Some of us live in areas with snow. Modern sleds are diverse and interesting and I hope that people who live in warmer climates might also enjoy popping in gear to learn about one of the coolest ways to travel.
I'll start, just picked up this 750cc 4 stroke factory turbo charged touring sled. It's a little heavy at 600lbs dry but should still scoot pretty good with its factory 140hp.
I am dramatically out of touch with snowmobiles. My last new one was an 81 el Tigre, which I enjoyed a great deal. Then I moved to a place with no valleys to ride. Flat sucks.
In reply to Streetwiseguy :
I was away for it for 15 years excited to be back. Those old Suzuki powered arctic cats were tough sleds.
Nice sled. I imagine the new ones have a nicer ride and better economy with the 4 stroke.
We are a bit more old school with fan cooled sleds. Most of the riding around here is under 30mph, and the season is short so no way to justify the cost of going newer.
In reply to No Time :
I just sold the 550 touring I had to fund my upgrade. Last year our ridding season was terrible. In a good year where I live I can from December to March. By traveling a few hours I can extend that an extra month.
I'm not sure how the new machine will ride or how reliable it will be, but I got a smoking deal on it so we'll see. It wouldn't quite be challenge budget with the exchange from Canadian to US dollars but it would be close.
The power to weight ratio on some of these sleds helps me understand what the sport bike guys must feel. I had a ride on the back of a Skidoo Formula Plus in the early 90’s that blew my mind, we were crossing an open field and the driver gave me the “hold on” signal and nailed it. The front skis lifted up off the snow at 50 + and didn’t come back down until he let up on the throttle, I looked over the drivers shoulder and we were doing over 110 at that point. I’m sure the newer sleds would make that one look like a slug!
In reply to 11GTCS :
It's utterly nuts that you can buy a new sled with almost 200hp out of the box.
I have said it before and I'll say it again. Nothing on wheels short of a dedicated drag car will match the acceleration of a good working sporty snowmobile. And even at that you would need a Nelson level drag car.
The cvt light weight and 100% traction is a wild combo. My brother used to have a Yamaha SRX 700 that would pick the skis up off the ground at 65mph and not put them back down until well past 80mph. That was 15 years ago and tech has continued to improve.
Hope the rest of you are having a better season. I got about 1 mile on mine, before finding it was mixing oil and coolant. New water pump seals should be in by next weekend!
1SlowVW said:In reply to 11GTCS :
It's utterly nuts that you can buy a new sled with almost 200hp out of the box.
I have said it before and I'll say it again. Nothing on wheels short of a dedicated drag car will match the acceleration of a good working sporty snowmobile. And even at that you would need a Nelson level drag car.
The cvt light weight and 100% traction is a wild combo. My brother used to have a Yamaha SRX 700 that would pick the skis up off the ground at 65mph and not put them back down until well past 80mph. That was 15 years ago and tech has continued to improve.
I read up on it and there are some articles that did comparisons. They accelerate on par with a super bike and decel similarly to a jet ski.
I bought these 2 earlier in the year. Red oneis a 670 with a bunch of newer go-fast parts.
Black Yamaha....while the engine runs (4 Cylinder, 2-stroke) I believe the clutches are bad (won't move with me sitting on it, but will if I walk along side)
In reply to Grtechguy :
Ohhh a vmax 4 !
Kind of feeling I should have stuck to a two stroke now...well see if I change my mind after a proper ride once it's fixed.
In reply to P3PPY :
They are nuts. But a lot of fun.
In reply to Grtechguy :
Is it bogging down, or revs freely when you try to move it with a rider?
If it bogs, then sounds more like a bad set of plugs, dirty carbs or old gas.
I've had many instances where sleds would rev freely without a belt, or move without a rider, but bog under load.
If it's reving freely then I'd try a new belt after cleaning up the clutches. Worn or incorrect belt width/length can be enough to cause issues.
1SlowVW said:In reply to P3PPY :
They are nuts. AND a lot of fun.
Fixed that for you
No Time said:In reply to Grtechguy :
Is it bogging down, or revs freely when you try to move it with a rider?
If it bogs, then sounds more like a bad set of plugs, dirty carbs or old gas.
I've had many instances where sleds would rev freely without a belt, or move without a rider, but bog under load.
If it's reving freely then I'd try a new belt after cleaning up the clutches. Worn or incorrect belt width/length can be enough to cause issues.
I agree, I would look at carbs before clutching.
Mine will rev great without the belt. Reattach belt and try to rev with load on the seat and it just bogs
In reply to Grtechguy :
Yeah. With no load you're going to be running off the idle circuit in the carbs. As soon as load is introduced it's bogging.
It could be clutch, but I think I'd be cleaning and synching the carbs first. Or at least cleaning them.
In reply to 1SlowVW :
I'll have to do that. I think a new belt is probably due.
The previous owner said the issue started when he got it stuck in a ditch.
In reply to Grtechguy :
Before even touching the carbs I would put in a new set of plugs. Sleds seem to be sensitive to plugs and can idle well but miss under load with marginal plugs
I'd stick with OEM brand (probably NGK or Nippondenso), sleds seem more sensitive to non-oem.
In reply to No Time :
Probably a good idea, the sled would have come with ngk. Probably br7es but I'm a little rust on my vintage Yamaha stuff.
I hate the cold, so I put mine in an autox chassis!
Just kidding, never had the sled. The F500 is a Rotax 494 out of a 90's skidoo though keeping the CVT. The drivetrain characteristics work very well for autocross.
I'm looking at updating to a newer 593 in the next few years though.
My uncle just got one. He probably won't ride it more than 500 yards at a time, to go visit my aunt and my parents, but he's happy he has it.
Success! Repairs complete and 20~ miles on since the repair. Hope to put some miles on this weekend.
We've actually had decent snow this year, and a few weeks of cold to go with it.
In reply to Mr. Peabody :
That generation of vmax were great. My dad owned a couple, super reliable and fun. Rear suspension leaves a little something to desire in the rough though.
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