November 18, 2010
SSR SS XTX
Well it appears some of you enjoyed the old pics I posted last week. I am a real sucker for nostalgia but more to the point I am a bit worried that so much of our history is slowly sifting through the cracks of time. All the Yamaha sno
wmobile pioneers have passed the retirement threshold and there aren’t many of us left in the company who have drawn from their first hand knowledge and experience of those days. I do have a meager collection of old photos and film clips that I consider treasures- they need to be archived for the future.
Hans mentioned in a comment that no one ever shows the original red SS440 it’s alw
ays the silver and blue… well Hans this ones for you. The gentleman standing with the SR proto and SS is, I believe, Canadian race driver Roy Wall.
I think one of the most famous sleds of Yamaha legend is the factory Sno Pro racer that debuted in Eagle River back in 74/75. The SSR440 entered the open pro class against a field of sleds with twice the displacement… cages were rattled and history made.
Here’s a shot of the first factory SSR before it was crated up and shipped to North America. Low Slung, I think this is the sled you refereed to in last weeks comments, hard to say if that’s a carbon fiber hood but I wouldn’t doubt it.
So how heavy was this sled you ask? Check out the pic of a very young Gordy Muetz hoisting it up by the ears, the engineer doesn’t look too impressed 
It’s that time of year when I start cruising the forums looking for topics from people fortunate enough to be riding and dropping comments on the new sleds. This year I have a little more reason to surf aside from idle curiosity, all because of our Apex portal Yournextsled.com
We launched Yournextsled last spring as a repository to drop in all the comments and rich media we could find on the web from people that had a chance to test ride the new EPS Apex’. We intentionally did not go ‘corporate’ on the site and left out any sugar 
coated ad messages and marketing stuff, keeping it real with riders speaking about their thoughts on the sled. I did do a video blog on the development background and Jon did a walk-around to cover the technical bits but that’s it. The rest are unedited bites of conversation taken from the forums, media, events and various web-sites.
Now we are trying to update the site with new content based on people riding their own production sleds in the real world. If that is you, please hit the link and let us all know what you think. I still stand by my statement that EPS works so well that our competitors must react and adopt the technology as quick as they can. I also figure they will deny the need until they have it ready to go (kinda like they did with performance 4-stroke engines). Time will tell.
On another note, every year around this time Jon and I arm wrestle over what sleds we will be riding in the coming season and why. Jon has generally ended up on the newest model in the line up with a Phazer 3 years ago to a Nytro XTX, then it was a new Vector last year and this year…? Myself on the other hand, let go my 2-season Warrior turbo ride to hop on board a 121 Apex in 06, in 07 another 121 Apex in 08 another 121 Apex, 09 …yep, last year yes, again. Admittedly, I came really close to riding an FI Vector last season and a Nytro the year before, but the 4 cylinder perched on a 121 inch mono-shock is a combination that I have come to love. So what have I chosen to ride this year – drum roll please – a 144 torsion skid Apex XTX.
This is a big deal for me because I have always found the shorter track sleds easier to handle and more nimble on the trail (for my style and conditions). Where it all changed was when I rode the XTX in Wisconsin year before last. The EPS combined with the tipped up rails felt like a shorty and then some. The additional traction and stroke’y feeling rear skid left me in denial but after riding it some more last spring and after stewing on it all summer, I have joined the ranks of the cross-dressing crowd (not to say the Apex is a true cross-over) but I do feel obligated to try to get it stuck once in a while 
cheers cr
Love the pics of those vintage yamahas, reminds me of all the sled magazines I looked at as a kid. The stuff of dreams.
November 18th, 2010 at 5:17 pmYou should run a caption contest for the “by the ears” photo. Engineer says “Stop doing that!” or “Ride it, don’t carry it.”
What I wouldn’t give for a brand new SRV.
man,you are lucky to pick a sled every year,i’m sure its a tough job,ah,ah just teasing,those old pics of the factory ssr right at the factory are ^priceless if you ask me,love seeing those,would be nice to see recent factory pics also with the new 4s sleds being built,on a different note,last season,i had mentioned about the driveshafts snapping on higher mileage sleds,my 09 vector will hit 18-20000 km this season and i’m starting to worry,no news on this subject yet,thanks
pat
Pat, the 2009 model year RX /RS chassis received an updated main shaft. The OD went from 27mm to 30mm, along with the stronger shaft came different size bearings and a new chain-case cover with an additional support bearing for the longer shaft. Keep your track tensioned properly and an eye on the bearings (you can inject some grease with a needle) and keep riding. Will be nice to see the 20,000km click over this season… cheers cr
November 18th, 2010 at 6:31 pmThats the sled Chris.Great pic from the place it was born.Seems all this sled talk got the snow falling across half of the country,lets hope it keeps moving our way(along with the deep cold).
November 18th, 2010 at 9:05 pmHellon CR,
Here in Quebec city, we are planning our first ride for this weekend in the Laurentians Park. This week we had a bit of snow, hopefully it should be enought for the first ride. To bad could’nt get a Apex XTX for this year, you would have receive your first article and pictures of the year on the new APEX XTX!!!!
I am very please to see you still around with Sled Talk, always enjoy your writing.
Ciao!!!
