September 29, 2010

New sleds New people

For some reason I had to chuckle when I saw our new ad…  then I thought it would provide a nice little segue into my first post of the season. I’ll give you a snap shot from a ‘mile up’ on some of whats been going on this summer.

First we have a couple of changes in the corporate line-up. Rob Powers has taken the helm of the snowmobile division in the United States. He is certainly no newcomer having held down a regional sales manager position as well as assistant product manager when Mike Doughty was wearing the hat and marketing communications prior to Greg Marier. Rob is a hard core sled head and I’m stoked he’s running the show in the US. Here’s his official intro.  Rob Powers

We have been short one key member on our team since Vic Ikuta was called back to product planning in Japan. Ace Oyama is now in the process of moving to Canada and will be the official snowmobile voice (assistant to the president) for North America at factory, (no pressure there!).

I went on record last spring as saying the new Apex had around a 5% increase in horsepower and a wider torque curve with no drops… Dynotech has had the opportunity to flash a production unit and heres what they came up with: (you can click to enlarge)… under promise and over deliver?

I don’t mind saying it’s been a ‘rough row to hoe’ through-out the rocky global economies but the atmosphere here at Yamaha is now one of cautious optimism. We know real snowmobiler’s are in the game for the long run and we have our fingers and toes crossed for good snowfall with lasting trails this season. The big fall trade shows are getting ready to kick-off and if Hay Days is any indication, the attendance will be strong and there will be bargains to be had.

Speaking of Hay Days, Yamaha racers had some great grass-drag results. Check out this video posted to Youtube of the OSP turbo outlaw sled:

On the out, I want to thank you for your support and encouragement in keeping Sled Talk up and alive. I will do my best to offer more insight into our business and continue to share in your passion for snowmobiles and Yamaha.

Cheers cr

September 17, 2010

Sled Talk or Sled Walk?

Well well well, It’s hard to believe I have been offline for three months. I had a good summer with lots of time spent at the cottage and on the bike. I hope you also enjoyed the warmer months to the point where you are ready for snow.

I am in a bit of a quandary with where I should take Sled Talk. I am trying to come up with some ideas on how to keep the content fresh and interesting but control the amount of time I need to spend on the research and writing.

I thought I would start by tossing out a request to anyone who has a thought on the subject. At this point I am not even sure if I have an audience left after being on a three month hiatus but I am taking my final week of vacation starting Monday and when I get back I’ll check in  and see what feedback is waiting for me. At that point I will make the final decision whether to proceed with a fourth year of Sled Talk blogging or pass the torch to our marketing department.

Cheers  cr