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Forum To discuss the upcoming SVX 450

13922 Views 52 Replies 21 Participants Last post by  doorfx
Here is the teaser video

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and a screen shot

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Thanks again Krom for a very quick response to my request. Much Appreciated.

Now I better contribute.

Not a lot of details out yet but here is what I have picked up and what I wonder about:

- based on the Sherco 450. Not sure that has been said officially but that is the consensus and it sure looks like a Sherco. For those that are not familiar they are a French/Spanish manufacturer of Off-Road and Trials bikes that is making their way into the North American market. Off-Road bikes are made in France and the Trials bikes in Spain. I know a dealer here in Southern Ontario plus a few guys that ride them and they love them....good reputation. As the 450 is an off roader and not an MX bike, if all other things were equal it would be a slightly heavier overall kit. That's an assumption not knowing how heavy the skid is and doesn't really matter. Lots of awesome snowbikes based on offroaders

- E-Start but No kickstart by the looks of it. The Sherco doesn't have it in bike form. Lots of people like this for peace of mind. Maybe it has a bigger battery in SVX form?

- 6 Speed

- Skid looks more complex than a Timbersled or Yeti etc. Maybe more tech in there similar to an AC sled skid. Wonder how it compares ride and weight wise?

- looks like there might be space for fuel can and gear on the tunnel but hard to tell

- Footpegs look like standard off road size. Lots of people like wider for snowbikes

- Ski and spindle look interesting...maybe 10 inch? Lots of carbide and triple concave

- Did they make all the appropriate mods like thermostat tuned for cold and powder to keep engine temps up...would have to assume so?

- Grip heaters?

- I like Euro bikes but wonder why they didn't use a Yamaha. Many agree that the new YZ450FX is an excellent snowbike platform

- Price is a big question

- Will there be a kit to convert it to dirt use? Being a 12 month vehicle would make it easier to justify, whatever price they end up at. That said, there are not many dirt riders who would be in the market for a Sherco 450. If it is convertible, would think a Yamaha would have had broader appeal.

- Big question for me is with the OFSC (Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs) allow them on the trails. Right now snowbikes are banned. They only allow vehicles that are designed first as a snow vehicle (hence Snowhawks being allowed)

Would love to hear others thoughts and correct me if I am wrong on any of the above.
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A Timbersled is a conversion kit. This bad ass toy is not just an aftermarket skid slapped on a dirt bike. It would meet all safety regulations from the factory. That's what I would think will be the difference and the ofsc would need to allow them. That's my thoughts on that. Cats got a cool new toy!
Thanks again Krom for a very quick response to my request. Much Appreciated.

Now I better contribute.

Not a lot of details out yet but here is what I have picked up and what I wonder about:

- based on the Sherco 450. Not sure that has been said officially but that is the consensus and it sure looks like a Sherco. For those that are not familiar they are a French/Spanish manufacturer of Off-Road and Trials bikes that is making their way into the North American market. Off-Road bikes are made in France and the Trials bikes in Spain. I know a dealer here in Southern Ontario plus a few guys that ride them and they love them....good reputation. As the 450 is an off roader and not an MX bike, if all other things were equal it would be a slightly heavier overall kit. That's an assumption not knowing how heavy the skid is and doesn't really matter. Lots of awesome snowbikes based on offroaders

- E-Start but No kickstart by the looks of it. The Sherco doesn't have it in bike form. Lots of people like this for peace of mind. Maybe it has a bigger battery in SVX form?

- 6 Speed

- Skid looks more complex than a Timbersled or Yeti etc. Maybe more tech in there similar to an AC sled skid. Wonder how it compares ride and weight wise?

- looks like there might be space for fuel can and gear on the tunnel but hard to tell

- Footpegs look like standard off road size. Lots of people like wider for snowbikes

- Ski and spindle look interesting...maybe 10 inch? Lots of carbide and triple concave

- Did they make all the appropriate mods like thermostat tuned for cold and powder to keep engine temps up...would have to assume so?

- Grip heaters?

- I like Euro bikes but wonder why they didn't use a Yamaha. Many agree that the new YZ450FX is an excellent snowbike platform

- Price is a big question

- Will there be a kit to convert it to dirt use? Being a 12 month vehicle would make it easier to justify, whatever price they end up at. That said, there are not many dirt riders who would be in the market for a Sherco 450. If it is convertible, would think a Yamaha would have had broader appeal.

- Big question for me is with the OFSC (Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs) allow them on the trails. Right now snowbikes are banned. They only allow vehicles that are designed first as a snow vehicle (hence Snowhawks being allowed)

Would love to hear others thoughts and correct me if I am wrong on any of the above.
the simple answer is money, Yamaha and Arctic "Partnership" is nothing like everyone thinks. There is very little shared from both sides. They best way to kinda explain it is:

Arctic buys Yamaha stuff, and Yamaha buys Arctic Stuff

Now... This is only on the snow side. Arctic Did find out about the YXZ about 8 months before it came out. But there is not "collaboration" on the dirt side.
I've been told you will be able to put tires and wheels on it for dirt use, and a "kit" will be available.
^^ I hope what you say is true.
the simple answer is money, Yamaha and Arctic "Partnership" is nothing like everyone thinks. There is very little shared from both sides. They best way to kinda explain it is:

Arctic buys Yamaha stuff, and Yamaha buys Arctic Stuff

Now... This is only on the snow side. Arctic Did find out about the YXZ about 8 months before it came out. But there is not "collaboration" on the dirt side.
Admittedly I certainly don't know the deep details of the Arctic Cat/Yamaha partnership. If it is just about money then I guess Sherco must have been aggressive on their supply pricing. Sherco is a more expensive bike than the equivalent from Yamaha (or the other Japanese brands). Sherco and Beta slot in just below KTM/Husky from an MSRP pricing perspective.

