Have you considered the Expy Sport? That brings the price closer between the VK and Expy. And really gives the advantage to the Exp.

Or are you really wanting the air suspension and the nice gauge?

 

If you are grooming with it, the extra weight is a good thing. The better comparison to the vk 540 would probably be the Skandic 600 ace. A good dealership means the world, but so does not having a fan cooled 2 stroke. I would either step up to the VK Pro or get the Doo. If you want the cheapest Doo to do the job, that would be the Skadic sport 600efi, MSPR $9,349 vs VK pro @ $13,999 The 600ACE comes in at $11,949. The Expy LE will certainly do the job as well, and I might want to figure in the dealer installing heavier pogo springs if you go the Skandic route. Expedition LE with the 900 ace is $13,349, or pretty much the same as the VKpro. Considering the VKpro has a few more ponies, a 3 speed transmission, and comes from the preferred dealer; I've got to think that would be the winner for you.
https://www.yamahamotorsports.com/2-up-touring-utility/models/vk-professional-ii

I wouldn't even consider the 540.

 

My club has 2 '14 600 ACE Skandic's that pull Mogul master drags grooming sled trails. That little 600 ACE is impressive pulling those heavy drags in tight woods trails. If grooming the 900 would be the way to go. Club is looking to upgrading one of the Skandics to a new 900.

Since Yami being around in the future could be questionable I'd go Ski Doo for down the road solid parts / service support.

 

IIRC the Expy Sport has a narrower 16" track vs the 154"x20" track of the LE and the Yamaha. That is a big difference for off trial flotation. So the Sport is not the same sled in that regard.

• I have not been able to verify the Yamaha weight, but if those numbers are right, that is a big difference in weight, in favor of the Yamaha. I also cannot understand the 87 lb weight difference listed between the Expedition LE and Sport, both with the 900 ACE engine.... 3" wider track and the 'luggage rack 'are NOT going to weigh 87 lbs more!
• Fuel mileage is going to go in favor of the 900 4 stroke.
• The Yamaha has the 2 speed forward gears to compensate for the narrower RPM range of te 2 stroke.....might be more of an operational inconvenience in slow-going to switch back and forth. Could that be another maintenance matter? IDK. If you are hauling a sledge across the lake with a lot of ice-fishing stuff on it, then I would tend to think that the 4 stroke would have an advantage. Find out if the Yamaha 2 speed trannie can be changed 'on the fly' or if you need to stop and change gears and then restart out. The latter would not be good if hauling a load...
• Yamaha has the backup pull start.
• Looks like the 900 engined Expedition LE has the electro-mechanical reverse. I assume this is the one with which some have problems??.... but can be converted IIRC.
• Certainly the Expedition is a more modern design..... FWIW. It does not sound like you are going to the North Pole so that may not be of any consideration.

 

Yam has been a workhorse for years , our club has a new one this year . but its old design so thats why its cheap , they did some motor work to solve the EPA. but not sure how long it will last , l had a 2020 exp SE 900 and thought it was a great sled and would get another ,, 900 sport is lighter but 16 inch track.. Le would probably be the best for you

 

The VK was good in The 1980s. There really is no comparison with the expedition unless you just want all out simplicity. That would be the only metric the VK would be tops in. If you are pulling, the 900 ace will be fantastic and give many years of reliable service.

