2020 Yamaha VK 540V walk around and review
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- Опубликовано: 25 сен 2020
- I bought a new VK in February of ‘20 and just now getting my review videos posted on my RUclips channel. I had no problems with it last spring. Something that really impressed me was that it didn’t foul a plug with the break in gas even in warm +30°F temps and just putting around at low speed for miles.
I was able to ride until late April last spring. 
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This is exactly what I would buy. Reliable, simple, Yamaha.
I love this! Old tech is best tech!
I have the 2017 just like this and drive it hard here in Labrador with 16000+ kms and no issues. When its cold is when you'll love this sled, its so much warmer to drive.
The other night it was snowing and I was out riding and brushing out trails and I noticed how the tall windshield kept the snow out of my eyes. It was really nice. It definitely is a warm sled. I like how I don’t have to wear super warm gear when riding it while brushing trails as I build up a lot of body heat doing that work. It’s really nice that the sled keeps me from getting windchilled riding it from from trail to trail. During the fall on my four wheeler or side by side I have to wear layers and keep removing and putting them on in between cutting and riding. That’s a hassle.
16000 is a lots of ks david,,i got a 2017 vk and got 8000 ks on it,,i live on the rock,,,i did a shut down in lab city 2 years ago and i seen only 1 vk but many skandics swt
Great Video. thanks for the info. Makes me want to get one up here in Northern Ontario to hit those back country lake trout lakes.
Nice ! Glad you like it.
Thanks for the vid and review. I had been struggling to find a fan cooled, carbd, utility sled. Wanted something to pull the kids around on a sled and for ice fishing. Reliability and simplicity are my biggest concern. I just picked up a '17 VK 540 with 1,400 miles on it. I had been trying to research the heck out of it...but there is not much out there since I don't speak Russian. I'm hoping that the simplicity and Yamaha reliability hold true. Thanks again.
I’m glad I could help! I bet we watched the same Russian videos 😀. Last January I watched so many Russian videos trying to find info on the sled that my wife started making fun of me.
So far I’ve not had any issues and honestly don’t expect to. Hopefully I’ll be making new VK videos soon as the snow is creeping down the mountains.
Russians and russia is one tough country,if the VK can make it in russia,i didnt need to question it here,I bought a 2019,still in shed,unused,waiting for snow here in northern ontario.Simple,time tested,proven quality built in Japan.Like a cockroach,rather ugly,just cant kill it.Ill be deleting that annoying reverse buzzer right away.
I totally agree!
The back up alarm is annoying. I’ve thought about disconnecting mine but there have been a couple times I forgot to shift out of it and the alarm reminded me. But I’ve never needed an alarm in my truck or four wheeler so I’m not quite sure why I’ve forgotten on the VK. I’ve also done the same thing on my Polaris sleds from time to time. Maybe it’s from growing up without reverse on sleds I revert to old habits? I don’t know? I’ve had sleds with reverse off and on since ‘08.
Yamaha Bravo’s are also fantastic, bulletproof sleds
Everyone laughed at Yamaha TSS suspension back in the day and here we are 2020 still using it ! Even Ski doo still uses it . Hmm , do you think Yamaha was on to something ? When Yamaha reintroduced/revised the VK 540 I was amazed it was like going back in time and that's a good thing. It even has a hood !!
Totally! The scissors, struts, everything looks exactly the same as the old Phazer and Exciter and they work just as good through the deep snow. When I went to the dealer to pick it up last February I was amazed at how easy it was to get at everything under the hood. Exactly what I wanted in a work sled, ease of maintenance. 😀
@PaxSilvestris Correct.
They should bring the Bravo and Enticer back with updated designs.
I agree, I really liked the light weight of the Freestyle 300 I had before my VK. But, what I found that really surprised me, is that the VK has been far more capable and easier to ride through brush and deep snow than the light weight Freestyle. I’d have never believed that until I tried it. Still, something small, light with an articulating long track would be very nice. Ski-doo has or had that covered but their newer sleds just keep gaining weight, electronics and complexity.
@@thatalaskaguy We used VK's for pulling loads /logging and the Bravo and Enticer long tracks for trapping and tight bush riding. The Bravo was the best for breaking trail. They were all very reliable, simple and easy to repair/maintain. The trick with the VK was not to spin the track just rock it back and forth and you won't get stuck very often.
@@davidbrennan5 the first snowmachine I ever rode was a Bravo. I got to ride one again years ago and was surprised by how tippy it was. The ones back in ‘84 had issues breaking the motor mounts and rear suspension. I imagine they improved those parts in later years?
