SnowTrax Television declares Yamaha 2005 RS Venture The Real World Sled of the Year!!
April 21, 2005 - Burlington, Ontario
SnowTrax Television, the world's most watched snowmobile enthusiast program, today announced that Yamaha's 2005 RS Venture has been awarded The SnowTrax "Real World Sled of The Year".
"We initiated this award last year, because we felt there was a need to evaluate new snowmobiles from a consumer's point of view after a full season of "Real World" conditions", stated Host and Executive Producer John Massingberd. "This meant living with these sleds every day, and understanding their nuances, handling traits, everyday drivability and whether the snowmobile lived up to consumers expectations".
The eligible candidate sleds were judged under categories of durability, reliability, new technological advancements, recall/service updates, cost of operation, and value to consumers.
"This was a particularly challenging process since all of the OE's are making very solid products these days", said Jeff Steenbakkers, co-host, "Add to that, the fact that only one snowmobile out of all of those evaluated will make the cut, we didn't want to de-value the award by having a number of sub- categories", Steenbakkers continued.
The RS Venture stood out in a number of areas, but the biggest improvement was the new Pro Comfort rear suspension. "This was a huge step forward which put Yamaha on par, or better than other touring skid frames," stated Massingberd. "Now we have an easy way to adjust suspension that quickly adapts to changing trail, or load factors without a lot of fuss" Massingberd added. "This was especially important to us, since the Venture did double duty all season long, towing a two hundred pound camera sleigh, and that's not easy for any snowmobile!", commented Steenbakkers.
The Genesis 120 power plant became a big part of the overall judging process. "I think Yamaha really found the sweet spot with the RS Venture, when it came to sizing the engine for this snowmobile. It had plenty of torque where you needed it, which was down low, to get every thing moving and up to trial speed quickly. Keep in mind, this sled, by nature, is no light weight", Massingberd continued. "Beyond that, the power profile was so wide that it still had the ability to pull hard at the top end as well. That's a characteristic that almost every Snowmobiler can appreciate", Steenbakkers continued.
One of our main concerns was cold weather starting, and this potential negative evaporated early in December, when the mercury slipped to -38 degrees Fahrenheit for three days straight! Each and every morning the RS Venture fired right up, and once warmed, was ready for a days work.
Feedback from SnowTrax staffers regarding the overall riding experience is what moved the RS Venture ahead of the other contenders. While there were faster machines, and sleds more capable in the really rough stuff, the RS Venture surprised everyone that spent any time at all on it. "It quickly became apparent, that if first impressions counted for anything, this sled resonated with our riders immediately!" Massingberd added. "Comments ranged from great wind protection, to satisfying power, to WOW, is this ride really a Yamaha?", Massingberd detailed.
Cost of operation over the course of the season also contributed to this sled moving ahead in the tally. "This snowmobile continually took less fuel, while running the same trails, at the same speeds as most other sleds in our fleet", said SnowTrax Co-host Debbie Burke. "And we're not talking nickels and dimes less, it was seven or eight dollars difference!", Burke added. Couple that with the fact that the Genesis 120 four-stroke requires no injector oil meant that the cost per mile to run this sled is significantly lower when compared to some other two-stroke machines.
"We experienced no down time with the Venture at all", stated Jeff Steenbakkers. "Other than routine maintenance and inspection, this sled was absolutely trouble free all season long!", Steenbakkers added.
SnowTrax Television believes the Yamaha RS Venture will exceed owner's expectations on all fronts. "Snowmobiles are significant investments and buyers are looking for more value than ever before. Clearly this sled delivers as advertised, and that's why the Yamaha Venture was declared The Snowtrax Real World Sled of The Year!", Massingberd concluded.
Celebrating its 11th year, SnowTrax Television is a magazine format show that is packed with editorial content that is tailored to every type of rider. Each episode features in-depth product evaluations, instructional tech tips, destination features along with the latest news in the industry. Affiliated with national broadcasters TSN in Canada and the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) in the United States, SnowTrax Television is broadcast to over 72 million households in North America. For more information visit the SnowTrax Television website at www.snowtraxtv.com.
For more information contact:
SnowTrax Television Inc.
John Massingberd
Executive Producer
905-332-7223 Ext. 2
john@snowtraxtv.com
Yamaha Motor Canada
Jon Blaicher
Assistant Product Manager
416-498-1911
jon_blaicher@yamaha-motor.ca
Yamaha USA
Rob Powers
Snowmobile Marketing Manager
262-947-6186
rob_powers@yamaha-motor.com
April 21, 2005 - Burlington, Ontario
SnowTrax Television, the world's most watched snowmobile enthusiast program, today announced that Yamaha's 2005 RS Venture has been awarded The SnowTrax "Real World Sled of The Year".
