Posted by Chris on February 9, 2010 under 2011 Skidoo, Apex, Information, sled, weight | 
Just a brief update today. I received some info regarding Danes questions over on TY. Surprising as it may seem, the Apex XTX is faster than the SE or standard Apex. It blows it away up on top by a blistering 1.4 kph… that’s .87 mph for the metrically challenged.
The A-arms on the new Apex are the same as the 2010 (current arms) however the spindles and tie-rods are different, therefore your a-arm kit will work (that’s not to say Yamaha would ever endorse such a modification, don’t doo it).
Finally it appears that the torsion skid and extra track length on the XTX will add a whopping 9 pounds to the overall weight of the base model sled. Please don’t tell anyone over at Skidoo marketing or we will most assuredly be faced with another good reason why not to own another reliable Yamaha 
That’s it… keep an eye on ‘yournextsled’ for the latest poop from the web
cheers
cr
Posted by Chris on January 29, 2010 under 2011 Skidoo, 2011 Yamaha, Information, Personal Interest, sled blog, snowmobile blog |
I just returned to Toronto from Quebec City where I was holed up in a hotel with our regional reps for three days of ‘spit-balling’ about snowmobiles. We had a chance to get out on the trails with the new sled(z) but unfortunately a freak rain storm dampened the fun. There was one section of trail that got completely wiped out by a flash flood which left huge chunks of ice strewn about the forest. I didn’t get a chance to see it but Jon did and had an image on his i-phone that made me cringe.
Got word today that an old friend Max Aoshima has chosen to retire. What is notable about Max’s announcement, he is, to the best of my knowledge the only engineer left who started working with snowmobile in the 60′s development period which resulted in the SL350 and he has been with snowmobile ever since. His knowledge and sled history is brilliant! Max-san please enjoy your retirement and if you make it to Canada we must go for another ride
Well we’ll hoist the blue dress high soon enough but if you’d like a little peek at 
what’s under the hood, here’s a little Sled Talk bonus. I am heading out on the road to meet and ride with our Ontario dealers Monday but will post again around this time next week. I have really enjoyed all the comments that have come in on Sled Talk and TY and it will be interesting to see what happens next week. I was asked to do a little video blog on the new sled which will no doubt be popping up pretty soon, sure to get me in some more trouble
I need to ask a small favor. It’s report card time for Sled Talk and I have made a brief survey that I am asking everyone who reads Sled Talk to take the three minutes required to complete. All you need to do is click on this Sled Talk Survey link.
Thanks in advance! cheers cr
Posted by Chris on January 22, 2010 under 2011 Arctic Cat, 2011 Polaris, 2011 Skidoo, 2011 Yamaha, 2011 snowmobile, 4-stroke, Apex, Information, Totallyamaha, Yamaha Insights |
IMPORTANT: SLED TALK SURVEY, please click here
It has been ten days since I took a group of great guys for a ride on the new ‘my
stery sled’ which by the way is not so much of a mystery any more . I have spent a ton of time on the forums reading what the men who actually rode it had to say and all the comments and conjecture from the folks who haven’t. I notice something on Sled Talk that I see on the forums as well. Each post is read by approximately 100x the number of people than actually write a comment. It really makes me wonder what the silent majority thinks of it all and more importantly how powerful is all the word of mouth being generated outside of the internet?
Sledfreak made a good comment here last week comparing magazine articles to social media “I find way more valuable information on the internet forums. There is also a lot of misguided information, but you have to read through the dirt to get to the good stuff.” I have observed the well moderated forums like Totallyamaha and Dootalk (hats off to the owners and mods) maturing over the last few seasons . There is a lot less ‘bashing’ than in the old days. That said, there is such a wide range of users participating that there will always be a contrary view point (or 10).
I am preparing to address our field staff at a meeting next week in Quebec and plan to hit some topics using examples I have learned right here on Sled Talk and over on TY. Some of you might remember a survey I posted on-line for Apex owners a couple of years ago. Several questions referred to your satisfaction levels of various components and functions. I was able to filter different model year data (06 to 07 to 08) and found some significant trends all relative to the ongoing changes that were made in production to each model year. The mono rear suspension is a good example with far fewer issues (much higher satisfaction) in 08 than 06. The point is; when I read comments on the forums comparing an 06 with what is perceived as the same thing coming in 2011, suggesting it is not changed enough to be worthy of a trade up, I have to shake my head.
There is another whole cross section of guys who are looking for the next generation of 4-stroke off-trail machines, basically a revamped Nytro on steroids. Clearly the ‘mystery sled’ is not a mountain machine or a snow crossing boon-docker. No – its a dedicated trail sled and clearly, a disappointment for those that are looking for something else. I have been checking out the avatar, location or signature after reading a negative rant on the OMG often to discover the author is riding a Nytro or competitors equivalent machine. It’s good to vent and its helpful for us to see where your interests lay, just remember that we all have different needs and expectations regarding our sleds. Interesting fact: over 60% of the machines sold up here are used on the trail.
Anyway the coolest thing about all of this is that you can participate in the forums if you choose. When someone who has experience with a machine posts, you can challenge him or ask a question. You won’t find that little feature on any of the corporate web-sites (with the exception of Sled Talk ). You will also find plenty of ‘dirt’, the negative and sometimes off-colour comments, but give it some time and the ‘self policing’ attribute of the on-line community will generally put things in proper perspective, either confirming or denouncing the source and their agenda.
Many of the 2011 model comments have addressed the issue of lightweight and EPS (power steering) often in the same reference. Did I just confirm that Yamaha will be the first manufacturer to offer EPS on a snowmobile? Of course I didn’t. But if we did… could EPS possibly offer the same benefits of having light weight? Could it offer some new benefits, even greater than light weight alone? What is the real benefit of having light weight in a trail machine when you are seldom if ever stuck or faced with carving a turn in deep 
powder? Is it possible that there are still some features yet unknown and the sum total of all could far outweigh the spec sheet? Naw it’s just warmed-up left-overs, right?
I can find just about every possible answer to the above, the good the bad and the ugly. What I’m really liking is what the guys that have actually rode the sleds have to say (okay at least 90%). That’s why we released it ahead of the official date. Real riders, their own words speaking on neutral ground. Sure we could post rider testimony on our own web-site but who would believe it? I sure wouldn’t! After-all we would edit, dip it in sugar and whitewash it with cream-cheese before showing anyone, its what most big companies doo right? These days even the magazines editorial credibility is suspect (I refer back the SledFreaks comment).
You might hate the lack of disclosure, you might enjoy the chatter and imaginative conjecture or you might appreciate the preview coming from real riders with no corporate censorship or financial influence. But no matter how you look at it, we have surly given you something to talk about!
Cheers cr
