Enlighten me on your experiences with them and your thoughts upon them if you use them.
Enlighten me on your experiences with them and your thoughts upon them if you use them.
#RESIST
I have nothing to contribute other than I've been on one twice, in the same location, two years apart, with the same people, from the same vendor, and despite (maybe because of?) being stranded alone in the woods the second time for three hours with no cell reception, it remains literally one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life.
We were also in Jackson last year for the "hill climb" and crossed paths with a lot of "slednecks", which I also find generally enjoyable (apart from the fact that they seem to travel in familial packs, which I find creepy but acknowledge I'm largely in the minority there).
I am from Florida, and I not only hate jet skis but find that I largely hate those on them. I was prepared to feel the same about snowmobiles but I was wrong.
Does the above offend? If you have paid to be here, you can click here to put it in context.
I've seen you post this before and every time it makes me laugh. It's like a French man who hates baguettes, or an Italian who hates pasta, or a Texan who hates guns.Originally Posted by rob_s
No judgement, I just love the irony.
Ski-Doo
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
I am hearing snow bikes are a better option than a sled, though I am doing snow survey on foot or in a tracked UTV.
Not an expert by any means, but I’ve rented and ridden all the major brands over the years. Ski-Doo tends to consistently be the best sleds I’ve tried.
I love riding them. More so than any other motor sport (atv, pwc, bike). If I lived somewhere with consistent snow I would own several.
I love skis and sleds. The ski is easier IMO, the sled can take some proprioception that I do not have. I'd be interested in Ski Doos since I've been happy with my Sea Doo, but my only experience is with Polaris, which is what USASOC has been using for at least the past couple of years. I don't know anything about the path to choosing Polaris, we have a lot of different vehicles from them like RZRs and I think our ATVs as well so take it for what its worth - they may build the best sleds so we picked them or they may have just satisfied our minimum requirements across a huge range of vehicles. I'm not aware of any serious issues with them though, the maintenance has been fairly straightforward I'm pretty sure. My profile pic is on an RMK650, I also have a little bit of experience with the Switchback Assault, Voyager, and Titan. I liked the RMK the best until I tried the Titan. I have the least experience with it but liked it a lot for it being such a big sled and I think it may be the most versatile - we used it the most for a variety of roles, kind of like a jack of all trades.
Just like everything else, there are different models for a reason so be aware of their purpose especially if you're new to riding sleds. We (some new riders and some instructors) had never messed with the Voyagers and learned real quick that they were not good at breaking trail through powder and had to dig out many times over the course of hours. Digging out is a smoke sesh.
My retirement dream some day is to have two places, one on the water with skis and a boat and one in the mountains with sleds.
I like lightweight, air-cooled, two-stroke, and inexpensive (used, old, held together with hot glue/tape/JB Weld/belligerence). The first so I can throw it around and dig it out by myself. The second to aid the first and third. Third to ease maintenance, particularly at zero dark thirty when it sputters to a halt and the mechanic is from the department of Me, Myself, and I. Fourth because good lord, prices have gone insane since the nineties; and you will absolutely break them which bleeds a whole lot more money. Mid-power sleds will do far more than 99% of people will ever need while also being easy to pick up and throw sideways by the ass end.
That said, for mountain climbs and being drunken-fucktard-resistant, the traditional snowmaker's Skandic remains a solid machine. It violates the lightweight rule but has earned quite a lot of respect.
And to pick a fight, reverse is a scam.
Skis are a lot like sport bikes IME, a lot of people on them come off as assholes. I liked the group I rode with in NC because they were all older, nice people. But I've been yelled at for stuff other people (my age, mostly) did that were in no way a part of our group, and while it was frustrating, I also kind of get it.
Until a few years ago, I was avid, even though I live in Ohio and it required going to northern Michigan. It was something to do in the winter when everyone else that lives here doesn't do much except bitch about winter.
How you expect to use them is a huge consideration, they may all look the same, but may be configured quite differently. The primary categories are Trail and Mountain, primarily differentiated by the length of the track and the height of the lugs/paddles on the track. And there is more and more emphasis on hybrids, with medium length and lugs, so you can get off the trail somewhat and still have practicality on a trail or road. The tall lugs lift the track off of packed snow, and the track slides on (replenishable) Delrin strips that require some snow for lubrication, you can actually smell them melting from the guy in front of you if there is not enough snow (like skirting the edge of a road).
All the brands are good, but Yamaha just exited the market (the war in Ukraine and Russian boycott limited their sales just enough to reach a tipping point), I would probably lean to Ski-Doo or Polaris. There is two stroke and four stroke, carburetors or injected, some pull start but mostly electric start. I kinda think two stroke injected electric start is a sweet spot. Just like I tell people to set their guns up like the match director who sets up the stages, looking at the people doing what you want to do is a source of clues.
Ski-Doo has a reverse that retards timing to the point of restarting the engine to run backwards for reverse, I think this is nice and comes with no real weight or complexity penalty (others may have this now).
Some of them are extraordinarily powerful, and they are all CVT belt drive, and that makes them very responsive.
New ones got to be very sophisticated and big bucks, older ones can still have huge value but can also be a colossal PITA, and some bigger shops have started declining work on older sleds, if you do not plan to do it yourself.
My favorite one was a Ski-Doo MXZ 600SDI, my buddy is selling it on Marketplace but I cannot find a link right now.
Anyway, it is a metric buttload of fun, let us know a little more about what you have plans for, hauling ass or mending fences?
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