AFTER your rant about snowmobilers and HD riders. Go back and follow the timeline. You quoted me when I said it was a little magical riding thru the snow covered trees with a few friends following the groomer.
I have been riding for 40yrs. I dont know what kind of trails you will be riding, but having ridden friends 4 strokes and always prefer getting back on my 2stroke. I am a Arctic Cat guy, and currently ride a 2019 ZR8000 with 137in track. I am the guy who, when he sees something to jump, I go for it. If there is a winding bush trail, I attack it. And the lighter the sled, the easier that is to do. I have not ridden a turbo sled, so i cannot comment on those, but i have ridden the Yamaha Viper, whichnis the non-turbo version of the Sidewinder, and although the motor is awesome, weight makes it a little less playful.
This thing looks like fun. In Banditracers territory. https://watertown.craigslist.org/snw/d/rodman-2010-yamaha-yz450f-snowbike/7008320146.html
How to Prepare for Snowmobiling 1. Go to your local snowmobile dealer, smile and give the first guy you see $500. This will get you used to spending money there on a regular basis. 2. Fill a 45-gallon barrel with sand. Lower it into a hole. Now lift it out. If you can, add water to the sand and try it again. Do this 5 times per day. This will get your back in shape for lifting your sled out of the deep snow. 3. Tie a rope to a heavy-duty spring. Pull the rope repeatedly with each arm until the pain in your shoulders meets somewhere in middle your back. This will get you in shape for starting your bud's sled, which he conveniently forgot was out of gas. It's best to do this exercise while someone is spraying starting fluid into your nose and eyes also. 4. Drink four ounces of cod liver oil mixed with a strong laxative. Dress with long underwear, wool pants, snowmobile bibs, insulated boots and heavy coat. Walk far into the woods without any paper products and wait for a personal emergency. This get you prepare for the Beer edit for bad language that come out of nowhere, and at the wrong time. 5. Place your hands in a bucket of ice water for 20 minutes. Put the carburetor from your lawn mower in the bottom of your deep freeze. Now climb in the deep freeze, shut the lid and overhaul it while holding a pen light in your mouth. This gets you prepared to work on your sled in the freezing cold and black of night. Advanced riders do this with a leatherman tool. 6. Dress up in your new $400 snowmobile bibs. Pour 2 stroke oil down the right leg, gasoline down the other and Peppermint Schnapps and Beer all over the front. Fill your boots with ice cubes and ask your wife or girlfriend to dance. This will prepare her for the stops at the local bars during a ride. 7. Put on a Balaclava and a full-face helmet. Attempt to drink hot chocolate through the opening. Advanced riders attempt this while riding a lawn tractor over in the nearest farmers' plowed field. 8. Find a place where you can pay $3.50 for regular gas; $19.99 per litre of oil; $16 for a Hamburger and frozen French Fries; $3 for a coke and $160 to sleep in a cold cabin on a bed with springs sticking through the mattress. Stay for two nights, minimum. This will prepare you on the high cost of your future winter trips. 9. Practice explaining to your banker why you need another loan for a $70,000 truck to pull the four $20,000 sleds, on your $15,000 trailer that you still owe $50,000 on. Now, you are 50% ready, and somewhat conditioned to head for the trails and ride your sled.
Anybody know if the newer SkiDoo E-Tec two strokes still use the pre-greased sealed crank bearings? That's one thing I'd be very leary of with used SkiDoos. I know 2 guys that have had those and the crank grenaded on both at about 2500 miles. I still ride a 2006 Yamaha Apex I bought in 2008 with 600 miles for half original price. It's heavy as shit, and took some $$ to get the suspension working, but it's been reliable as a rock and still faster than all but the very fastest 2 strokes. about 9,000 miles on mine. Based on my little bubble of experience, I'd go Sidewinder. (although I've been considering a Polaris 800 after riding a couple...)
Yeah, a little over an hour away. I'd be glad to pick up and store it for anybody that wants it. Of coarse I'll have to ride it so it doesn't seize up while it's here.
Rent. Rent. Rent That being said, my annual buddies 4 day backpack trip around the U P will be in late February if any of you guys want to join us. Last year was around 650 miles.
I'll be in the UP at the first of February, Mercer Wisconsin area the end of February. I rent sometimes, not a bad idea. It's gotten a little pricey the last few years. About the only downfall is the tracks are never spiked.
I agree especially if you only go once or twice a year. Now if you live in an area where there are legit trails and enough snow I'd say buy. Otherwise renting is the way to go.
I'll be in Eagle River for the big hockey tournament the first week of February. https://eagleriver.org/featured/pond-hockey-championships/
been snowmobiling most of my adult life. it is a passion, for us. you start riding in the back yard, and then move to farm fields, then find the trail systems, then move to better and better snow destinations. we ride about every other weekend, dec 1st, through may 1st. this year our first distance ride (85 miles round trip, to the next town for lunch) was nov 29th. the last 2 years, we could have rode trails on may 1st. yes these last years have been good to us, in the snowbelt. you have to find something you like to do, to break up the monotony of winter, or you will not like the northern climes. that said, we used to be trail riders, going from gas to gas (never drinking until done for the day). now we like to explore the unused logging roads, and trails, and play in the pits, fields, lakes, river bottoms. you will not get cold riding with us. most of the time, we are sweatin our asses off. we migrated to long tracks, after spending years stretching sleds, we couldnt buy in michigan. i can remember in 2007 having to pay UP FRONT, when we wanted to buy our first mountain sleds, because no dealer in mich, would order mountain sleds at all. now, that is almost all everyone has on the floors. offtrail, free riding is the largest growing segment of the sport right now but, it is also the segment that takes the most heat, as that group has been stereo typed as "stand up riders, with decals, and wild looking clothes, and back packs, tearing the trails up, and tresspassing everywhere there is no tracks in the snow". that said... even with my forum handle, we have migrated away from the skidoo isoflex greased bearing time bomb lower ends. i have owned sleds from every mfgr, 2 and 4 stroke. they all break, they all cost money to maintain, and fix when they break, and THEY ALL BREAK! we did the 4 stroke thing for 2 seasons, and after fighting the weight, and handling characteristics, we went back to 2 strokes. we have been on cats since 2009, and i believe for us, their chassis, drive, and motor combo, are hard to beat. personally i dont buy first year models, i wait for the 4-5 year revisions to come out, right before they are switching chassis's. that way most of the bugs are worked out, and there are lots of fixes, accessories and upgrades for that model. our area is grooming already, heading to our vacation home next friday for 3 weeks. we are about a month ahead of where we were last year. oh yeah, we have snowbikes, and the wife rides too. Ski
This. I live in the UP and I have direct trail access from my house. When I owned a sled I never went out on weekends. Too many drunk tourist nutballs.