I agree with not spinning the VK’s track. Fortunately the mild power and hit makes that easy to manage. I’ve not yet trenches out to the point of high centering on my running boards. It’s always been able to crawl back out of a hole either backwards or forward.
@@thatalaskaguy I think the Bravos were all the same. They were tippy but could squeeze into some tight spots. One of the first things I do to a bravo is drill a hole in the tub between the engine and gas tank to allow melted snow to escape so it does not interfere with your steering. In later years they sacrificed the storage compartment to install a 2 gallon tank. It is a second tank. Tanks can be isolated with a valve. I like it as you can just run one dry and have the two gallons to rely on. I have recorded 16 mpg on a good trail pulling a sled. With 5 gallons of fuel that would give you 80 miles on with both tanks.
The Enticer came in 340cc or 410cc (very good sleds) and later they made an Enticer 2 which was more similar to the VK.
@@davidbrennan5 something I’ve been wondering about with Bravo long tracks and the older Tundras is about the general consensus that they were really good at breaking trail, mechanical snowshoe type thing. I’m 100% in favor of the lightest weight sleds possible but I remember riding my brother’s 1990 something Tundra 2 and it was tippy and had no power. There were situations in wet springtime snow when we had to skip overflow and that sled was nerve wracking as it had so little power and speed. It was barely making it. It wasn’t good at climbing steep hills again due to the lack of power. I’ve found that in deep snow that you need a certain amount of power and those type of sleds were never very popular in my area. I’m wondering if our typically heavy wet snow just isn’t compatible with those type of sleds? Maybe they excel in dry, fluffy powder type snow? If one of the OEM’s would offer something like an updated Bravo or Tundra 2 today I’d totally be looking at it but I’d have the same concerns about power and capability in wet snow.
I just bought a used one off craigslist for 5100! Had a shot ringgear, replaced it, and its amazing! I tow my ice shack with it and dont even need to go half throttle with it! Its cheap, reliable, and amazing for utility!
Nice going! That was a good deal. 👍
In my world it's hard to compare the Blast with the VK540. Two mashines in totally different classes. The VK is a WT, very good allraound mashine. Great build quality.
I agree, now that I’ve been able to wide the wide track in different conditions and use it for towing and work the Blast LT isn’t comparable. I was towing the kids up the local ski hill in a sled with my wife on the back last weekend while snowboarding. The VK went up the hill no problem even with two people on the machine and two teenagers and a kid in the sled. That’s the most weight I’ve ever had on the sled and towed at the same time. The low range was awesome, it slowed the sled down when going down the hill.
I purchased a 2020 VK 540 mainly to take our stuff from the car to our cottage , because they don’t plow our access road in the winter (about 2.5 km). Surprisingly, it was running pretty rough from new, and when I complained to the dealer they took it back in and found that the plugs had were fouled. Like I said, it did this from brand new, and initially they response was that it was normal… I find riding faster in the back road it does helps if you lean in to the turns, but not all that much. For over the bumps, I’ve just resigned to standing, which makes a big difference obviously. I purchased a large pelican trailer as well, and it’s worked out wonderfully.
Was it pretty warm when you were first riding it? It’ll run richer in warm temps and with break in gas and slow riding it would be susceptible to fouling a plug. I was really pleased that mine didn’t foul as I did some slow speed running around but my rides are generally broken up with higher speed sections of trail where you are going 20-30 mph.
Now that I’m thinking about it, the dealer said to run it in low range when at low speeds so the engine rpm is higher. I bet that’s why I didn’t have any fouling issues as we rode it around doubled up on some slow, tight trails.
That Alaska Guy It wasn’t particularly warm. The thing that bothered me was that the dealer didn’t believe me about the way it was running. I even told him that it only topped out at 80 km an hour which is about 50 mph on the lake. After they did the tuneup, it topped out at 100 km/h or just over 60 mph! Considering that from an aerodynamic standpoint at least (yes snowmobiles have a relatively high friction component of total drag!), that would represent a 95% increase in power! So, the sled was not running well from the get-go. And it was ordered from the prior spring, so it hadn’t been sitting around anywhere for a long period. I have a question for you, do you find that you need to charge the battery after having the sled sit for the summer?
Terry Forth yes, you’ll want to charge the battery off and on throughout summer storage, especially before freezing temps hit. If the battery is dead or in a very low state of charge it can freeze which will ruin it. I store some of my sleds in an unheated wooden shed so I just pull the batteries and put them in my shop where I can easily charge them. My 2007 Yamaha Grizzly is still on the original battery with this method! Of course I store it during the winter.
