Woke up to a few inches of fresh pow on the lawn this morning and understand there’s a bunch more at the cottage… hmmm maybe a short burst on the old PZ tomorrow.
Speaking of powder, Randy Swenson does a good job of keeping things in perspective. Check out this vid clip he posted from last weekends ride at Revelstoke. You gotta remember there is no base this time of year and the rocks are all too easy to find. Still this looks like a great way to start the season.
Wade sent me an update from the south 48. They have the Yamaha Snowmobiles Facebook page up and running. Sounds like they have some big plans in store for the site with lots of tech tips, giveaways, pictures, vid clips, links and more. This will be the best place to find the most up-to-date race reports from the hill climbs and cross country teams and if I know Wade, he’ll even try to get some industry inside info past the corporate watchdogs and onto your screen.
I received some pretty interesting comments and a couple of emails from some old friends after I posted the 20 Minute Workout last week. It’s good to know I am not alone in my desire for a comfortable sled that can get ‘er done with the best of them in the real world. If I wanted to beat the hell out of myself I’d go back to racing motocross. Tom nailed it when he said some are forgetting the essence of getting away from it all with friends and family on reliable vehicles that are simply fun to ride… and he’s from Wisconsin
Every year I say this so here it goes. The early season conditions combined with the exuberance spawned from dreaming of ‘the ride’ all summer can be a dangerous mix. Take it easy on your first outings. Let the groomers pack a base and know what your riding on. I hate reading about someone smoking a parked vehicle or running into a closed gate close to home and only half prepared. If you were paying attention to Randy in the video, this is the same guy who has several first ascents in the record books and he is riding about as slow as he could go without getting stuck… it’s called experience, it’s also called smart. Cheers cr
I just read this media release on the trail permit fee hike in Michigan: Michigan snowmobilers will face higher trail fees this season. The state has raised the price for a season permit to $45, from $35 last year. The fee will remain $45 through the 2015 snowmobile season. A state law signed in 2008 provided for the incremental increase in snowmobile trail fees, which support maintenance and grooming of the state’s snowmobile trail network. “We have strong relationships with our partners in the snowmobile community,” Jim Radabaugh, section manager for the DNR’s Recreation and Trails Program in the Forest Management Division, told the Niles Daily Star. “It is because of our partnership with 68 snowmobile trail sponsors that Michigan is able to offer over 6,400 miles of designated, groomed and signed trails.” The fee hike is to keep up with rising trail maintenance and preservation costs.
It reminds me of an ongoing conversation we have in product planning. ‘Where you ride is everything about how you ride (and what you ride). ‘ Our testing center is located in the backwoods of Wisconsin and when we have gotten hot and heavy about riding styles and needs, the Wisconsin boys are all about stiff suspension, small gas tanks, tall bars and no windshields.
Scratching deeper into the subject, it was made quite clear that these guys see riding as twenty minutes hard bursts followed by destination stops. When I think about the trail systems in the mid-west, it is hard to ride more than half an hour without hitting a town or resort. Then I think about Ontario and Quebec with a trail system collectively approaching 50,000 miles. Many a trail requires a full tank of gas just to make it to the next (and only) pit stop. And most rides are measured by the tank-full, not the ‘next place’.
Getting back to the permit hike in Michigan, I think about the states population and the relatively meager distance; 6,400 miles of trail to maintain, still 45 bucks is a bargain compared to the 200$ plus permits up here. With so many more machines on the mid-west trails, I can see them getting pretty whopped out and riders gravitating to shorter more intense rides than what I may enjoy in central Ontario. With the smoother, wider trails and longer distances between stops, suspension tends to get a little more plush, the fuel range becomes more important along with the wind protection and seated comfort.
