Snowmobiling?

mack · Jan 31, 2005

Yeah, i use friends. I think there kinda stupid really.

dont be a Tool. get a 4 stroke.

edit: some do go 100mph, true. But they also eat gas. Usually people use those super fast old ones for water "surfing"

TreeSaw · Jan 31, 2005

I do. I have 2000 MXZ 700 and it will do 100+mph (under the right conditions) and the hubby has an '04 MXZ Rev X 800 HO...which means it's REALLY fast! We generally do quite a bit of trail riding and have a blast with ours. We're ski-doo riders ourselves. Check out your local classified ads because you can pick up some older sleds that are pretty nice for low $ these days. I would suggest something late 80s early 90s if you can because they have made leaps and bounds in improving the suspension and handeling over the early 80s sleds. PM me if you have any questions and I will try to help you out.

mack · Jan 31, 2005

Really 4 stroke is allot better. You will find that youll want to ride them more because they are not as frigen noisy and dont smell bad :dead:

They also last longer.

I dont know how much snow you get, but the best thing to do with them is to out run cops when its snowed allot. Highways are the best to get up to 80 mph on, never done it personally, but i know kids that do, looks so cool.

Yeah, the 80's 2 stokes are crazy. My friend has a few, and he has this one 80's one with like no rear suspension, it takes off like a drag car. :cool:

Hawkeye · Jan 31, 2005

I have a friend that has some older sleds like 70's. A john Deere and a yamaha neither has any rear suspension. you have to muscle them around a bit and it can be fatiguing after about 3-4 miles of turns.

His brother in law has one from the early 90's and it seems pretty good. A lot better than the 70's era ones.

TreeSaw · Jan 31, 2005

I found a couple of pics:

1. Me on a snowdrift at our snowmobile camp.

My husband's new sled sitting on the side of the road next to our camp's driveway last winter.

mack · Jan 31, 2005

wow, those are nice.

TreeSaw · Jan 31, 2005

COmtbiker12 said:
Are the older 80s and 70s models dramatically different as far as ride characteristics? Those seem to be the cheapest ones out there and since I dont have a job...lol. I'll probably end up just saving money and picking some up next fall or over the summer since I'd guess that that's when they'll be going cheap from the off-season and what not.

DEFINATELY. They steer harder and lack rear suspension so short rides (a couple of miles) are about it. Until the early 90s the suspension was very poor and your body will definately tell you how much it hurts to ride any distance on older sleds.

As far as 4-strokes go, they are heavier, have less power and are slower than the 2-strokes. And with the new SDI technology, 2-stroke sleds run a lot cleaner (emissions) and get much better gas mileage too. Trust me, the stock 2-stroke engines aren't that loud (especially once you have your helmet on).

I think it's worth it to wait and look for a good deal on a newer model (90s) because they tend to be a little more reliable and easier to get parts for if something does go wrong and they are a MUCH more comfortable ride.

caputo1989 · Jan 31, 2005

2-stroke= pain in the @$$ 4-stroke= fun/reliable

mack · Jan 31, 2005

I cant stand 2 stoke. Although, my brain has wired the smell of 2 stoke to fishing...

Wish i could afford to sell my 91 merc and buy a honda 4 stoke for my whaler. THe thing with 4 stokes, at least on boats, is that the powerband goes away. Even though there still is one, its very insignifigant, but youll get better torque and more horsepower at lower engine speeds. This is true for boats at least...

the best part is that they run SSSSOOOOO quite. I go fishing with this old dude, and he acidently left his new Honda 50 running over the night because its so noiseless. :thumb:

Echo · Jan 31, 2005

For you people spouting off about 4 stroke sleds, can you name how many manufacturers make them, and how many models feature 4 stroke engines? I didn't think so.

Get a newer sled- they handle better and are safer because of better suspension, better engine tech, wider ski stance (huge plus), bigger fuel tanks, better track design, lightweight plastic skis, and about 100 other reasons.

Lexx D · Jan 31, 2005

Damn, now you're reminding me how bad i want a sled.........Damn you! :nuts:

TreeSaw · Jan 31, 2005

COmtbiker12 said:
So save up for a mid90s Polaris, yamaha or SkiDoo or something? What price range am I looking at here most likely?