I’m not sure why your dealer acted that way? Two strokes and fouled plugs go hand in hand. Sometimes you can just swap the plugs from one cylinder to the other if it starts running crappy which generally will occur after first starting it and heading out that day. Naturally you should always have a brand new set of plugs on the sled for spares but it’ll often clean itself out by swapping them. I’m glad you’ve got it running properly now! I really like my VK.
That Alaska Guy yes - the VK is great for its intended use 👍
@3R'sDIY OK - thanks for the info. FYI, once they change the plugs, a transformed the way the engine ran. It also add 20% to the top and speed, which works out to a 50% increase in power at the same revs. It ran well ever since that point. The sled didn’t sit at all, as it was ordered the spring before, and I picked it up within a couple weeks of arriving at the dealership.
My uncle has one, and it drives on almost anything without overheating
Hi there! Any chance you can do a video of your pre winter checks for your VK 540? I have one and I’m a noob. And etc, and maybe changing spark plugs as well as the emergency replacement of rubber belt the spins it’s motor, apparently there should be an extra every time also tightening the track to its ideal one. Thanks that was a lengthy message.
Ha! I’m not a good one to ask about pre winter checks. Mine only consisted of opening the cowling to make sure no voles made a nest, then I started it and went riding 😀. I have a video on replacing the drive belt you’ll want to check out. I’ve never tightened my track and it hasn’t caused any issues. I run my tracks on the loose side as that reduces friction and power train losses. The VK has extrovert drivers so it is very unlikely that it’ll ever skip or ratchet.
I could do a video on the plugs, they are super easy to get at compared to many modern sleds. I’ve never even removed them from the motor the whole time I’ve owned it as it’s never fouled a plug.
Nice trail
Thanks! I’m looking forward to riding and making new sled videos this season.
Hi I’m here asking again, I have 2019 vk 540 do you still mix fuel 50:1? Or do we not need to do that for this 2 stroke
The owner’s manual says to pre-mix when operating the sled at temps lower than -14°F. I don’t recall what ratio they specified?
I have the same snowmobile. traveled 2,200 km in one year.
Nice! No problems with it I’ll bet?
That Alaska Guy once the bolt unscrewed which secures the ski 😃 put the screwdriver and drove on. but here I myself am to blame for not checking in time
@@aleksandrknv6672 good temporary fix!
Hey, love the channel. I am seriously looking into one of these. How does the ride feel compared to the newer "rider forward" style, and does it feel like after the work is done, you could have a bit of fun on this? I am a little worried about slush with it also, because it looks like a BEAST. one more thing... the under seat storage...looking at pictures and videos its hard to tell how big it is... could you maybe describe it a bit? thanks!
Thanks! I can’t really comment on how the ride would compare because I’ve not ridden any rider forward utility sleds. My buddy’s Arctic Cat 570 Bearcat was comfortable to sit on and it’s kind of rider forward. Overall the VK is comfortable, the tall seat really helps to get you in a natural position like on a 4-wheeler compared to an older Indy where your feet were out in front like a cruiser bike. I was surprised by how well the VK’s rear suspension handled my wife and I when riding double on both trails and through fresh snow. The machine is quite large and the seat is so long that were weren’t even bumping into one another.
For fun riding, I don’t think the VK is that great for bumpy trails. It’s a big, heavy sled that can be quite tippy at times (I’m hoping the wider ski skins will help with that). But it’s really neat at how slowly you can ride through fresh, deep untracked/unpacked snow. Even compared to my 144 RMK, you just don’t have to carry the speed and momentum which allows you to just putt along and go into areas that would take a lot more speed and effort on a regular sled. Of course the VK isn’t going to be awesome at sidehilling or mountain riding. It weighs so much that my 200lb body doesn’t counterweight it as well as all my other sleds. But then again, my wife loves it for trail riding. She loves the wind protection, not worrying about getting stuck and the power not being “jumpy” and it not being super loud. She has her choice of Pro-ride Polaris sleds and instead likes the VK. She and some of my kids think my sporty sleds are too tall and tippy.
I’ve not done any water skipping or ridden in or on overflow yet but the sled is so heavy that you’re basically not going to lift it unless your The Mountain off Game of Thrones. One of my other buddies has a Polaris Widetrack and carries a high lift jack and come along with him. The under seat storage is like 4” deep, 20” wide and I’m guessing 36” or so long? It is super handy and easy to access by flipping the seat up. The sled is big compared to my Axys and Pro-Rides. I was taken aback by how huge it was when I first loaded it into my F-250 at the dealer. The hood is massive. I’ll take a look though my videos and see if I have any that show more of what you mentioned.
