March 13, 2012
Tough Love
Back in the office today after spending last week at our US based R&D facility but before I get into that, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you who posted comments on our 2013 model introduction. As this weeks post title suggests, much of what was written came to me as ‘tough love’. A few commented that the feedback was pretty harsh but I don’t see it that way. At least not when I know the author is sincere in their wishes for new and improved products from a brand they appreciate.
I went as far as copying the comments into a document for distribution to our development team and took a few minutes to read a couple of my favorites during our meetings last week. I can honestly say there is no one on our team who doesn’t ‘get it’. We know what we need to do and we are focusing hard on our future.
Back to our meetings, we had a couple of back to back 15 hour days with lots of riding to break things up. The snow in northern Wisconsin was quite soft and melting on day one but it was the remains of a recent storm and quite plentiful. That night the temps plummeted and we were treated to totally different conditions on day two. The cool part of back to back sessions on test vehicles in changing conditions is seeing how the ride character adapts. How the traction affected different tracks, skis and suspension combinations. How something that was abstract and unclear one day can be so noticeable and clear to all the next. I tell you anyone who tells me they have the perfect set-up on their sled is full of it as I don’t think there will ever be such a thing. There is always compromise with so many variable conditions.
That said I am thinking my Apex set-up this year is perfect. lol. Now what were we riding you ask. Well we had a lot of sleds to compare, some fairly basic, production units with different settings and bolt-on parts and some other project more radical, still production based but heavily modified to demonstrate different things re: lighter weight, more horsepower, different footprints, can’t go into detail but there was lots to talk about. And now don’t be jumping to conclusions as not all of what we rode is intended for production. We use the knowledge to help prioritize our direction. We also ride our competitors machines and keep production units in the mix for baselines. Was I smiling at the end of the day? Heck yes, if for nothing else, it was a blast to rip around on so many unique snowmobiles, somedays I hate my job, just not last week.
Cheers cr
Chris,
March 13th, 2012 at 4:44 pmGood to hear you had a good week last week. It sounds like you had some long days, but enjoyable one’s. For are sake’s lets hope them smile’s you were having weren’t just because of all the fun you were having riding around on all that different iron but also the future of Yamaha finally getting over the hump.
Finally snow in Northern Wisconsin!It looked like good ole fashion winter time!Hard to count the number of sleds from the Illinois line headed north a week ago last Thursday. And yes, many, many of them were Yamaha.Hope you enjoyed your time in the North Woods.
March 14th, 2012 at 6:41 amChris,
March 14th, 2012 at 3:22 pmNow that it sounds as if You got a grip on the situation regarding years to come and what the customer expect. A suggestion is that copy the car industry and do some concept sleds just to show what we can expect in the future. I don’t know if that is possible but it would be great to know that there is something in the pipe for coming years. It may also serve as a market survey possibility just make sure that the right consumer checks the prototypes out. In other word, talk to mountain riders regarding mount sleds etc, but I think You already got that figured out….
love the picture,looks like you guys had a blast,setting up a snowmobile to your liking can take time,but people who think that only yamaha sleds need tweaking,they are wrong,i ride with cats,doo’s and poo’s and they all need attention,my uncle must off taken is skis off 5 times this season,trying to get rid of darting,and he’s on a green sled,looks like the season is done all over the province,we had a short,but great season,in all,i had 10 weeks of riding,managed 4000 km and i havent ridden since end of february cuz of a dbl hernia surgery so it pretty decent,my sled are in top shape,44000 km combine,i was wondering,does yamaha take into account that reliability means less people trading in thus resulting in less sales,dont get me wrong,i dont want yamaha to start making sleds that dont hold up,i was just curious
chow for now
pat
Nope, no planned obsolescence.. our dealers often remind us of the loss of service work with the advent of the Yamaha 4-stroke. I you heal up well this spring so you can work at getting some more miles on those sleds
March 14th, 2012 at 5:29 pmHow come all your other posts hve pictures but not this one??????
