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GsxrBots

GsxrBots

Motorboatin' Moonpies, Gangnam Style
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So my entire life I've lived in the Midwest. My entire life I've been around snowmobiles. I was never a fan, considering they break down every day and are the biggest money pits in the sport but however, had never ridden one. All my friends that have them work on them CONSTANTLY. Ride on the weekend, work on the thing all week long. What's the point, right?? Well, at 36 years old, I rode my first snowmobile this past weekend.. My boss has a plethora of sleds. I started out on like a 2002 Polaris Edge 600. I didn't really care for the seating position, but I was willing to give it a shot. I rode it for about an hour or so and almost rolled it over a couple times.. So the next time we stopped I was telling him, ya know I like it and all, but I just don't think its for me.. They ride pretty rough, and cornering isn't nearly as fun as I thought it was gonna be. The cold was not an issue, and after riding sportbikes for 18+ years, the acceleration, etc wasn't all that impressive either.

So he says, why don't you try mine. He rides an '08 Polaris Dragon 800. He says I might like the riding position more, but it won't corner as nice since its more of an "upright" type sled. I rode it. 10 minutes later, I was in love. It is totally "flickable" like a sportbike. I was sliding around the corners like a freakin' pro! You can completely hang off the sled like a sportbike, and moving around on it is a breeze! I loved it. Right then and there, I could feel my wallet getting about $8K lighter, and my wife getting pissed... We rode about 180 miles or so on Saturday, and it was a TOTAL blast! I MUST HAVE ONE! Now yesterday, and today I can barely walk from using muscles I didn't know existed in my body, but it was worth every sore muscle in my body..

Now, to sell the 'Busa and get a couple sleds?? Heck no.. I guess I'll just have to get a divorce.. :banghead:


Justin, wherefore art thou?? :whistle:

:laugh:
 
As a former sled racer and long time rider, if you have to wrench on the sled more than once or twice a year something is seriously wrong. Here is my wrong list.

1. Young guys buy junk that need constant work, they should be junked and a better sled bought.
2. People are riding way, way too hard and just beating the living piss out of the sled for no reason. This is very common!
3. Someone has modified the sled that did not know what they were doing. Now it is unreliable and no fun since it always needs work.
4. No maintenance. That represents beer money to most guys so the beer wins.
5. For goodness sake don't let a "friend" work on the sled to give it more performance! Most friends ruin what they touch!

If you buy something very fast from the factory and leave it stock, it will run for years with minimal maintenance. You may not want to jump the crap out of it so you beat it to death, but it will run top end wide open for years with no problem.
If you modify anything, ESPECIALLY the clutch, you are in a give and take situation. You will have trade offs. The factory clutch will do it all for years and years. Aftermarket will give you a compromise.

I personally would buy a Skidoo for the clutch. They have superior clutches in them and are unbreakable. All other brands you will see guys messing with the clutches rather than riding. I can't say this enough, Skidoo is head and shoulders better at making a superior sled engineering wise.

Good Luck and have fun!
 
my advice would be to just rent one a few times a year.
no storage or maintenance fees, forget registration and insurance too.
i do that with boats. plus i can get something different every time if i want to.

snow machines are huge money pits!! worst than bikes, but not as bad as boats.

every dork in Wyoming has a few snow machines. well, every dork but me. :laugh:
 
We midwest motorcycle enthusiasts must endure the seasonal downtime brought to us by winter. There is no greater substitute than snowmobiles !!!! You can find reliable sleds at affordable prices if you shop smart but, like boats, they tend to be more of a money pit than bikes are. I think all four of the major brands have come a long way in the last 10 years in quality. I wouldn't be sold on Skidoo (AKA Ski-don't) anymore than the others. Just keep your machine stock and well maintained and you should be fine. I am the proud owner of a low mileage Arctic Cat Pantera with a 1000cc Thundercat engine in it. 172hp with saddle bags and a backrest WOOHOO!!!!!!
 
Get it! You came into this world by yourself and your leaving the same, my wife did not want me to buy the Busa back in May, here I am!!! I rode a snow mobile a few times back in Chicago. My buddy had a ski-doo 4500 super hooked up with 30mm mikunis, had the works and I flipped this thing on its side at (60MPH) ouch for about 150 feet, All I could say, snow and ice, much better than asphalt......
 
Im on the same situation as you were before, I have never ridden one, never got interested, not really a fan :dunno: But I think you should get it. :thumbsup:
 
Well the good news is you could probably get a really nice deal on one since the winter hasn't arrived yet. Bad news is if you get one, you can't complain when your wife decides she wants a really nice upgrade in her vehicle or a nice tropical vacation. :)
 
once you get the right snow gear and electrically heated suit sledding is fun... my friends has a turbo'd sled and that thing is absolutely a blast to ride and there is no acceleration like it
 
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