With the recent introduction of the Apex with EPS, the door is open to offer this industry-leading feature on other Yamaha models.
Most obvious would be the flagship Venture GT 2-Upper and the Vector GT. Think about it for a second. All the chassis and body cladding work has already been completed on the Apex to accommodate the power steering servo and gear set.
Taking the same mods across two other models would be fairly cost effective and would clearly establish Yamaha as a leader in other segments with this sure-to-be-copied technology.
Frankly, we believe the Touring category is the first place the competition will go with its ATV-adapted power steering systems and Yamaha probably needs to be there first.
On the other hand, the Vector, once a value priced 4-stroke competing in price with many 600 2-strokes, has risen in the price stakes to become a premium-only model.
Adding EPS would drive its price even higher and we’re not sure that’s a good direction to go in that segment. It’s one of Yamaha’s problems right now.
Its hottest sellers are all in the high priced range and it’s entry level and mid-market customers are moving toward the competition, based on price alone.
To further complicate matters, the competition still has one and two-year-old 4-strokes waiting at dealerships at discount prices.
The price gap is a big deal in this market and Yamaha may elect to stand pat until the market thins out.
