by Nancy Gardiner
Northern News Services

NNSL (Feb 19/97) - Force One Yamaha is finding out how profitable the Internet can be.

The Yellowknife Yamaha dealer just landed a $100,000 contract - its largest contract ever - with the RCMP in Saskatchewan.

It also represents the biggest sale day in the company's 10-year history.

And the RCMP is getting an alternative mode of transportation out of the deal in the form of 17 new all-terrain vehicles.

Staff Sgt. Bill Goughnour of Saskatchewan's F Division, says the four-wheelers provide accessibility and save wear-and-tear on their regular vehicles. They also assist with search and rescue, which is common in Saskatchewan.

"Fellows out in the detachments have been asking for them for years," he said.

After replenishing their snowmobile and boat programs, Regina RCMP turned their attention to ATVs.

One ATV they've had for years has permitted the RCMP to "extend a vehicle's" life by two years," said Goughnour. The mounties in Saskatchewan have been using five ATVs for several years now.

The new ATVs will be sent from Regina's depot, to 17 different locations in Saskatchewan. A dozen of them will go to northern Saskatchewan locales.

Staff Sgt. Goughnour said there's a lot of places with cabins on lakes where conventional vehicles can't get to.

The RCMP can also monitor ATV clubs.

"We've found in some of our northern detachments they don't even have roads, or we send vehicles up where they may only have 2.5 kilometres of road, so they use ATVs in those areas just to get around up into the Indian reserves," Goughnour said.

Doug Witty, sole owner of Force One Yamaha, said the order was assembled in Yellowknife, then shipped to Regina.

"We were low bid and met all the specifications," he explained. The ATV "Big Bears" normally retail for about $7,000 each. But Witty says he was able to offer a better price.

Witty also said it's an excellent example of how Northern businesses can compete with their southern competitors. He said he used the Internet -- not long-distance phone calls or a flight south -- to get the details for the tender.

Northwest Transport is handling the four-wheelers' shipment.

Force One Yamaha moved from the Kam Lake area to Old Airport Road in November. It deals in snowmobiles, boats, motors, ATVs, generators and has the Snap-on Tools franchise.