 

Ran a north woods camp for 43 years. We did it all with everything except 4 strokes. Bulldozers, skidders, and yes ski doos too. In the end we had 4 vk 540's. MY 96, 98, 02, 06. We beat them badly, regularly pulled 250 gal of diesel (plus weight of oil tank, hemlock bunk, tote sled). We groomed trails with them before haul. It was gas and go. Literally. No maintenance, no annual once over, no changing fluids. Gas, groom trail, haul, back in shed to next year. NEVER did one leave us. (we might have put a few in to woods when blowing the corner in order to make the hill, but that is another story). Even had motor mounts rip out and it still finished job. Exhaust bolts melted right off another time, still ran back to landing. We left dozens of doos on the lake and in the woods on an annual basis over the years. Doos finally died and we stayed all Yamaha. We did have an alpine II. One load I pulled had 28 bundles of shingles (2400#). Both skis would slowly twist right off the snow and off she would go. Did need a little bump from another sled on the back of tote sled but she came to her milk.
Never burned plugs or belts. Never rebuilt clutches. Even tried a 2006 skandic 550F SWT ( 24x154x1.25). Broke it first day. Had not even paid for it yet. Hauled it to dealer on a crane truck. Melted the gears, could not pull or push it.

If you are gonna work it, I mean really work it, Yamaha all day every day. I own 3 ski doos, but none of them work. They are play toys. Yamaha vk540 are work horses. NO comparison.

They weigh 715 to 750 pounds dry depending on MY. Yamaha hates talking about weight even on these. And yes, ALWAYS carry a shovel. When you need it, you need it.

Both options are decent but thought you would want to know a story of what the yamahas can really, actually do. Swedes and Norwegians use them to twitch wood out in low impact logging.

 

^^^^ LOL Good stories! Especially about the Skandic and the shingle load....dang. Working the north woods of Maine is a REAL test ground. Tnx.

 

• ....... I also cannot understand the 87 lb weight difference listed between the Expedition LE and Sport, both with the 900 ACE engine.... 3" wider track and the 'luggage rack 'are NOT going to weigh 87 lbs more!

On top of the wider (and heavier track), the LE has a two speed transmission, a larger battery, a wider tunnel, heavier bumpers and hitch. I guess it all adds up.

 

There is no comparison between the two, one is old tech with carbs and 2 stroke, the other is the best 4 stroke you can buy and with an excellent handling chassis.
More like comparing 1985 to 2022, and the 900 will pull circles around the Vk power and fuel wise.
I've got another vk 540 on the bench getting a rebuild, i yet to rebuild a 900 and we see alot of sleds each season.

A direct comparison to the Vk 540 would be the older 500 Skandic WT, they are both the same era.

 

Wow thanks for all the replies everyone.

I'm really only considering the expy LE if I go with a doo.

As for gromming lol sorry I'm only using a wooden ski setter so nothing too heavy. Tbh I'm hoping this sled can carry all my ice gear and not need to pull a sleigh behind.

95% of my driving will be around the yard and trails so it would be nice to fire up a 4 stroke and just go and no smoke.

I saw mention of the electro reverse on the expy? How problematic are these and is there a fix to them?

What about tippyness? I'm about 6'2 250...hoping I'll be lighter by next winter but how would the vk540 and expy LE compare in tippyness especially for heavier drivers?

 

I totally missed the 2 speed trannie on the LE. So another big difference vs the Expedition Sport. Is it a good trannie compared to the Yamaha? IDK. But the OP looks not be towing 2400# of shingles LOL

I'm gonna guess that trannie effects what you can and cannot do with the electric reverse changes on the LE, as it looks to be all in the same upper area of the chain case. The electric reverse complaints that I have seen are on the regular sleds (no 2 speed trannie). And I don't know exactly what they mean by 'electro-mechanical reverse'.... maybe someone can fill in that info.

On the good side.... the Expedition is 'born in Scandanavia'.

 

I think it’s just an electronic actuator moving the mechanical reverse lever.

 

I won't consider the expedition sport this time around. I want a big wide track sled for my current needs. So the reverse isn't much an issue with the 2 speed tranny?

Aside from liking the vk540 blue colour I really can't see an advantage other than price compared to the expy LE. And 3k isn't much $ if I keep it a long while.

 

If you go to the Skandic/Expedition page you will find alot more info and guys using the Expedition for every day life.

 

I won't consider the expedition sport this time around. I want a big wide track sled for my current needs. So the reverse isn't much an issue with the 2 speed tranny?

