2021 Release?

[JMS@Yamaha]

I'll work through some comments here...

Well they actually have more 2 strokes, which is answering the customer demands. On top
Of a mountain sled.

problem is it’s Cat motors. I make this assumption by the fact the specs say “Team” clutching.

Crazy one of the best motor builders has to borrow motors from Cat.

strong showing of new models, despite not being purebred Yamaha.

I say an improvement over recent years.

We talked about scale-ability in the VLOG from Japan. As a company Yamaha works towards building engines that cross over many product segments. The 998 in the sidewinder shares components with products in our Side by Side business, Watercraft business and Motorcycle business. Taking the large investment to develop an engine and spreading it across multiple product segments makes the business numbers work.

When it comes to snowmobiles we are presented a very unique product group. If you look across all of our other product offerings each of those engines have shifted to primarily 4-stroke including competition motorcycles. We are happy with the success of the Sidewinder and SRViper in trail and crossover segments, however the Sidewinder MTX was not competitive in the mountain side of the industry. With customers putting a strong emphasis on a 2-stroke mill for the mountains.

Working with our supply agreement partners we felt bringing a relevant, innovative vehicle such as the MM8 with Single Beam suspension to the market with a lightweight 2-stroke power-plant helps to support our western dealers as well as bring a 2-stroke to the market in a very short time.

C'mon guys....after reading everyone's reactions, all I could think of was former VP Spiro Agnew's "nattering nabobs of negativism" quote. Give Yamaha a break and look on the bright side. 1. The Yamaha line-up "expanded" over last year, so there is still hope for the future. 2. Most of us were already convinced that the only new sled would be a re-badged Blast, which we did get, but we also got a re-badged Alpha One. The Alpha One may be the best mountain sled in the business; granted it is a Cat 2-stroke, but the mountain guys were crying for a 2-stroke mountain sled in blue, and they got it. That was an unexpected bonus. 3. It may only be BNG on some of the models, but I see a lot of blue, and they look sharp. 4. Yamaha is still making the best 4-stroke sleds in the business, and they are back for another year.

Is the Cat Pro Cross chassis perfect? No, but I don't know of any other manufacturer's chassis that is "perfect." All I know is that I now have just shy of 5,000 miles on my 2019 Sidewinder, and every one of those miles has brought a smile to my face. I have never had a sled that handled as well, rode as comfortably, or got me where I was going as fast as the Sidewinder. I just rode my Sidewinder another 490+ miles on Saturday-Sunday, and at 69 years of age, I am tired from the trip, but not from the ride.

Yamaha may not be delivering what you personally want in a sled, but the fact is that they are delivering amazing sleds that still make riding fun. I for one, am still proud to wear my Yamaha jacket on the trails.

Great Post.

We are actively working on future projects with AC, when a project such as the SXvenom/Blast makes its way to the market this project has been many years in the making with engineers from both sides. We worked through many different engine options, chassis options, clutches, and inevitably came to market with a vehicle that we feel delivers on each of our design targets. We are also working to be as fluid as we can with shifting market requests, Mountain Max is a prime example of that. As we phased out the Sidewinder M-TX, we worked towards bringing a 2-stroke to the market that our consumers were asking for. The innovation of the single beam rear suspension combined with the lightweight of a 2-stroke we feel makes a very capable snowmobile to fit that market need. The bulk of our business remains on the trail side however this year our expansion into mountain segment, a cost effective 2-stroke 7/8th side SMB and expansion of our utility line helps to broaden our product offering.

 

[bleedyamaha]

Well I am happy. I get to keep my 2017 Winder and not worry about scratching it climbing around in the trees and my pocket book thanks me also. Hell we still have the fastest sleds on the market 5 years running.

 

[journeyman]

This one is making the rounds..........