One of the other subscribers suggested I create an Instagram account so I did @thatalaskaguy
I posted some photos on there of the VK, one of them is next to an Axys.
@@thatalaskaguy it only weighs 475 lbs. a lot lighter than most machines close to 700 lbs some of them
@@terrybrazeau4261 I got curious and just looked up the weight in my owners manual (page 11-1) and it is unfortunately listed as 730 lbs wet full of fuel and oil. The machine definitely feels heavy at times when you are having to side hill or it goes up on one ski. I never thought I’d enjoy riding such a heavy tank but so far I’ve been very impressed by its ability off trail and in untracked snow.
@@thatalaskaguy yep but dry on Yamaha website it says 475 dry just saying lol
Not that anyone's expecting this sled to do 110 on a lake or anything, but does it get up at all when you put it in D?
It’s not fast or quick, it’s quite heavy and tops out around 50mph. I think it’s accurate to compare it to a small bore 4x4 utility quad. It’ll get you where you need to go (as long as it can get traction) but not particularly quickly or have any reserve power available. It needs the wider ski skins to help float the front end. I’ve not had it our mountains in deep powder snow but my feeling is it would struggle to climb steep hills. I’ll have to ride it in those conditions this winter and shoot a video about the experience. When I’m riding it on trails or off trail in unpacked snow I don’t think it is boring or particularly slow, it’s just different and it’s own thing. Even though it is really big and heavy I don’t live in fear of getting it stuck like I did with my Yamaha Vector and Nytro. It floats so well and has so much traction it really reminds me of a utility quad.
@@thatalaskaguy Thanks, Guy. I'm out in MN, which has a speed limit on state trails of 50MPH anyway, and it'd be nice to have a comfy, affordable sled that can stow away enough stuff for me to be able to help make sure folks have a safe, healthy, fun time while out sledding. I've watched a few of your videos. Keep up the good work!
Russia(Siberia)- 10000 dollars (Vk540-5)... Veri exprensive! I like Vk540-4
Yeah, I agree. But it's not super inexpensive here in the USA either. I spent quite a bit of time researching and comparing prices and for the features I wanted and what was available. Considering all that the VK wasn't terrible in price. If you want a simple, basic fan-cooled sled your options are very limited nowadays.The Ski-doos were always priced higher and seemed to come with a bunch of features I didn't want or need. I feel they've lost their way with NOT providing a basic, simple snowmachine for people in remote areas to own and use. Cat was too expensive for what they had and Polaris dropped the fan cooled Widetrack which was stupid IMO. Instead they offer a liquid cooled 800 that has a sketchy reputation for reliability? Dumb move on their part even though I like their sleds.
Wow nice sled man how much you pay for that beast
Last winter they were going for under $9300.
Polaris Widetrak isn't half the machine as the 540 is. Also, I agree about the Blast models, they are overpriced by about $1500 (CAD). Don't get me wrong, I really like the Blast LT but it's just not worth the asking price.
That’s interesting, I just assumed the Polaris and VK were pretty comparable. If they would have had a more reasonable price for the Blast I’d likely have ended up with one of those but in retrospect I’m glad I didn’t. I didn’t realize how much better and more capable a widetrack machine is compared to a 15 or 16” wide. I’ve had no regrets going with the VK even though the weight causes me concern if I were to get it stuck but so far I’ve not gotten stuck once. I just ride it with a different state of mind and think a lot more before heading into different situations.
@@thatalaskaguy The VK is legend.
at what price did you buy it?
I seem to remember they were running for around $9200 last February.
I look for a vk, what are its limits in the snow and mountains. Thank you
Unfortunately I don’t have a good handle on it’s capability for use in the mountains. My assumptions are it’ll be quite limited as the engine doesn’t produce high rpm power. Instead it just kinda goes flat after half throttle. It’s also so heavy that side hilling is far more challenging than on a regular sled. But, because my expectations are so low I keep being impressed with its ability to tractor up hills. As long as it has traction it keeps climbing. I want to try it out in deep snow conditions in steep terrain but so far we’ve not gotten much new snow since I installed the 11” wide ski skins.
I’m planning to do a video with it in the mountains sometime before the end of this season.
@@thatalaskaguy Merci du Québec Canada
How much was it?
They were running under $9000 last year around this time. I don’t know what they are asking now or if any are even available.
CARB OR EFI?
Carb, it was shown in the video.
Привет с Урала.... Ямаха викинг супер....
Hello from Alaska, I’m glad folks from Russia are watching. I watched tons of VK 540 videos from Russia before I bought mine.
SEEMS TO PLOW SNOW UP ON THE HOOD
As does every other sled ridden at low speed in deep snow.