We have a rather extensive menu of riding conditions to select from when designing a new sled. It is becoming increasingly difficult to come up with a one size fits all machine to master every trail. Thankfully a lot can be done with bolt-on engineering whether at a manufacturers level or by the end user. I think at the end of the day the vast majority of us get an ear to ear grin when we have first track behind the groomer and ‘own the trail’ for miles without seeing another machine. Compare that to the last hundred miles back to the truck on a Sunday afternoon, endless two foot craters and sleds bouncing all around you… I get what the boys mean when they say, in their world, snowmobile rides only last 20 minutes at a time. In my world I’d call that a ‘moto’ and then gladly pay my three digit permit fee to go riding, non stop between tanks.
I’ve been surprised by some of the reactions I have heard regarding the recent transfer of YMCA shares from our parent company in Japan to Yamaha USA. I have been asked if I still have a job and what it all means to the future of Yamaha Canada. The fact of the matter is the transfer is nothing much more than an accounting function. YMC Japan still owns both North American distributors and our president in Canada still reports to the acting president in the US and best of all, I still have a job! What the future holds is still anyone’s guess but really, that hasn’t changed neither.
I have contributed a lot to the airline profits this month attending meetings in Kennesaw Georgia, Minneapolis and California. The best news in all of this travel is they were all focused on snowmobiles. It has admittedly been pretty quiet on the development front as we had hunkered down to weather out the recession. But as I have said before, the snowmobile industry has held its own and it is exciting to see things starting to move again.
Now, on the topic of what is most important to all of us, getting the sled ready for the first big snowfall. I am prep’ing an Apex SE for the upcoming season and plan to install an Ice Ripper track along with a set of our new dual runner skis. I also plan to put a set on my old trailing arm Phazer to check fitment and function, I’ll get back to you on that one.
I wanted to share an interesting discovery. I purchased a project this past summer in the form of a 1998 9.9 2-stroke outboard for my kid to have ‘wheels’ on the lake. It was in pretty rough shape, having spent most her life in a northern fish camp. How many outboards have you seen with the tiller handle grip worn out? Anyway I figured I would rebuild it this winter but decided to toss it on the tin-boat and get the rest of the summer out of it as is.
We have been selling a product called Ring-Free for several years and it was developed to clean the combustion chamber and fuel system of our engines. I have never put much stock in additives ever since Granetelli introduced STP I have figured them all to be ‘snake-oil’. Mechanic-in-a-can… I don’t think so.
Long story short, on a tip I ran about 10 liters of fuel treated with Ring-Free through the engine before dry-dock. It was still running poorly but I discovered an airleak at the crank-case split. I tore it down this weekend and was shocked to discover the cylinder head and pistons were clean as a whistle. I mean brand new spankin’ clean! I walked the head around the office this morning, told my tale and watched the reaction of the guys. Like me, most could not believe the motor had hundreds of hours on it. The stuff works!
Just a quick update to Fridays post on the new skis and sliders. Robert sent me up a copy of the hand-out flyer from Haydays. It contains a lot more detail than my first report. Note the pricing is in US dollars and we will be within 10.00 bucks Canadian, which is good news.
I am hitting the road tomorrow for a week and half as we are hosting a series of 4 regional dealer meetings. I am able to make three of the four and am looking forward to visiting Quebec City and Halifax along with a couple of days at Deerhurst Resort in central Ontario. I’ll update on my return. Cheers cr
The air has turned chill around here dang quick this week and along with the cool breeze I’m getting hit with lots of cool sled stuff. The Sno Barons ‘Hay Days’ kicks off the season in the mid-west for many riders and Yamaha is always there with bells on. It appears they have resolved the parking / access issues from last year but we’ll soon find out as the event date is this weekend. Yamaha will have some new stuff on display at Hay Days and I figure the news will spread quickly next week and there should be no harm in giving you the holeshot. There are a couple of items, I think are really cool and plan to bolt onto my own sled as quick as I can get my hands on them.
