Times have changed

Monday I had some time to kill and stopped and looked at snowmobiles in Stillwater. I haven’t ridden since the late ’70s so I haven’t paid any attention to the industry. All I can say is WOW. The sales guy came over and started laying out all the features and what they can do, can’t do, you know all the typical sales guy stuff. My first impression was “boy these things are butt ugly.” They (all the brands) look like moon machines or something. They did have a Artic Cat Pantera there that looked kinda normal. (from years ago) Also a Yamaha was sitting next to it that looked pretty nice. Might have been because they were more touring looking things. The really wild ones I think are made for one person and going faster then I ever would go.

He indicated that the four strokes are a bit heavier but I didn’t get the impression it’s a big deal. Seems the mileage is pretty good with them.

For all you guys who think boats are expensive……….check out sleds.

Is there anybody beside Suzuki here that rides other then for ice fishing? Preferred brand? Size? Anything special about any of them?

I bought a 2016 Arctic Cat ZR 8000 LXR 137″ last year. It is a 800cc, EFI, 2 stroke. I got to take a few trips with it. I like it. Lots of power. Fun to ride. I have a few friends that ride Ski Doo’s. All the brands are pretty good these days. Depending on what you want to use it for there is a model that should fit your needs. The 4 strokes are good also. Generally a little better mileage with a 4 stoke. The 4 stokes are a little heavier. Which isn’t a big deal for cruising the trails. But if you are riding aggressively and come into a corner hot that is when you notice the extra weight.

My days of going into corners “hot” are over. Can you say putt,putt.

Don’t tell any of the other ice fishing guys I said this but, BRING ON THE SNOW this year! We are due for a long sledding season.

Geez Mike you say that EVERY year around this time.

suzuki wrote:

Don’t tell any of the other ice fishing guys I said this but, BRING ON THE SNOW this year! We are due for a long sledding season.

Is it Nov. 2015 all over again? Sounds the same. I like today’s weather myself.

I used to race Hill-cross for a couple years, always ran a Ski-Doo. Now I just trail ride once a year or so and I still have my old sled I bought new back in 2005…2006 Ski-Doo Renegade 800X.

I’ve looked into 4-stroke machines but I decided I won’t be getting one until the Gub’ment bans 2-stroke sleds…There’s just so much power vs weight in the 2-strokes with much easier maintenance. I know you can buy turbo 4-strokes now, but that’s more than I want to maintain.

I’m a die-hard BRP fan with a garage full of their ATV’s, SXS’s and sleds. But nowadays, most all are good quality. Polaris has seen their share of bumps in the road in quality on dirt and snow recently, but they’re still decent machines.

My wife and I have ridden since 1995. Started out with matching Polaris Trails, bulletproof and ran them until 2011 when I picked up two 1 year old sleds that were used out at a Colorado resort on “tours” for a year. Each had just under 300 miles on them and all the bells and whistles.
My wifes is a Arctic Cat F-570, mine is the two-up version T-570. Got them both for 11K cash, and will ride them until we can’t anymore.
They’re fun enough to ride the trails on (I can take the 2 up seat off of mine and it makes for a pretty fun 144 for the trails) and I love mine for pulling the Otter and ice fishing with my son.

I’m lucky in that I can ride right from my driveway and be on the trails in 5 minutes with endless miles to ride. I’m off one day every week and I take a rip almost every time I’m off during the winter. I’ve gone as far as from my house outside Cloquet over to Brule, WI and back in good snow years.

Attachments:

1. 

   T570.jpg
   

I’m scared of the day my wife and I dont want to ride anymore. I know its coming but so far we both still look forward to it and enjoy it very much.
When I leave the sport it will likely be from no longer accepting the risk involved and not from physical limitations. On our last ride last year my wife bounced off an oak tree and she’s STILL excited to ride this year. That is good news. The bad news is I still have to patch up her sled.
Planning on replacing it mid season this year. Just cant swing it right now. The market is flooded so even if we get a decent winter its a buyers market for both new carryovers and used.

Attachments:

1. 

   IMG_20150206_111937_361.jpg
   

Global warming (weak snow seasons) had changed my outlook as I sold my sled several years ago and now use an ATV year round… I agree the prices buying new are crazy, I’ve been able to find really good deals buying a couple year old used models though…

I used to love riding. We rode hard when we did and put the miles on. I completely lost interest when one of my closest friends was killed in a snowmobile accident. I still have a sled but haven’t gone over 30 on it in a few years.
DT

deertracker wrote:

I used to love riding. We rode hard when we did and put the miles on. I completely lost interest when one of my closest friends was killed in a snowmobile accident. I still have a sled but haven’t gone over 30 on it in a few years.
DT

This is usually the outcome in this scenario. We have been lucky and not personally known anyone killed sledding. I had a bad accident 12 years ago and slowed down considerably after that. I have since crept back up my speeds but I despise blind corners and those that ignore them. Riding at night is much safer for us. Last year we started wearing safety vests and made them part of our riding attire. We should have done that 20 years ago. Would have saved me a couple cracked ribs for sure.

Loved sledding back in the 70’s. Hit a car when they came around a blind corner. Lost control on ice and went into the snow on the side of the road. I was told all they could see was snow, arms and legs.

Always was lucky enough to walk away. Sometimes with a little limp.

I think it’s much more economical to rent a sled for a weekend or even a week now a days.

I don’t know who took this shot of me on a rented machine.

Attachments:

1. 

   BK-catching-a-little-air-.jpg
   

And then a few minutes later…

Attachments:

1. 

   images.jpg
   

Sure, THAT picture you take!!