Do we really need a new chassis every 3-4 years?

AKrider · Dec 13, 2007

Seems to me that the OEM's are spending lots of money and R&D dollars into a market that only gets smaller every year. How can this process continue? Sled prices are ridiculous (yes, I bought an '08). I just can't see how a shrinking market can continue to support more new sled designs with coorespondling higher costs?

UP_CARP · Dec 13, 2007

If they didnt change the chassis nobody would buy a new sled then they really wouldnt make any money.

Jaynelson · Dec 13, 2007

I just wish they would all figure out the current one before moving onto the next one...leave less people with great machines that run 1/2 assed.

Nate · Dec 13, 2007

Jaynelson said:
I just wish they would all figure out the current one before moving onto the next one...leave less people with great machines that run 1/2 assed.

you bought an XP huh?

winter brew · Dec 13, 2007

And who is driving this trend???? We are! If one mfr is designing the latest/greatest lightweight superpowerful sled then they ALL have to do this....3 of the 4 mfr's are walking a fine line between producing sleds and bankrupcy. If one of them loses a significant share of the market they will be gone in 1-2 years of poor sales. Without having the lowest weight and biggest power (and now having to whack off the EPA) they will not be able to sell enough sleds and will be gone.
Coming back 4 years from now with the same sled we are seeing today I doubt alot of us would be too excited to spend $11000 on the same old thing. JMHO-

knee deep in it · Dec 13, 2007

if you look at the sports bike industry, you can draw a lot of parallels. At some point, the bike rider is the limiting factor, not the bike. IMO, we are fast approaching that state.

The machines are pretty light and there is an ergonomics that is near perfect for every rider. The stock power can get us into more trouble than we need.

Another parallel might be home computers. For a while, a 2 year old model was obsolete. Now, not so much. They can all pretty much do what we need from them.

sledrider · Dec 13, 2007

It will only continue to get more expensive.

Do any of you want trade your sleds for a ZR, ZX or Edge chassis?

02prox440 · Dec 13, 2007

If they didnt change it up.......people wouldnt buy them

AdrenalineAddict · Dec 13, 2007

I would love to trade my sled for an edge chassis. My old edge chassis is getting a little fragile, could use a new one. Not everybody falls for the old psychological trick of "power of suggestion", unfortunately most people do and that's what appears to be driving the market. Not everybody who rides a rider forward sled wants one, alot of people can't stand them, including myself. How a snocross design has trickled into the mountain segment and become the rage is beyond belief. I do like the fact that old edge parts are becoming so widely available and cheap. Thank You E-Bay!! Bargain parts are what keep me on the snow. It's also fun to watch the latest and greatest trying to keep pace with the old, proven solid designs of yesteryear. I saw a 159 VE with 1700 miles being advertised for $3,800.00, I may have found my new sled. Watching some hillcross competitions the last year or two also proved interesting, you'll never guess what old proven sled was winning most every heat they raced.

steve · Dec 13, 2007

i ride a mountain max

haha

Iceman1309 · Dec 13, 2007

As long as people are buying the newest "best sled ever" The makers will keep trying to one up each other. And for that I thank them because when I go to the dealership to buy myself a sled I want it to be a step ahead of my last one. So Doo. Poo, Cat, Yammi thank you for making your sleds the best possible

AkHockey10 · Dec 13, 2007

Lets see here.....F-Cat chassis have been out since 02 (Sno Pro Racer) and died in 06. M chassis, has been out since 05 and going strong REV has been out since 03 and is still going. RT has been out since 05 (?) and is still rockin'

etc, etc.. good stuff. :beer;

hurleyboarder21 · Dec 13, 2007

AdrenalineAddict said:
I would love to trade my sled for an edge chassis. My old edge chassis is getting a little fragile, could use a new one. Not everybody falls for the old psychological trick of "power of suggestion", unfortunately most people do and that's what appears to be driving the market. Not everybody who rides a rider forward sled wants one, alot of people can't stand them, including myself. How a snocross design has trickled into the mountain segment and become the rage is beyond belief. I do like the fact that old edge parts are becoming so widely available and cheap. Thank You E-Bay!! Bargain parts are what keep me on the snow. It's also fun to watch the latest and greatest trying to keep pace with the old, proven solid designs of yesteryear. I saw a 159 VE with 1700 miles being advertised for $3,800.00, I may have found my new sled. Watching some hillcross competitions the last year or two also proved interesting, you'll never guess what old proven sled was winning most every heat they raced.