One of them comes in the form of a new plastic ski which we have named the ‘Tuner’. It features dual keels and a selection of 4 different carbides that can be mixed and matched to dial in the ‘ handling character’ to suit the rider and suspension set-up. Jon had the chance to test the design and was blown away with the results. Darting can be all but eliminated, ski lift and under-steer can be balanced to preference and steering effort can be dialed to suit your tolerance. As a bonus, the ski is about a pound lighter than our current offering and can be retrofitted easily to most models. When looking at all the other skis on the market, the Tuner appears right on the mark and if the projected price holds true, it will have a distinct advantage at check-out.
There has been a lot of on-line conversation regarding maintenance kits for our front end bushings. We have sourced a supplier to produce ‘Oillite’ bushings to replace the stock plastic when the time comes. They differ from most current aftermarket offerings as they are made using a forging process which ensures uniform tolerances and consistent high quality. On that subject, the properties of Oillite (copper/iron alloy impregnated with self lubricating oil) allows for much tighter tolerances than the OE plastic parts. The end result is a much tighter feeling system that will significantly outlast the parts they replace.
There is one more item that is of big significance. I alluded in my last post to ‘one of snowmobiling’s biggest PITA’s’. Well to be more specific, hy-fax wear has to be one of the most common issues of debate amongst trail riders. The UHMW slider has remained virtually unchanged since it’s introduction over 4 decades ago. That is until now.
Yamaha has teamed up with Dupont to develop a new runner for extreme condition riders. It features bars of ‘Vespel’ material which are embedded into the UHMW runner in a unique compression molding process, at specific angles to keep the Vespel in contact with the clips. The end result yeilds much greater durabilty and less friction (read improved top-speed and mileage) under marginal snow conditions.
I have seen some testing data and heard the detailed explanation of this new product and it is so good that I am reluctant to make any concrete claims here until I try it myself. The stuff won’t be cheap but if it delivers as claimed….wow.
I won’t go into all the finer details of these new accessories here as there will be official bulletins issued next week that will answer most questions including pricing and availability but I will say I am extremely impressed with each of these new products based on my limited exposure and add my own disclaimer. ‘Specifiactions subject to change without notice… don’t shoot the piano player’
I logged on this morning and was hit between the eyes with a couple of excellent questions, which when I began to answer, occurred to me I could base a whole post on my thoughts. So without further adieu…
I currently have 6 Yamaha snowmobiles and have just ordered 2-2012 Nytro XTX’s. I like these sleds but the reverse engagement lever is very hard to use. I have tried various ways of using it, including using a strap to pull on it but nothing makes it work any better including adjustment or a dealer working on it. My non Yamaha buddies get a real charge out this. Also Artic Cat, Bombardier, and Polaris have a factory turbo, but nothing from the leading 4 stroke manufacturer, this seems puzzling to me. Having owned at least 35-40 snowmobiles, 90 % Yamaha and 90% of those bought new I would appreciate and answer to these questions. Repectfully yours, Murray, Sask. Canada
Hey Murray, regarding the reverse gear system on the Nytro; it follows suit with every reverse gear Yamaha has designed to date. In a nutshell, it is ‘quirky’, which is odd when you consider the number of gear systems and transmissions to come out of our engineering group. I find it works best if you are left handed, reach across the saddle while looking over your right shoulder and sticking your tongue out of the opposite side of your mouth, simultaneously blipping the throttle. It also helps if Venus and Pluto are aligned… seriously, there is a bit of a ‘knack’ to it, sometimes the gears don’t mesh just right and a small amount of throttle to move the jack-shaft a bit helps, also having the idle speed set correctly as well as the clutch C2C and OE drive belt will keep the gears from being pre-loaded. If everything is set right it comes down to the angles and order of force exerted upon the reverse mechanism. Occasionally it works like a charm, effortless, then the next time I’m in need of some reverse thrust it can be a real struggle. I will pass along your comments to our engineers (it is not the first time they will have heard this one). And a word of caution, don’t be forcing it too much or you may find yourself clutching a broken handle, it’s all about the ‘angle of the dangle’ so to speak.