 

[bleedyamaha]

Hmmm repeat sorry

 

[mikextx]

"Working with our supply agreement partners we felt bringing a relevant, innovative vehicle such as the MM8 with Single Beam suspension to the market with a lightweight 2-stroke power-plant helps to support our western dealers as well as bring a 2-stroke to the market in a very short time."............YOU (YAMAHA) didnt bring any of that stuff to the market, ARCTIC CAT did. And YOU (YAMAHA) stuck your stickers on it. FALSE ADVERTISING, Again. BRP and Polaris appreciate it

 

[sideshowBob]

I for one am not so disappointed. For starters Yamaha has not rendered my 2019 XT-X obsolete with a new mind blowing model, they have expanded their model line up, they have a 2 stroke model for those that want one, their 2021 BNGs are better then 2020[IMO], there should be Sidewinder parts that fit my sled available for a long time, and finally I like my Sidewinder.
I have been riding Yamaha's since the 1970s and my Sidewinder is by far my favorite sled I have ever owned on par with how I felt when I purchased my new 1979 SRX440. It would be a sad day for me if Yamaha were to disappear and I had to ride what everyone else does...hard to be an individual these days.

JM.02c

 

[JMS@Yamaha]

Is the strike/stryke ski new, or is it a rebranded pro-cross ski from AC?

Stryke ski is 100% Yamaha designed, tested and sourced.

Unique to Yamaha we also have spacers under the ski rubbers of the ski (Black boxes in exploded drawing) that can be swapped to change the handling character of the ski. We will be offering accessory spacers that have varying thickness and angles. Changing the spacer will adjust the steering effort, aggressiveness of the ski, and can be tuned for snow conditions. Example: December hard packed riding vs. March riding, when the snow gets soft in the afternoon, you may want to change the way the keel is loaded based on the snow conditions.

The single keel design also gives you increased cornering confidence and light steering effort. Moving from a dual keel on the Tuner to a Single keel of the Stryke will result in a increase in darting in certain conditions, to combat this we are using a staggered carbide set up. (Not pictured)

The ski will also be available through our accessory channels if someone wants to install it on their current snowmobile.

It takes time to develop something like a new ski, we saw many customers changing their skis online, and even polled TY members to get their feedback on what skis they were running! The Stryke ski is in response to all of that feedback.

 

[mikextx]

HMMMMMM, I have an 01 sxr with stock single keel skis. LMAO

 

[1nc 2000]

Stryke ski is 100% Yamaha designed, tested and sourced.

Unique to Yamaha we also have spacers under the ski rubbers of the ski (Black boxes in exploded drawing) that can be swapped to change the handling character of the ski. We will be offering accessory spacers that have varying thickness and angles. Changing the spacer will adjust the steering effort, aggressiveness of the ski, and can be tuned for snow conditions. Example: December hard packed riding vs. March riding, when the snow gets soft in the afternoon, you may want to change the way the keel is loaded based on the snow conditions.

The single keel design also gives you increased cornering confidence and light steering effort. Moving from a dual keel on the Tuner to a Single keel of the Stryke will result in a increase in darting in certain conditions, to combat this we are using a staggered carbide set up. (Not pictured)

The ski will also be available through our accessory channels if someone wants to install it on their current snowmobile.

It takes time to develop something like a new ski, we saw many customers changing their skis online, and even polled TY members to get their feedback on what skis they were running! The Stryke ski is in response to all of that feedback.



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Have the big issues with the sidewinder chassis and driveline been addressed on the new model sleds?
Front heat exchanger to tunnel area coming apart.
Driveshaft bearing spinning on driveshaft.
Chaincase gear bushing issue.
Well you already know about these issues since you read about all the r & d the customers on thos site have to do.

 

[theCATman]

I do. Partnership or cooperation means less innovation in the marketplace. Partnership breeds content. Instead of 4 mfg's competing for our hard earned dollars we basically now have 3. 25% less.

That being said I love my Sidewinder. Its an awesome trail sled that I'll likely keep at least 2 more seasons but that doesn't mean we shouldn't want and expect more.

Heck Yamaha didn't even do their own clutching on the re-branded mountain sleds. Sad.

I'll agree.

Yamaha has become placent with their new lover, let her get away with her bad habits, and now they are just laying around getting fat themselves.

