AmSnow.com is now SnoWest.com
Even with industry sales down in general for 2015-2016 due to low snow in many areas, and worse economics in Canada (particularly western Canada), Polaris is still gaining market share with solid products, namely the 800 Pro-RMK, the Rush and Switchback Pro-S, as well as the non-current market. The RMK is the No. 1 selling sled in all of snowmobiling right now. That is pretty impressive in its own right, but the 800cc-plus segments are also the most dominant and fastest growing in the industry when it comes to the trail, crossover and mountain markets. It used to be that the 600cc sleds had the largest market share, but now that has flip-flopped, and the 800cc motors now sell more. Polaris just happens to have the newest 800cc motor in the industry, so maybe we should not be surprised at how well their product is selling!
The lowdown on Timbersled and snow bikes
With the acquisition of Timbersled, Polaris is attempting to bring some new blood and revenue streams into the snowmobile marketplace. Expanding the footprint of motorized snowsports could be a win-win for enthusiasts, dealerships, manufacturers, clubs, tourism destinations and local economies. However, will snowmobile sales suffer if more people are converted to more motorcycle-centered vehicles? The Timbersled motorcycle conversion kits and buying of them by Polaris give this new snow experience some legs to start gaining steam in the mainstream market. Also, Timbersled basically owns the “snow bike” market and makes kits for thousands of bikes going back to the early 2000s, plus upgrades and accessories. We are excited to have new things to try!
That being said, there are inherent obstacles to overcome before the snow bike industry and Timbersled can really be considered mainstream. One is safety/regulation. Will states allow snow bike conversions on standard snowmobile trails and subject them to the same trail pass system? There are also differences between encountering snow bikes on the trail versus other snowmobiles. Also, sleds must have functioning headlights and taillights, and a lot of dirt bikes that are used for these conversion kits do not.
Finally, we all need to work together to continue to keep trails open, and that means educating new blood coming into the industry to respect landowner property rights. If the snow bike market begins to see even more growth, we will need to keep the dialogue open, because many of the folks coming in might not be snowmobilers. Snow bike sales have almost doubled in the past year, so good things are happening from a market growth perspective, and sledding needs new blood.
The guys from Timbersled assured me that the bikes are super easy to ride, even on the trail. Surprisingly, their research shows that many older folks are riding these dirt bike conversion kits because they are less physically demanding than the big 163-inch mountain sleds in deep snow. It’s easier to access unique, off-trail terrain on snow bikes, and sidehills take little effort. Snaking your way through tight trees is MUCH easier! These are great points for many off-trail enthusiasts, but on trail is still where the majority of snowmobile sales are made, and where regulation and safety for others comes more into play.
For 2017, Timbersled will offer six different conversion kits, including the new ST 120 RAW, ST 120, LT 137, new ST 120 LE, new LT 137 LE and the SX 120. The RAW kit is the “value” option with RydeFX shocks (starting at just over $5,000), and you work your way up from there. The ST 120 and 137 come with FOX Zero Pro shocks, and the limited edition (LE) models come with FOX QS3 shocks. The SX is the “snocross” kit; it has FOX QS3 shocks and a flexible track that is two inches narrower than the 12-inch standard width. The top limited and snocross versions will be well upwards of $6,000, so these are not cheap kits. However, Polaris does sell fitment kits, so you can get a Timbersled on just about any dirt bike going back to 2002.
Only the value or RAW version has a fixed front arm; all the other versions have a pivoting front arm on the suspension, and the tracks are convex so they ride more like a dirt bike. This is different from standard snowmobile tracks with hard reinforcing rods all the way across. Just like standard Polaris sleds, Timbersled kits will have Snow Check options, including frame and suspension colors. The LE models and snocross models are (for the most part) Snow Checks.