On the subject of turbos, we have been pushing this one for a while now (pardon the pun), especially for the mountain application where altitude effects horsepower. There is an argument to the point that a low boost turbo can compensate for the loss of power at elevation without stressing the engine beyond its design parameters. Our engineers work to very exacting standards much of which has come about from years of motorcycle design. They will not sacrifice the durability / reliability of the engines to achieve more power with a ‘bolt on’ device. That said, the testing standards we have to meet appear to be quite a bit beyond that of what the real world requires… catch 22.
There is also inherent pride in knowing our current engines, normally aspirated, are very close to the power output of our competitions boosted engines. Historically, Yamaha has dabbled with boost, most recently in the marine side of things, but we tend to shy away from using turbos or superchargers in favor of building state of the art engine technology taken from pages of MotoGP racing development and auto partnerships.
The current market trends and acceptance of boosting smaller engines in autos and the adoption of the technology into more baseline motorsports has got to have an impact on our planning somewhere down the road. The simple fact that we have many engines operating under high boost pressure for several seasons in the mountains tells me our motors can ‘handle it’ and supports my theory that the ‘bench test’ for our sled engines most likely leaves a significant margin of error when it comes to squeezing some more juice for the real world.
To counter the additional cost of boost, the base engines (like those you refer to from our competition) do not have to be as costly to produce, with lower hp/liter output when normally aspirated. This, along with our ‘rule-book’ of engineering standards would most likely conclude, we would have to design a new engine from the a clean sheet of paper to offer factory boost.
I am not saying such a project is under way, in fact I can say, to my knowledge it is not. But one thing is for certain things are changing at Yamaha. Much of this change is a result of the recession and its impact on our business model. Efficiencies, global demands, parts suppliers, exchange rates and not the least, the internet are all having a profound impact on our future. It’s a mighty big ship to turn but I sense some big changes looking over the bow at the shifting horizon.
If you read my ramblings regularly you may recall an article I posted from ISMA regarding the health benefits of snowmobiling. It only makes sense that getting outside and muscling a sled around for a few hours is a heck of a lot better for the body than sitting in front of the tube with a bowl of chips and a barley pop. Well I thought I would apply a little science to the equation with something I have never seen done before on a snowmobiler.
I made a promise to myself last fall to get back into shape for mountain bike racing (old farts class) . To make sure I stayed with it and maximize my results, I hired a training coach with a six month commitment to start. Paul uses a fairly hi-tech approach to the prescribed work-outs and cross training utilizing computer software and different measuring devices including heart rate and GPS. I have established, amongst other things, my maximum heart-rate, my lactate balance point and MAF (max aerobic function), giving me a very good baseline reference of my general fitness. Given most of my exercises are performed at a percentage of maximum heart rate, I decided to strap on my monitor and go for a snowmobile ride to see what kind of work out I was really getting.
I ran for a three hour session around the Huntsville / Bracebridge area over a wide selection of terrain, some tight twisty bush trails, some cooking groomed stuff, a few sections of nasty road scratching and a smoking run on Lake of Bays after a lunch stop at the new Bush Company in Dwight (which I would highly recommend if you are in the area). My heart rate never broke a hundred the whole ride. To put this in perspective a good fat burning range for me in an endurance zone is 70-75% max or 122-125 BPM. At that level I am not breathing very hard (can carry on a conversation easily) and provided I eat and drink, can go on like the Eveready Bunny. Tempo or near lactate threshold for me is 80-83% max anything over that it is only a matter of time before I blow (generally under a couple of hours).
I figure snowmobile trail riding (at least on an EPS equipped Yamaha) calls for an output around 60% of maximum at best. I will burn a few calories at that level but certainly not enough to justify a bacon cheese-burger and side of fries. Nobody is going to get skinny riding a sled. I get about the same heart rate going to get the mail. On the plus side there is definitely some anaerobic benefits in strength and exertion but with the EPS sled most of that is gained from standing up in the bumps and to peer around corners and over hills. Funny thing, one of the highest reading I got was when I reached the end of the staked trail on Lake of Bays, I had held the sled WFO for a few minutes and recall running into a bunch of junk, overflow and slush as I was coming off the gas, heart-rate spiked due to adrenaline…
So there you have it. Snowmobiling offers many great health benefits: stress management, fresh air some muscular exertion and some excitement. Cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance cannot be ranked highly amongst them, for that you’ll need to ride a much older sled or take up snowcross. Disappointed? I didn’t think so.