Again, I personally don't mind the partnership, Yamaha needed a better chassis, but it's high time Yamaha steps up and fixes the downfalls, or dumps the b1tch.

 

[Vmaxkid]

Stryke ski is 100% Yamaha designed, tested and sourced.

Unique to Yamaha we also have spacers under the ski rubbers of the ski (Black boxes in exploded drawing) that can be swapped to change the handling character of the ski. We will be offering accessory spacers that have varying thickness and angles. Changing the spacer will adjust the steering effort, aggressiveness of the ski, and can be tuned for snow conditions. Example: December hard packed riding vs. March riding, when the snow gets soft in the afternoon, you may want to change the way the keel is loaded based on the snow conditions.

The single keel design also gives you increased cornering confidence and light steering effort. Moving from a dual keel on the Tuner to a Single keel of the Stryke will result in a increase in darting in certain conditions, to combat this we are using a staggered carbide set up. (Not pictured)

The ski will also be available through our accessory channels if someone wants to install it on their current snowmobile.

It takes time to develop something like a new ski, we saw many customers changing their skis online, and even polled TY members to get their feedback on what skis they were running! The Stryke ski is in response to all of that feedback.



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JMS. Maybe you could comment since you are directly from Yamaha about the lack of quality in the Sidewinder/Viper sleds. It’s obvious you are reading these posts today. Have you been reading them about the issues that most of these members have had with blow off valves freezing, jack shaft bearing slop due to a poorly designed shaft, bolts backing out on the Chaincase tensioner wheel, cheap bearings that fail, suspension components that bend, site glass falling out of the Chaincase, and lets see what other components is it that Barn of Parts makes to fix Arctic Cats engineering issues? Because we darn well know that if Yamaha actually engineered these items there would be far fewer issues with these sleds. Quality, durability, fit and finish and best tech in the business. That’s why I’ve ridden Yamahas for over 25 years. But if you, and I mean you as Yamaha can’t acknowledge these issues and correct them especially when someone spends $15k on a sled these days why would we bother anymore buying Yamaha? As many of the people have said here, might as well buy a Cat, it costs less... or go elsewhere and you will lose the remainder of your market share. Heck, most of the good Yamaha dealers I knew of no longer carry your brand because they couldn’t compete with Arctic Cats preseason pricing. How do you sell a Sidewinder when a Thundercat costs less? That’s got to say something right there.

 

[biffdotorg]

Stryke ski is 100% Yamaha designed, tested and sourced.

Unique to Yamaha we also have spacers under the ski rubbers of the ski (Black boxes in exploded drawing) that can be swapped to change the handling character of the ski. We will be offering accessory spacers that have varying thickness and angles. Changing the spacer will adjust the steering effort, aggressiveness of the ski, and can be tuned for snow conditions. Example: December hard packed riding vs. March riding, when the snow gets soft in the afternoon, you may want to change the way the keel is loaded based on the snow conditions.

The single keel design also gives you increased cornering confidence and light steering effort. Moving from a dual keel on the Tuner to a Single keel of the Stryke will result in a increase in darting in certain conditions, to combat this we are using a staggered carbide set up. (Not pictured)

The ski will also be available through our accessory channels if someone wants to install it on their current snowmobile.

It takes time to develop something like a new ski, we saw many customers changing their skis online, and even polled TY members to get their feedback on what skis they were running! The Stryke ski is in response to all of that feedback.



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Thank you for that explanation. As yes, Yamaha has never been known as a leader in stock ski performance. As with others, I have gone aftermarket, and for sure aftermarket runners/carbides. This will be interesting to hear the results of this new ski. As many would have agreed, the pro-cross sleds benefited most from putting on AC skis, or third party for that matter.

Since I am not in the market for a new sled, I will hold comment on what should or should not have come out. But I am of the impression, that a Yamaha blue version of these sleds is not the worst thing in the world. And many should remind themselves, that a blue rebrand, is still better than no blue at all to hang our hat on.

In fact, a blue version of AC's Riot with 998T is not a bad option if my Apex gives up the ghost. I believe that is the newest Sidewinder XTX.

