Originally Posted by
hydromike
Jeff can certainly add to my rant, and probably for good reason. I can't be sure that a lot of decision makers at RI monitor the Site. I certainly don't know the inner-workings of the company, so all I can say is from observation, and from speaking to a few of the folks there.
They (RI) seem very, very complacent with their current products, and not a whole lot of changes have been made in a long time. The Max II and IV have certainly seen their share of much needed upgrades, but a drastic change in either driveline or the body itself has yet to be seen. I guess one could certainly argue that both models work extremely well. Granted, engine choices have certainly improved over the years, and with the introduction of EFI in the Avenger, and liquid cooled models of both the Max IV and Argo models (not sure which you can get liquid in... just the Avenger?), it certainly shows that someone is interested in improving something. There just seems to be a lot of "inside-the-box" thinking that I, personally, think could be put to a test. Without a lot of competition in the market (There are really only two competitors), there isn't much of a catalyst for change. There's really no "oneupsmanship" in the amphibious ATV industry. I would certainly like to see a drastic change in either of the manufacturers that is grand enough to stand the other on its ear. The thing is, extensive R&D is expensive, and when there's little DEMAND for the change, that expense likely does not seem fruitful.
Personally, (no big surprise coming from me...) I would love to see a machine that's capable of 55mph off the showroom floor. It's not difficult. It's not extremely expensive. Sure, a springer would be amazing, and most of the R&D for a couple machines has been performed. Would RI buy the idea from Whipper? Probably not. Why? The attitude of the manufacturers isn't in performance, unfortunately. But the EXACT MINUTE that RI throws a 50-60 horsepower, 55mph capable Max on the market, you can be sure that the Argo guys are going to be hitting the AutoCAD pretty hard.
There just needs to be a catalyst. What will that take? Who knows.
~M