A couple of weeks ago I got a call from an old acquaintance.
“I’m going to take a shot at the Guinness world record for the most miles in 24 hours on a snowmobile. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be riding a Yamaha Nytro“
That’s where it started. Matthew Weidinger is a friend of a friend who I had met a couple times in the past and had picked up a good vibe from him. After a couple more phone calls, and a chat with Peter (my boss) about what I was potentially getting myself into, I made the decision to offer Matt the ‘TY mystery sled’ to ride. Yep, the same 2011 red Apex EPS which was broken in by Supertrax and ridden by the first group of Sled Talkers back in early January.
Bracebridge Yamaha volunteered to prep the sled with some fresh carbides, studs and a set of low snow wheels. Dan at BBY also freshened up the chain-case oil, checked out all the fasteners and fluids then installed a pair of TRIC scratchers that we are currently testing for durability. The only mod was the addition of a second throttle lever for his left hand in case of cramping.
I loaded up my sled Wednesday morning and headed up to Big Win Island on Lake of Bays where I was met by Matt and his support crew. A local survey company had laid out an exacting 10.3 km oval course around the island. It was well staked with lots of reflectors. A start finish banner was erected in the middle of the front straight with a heated timing booth, generator and large construction light off to the side. The 2011 Apex was there, adorned with graphics depicting the different sponsors and Matthew in his new Klim suit (thanks Sue!) was calmly preparing for the longest ride of his life.
At precisely 3:00PM on Wednesday Matt fired up his sled and off he went. I hung out with the guys as he continued to lap in just under 5:00 minutes, until the fuel light came on. He slid to a stop and Stephen dumped in about 28 liters of gas and he was gone. I jumped on my Apex and started following him around lap 15, to discover he was really flying. I was pinning my Yamacharged sled and was not gaining on him. I was hitting over 160 down the snow drifted straights and cornering no lower than 140. The track was snowy enough not to afford consistent traction and it required a lot of attention. Scary pace… Matt was truly in for a grueling ride.
Fast forward about six hours, it’s dark, it’s cold and starting to snow Matt is still cranking sub 5 minute laps and taking on fuel every 13-14 rounds, the sled is running great. Johnny is serving us warm, oozing pitas on the ice, while the boys continue to log and video the run for the Guinness adjudicators. After another couple of hours I eyeballed the sled (again) during a pit stop, everything looks good, I decide to leave the team and go get some zzz’s. Fast forward another seven hours, daybreak, my cell phone didn’t ring last night, jump in the truck, fingers crossed. I arrive at the lake just as Matt is taking his first break, some dry fish, ibuprofen and energy drink. He has been running strong all night and his lap times are coming steadily down. He’s running under 4 minutes 30 seconds now. He’s a machine!
I visually checked the sled again, this time there’s a problem. The outside ski has only one stud left on the carbide and the inside isn’t much better with only two of the four studs left. The next pit stop we changed the carbides in record time, track was a bit loose but the studs weren’t contacting anything and the new Apex has extroverts… away he went, and cranked his fasted lap yet @ 17 hours into the ride. Fast forward to 10:35, the current world record of 2372km set by Dustin Shoemaker of Illinois on an Attak was about to fall, Matt slid under the banner with four and a half hours left to widen the gap. Apparently, Shoemaker was spent/exhausted after his run and could barely lift his arms. Matt got off and looked fresh as a daisy. He took a short break and I pulled the body panels for the first time, adjusted the chain case, checked the oil and coolant and threw on a fresh belt, just because… off he went and cranked a 4:15, he was still going faster! Jump forward to 3:00PM.
