June 2, 2009
Tested-Reliable-Innovative-Canadian
Okay its June now and I think most of the guys out in BC have hung it up for the season. That’s not to say Yellowknife won’t manage to wreck something else before the final melt down 
. I always find it hard to write about sleds this time of year when I am focused on my bikes, boats and the lake. That said, I am happy to announce we have come to some conclusions on how we are going to work with our cousins in the USA over the summer and right into next season.
If things go according to plan I may be able to speak ahead of the traditional embargoes here on Sled Talk to some degree. I’ve always wanted to share more about our new model direction and development but without the blessing of the other distributors and factory, my hands are tied. I can’t expand much more at this point except to say I am cautiously optimistic, I may be able to give you folks the first official glimpse of our future right here.
On the accessories front we are working on some really cool items for snowmobile and ATV that I hope to be able to tell you about this month. ‘Supplier sourced’ is the latest internal buzz-word that’s getting lots of attention.
This is where we simply select a popular accessory and move it through our distribution system under its own brand name. This method saves a lot of time and effort in as much as we don’t have to rei
nvent the wheel by designing our own competitive product to sell under the Genuine Yamaha mark. Another benefit is we can consider some products which may be too difficult or risky to produce on our own.
A good example of a supplier sourced accessory can be found in the SnowTracker carbide
runners. We have signed an agreement with SnowTracker to distribute their skags through all our snowmobile dealers (they don’t know it yet as this was just confirmed today). I used these carbides last season on my Apex and was quite pleased with the results. We’ll also have replacement bits in our inventory and the products will be priced very competitively.
Another area where I will be spending some time with my team this summer, is in our accessory marketing. I believe we can do a better job of getting you more information through more channels on new products and their benefits. This is not to say things aren’t working now but in these tough economic times, it is both a good exercise and a worthy challenge to make sure we are maximizing our efforts. One of the key elements of this new strategy is found in the past. Back in the early eighties, Yamaha Canada had a line of motocross accessories that were branded ‘TRIC’ (some of you may remember)… TRIC was a strong name that represented quality products that were: Tested / Reliable / Innovative and Canadian… kinda catchy huh? Anyway, stay tuned on this one as you will be hearing more on this over the coming months.
I had mentioned last month about a speaking engagement I accepted to discuss the concept of a large company (such as Yamaha) allowing an employee (such as yours truly) to engage with others online in a public conversation with its corporate blessing (such as Sled Talk). We are still the only motor-sports company doing this in Canada and judging from the questions and response we got from this audience of experts, we remain somewhat of an anomaly within traditional circles. One of the weirdest things to come out of this is we have been invited to present our model to literally the most conservative and powerful organization in Canada… the federal government. Go figure. Not sure if I’m going to do it, but interesting none-the-less.
If you haven’t done so, it’s time to ’summerize’ your sled for storage and sharpen your fishing hooks. I already posted some tips on putting the sled away and if you have any doubts, don’t hesitate to drop me a question and I’ll get it answered.
Oh I forgot to mention, I awoke Sunday morning on the cusp of June to a freaky sleet and hail storm at my cottage (which is currently gutted and impossible to heat), ’snowflakes and black fies’… indeed! cheers cr
Your crystal ball is accurate.
Cheers!
June 3rd, 2009 at 11:53 pmYK
Chris,
Thanks for the post. Looking forward the the new accessories move. Something to read week days when I’m not out ATVing.
I have already put an order for my KLIM motocross pants.
Mark
June 4th, 2009 at 3:10 pmGreat news chris,hope we get to see some new metal.By the way,why did it take so long for yamaha back in the 1990s to install hydraulic brakes on there sleds,were there plans to install them earlier than the 1997 model year?And were there ever plans to produce a “big twin two-stroke” for a mountain sled in the late 1990s?(P.S thanks for making the ET410 a easy sled to install a new track on due to the cool chain-case design,no need to remove the chain case cover,slide the drive shaft out,slide it back in.Its no wonder all the et410s around here have 1-inch aftermarket tracks).
Hey LS, I remember requesting (pushing) to get hydro-brakes back in the day. Couple of points, first, the issue of a parking brake. Hydraulic brakes have a tendency to ‘bleed-down’ over time. The competition had a lever lock system for a parking brake and actually incurred some liabilities after some sleds caught on fire due to being operated with the brake lever locked on, the system lost pressure to the point the unit would roll along but the friction of the dragging pads got things a little warm. Their solution was to add a liquid cooled caliper but our guys wouldn’t buy into it… yet
June 6th, 2009 at 8:10 amWhen our engineering looked at the advantages of the hydraulic brake, they found the ‘no need to adjust’ feature number one, their solution was to develop a self adjusting mechanical (ratcheting) system which we introduced but the demand for hydraulics continued. It was the idea of adding a secondary parking brake system that finally got us around the liability issue and into the game. The Bravo type scissor caliper is cable operated and will not bleed down like our competitors systems. Costs a bit more money and adds a little weight but function is better in the long run.
The big twin decision was before us in 2001 when we were faced with the decision to go 4-stroke or continue to chase the more traditional trends… 4-stroke won! cheers cr
i just picked up the new accesories catalogue at ag nor,our yamaha dealer,i am very impressed with all the new stuff offered,i already have a list of stuff im getting for next season,those klim gloves should be a hot seller,im getting a pair for sure,glad that yamaha is improving in the acc departement,well done
pat
Thanks Pat, the Klim gloves are quite good, I have a couple of pairs (different styles) and have used on the sled, motorcycle and mountain bike, fit function and comfort is all there. I also have their ‘Inversion’ jacket which has become my favorite piece of casual gear over the past few months… say hi to Dennis for me next time you’re visiting Ag nor… cheers cr
June 7th, 2009 at 8:38 pm