There is a picture there, not sure why you can’t see it. Maybe got left out of the e-mail service.. It is there on the web-site. Shot of our global sled development team
March 14th, 2012 at 7:21 pmI am so happy to hear about the 120!!!! But i have also recently heard that you will be limiting the amount sold. According to my dealer, he is only allowed two! Not so happy anymore! Please fill me in on the 120′s please, because i have been waiting a long time for them.
your dealer is quite right, production is limited but according to our forecast (based on industry data) we should be pretty good. The problem is they come two per crate so some dealers that only want one will get two. We are trying to get a small increase in production, but if you really want one I’d suggest you slip your dealer a deposit.. cheers cr
March 15th, 2012 at 3:38 pmSnow can be the most unpredictable surface to run any kind of machine on(its always changing)so your never in phase with the surface,just chasing it.Its the reason why snowmobiles have a high amount of adjustment in the suspensions,fine tune here,a alot there(must be a headache for the test riders when mother nature throws a monkey wrench).Was there ever a prototype sled in the past(pre-2001) that you rode that really impressed you but never saw the showroom floor?
there have been many protos and concepts that have impressed for different reasons, many of which never came to be but all had some influence on getting us to where we are (if that makes sense lol) cheers cr
March 15th, 2012 at 5:15 pmHi there CR!
After reading all the comments on the ´13 sleds, I kinda felt bit sorry for you. Some “ear candy” for sure like we say it here.
Winter here in scandinavia has been good. Still about 5 weeks of riding time left. Too bad I sold my ´07 Warrior few weeks back. Fuel prices + lack of time + home renovations were the cause. I´d rather spent time with the kids than go riding alone. I still have my ´96 Vmax-4 though, like the + ´92 snowcross project one too.
Anyways, Yamaha owners here were bit down too like some of the US and Canada guys. Some were expecting lighter and better handling versions of the Nytro (Nypex). Here, with all the ungroomed trails, Nytro´s and especialy Apex´s don´t really seem to be the number one choice. Still, we get the supercharged aftermarket options for both sleds here trough yamaha dealers. Nice power (180 and 240), but pricy.
Longer tracks and good suspensions for doondocking are really popular here now. Something that Yamaha does not do that well IMO. XTX Apex is not really for doondocking, it´s more of an comfy super cruiser. All the magazines / snowmobilers say that the 4-cylinder motor is great, but the chassis around it outdated and heavy. Any info about a updated / new version of the Apex coming out in the future?. I hope you keep the mighty 4 still as an engine though. It spanks the turbo Cat´s in it´s stockform now.
XTX Nytro, well it´s too nose heavy and needs a fit rider to toss it around in the softer snow. And it has somewhat of an bad rep here for the handling department from the past.. MTX´s are too “mountain” specific for that use. Nytro could use a good “facelift” too. Any news on that?
120 SRX, finally but I was hoping for a 125 sno-sport. Those are still the best beginners sleds ever made.
CR, I hope bright spring days and some good news from Yamaha for as all. This was just a “rant” from other side of the Atlantic, from a really small part of the sledmarket..
Ike
Hey Ike, thanks so much for your comments… keeping it real in Scandinavia
I can’t answer your questions but I will say everything you have mentioned has been under our microscope.. thanks again cheers cr
March 16th, 2012 at 3:11 amYou should have had some “regular” people there….like me. I can’t help you in the “Ricky Racer” or “Mountain Mike” limited sales segments, but I could put my 60K+ miles of trail cruising experience (on 3 different brands) to work on the ultimate 1-up trail cruizer.
Hey TC, what do ya mean ‘regular people’ lol, I’m consider myself regular
appreciate the offer though -smiling- cheers cr
March 16th, 2012 at 7:37 am“there have been many protos and concepts that have impressed for different reasons, many of which never came to be but all had some influence on getting us to where we are (if that makes sense lol) cheers cr”
It doesn’t, but maybe some pictures would help
LOL Thinking about writing a book when I retire… the stories I could tell (with pictures) -grinning- cheers cr
March 16th, 2012 at 10:16 amChris,
March 19th, 2012 at 2:18 pmFelt sorry for the Yammy reps at Lake Geneva Wisconsin this past weekend. By the sounds of it they were taking a pretty good beating from the Yammy faithfull on the 2013′s release. Heck they didn’t even have 2013 brochure’s available at the start, reason being not done with the printing yet. WHAT?!! In my opinion they had to be changed because of last minute changes, but then again that is my opinion. Have a good summer!!
Chris,
March 20th, 2012 at 10:16 pmDitto on disappointment of 2013 sleds. May purchase a
2010 XTX to keep me happy til something breaks in the lineup. Is it true that Yamaha doesn’t even sell sleds in Japan anymore? Guess who told me that…hmmm….