This is all just speculation for fun but if its truly just Arctic buys Yamaha stuff and Yamaha buys Arctic stuff as stated, then I still think a Yamaha based bike would have given the SVX a broader appeal and potential customers a higher comfort level. As I mentioned, I love Euro dirt bikes and personally ride a GasGas and a Husaberg but I am not in the majority. Many in the NA market will be leery of a bike brand they have no familiarity with. Outside of the hardcore offroad crowd, Sherco is not well known. No MX riders will know them as they don't make MX bikes. A kit being available to turn the SVX to dirt trim will be awesome but again, how many of those riders would have ever considered a Sherco 450. Not a single MX rider would consider one and most serious off roaders gravitate to KTM first

I wish Arctic Cat all the success in the world with this project and bravo to them for being the first full factory snowbike. I am just speculating on what may have greatly broadened the potential customer base for the SVX. Here is what I think would have been cool:
- Basing the SVX on Yamaha bikes for a couple reasons.
1. People already recognize the partnership and whether this was part of it or not, public perception would view it that way
2. Yamaha has a good following in the snowbike community with the YZ450F and WR450F and now the new YZ450FX (that many claim is an awesome snowbike platform)
3. Yamaha bikes have a drastically bigger following in NA than Sherco.

- 3 variants of the SVX 450 based on the Yamaha YZ450F, YZ450FX and WR450F. I know they are testing the waters and 3 variants is not realistic (maybe someday) but, the commonality of those 3 bikes would mean minimal changes necessary and assuming a dirt kit is available, you would appeal to the MX guys with the YZ450F variant, the XC guys with YZ450FX and the Trail/Enduro guys with the WR450F. Yamaha is gaining a lot of respect of late with the off road crowd (not referring to MX) as they are the only Japanese manufacturer putting any effort into the space with new niche variants in both the 2 stroke and 4 stroke lines.

Who knows....maybe someday. Its fun to speculate and debate
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To me they are a dirt bike still if you can convert it to bike for dirt.

Sent from my SM-J320P using Tapatalk
To me they are a dirt bike still if you can convert it to bike for dirt.

Sent from my SM-J320P using Tapatalk

what would you call a 120 with a wheel kit, that you can ride all summer?
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what would you call a 120 with a wheel kit, that you can ride all summer?
A dirt sled I dunno
I loved the idea of SnoBikes since I first laid eyes on a Chrysler Sno-Runner (sort of a pre-cursor) when I was like 12 years old. I have been into dirt bikes ever since I was a child. I totally agree the YZ450 would make an excellent platform for a snobike. I love euro bikes (check out my profile to see my current bikes) but the Yamaha YZ450 would bring a familiar face to this new emerging concept. The biggest obstacle we face in Wisconsin is how are we going to register these new machines so they can be used on the public trail system? Every state is DIFFERENT in what they allow on the public trail. These vehicles are a grey area that DO NOT match the legal (yes, there is a statute) definition of a snowmobile in my state. This was just brought up at the AWSC annual convention last month. If their popularity explodes it will take pressure from the public, dealers, and manufacturers to get these snobikes a way to get on the trails legally.
I loved the idea of SnoBikes since I first laid eyes on a Chrysler Sno-Runner (sort of a pre-cursor) when I was like 12 years old. I have been into dirt bikes ever since I was a child. I totally agree the YZ450 would make an excellent platform for a snobike. I love euro bikes (check out my profile to see my current bikes) but the Yamaha YZ450 would bring a familiar face to this new emerging concept. The biggest obstacle we face in Wisconsin is how are we going to register these new machines so they can be used on the public trail system? Every state is DIFFERENT in what they allow on the public trail. These vehicles are a grey area that DO NOT match the legal (yes, there is a statute) definition of a snowmobile in my state. This was just brought up at the AWSC annual convention last month. If their popularity explodes it will take pressure from the public, dealers, and manufacturers to get these snobikes a way to get on the trails legally.

The arctic cat built bike will meet all snowmobile standards, and come with a manufactures statement of origin, stating that it is a snowmobile.
Here in NY that will allow it to be registered (just as the snowhawk was able to be registered) No conversion kits will be able to register as a snowmobile until the law is changed (the original MSO is for a motorcycle)
The arctic cat built bike will meet all snowmobile standards, and come with a manufactures statement of origin, stating that it is a snowmobile.
Here in NY that will allow it to be registered (just as the snowhawk was able to be registered) No conversion kits will be able to register as a snowmobile until the law is changed (the original MSO is for a motorcycle)
That is how I interpreted the Wisconsin law myself, if it's manufactured as a sled its a sled. Lot of guys riding snow bikes up in the UP. Starting to see a more and more in Northern Wisconsin when the snow gets deep!
Nice. :angry:
Just the ticket for Saturday 2am , last call.
EFI for sure
Have they announced when they will go into production?
No they Have not
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