference to a sledder who rides open feilds and ungroomed trails at a safe speed? Does weight make a difference to someone who uses their sled for work? The answer to these questions is NO. In fact the weight for the work sleds is wanted and needed. Weakest suspension components come on your reaching now the only thing that ever failed on my suspensions was a RA cable and wheel bearings after 6500 miles. I believe you seem to think that only mountain riders with mountain sleds are considered sledders and that should be Yamaha's main concern building a mountain sled. That said with the Big Iron Shootout its still Yamaha that rules that part of the mountains with boosted sleds. Come to think of it Yamaha's boosted sleds rule at drag races and top end speed as well.
Im from central South Dakota. In 2000 when anybody bought a new sled it was a 121. Today the same guys have no less than 153. Trailer after trailer going down interstate 90 comming from the east are mountain sleds. There is a HUGE segment being left out by Yamaha. If you think weight isnt a factor your in the 1%.