Happy Spring!
Do you have any thoughts or comments on Yamaha’s performance in the USCC this season? I love it when fourstrokes win….
March 22nd, 2012 at 4:04 pmHey Chris just a thought but if you could extend the Supercharger/Turbo Charger offer for the Nytro MTX to include the Nytro XTX 1.75 Crossover, you could own that market. How cool would that be to have that much versatility to be able to head to the mountains with no changes plus 180 Horses. It ain’t to late to make it happen, You’d be the talk of the industry !
March 22nd, 2012 at 8:25 pmChris, Looks like you had lots of fun and I hope that you talked alot about the future products that we will be seeing! I am looking forward to seeing what Yamaha has in mind for the future of snowmobiling! I have a quick story that I think you will enjoy. Today I went for a ride with my Dad near Yellowstone park in eastern Idaho. The temp. was about 40*F and the snow was not the best. As we headed up to higher elevation the snow got deaper and heavier. At about 25-30 miles from the truck my Dad’s ’99 Mountain Max 700 threw a rod. We hadn’t seen anyone all day, had no phone service, and no tow strap(I know). So I headed back to the truck, got a strap, some more fuel and headed back. Now for the good part! We hooked up the strap and I pulled my Dad and his sled all the way back to the truck! The snow was wet and heavy(I had what seamed like 200lbs. of snow on my machine), we had some hills to climb, and the temp. was quite warm! Not to mention all this times 2 machines and riders! My Nytro MTX didn’t miss a beat! Never got hot, never made any unusual noises, and I still got 8 miles to the gallon! When I got home I checked the clutches and belt and they looked just like new, even the belt! Now whenever someone tells me that my machine is a heavy tank, I take that as a compliment! I would like to see any 2 stroke do what my Yamaha Nytro did today!!! I am a Yamaha rider for life! Thanks for making the BEST most RELIABLE snowmobiles on the market!!! Brady
Hey Brady, Thanks for sharing that story… the only thing that could have made it better was if the machine on the other end of the rope was yellow lol … cheers cr
March 24th, 2012 at 12:12 amWhat does a blue sledder do? I own an 06 Apex(sold the 04RX-1) and an 09 XTX Nytro and they are great sleds with 10,000 and 15,000 kms respectively. I have wanted to replace the XTX for the last two years but no changes to the Nytro. To the credit of the engine, the sled is bullet proof and it pulls stronger now than when new. Trackers fixed the darting and new bearings and dupont sliders keep it running. When I read your previous post about the new front end on the Nytro and going 10mph faster in the bumps and turns I was ready to spring for a new sled. It seems the 2013 Nytro does not have the new front end but instead new skis and 10 lbs less. The Cdn website says new HPG aluminum front shocks in red print and when you look at the photo the shocks may be new but do not have the remote reservoir. The features section says Aluminum piggy back resevoir shocks so which is it? Anyway, with no new product, Yamaha creates a sales problem because with a few hundred invested into bearings,oil, and clutch parts, the 09 keeps going for another year. Like Brady says in his post, thanks for making the most reliable sleds on the market. The Yamaha engineers are winning and the salesmen losing.One other question. Can you order a complete primary clutch assembly rather than rebuilding? Thanks.
Jerry
Hey Jerry, checked with service re: clutch bits. Short answer, we do not sell complete clutch assemblies as they are calibrated for each application but have many common parts.. We sell a ‘major’ tune up kit which supplies caps spider etc. A ‘minor’ tune up kit which covers rollers bushings etc. and then you need to purchase the tuning parts (weights spring rivets) as required. We have just performed a major price alignment and you would be well advised to have your dealer check on the new pricing as most high end (over 10 dollar) parts have been reduced… cheers cr
March 26th, 2012 at 5:34 pmStill wondering if its true about no Y sleds in Japan- any reason?
Not sure what you mean Viper, There are Yamaha sleds sold in Japan and we still manufacture all our sleds there (except one). Hokaido had an awesome winter this year and they will be riding well into April.
March 28th, 2012 at 10:31 pmThanks for note, a salesperson from one of the top dealers
In Maine told me no sales anymore in Japan. Bad info
eh?
Would be news to me but I’ll check it out and confirm, could be that we no longer maintain #1 market share there. I’ll be in Japan half of April.. cheers cr
March 29th, 2012 at 10:58 pm