I agree that it was a pretty bold direction to go all 4 stroke. I think a big part of this was all around emission control...which seem to have gone quiet for now.
I also agree that Yamaha hasn’t had a decent mountain machine since 2003(rx1), but the Sidewinder definitely is a game changer if your a 4 stroke fan.
Honestly when I heard they formed a alliance with cat and started using their chassis, I was totally turned off. I’ve never been a fan of cat sleds. I’ve modded chassis for years....the fit and finish of the cat chassis over the years have been horrid. Today they are ok fit and finish, but I still scratch my head on their choice of plastics, fasteners, and overall fit. Polaris and skidoo definitely lead the pack in that department.
I suspect Yamaha, being huge global company, are still committed to the snowmobile industry. They definitely need to take a step back, and reduce their inventory... I firmly believe Yamaha will have a more competitive product in the years to come.
Hopefully we still have riding areas in the future, and our kids value the snowmobile experience... otherwise all the manufacturers will bail out of the snowmobile manufacturing business.
I make sure my kids get to experience snowmobiling and spend a great deal of time making the sleds work for them. Lol