but, unfortunately for you, there are a lot more people prefer the rider forward design, thats why it will progress towards it. There will be a point when it will reach a point, but in the mean time its trying to reach a happy medium. as for whos is winning the hillcross event... rider ability and motor is my guess. put the that talented rider on another sled, give them some time to get used to, and the same result. Im pretty sure the rider forward design is not the factor who wins or loses the race.....

AKrider · Dec 14, 2007

winter brew said:
And who is driving this trend???? We are!

I thought about this and I think you are right. The reason I bought a new '08 Nytro was because I liked Yamaha and wanted a rider forward 4 stroke. There is definitely a big difference in ride quality between the Nytro and my old Vector (even though my Vector has the same quality shocks and Wildchild's rider forward steering post). I'm talking short tracks in this example.

Now that all the OEM's have rider forward chassis, I wonder if sleds will become like the 80's where major changes were few a far between because the sales numbers weren't there or if the OEM's will continue to advance things at an amazing pace?

Thing is, I'm as guilty as anyone else by getting swept up in the new is better phase. While it is too early to tell, is the newest redesign in rider forward sleds (the XP) as significant as it has been marketed?

I can't help but think back to an observation an older friend of mine made about snowmachines a few years ago. He said that until the Rev came out, you could ride an older chassis and keep modifying it to be equal to or better than any of the new sleds. He rode a first year Indy 700 RMK and kept modding it and was never left behind by the new sleds. He was also an excellent rider but the gist of his observation was that nothing truly ground breaking was different from his sled and the new ones until the Rev.

I guess I liked the 1980's from the perspective that a guy could ride and mod his Indy to be just as good as the new ones. Maybe those days are long gone?

MARV1 · Dec 14, 2007

I loved my Edge RMK, still love my Pro-X2, but I do want to try out the RMK Raw chassis to see if it is the best out there for how I ride.

H2SNOW · Dec 14, 2007

my sh1t has treated me pretty good gonna stay with what I know..................

SAWYER · Dec 14, 2007

Let's all just quit riding.

Tackbtch · Dec 14, 2007

SAWYER said:
Let's all just quit riding.

You first. Dino

BigT · Dec 14, 2007

You all make some good points. I rode a 89/93 Polaris 650 RXL SKS for a few years. I wanted to extend the track on the thing but other than that it was a fine sled. It got me just about everywhere I needed to go for my riding style. I kept up with my bro on his 99 Powder special all the time. He had trouble with the cat and sold it for a verticle escape.
I bought a rev adrenaline and a fan in 05 (still have the poo) and have no intentions of buying another sled until this one is worn out (the exception might be when my boy is old enough to hand it down to him--he's 13).
I might not be the norm. I don't have to have the latest and the greatest. I just want something that allows me to ride in comfort and that I don't have to wrench on. I wrench on firetrucks 40 hours a week. I don't want to do it when I get home.

BigT

Lt Rascal · Dec 14, 2007

They need to keep changing to keep sales up as mentioned before.

No change No sales.

Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE to sled. It is my first pasion. I ride a modded out '97 M-Max. O ya I would love a new Nytro

BUT I can not bring my self to pay 10-12 g's for a sled. Then have the sled worth 7-8 the next year.

But I also have (2) wheelers. a dirt bike, a road bike, an Enclosed Trailer, and a Camp trailer. So I would rather have a little of everything then all in one.

Do we really need a new chassis every 3-4 years?

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