Amidst family friends and local media, Matt’s solitary challenge came to an end. He not only broke the world record he annihilated it. He finished up approaching 3000km 24 hours. -Think about that for a moment.- He was averaging around 80+mph the whole time. The 2011 Apex required no maintenance or repairs outside of what I have mentioned. Matt gave kudos to the power steering, engine durability and suspension. Hugs, handshakes and a couple of tears. I am sincerely honored to have been a part of this.
What a great accomplishment for Matt and testimony to the QDR of our newest snowmobile. 23 hours wide open and not a single issue to be addressed aside from ripping the carbides off in the corners. Congratulations Matthew and congrats to our engineers, Nakano-san you built us one heck of a sled!
cheers cr
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Thinking it might be time to wrap the ‘Snake Eyes’ saga. I jumped in my tin-boat after our regular Sunday rainstorm to bail it out . Third scoop of the bucket and a young water snake slithered out from under the fuel tank platform aggressively swimming directly at my writing hand, had to use a paddle to evict her… perhaps she was delivering a message .
And so it was, the SX Viper became a highly refined variation of the SXr. The new engine proved to be extremely efficient and bullet proof. I’m not so sure the FAI (ram-air) feature was near the benefit we had hoped, although Saito still swears it makes a difference of three to four horsepower at top speed. I remember how much attention was spent on the air management and layout, one example of the level of detail that goes into a Yamaha can be seen in this sound hologram analysis: 0MC0717.
The engine was sneaky fast, not as hard hitting as the big twin 800′s but far smoother and more linear in it’s delivery. Although the horsepower numbers didn’t peak that high on the dyno, the torque was very ‘usable’ and ‘tractable’, it ‘got ‘er done.’ More importanly (at least to Yamaha), very few ever ended up on the wrong end of the tow rope and we also set the bar for low fuel and oil consumption. I found this report on the competition which I wrote after ridng all thenew stuff at the Snowshoot in Yellowstone, I think it was: Snow Shoot 02
The Viper’s marketing had to be tweaked somewhat due to all the changes in the original plan. Several ‘creative briefs’ occurred. I found this marketing strategy document from the ad agency working on the Viper account. It is based on their market understanding after meeting and discussing with our people. Note the names have been changed to protect the innocent :2002SXViperBlueStrategy . I can’t duck the bullet when it comes to marketing hype, I also found this letter I wrote, which was part of a direct mail campaign to Canadian owners of SXr’s and SRX following the release of the new Viper. Hey I only had to swallow hard once! Snake Bit
The first season we had a lot of feedback regarding the ride comfort of the SX Viper. Most were pointed at the shocks and skid frame set-up while some questioned the seat firmness. This eventually led to some countermeasure specs and I remember taking off for a few days with my riding partner Mike Collins andSteve Brand from TekRiderto do some real world testing and evaluations. Steve volunteered to do the trucking and we headed north after picking up the Supertrax Viper press sled which Mark and Kent had been struggling to dial in. I still remember the Supertrax article recommending everyone remove all pre-load from all four shocks as the ‘hot set-up’ for trail riding, it was that sled I wanted to try. We also had a base line stocker and one with the latest countermeasure spec from factory. Steve wanted to have us test some of his latest TekVest products and he had acquired a set of the then ‘new’ Precision skis from Skidoo. Here’s my report from the archives. It dosen’t include the part where after breaking trail for many miles we all ran out of fuel. If it had not been for an abandoned Cat with a very tight engine and full tank of gas we’d of been in some serious doo-doo. Steve did the honors of sucking on the siphon hose and remarked how much better the premium fuel in the kitty tasted compared to the regular gype he had just sucked from Mikes sled to stay in the game. The way I saw it is; we made the Cat much lighter for the tow out, no worries, you are welcome…
Made me smile to review after this many years. I’ll let you read between the lines. After the report was written several of the items I referred to were addressed in different ways, including at least one lawsuit for Skidoo (we have been and still are, struggling to find a good ski / skag design that is not patent protected): reportSXV02
The second year Viper’s had most of the wrinkles removed with improved suspension settings. We also came up with a controversial shock update kit for owners who found their 02′s too stiff. The rear heat exchanger was also addressed (originally left off to save weight and cost based on testing that indicated we could live without one). And then there was the ViperScomplete with adjustable Ohlins front shocks and the Ripsaw track / deep keel ski cloned from the RX-1… what a difference, what a great sled! (not unlike the Exciter SX scenario), get it right and discontinue… d’oh!