Aside from liking the vk540 blue colour I really can't see an advantage other than price compared to the expy LE. And 3k isn't much $ if I keep it a long while.

The 2 speed should be fine. It is a lever linkage set-up. The reverse is another box. I imagine it is the same box as the 4 stroke trail sleds, so it should be very well tested. Both gear boxes also live downstream of the 900T and the 850, so it should handle the 900 na just fine.
So why not the VK Pro II? it would seem to be the machine you (basically the exact same thing as the expy, but likely more durable) want from the dealer you would prefer for virtually the same price as the Expy.

 

The 2 speed should be fine. It is a lever linkage set-up. The reverse is another box. I imagine it is the same box as the 4 stroke trail sleds, so it should be very well tested. Both gear boxes also live downstream of the 900T and the 850, so it should handle the 900 na just fine.
So why not the VK Pro II? it would seem to be the machine you (basically the exact same thing as the expy, but likely more durable) want from the dealer you would prefer for virtually the same price as the Expy.

Thanks for the insight on the transmission.

As for the VK Pro II....i don't like the Yamaha engine on it I know it's bulletproof but I find it really loud for a 4 stroke! The power steering is a cool feature though. Don't like the available colours either.

I actually think the Expy LE has more storage potential as I can remove the 2up and build a box to my liking. On the Yamaha's that big couch seat limits the space behind it.

 

Both will do what you want. VK will not cruise well over 50mph. Old school, reliable, stinky, hard on fuel two stroke.
I have four buds with vk540s, they really like them except for the low top end.
Very good sleds.

 

Wow thanks for all the replies everyone.

I'm really only considering the expy LE if I go with a doo.

As for gromming lol sorry I'm only using a wooden ski setter so nothing too heavy. Tbh I'm hoping this sled can carry all my ice gear and not need to pull a sleigh behind.

95% of my driving will be around the yard and trails so it would be nice to fire up a 4 stroke and just go and no smoke.

I saw mention of the electro reverse on the expy? How problematic are these and is there a fix to them?

What about tippyness? I'm about 6'2 250...hoping I'll be lighter by next winter but how would the vk540 and expy LE compare in tippyness especially for heavier drivers?

I have 2021 Expy LE and love it with 800 miles on it. Reverse is so nice, push button and it goes, no issues yet. The 900 Ace is awesome for torque and sounds nice too!! And it's not tippy and the skis adjust out if needed.

 

Both will do what you want. VK will not cruise well over 50mph. Old school, reliable, stinky, hard on fuel two stroke.
I have four buds with vk540s, they really like them except for the low top end.
Very good sleds.

Good to know thanks! It'd be really nice to go back inside and not smell like 2 stroke...

 

I have 2021 Expy LE and love it with 800 miles on it. Reverse is so nice, push button and it goes, no issues yet. The 900 Ace is awesome for torque and sounds nice too!! And it's not tippy and the skis adjust out if needed.

So much of my driving will be at lower speeds so the 900 seems like the fit for me. I'm pretty much decided on the expy at this point. I get so much more sled for only a few thousand more compared to the vk540.

 

If you go to the Skandic/Expedition page you will find alot more info and guys using the Expedition for every day life.

And people who arent posting praising 30 yr old 2 strokes over the best modern 4 strokes available with 3 posts.

 

I can't imagine the vk540 is drastically quieter than the too loud vkpro

 

And people who arent posting praising 30 yr old 2 strokes over the best modern 4 strokes available with 3 posts.

VK is a great sled for it's intended purpose.

 

I think you'll find some different opinions in the Skandic/Expedition forum. The VK is ancient technology while the G4 Expedition is state of the art. Someone mentioned air suspension also, but the LE doesn't have air suspension, that is only on the SE. The Sport isn't a wide track and doesn't have a 2 speed transmission. It does have an articulating rail though, unlike most standard width sleds.