Thanks again,

 

[74Nitro]

JMS. Maybe you could comment since you are directly from Yamaha about the lack of quality in the Sidewinder/Viper sleds. It’s obvious you are reading these posts today. Have you been reading them about the issues that most of these members have had with blow off valves freezing, jack shaft bearing slop due to a poorly designed shaft, bolts backing out on the Chaincase tensioner wheel, cheap bearings that fail, suspension components that bend, site glass falling out of the Chaincase, and lets see what other components is it that Barn of Parts makes to fix Arctic Cats engineering issues? Because we darn well know that if Yamaha actually engineered these items there would be far fewer issues with these sleds. Quality, durability, fit and finish and best tech in the business. That’s why I’ve ridden Yamahas for over 25 years. But if you, and I mean you as Yamaha can’t acknowledge these issues and correct them especially when someone spends $15k on a sled these days why would we bother anymore buying Yamaha? As many of the people have said here, might as well buy a Cat, it costs less... or go elsewhere and you will lose the remainder of your market share. Heck, most of the good Yamaha dealers I knew of no longer carry your brand because they couldn’t compete with Arctic Cats preseason pricing. How do you sell a Sidewinder when a Thundercat costs less? That’s got to say something right there.

Well I know your comment isn't for me, but on your last point I had a CAT dealer tell me himself that the Winder outsells the T-Cat/9000 10-1

 

[CooperT]

Stryke ski is 100% Yamaha designed, tested and sourced.

Unique to Yamaha we also have spacers under the ski rubbers of the ski (Black boxes in exploded drawing) that can be swapped to change the handling character of the ski. We will be offering accessory spacers that have varying thickness and angles. Changing the spacer will adjust the steering effort, aggressiveness of the ski, and can be tuned for snow conditions. Example: December hard packed riding vs. March riding, when the snow gets soft in the afternoon, you may want to change the way the keel is loaded based on the snow conditions.

The single keel design also gives you increased cornering confidence and light steering effort. Moving from a dual keel on the Tuner to a Single keel of the Stryke will result in a increase in darting in certain conditions, to combat this we are using a staggered carbide set up. (Not pictured)

The ski will also be available through our accessory channels if someone wants to install it on their current snowmobile.

It takes time to develop something like a new ski, we saw many customers changing their skis online, and even polled TY members to get their feedback on what skis they were running! The Stryke ski is in response to all of that feedback.



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I’m sure the ski works, but if Yamaha has been using cat chassis and basically everything else except for motor and clutch’s, why not just have all the new sleds come with cat skis? They are single keel skis and work way better than the tuners. Just a question..

 

[biffdotorg]

We are actively working on future projects with AC, when a project such as the SXvenom/Blast makes its way to the market this project has been many years in the making with engineers from both sides. We worked through many different engine options, chassis options, clutches, and inevitably came to market with a vehicle that we feel delivers on each of our design targets.

Since so many on this forum are long time riders, I don't think they will recognize the impact that the Blast/SXvenom will have on the market right away. It will happen after a year of sales, or until they have someone in their family that fits that target market. This is exactly the same reaction Yamaha got when they introduced the 19' Yamaha Sportboats, and existing yamaha owners blew up the boat forums, as they all owned 21-24ft models.

Same as when the SnoScoot/ZR200 was released. I could be wrong, but it was probably one of the most successful launches for both nameplates. The only folks with a bias against the venom name may be the long time yamaha owners that may have owned an older version from the 2000's that was considerably more powerful. Net new owners will not have that bias, but see a new entry sled for that target market. They would have bought it if it were named Venom or Enticer. Although, I think we were excited to see the Enticer come back if only in name use.

Each MFG has shown great success with these entry sleds, and consumers have asked for them time and again. As we all agreed the supply of half worn out Enticers, 2-stroke phazers, indy lites dry up, something had to come to replace them. And there is are plenty of net new customers out there looking to get into the sport with sub $10,000 machines that have a warranty.

Good for you Yamaha, well played.