I would think that you could get a mid-90s sled (and I am looking at the Skidoo MXZs as my reference point because that's what I prefer to ride because of sport and performace) about $1500. Obviously, you're going to pay more for more cc's of power, but that's a rough estimate. I would suggest going with a lower cc for the suspension over power for your first sled. My first sled was a 500cc Formula SL fan cooled sled and it had plenty of power and was a blast to ride...I miss good ole' Frankensled

TreeSaw · Jan 31, 2005

Lexx D said:
Damn, now you're reminding me how bad i want a sled.........Damn you! :nuts:

So, you wanna see more pics? :devil:

TSchultz · Jan 31, 2005

Personally I would recomend a 96 or newer with 600cc. A 600 seems to be about the best overall motor size for giving you power as well as not so much that it will get you in trouble. I personally own a 97 SkiDoo 583. It is more than enough for trail rides and will do mid ninetys. I prefer to have mine geared a little more for the bottom end since that is where you will be playing the most. It is much more fun to have a sled that is snappy at 60 mph than one that is sluggish at that speed, but will do 105.

As far as people suggesting the four strokes in snowmobiles, there are fundamental differences on the clutching of a snowmobile as to why two strokes work better. I could go on for hours about this topic, but will hold off for now.

As was said before for a 96-98 600 you will be looking at about 1000-2000 depending on year and specific model.

I just saw you live in Colorado Springs I may bump my size recomendation up to a 700 due to hp loss at altitude. Where will you be riding, do you have friends that ride, and how old are you?

GeoffW · Feb 1, 2005

Echo said:
For you people spouting off about 4 stroke sleds, can you name how many manufacturers make them, and how many models feature 4 stroke engines? I didn't think so.

Get a newer sled- they handle better and are safer because of better suspension, better engine tech, wider ski stance (huge plus), bigger fuel tanks, better track design, lightweight plastic skis, and about 100 other reasons.

Can you? All of the big 4 currently make 4 stroke, the Yamaha's being the most prevailient and respectable...their RX-1 with an MCExpress Turbo will pull an honest 400 ponies out of 1 litre.

To any of the naysays of 2 strokes out there, smell the coffe guys, two strokes have come quite a long way in the past few years. Variants of direct injection are on the market an accomplish better fuel mileage than 4 strokes with crisper power. 2 strokes are far from being stinky and unreliable.

A 600 is too much for a starter sled, find a 500 liquid or a 550 fan, you'll be happier. Stay away from triple/triples, their very nose heavy and handle poorly.

I'll have to dig up soem pics, I've been racing for 7 years now, do the sno-x thing, if any of you have been watching Winter X last night, you'll have seen sno-x. As for power, 2 strokes rule the roost in racing. My 990 spits out a touch over 200 horse. Drop me an email and I'll help you out, there are many things you should be looking for on an old vintage sled. You can get yourself spending quite a lot if you don't know what to look for.

Nick · Feb 1, 2005

I do.

sorry, no action shots on my laptop!

SkiDoo MXZ600, 2-stroke. A well tuned 2-stroke can be very fuel efficient and run much cleaner than you might think. I run a mod on my sled to adjust float bowl pressure and lean out my fuel mix when temps get warmer. Proper jet size and this mod have given me an average of 14-15mpg, which is about 2-3mpg better than without.

As far as buying a used sled; the thing that you will lack with a older sled is suspension (= handling). That is where the biggest advancements have been made in new sleds (IMO). I've ridden snowmobiles for 20 years and if you find yourself wanting to ride aggressively and fast but safely, handling is where it's at, not top speed. My sled will go 100mph on the road on a lake, but when you are in a tight twisty trail with dense trees 4 feet to either side of you, 40mph seems like light speed. Any 440 or 500 that is well tuned should be more than "quick" enough to provide lots of thrills as you learn to ride.

You live in/near the mountains. If you have a lot of ungroomed areas to ride you should look at maybe buying a mountain sled with a larger engine or at least a track that can keep you moving in deeper snow.

This sled is for sale so I can buy a new REV600 (like TreeSaw's 800) for next season.

Echo · Feb 1, 2005

TreeSaw said:
My husband's new sled sitting on the side of the road next to our camp's driveway last winter.

Let me just add that I rode that sled this weekend, and it freakin' RIPS :cool:

Snowmobiling?

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Mama Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Mama Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Mama Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

crooked smile

Turbo Monkey

Dirty Dozen

Mama Monkey

Mama Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Chimp

Turbo Monkey

Turbo Monkey

Monkey

Turbo Monkey

My name is Nick

crooked smile