Alain Vmax
http://www.passion-Yamaha.com
Hey Alain, sign of the times, we have had to cut back on the loaner pool, keep in touch with our Montreal staff and we’ll be sure to get your butt in the saddle at some point this winter, enjoy the ride! cheers cr
November 19th, 2010 at 6:47 amI was wondering about your advertising material. Does it get archived or is it disposed of within a few years? If it’s archived, how far back? I have been keeping a collection of sled brochures/magazines dating back to 88 or so. Stuff like that are priceless.
November 19th, 2010 at 11:02 amI believe the race sleds in 74/75 were SRX’s, the longer, less potent SSR’s came the next year…Where’s the race sled this year (Snocross)?
Thanks Ken I stand corrected, I do remember Tom Berkely telling me the story of how he named the first race sled ‘Snow Race Experimental’ aka SRX also explains why I couldn’t spot the rear torsion bar and links
November 19th, 2010 at 12:06 pmcheers
cr
Thanks for sharing your old photos. I love looking at pics of old race sleds and the behind the scenes type shots of the factory and such. In the other post of old pics there was a shot of a small sled that looked very similar to a snow scoot type machine. Was it a prototype?
Funny to see how small sleds used to be. I just don’t understand why there is no market for a smaller sized, light weight sled? I know the Bravo is still available in Canada and AK but it leaves a lot to be desired. I’m going to put my 7 year old on a 1990 Phazer for this season and I was amazed by how well she fit it. It really surprised me to see how the old TSS Phazer is smaller than the common sled available today. Maybe because I’ve been riding since the 80′s, I would have never thought of the Phazer as being anything but a full size sled. I guess just like with pick-ups, super size meals, etc, everything just keeps getting bigger?
November 19th, 2010 at 12:11 pmspeaking of high mileage, whatever happened to the blog sled last year? Did I just forget or did it get passed around the limited snow-covered area’s of Ontario?
Ahh the BBS, we ran out of time and manpower, it is sitting out back in our storage barn collecting dust… too many projects, not enough people, I’ll check with the guys and get an update.. cheers cr
November 19th, 2010 at 4:33 pmChris,
Thanks for the pics and your good work.Only reason I knew sleds, is I saw them race and earlier 433SR’s with Trapp family racers,when I was a kid. No 440′s at the time could touch them! Guess that’s why they won the World Championship in ’71!
Finally got my 07 Attak GT all updated, like it should have been:
Yamaheaters (hands), shock revalve-rear, heavier stabalizer bar, 4th wheel kit,& rear heat exchanger.Glad I bought a year old sled,and not for $10,000!
Ken O.
November 19th, 2010 at 10:46 pmThanks for the picture of the red SS440. I still think that the red SS440 was the best looking sled of 1980 and is one of the reasons I bought one in Oct. 79. The other reasons were build quality and fit & finish. This was the first Yamaha that I ever owned and I have only owned Yamaha since. My dealer called me in the summer of 1980 and informed me of the updates which he installed before the next season with no cost to me. Having a good quality dealer that looks after thier customers is key to customer loyalty. This same dealer called me in the spring of 1983, offered me the use of a new Phazer for the day. I picked up the sled and my brother and proceeded to run it through some of the last snow we had and a lot of mud & dirt. I wasn’t impressed by the silver & black color of 1984 and was glad I waited for 1985 before buying two new deluxe models. I was very happy with these sleds and loved the flotation & wind protection of those sleds. I’m still riding Yamaha today and just love the 4 strokes. Don’t ever want to go back to 2 stroke. Hans
November 21st, 2010 at 8:55 pmHow about possibly publising a picture book of yamaha snowmobiles like Doo did? They show every model from each year since the very beginning.
November 22nd, 2010 at 10:12 amI bought my dad one for x-mas last year and it was great to see his eyes light up as he told me all about the sleds he grew up around!
I love that red 440SS i had one for a season when I was younger… but we got rid of it so I could get a black phazer 2 instead. Memories!
Thanks for keeping us informed Chris. I for one will be putting my ride reviews on my 2011 APex SE on yournextsled.com as requested as I am sure our feedback is important. I too had a lot of trouble handling my Warrior and changed next season to a shorty RX1 in red. Unfortunatly the first year of the mono had lots of issues and I traded for a 2006 Apex ER and never looked back. Like you I found the shorty much easier to turn. I am still a little concerned about the 128 incher but after hearing your comments on the XTX I’m sure it will be fine. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Thanks Frank… the EPS changes everything when it comes to making the sled feel nimble and effortless, no more wrestling through the corners… cheers cr
November 22nd, 2010 at 4:18 pmGreat shots of the 1980 SS440. A bunch of us used to ride these sleds up in Parry Sound before there were trails. Great times. Now where are those photo albums….
Let it snow.
Keep up the great job Chris!!
Cheers Mark
November 25th, 2010 at 9:06 pmHeres a thread over on the TY forum talking about what guys are paying for OEM parts for yamaha sleds from back in the day. http://www.totallyamaha.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86593&page=1 There must still be a stock pile of parts sitting in a warehouse in japan or the dealer network across the snowbelt.Yamaha could be sitting on a goldmine?
April 3rd, 2012 at 3:06 pm