20003 skidoo 800 sdi

Ski-Doo engineers were especially proud of their handiwork on the 800 Semi Direct Injection (SDI) engine found in the Legend and Grand Touring packages. The SDI's claim to fame is that it is supposed to be as environmentally friendly as a four stroke, with all the power characteristics of a two stroke engine.

The 800 SDI engine uses a single 52mm heated throttle body with two fuel injectors per cylinder. The mixture is injected directly into the transfer ports when the exhaust ports are closed, eliminating the loss of fresh charge out the exit. Emissions are said to be down as much as 50 percent, with up to 25 percent fuel economy improvement.

While our dyno test at Dynoport didn't reveal anything on the engine's fuel efficiency or emissions figures, it did show us that it can throw out more torque than its carbed 800 twin cousin, with just as much horsepower.

"Wow!," exclaimed Rich Daly in his recap. "The SDI matched the Rev 800's standard engine for horsepower, and it put out 98 foot pounds of torque. That's amazing. The extra torque should give the sled even better acceleration through the midrange. Plus, the power band is extra wide. Just don't go past 8000 RPM or it drops off hard."

We couldn't get fuel flow data on the SDI because of its pressurized fittings. Also, we had our guys out in the fresh air dyno room at the height of the cold snap in January, so the water link was freezing up. Daly noted that the temp gun showed the coolant running from 90 to 110 degrees.

Special thanks to Charles Bliss of Rochester, New York, for loaning us his personal sled to test, and to Darrell's Inc. (585/265-0386) in Ontario, New York, for hooking us up with Mr. Bliss and his sled.