"We initiated this award last year, because we felt there was a need to evaluate new snowmobiles from a consumer's point of view after a full season of "Real World" conditions", stated Host and Executive Producer John Massingberd. "This meant living with these sleds every day, and understanding their nuances, handling traits, everyday drivability and whether the snowmobile lived up to consumers expectations".
The eligible candidate sleds were judged under categories of durability, reliability, new technological advancements, recall/service updates, cost of operation, and value to consumers.
"This was a particularly challenging process since all of the OE's are making very solid products these days", said Jeff Steenbakkers, co-host, "Add to that, the fact that only one snowmobile out of all of those evaluated will make the cut, we didn't want to de-value the award by having a number of sub- categories", Steenbakkers continued.
The RS Venture stood out in a number of areas, but the biggest improvement was the new Pro Comfort rear suspension. "This was a huge step forward which put Yamaha on par, or better than other touring skid frames," stated Massingberd. "Now we have an easy way to adjust suspension that quickly adapts to changing trail, or load factors without a lot of fuss" Massingberd added. "This was especially important to us, since the Venture did double duty all season long, towing a two hundred pound camera sleigh, and that's not easy for any snowmobile!", commented Steenbakkers.
The Genesis 120 power plant became a big part of the overall judging process. "I think Yamaha really found the sweet spot with the RS Venture, when it came to sizing the engine for this snowmobile. It had plenty of torque where you needed it, which was down low, to get every thing moving and up to trial speed quickly. Keep in mind, this sled, by nature, is no light weight", Massingberd continued. "Beyond that, the power profile was so wide that it still had the ability to pull hard at the top end as well. That's a characteristic that almost every Snowmobiler can appreciate", Steenbakkers continued.
One of our main concerns was cold weather starting, and this potential negative evaporated early in December, when the mercury slipped to -38 degrees Fahrenheit for three days straight! Each and every morning the RS Venture fired right up, and once warmed, was ready for a days work.
Feedback from SnowTrax staffers regarding the overall riding experience is what moved the RS Venture ahead of the other contenders. While there were faster machines, and sleds more capable in the really rough stuff, the RS Venture surprised everyone that spent any time at all on it. "It quickly became apparent, that if first impressions counted for anything, this sled resonated with our riders immediately!" Massingberd added. "Comments ranged from great wind protection, to satisfying power, to WOW, is this ride really a Yamaha?", Massingberd detailed.
Cost of operation over the course of the season also contributed to this sled moving ahead in the tally. "This snowmobile continually took less fuel, while running the same trails, at the same speeds as most other sleds in our fleet", said SnowTrax Co-host Debbie Burke. "And we're not talking nickels and dimes less, it was seven or eight dollars difference!", Burke added. Couple that with the fact that the Genesis 120 four-stroke requires no injector oil meant that the cost per mile to run this sled is significantly lower when compared to some other two-stroke machines.
"We experienced no down time with the Venture at all", stated Jeff Steenbakkers. "Other than routine maintenance and inspection, this sled was absolutely trouble free all season long!", Steenbakkers added.
SnowTrax Television believes the Yamaha RS Venture will exceed owner's expectations on all fronts. "Snowmobiles are significant investments and buyers are looking for more value than ever before. Clearly this sled delivers as advertised, and that's why the Yamaha Venture was declared The Snowtrax Real World Sled of The Year!", Massingberd concluded.
Celebrating its 11th year, SnowTrax Television is a magazine format show that is packed with editorial content that is tailored to every type of rider. Each episode features in-depth product evaluations, instructional tech tips, destination features along with the latest news in the industry. Affiliated with national broadcasters TSN in Canada and the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) in the United States, SnowTrax Television is broadcast to over 72 million households in North America. For more information visit the SnowTrax Television website at www.snowtraxtv.com.
For more information contact:
SnowTrax Television Inc.
John Massingberd
Executive Producer
905-332-7223 Ext. 2
john@snowtraxtv.com
Yamaha Motor Canada
Jon Blaicher
Assistant Product Manager
416-498-1911
jon_blaicher@yamaha-motor.ca
Yamaha USA
Rob Powers
Snowmobile Marketing Manager
262-947-6186
rob_powers@yamaha-motor.com
Allvipedup
New member
Sounds like they really did their homework. Plus it really sounds like a unbiased opinion which makes it alot more exceptable. Nice post. I'm not saying that cuz I love Yamaha, but it's nice to hear recognition that is deserved.
Yep. Hard work and engineering deserves a regonition. That is a one sweet touring sled.
Ike
Ike
Cuzino19
New member
congrats yamaha.