GAUGES
1) Polaris. Easy to read, easy to adjust.
2) Arctic Cat. Very visible but a little confusing to adjust.
3) Ski-Doo. Easy to adjust but difficult to see when you’re sitting down.
Note: Some feel it’s best to have gauges visible while sitting; other like to have the gauges most visible when standing.
Summary
It was interesting to get rider impressions while transitioning from one sled to another. It was easier to go from Ski-Doo to Cat, or from Cat to Polaris, than it was to go from Ski-Doo to Polaris.
Ski-Doo always felt like the lightest sled while you were riding it … but perhaps the heaviest sled when it was stuck in the snow.
When it came to fit and finish, Polaris edged out Ski-Doo and Cat. We experienced no mechanical issues with any of the snowmobiles. All three required break-in miles for the engine. Cat was initially the most noticeable in the early stages but all three seemed to grow stronger as we reached 200 miles on the odometers.
Summit X 850