snowmobiling 89

There's no doubt about the 1989 snowmobile model year. It's one of the best in a long time. There will be three hotly contested categories: high performance, which enjoys the appearance of a new Ski-Doo; trail performance, extremely well represented this year; and trail sports economy, another real winner with lots of pent-up demand from enthusiasts. Plus, two-up touring gets a boost with some new arrivals and the sport-utility market has some fresh faces, too.

In our 25 years of snowmobiling, we have a difficult time remembering when we've seen a better selection of snowmobile models. And this from just four major sled makers! Not the nearly 100 manufacturers from years gone by.

We are also delighted to report that there is a truly worthwhile sled for everyone's level of enthusiasm. No matter which model or brand you choose, you are virtually assured of good quality, durability, reliability and fair to excellent degrees of overall riding comfort. The days of the true dogs are gone. Oh, this isn't to say that you won't find a lemon or two in any production run, but overall, the four manufacturers have put a lot of effort into making very good products that are built to be on the trail and out of the workshop.

Of course, never to miss an advantage, the manufacturers have followed the car industry and now offer extended service warranties. When we first heard of these, we had to chuckle. After all, there probably isn't any other sport which counts among its enthusiasts as many "can do" mechanic-tinkerers as snowmobiling. There are a huge number of aftermarket and performance product suppliers who have built solid bank accounts based on these home-based "wrenches." For them, an extended warranty isn't much good - especially when you consider that in most cases adding any aftermarket goodies voids the original warranty anyway. However, for those less inclined to wrench and who want the security of knowing that their investment will be covered for a few extra seasons, extended warranties make sense. To get people interested in this new program, some companies are offering preseason discounts on their extended warranties. But it's not warranties that will get enthusiasts into the shops and in a buying mood. It's product. And for '89, it's darn good product.

Add Ski-Doo as a serious player to the high performance sweepstakes. It checks in with a new Formula sled, the Mach 1. Compared to the Wildcat and Indy 650, the Mach 1's 580cc Rotax twin seems a little shy on displacement. True. Sort of. It has a new variable adjustable exhaust port which adds performance, plus its rotary valving tends to be more efficient than piston porting and reed valving. Translated that means you get more bang per down stroke with a rotary valve because, theoretically, at least, it pushes and maintains more fuel mix into the combustion chamber. So, don't let the Ski-Doo's smaller displacement turn you off. The new Formula is a worthy contestant in this arena.

The Wildcat has been updated - and we think - substantially improved. The Indy 650 has a few wrinkles too, but it's essentially the same triple-cylinder powerhouse as always. Yamaha remains out of this category, choosing to zero in on the trail performance class.

In the "Exciter" class, there are four very competent choices: Arctco's new EXT, Polaris' new Indy 500, Ski-Doo's re-tuned Formula Plus, and, of course, the originator of the class, Yamaha's Exciter.

The Cat EXT is based on the Wildcat and in fact is essentially a Wildcat with a toned-down El Tigre 6000 engine. The Indy 500 is a large displacement Indy 400 - meaning that it is as light and trailable as the 400 but with a substantial increase in performance. Ski-Doo's Plus may be the sleeper in this category. Its 521cc Rotax twin has been re-tuned for better low and mid-range performance and is a much more pleasant trail machine for the change. Yamaha's Exciter has had some major "minor" recalibrating done to improve its performance - which has never been too hard to enjoy! A lot of little things took place under the hood ranging from new carb calibrations to larger hood louvers. You'll like the changes. This should be the hot market for performance enthusiasts. And why not? This class of sled has just about all the benefits of the higher performance maximum muscle machines but at a lower price. And performance isn't that far off!

For a really good deal, check out the trail sport category. Polaris zeroed in on this category a couple of seasons ago with its Indy Sport and made believers of the rest of the industry. There was a pent up demand for an independent front suspension type sled with good handling and performance at a moderate price.

Talking with dealers, distributors and consumers from around the country, we know that a demand for this product still exists. Arctco's New England distributor placed such a large early season order for the new Jag AFS that Arctco officials thought he was on an illegal substance - until they started their official round of dealer shows and their orders looked as though they might exceed his early estimates! Other sled makers have had a similar response.

This "Sport" category has three very similar entries and a sleeper. The similar entries are the Indy Sport with IFS and a 340cc sport performance twin; the new Jag AFS with Arctco's popular A-frame front end and a 440cc twin; and Yamaha's new telescopic strut equipped Ovation with the reliable ET 340 twin. The sleeper in all this is Ski-Doo's Safari Saga. It is the only one not to have an IFS-type front end. It does have a long travel "Escapade"-type rear suspension and the heart of the discontinued 377, which is a very durable 369cc Rotax, Snowmobilers looking for value will shop this category.

Enthusiasts looking for excitement should stop this season, because this really is one of the very best season's for new sleds that we've seen in the past 25 years. It's very encouraging for the future.

We are a long way from the record sales of 1970-71 when 495,000 sleds were sold, but the industry is back on a growth curve. The low point came the same year Arctco started serious mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on the Cat. Only 87,000 sleds were sold in '82-'83, the lowest number since the 1968 model year. Sales expectations for this coming season are pegged at about 132,000 units, give or take a few thousand. With four manufacturers fighting for position, each can enjoy a positive bottom line on their profit and loss statements.

With positive balance sheets the four sled makers can develop new models for us enthusiasts. Hopefully, the good news is that the wealth of new models enjoyed this season is just a harbinger of good things to come in the future.