So there you have it. What started out as a clean sheet of paper became a nicely evolved snowmobile based on many existing parts and refinements. It is my perception of this which led to my post entitled: ‘The Last 2-Smoke’ which talked about the SRX being the final new 2-stroke developed by Yamaha before going full-on 4-stroke. It’s debatable whether the Viper is truly the last 2-stroke that Yamaha developed, just depends how you look at it. Matter of fact I understand that the Bravo is getting a clutch update next year, maybe that should qualify
I hope you enjoyed this little series. If Saito comes up with any more details or images I’ll do an update down the road. Until then I must get back to finishing up my cottage and fending off snakes.
Rod made an interesting comment on my last post ’50 Extra Pounds of What’, specifically regarding the point on weight and quality (QDR). I did discuss some of this in an older post, ‘You Can Only Have Two’ but Rod puts an intriguing spin on it:
“I think Yamaha should do an about face and make a big deal on weight…. Yamaha won’t compromise, if I may, QDR to save weight. You can’t have one without the other and keep your costs competitive with the competition because expensive exotic materials would have to be used. No one in the business doubts Yamaha’s quality, durability and reliability not to mention fit and finish. I think its time Yamaha starts using the weight issue to their advantage and advertise their sleds are heavier because they wont sacrifice quality, durability and reliability to save on weight.”
It would be an interesting exercise but I think the message may fall on a lot of deaf ears. Unless you actually spend some time getting really intimate with the mechanical aspects of a Yamaha and have a certain level of experience and understanding. Much of the engineering and build quality will go unappreciated. Marketing 101 still maintains we (consumers), purchase on emotion more-so than logic, consequently savvy marketers push the sizzle not the steak. I won’t point any fingers because we are all guilty. But I recently spotted an interesting article from www. trendwatching which struck me with the possibility things might be changing.
The annual Old Forge Shootout and Snodeo is going down this weekend which always makes for some internet chatter. I am curious to see how the only sleds with ‘electric start’ do when they pull them out of the box and bolt the boards on. I always wince when they take these brand new machines with nary a minute of break-in time and run WOT for the radar gun. The 4-strokes especially, as the break-in time makes such a big difference in top speed and power. Should be some numbers out shortly…
We lost a good guy from our planning team this week. Jake Komatsu has been heading up our product planning on the factory side for the better part of two years. He’s a young guy with lots of passion and enthusiasm who loves snowmobiles. His wife has incurred some serious health problems and needs to move back to her home town which is a long way from Iwata. Jake has resigned to be with her… you will be missed Jake-san.
In closing, I received an official OFSC communication today stating some of the Ontario trail system is signed, groomed and officially open for riding this weekend. Please check their web-site for details and wherever you live, don’t poach trails or ride where you’ll give us all a black eye… cheers cr
Every year I say this so here it goes. The early season conditions combined with the exuberance spawned from dreaming of ‘the ride’ all summer can be a dangerous mix. Take it easy on your first outings. Let the groomers pack a base and know what your riding on. I hate reading about someone smoking a parked vehicle or running into a closed gate close to home and only half prepared. If you were paying attention to Randy in the video, this is the same guy who has several first ascents in the record books and he is riding about as slow as he could go without getting stuck… it’s called experience, it’s also called smart. Cheers cr
