Tips For The Trails

With the Ski-Doo MXZ XRS 850 Turbo R making it to dealers, there have been some serious developments in the production models that significantly affect how this machine is studded.  This year, there are a couple of deviations from Ski-Doo’s typical track setups that affect the stud options available to install in factory trim.   Limited Space With 9 Tooth Drivers   Photo courtesy of John Gibbs One fact that went under the radar as it did not show up in the spec sheet is the move from an 8-tooth driver to a 9-tooth. So what does that mean? There is...

  The last three years in snowmobile sales have been like nothing we’ve seen before. While overall sales numbers were nothing close to the prime of the early 2000s, all the snowmobiles produced were sold. In-season buying disappeared for a few seasons, and snow check was the only way to get a new sled. New sled prices and availability are the most significant influence on the used sled market, and it pulled prices up abnormally high. We knew this would not last forever, and we see last season as a transition back to what we were accustomed to pre-2020. Leftover...

A $2,500 snowmobile grant for trails at risk. Every year snowmobile trails come under attack from new landowners, municipalities, Mother Nature and more.  It seems we always loose more than we gain.  This grant aims to reverse course on this trend and help a trail that is at risk of being lost. The award One club will be chosen on or before October 21st 2023 and awarded a $2,500 grant for their project Who qualifies Must be a US non-profit snowmobile club based in the Midwest or Northeast Trail must be at risk Selection Criteria Importance of trail Viability of...

On 6/28/2023 Yamaha announces it will exit the snowmobile industry. To preface this post, we do not have any insider information on this situation; it is all speculation. Yesterday Yamaha dropped the bombshell news that they are exiting the snowmobile market in 2025. They did so with class and gave dealerships and customers a long window to get things in order and still another year to grab a new Yamaha before they are gone forever. It is sad to see a manufacturer leave the sport after producing some legendary machines for so long. Some are wondering why now, after so...

We are a few weeks out from the 2024 model unveils. All manufacturers have been putting out grade-A products in the last few years. This always hasn’t been the case, as there have been some dark years for the sport! Last year we made predictions based on following the industry for 30 years, and they came true. We know how the OEMs work and their motivations and grasp their timelines well. I will preface this in that we have no inside information, and all of these are educated guesses.    Arctic Cat 2024 Snowmobile Predictions: Arctic Cat is the easiest...