3 things that could have been better from factory

[Peevo]

I have been riding my pro for about 300miles/500km. It's the best sled I ever had. When climbing, if you lose speed. Just sidehill and build up some momentum to go straight up again.
My previous sled was a Summit XP 800. It took me a winter to tune it for my ride style. With that sled I could ride flat out for maximum an hour.
My IQ-Poo friends could ride a lot longer. With the pro I can ride for many many hours without even get thirsty.

Even if it's the best sled I have ever had. There are some things that annoy me:
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• First is the boards. Better Boards should have been there from factory. Have yet not put any on mine. But it is just a matter of time.

• Second is the the a arms. Don't know if they made them of tin or what!?! Have bent my left side a little. If I hit something with speed there will be nothing left. My way to solve this problem is Holz or Zbroz. Which one to go with?

• The third problem is the front bumper. With my XP I could hit big things and it just rattled from under the hood. I know that I cannot even hit small things with my Pro. From my point of view it's just throw away money to buy a stock one if it fails. Im thinking of a front bumper from SPG.

I have not been paid by Better Boards, Holz, Zbroz, Skinz Protective Gear or Sled Solutions to write this. What I like is their effort to bring us better parts than OEM. Thank you! I'm a very happy customer of Sled Solutions. Awesome service!

PS. I love my sled! It's like a wife or something. You love her even if she's not perfect... Or a friend.. Or myself.. Could go on with this all night.

Thanks!
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[rmk727]

Personally I think Better Boards is finished, IMO the stock boards are much better at getting rid of build up, as for the rest its personal preference I want a skins rear bumper to hook the bungie to. the CO.BE broke the first pull. Not bashing either just stating what happened to me, they are both good products.

 

[aebsledder]

TCP bumper

I am going to try the tri city polaris bumper. Pretty reasonable price and looks beefy. I have got my stock one pretty mashed up already.

 

[Slick]

Best rear bumper option IMO is a stock Cat one, fits very well. Get aluminum or color, gives the tunnel a bit more strength , you can put a hitch on it and pull lightly loaded skimmers or another sled, and its cheap and easy to put on. The CoBe bumper lacks strength and blocks the tail light, not really much better than stock.

 

[PalousePoo]

After slipping on the stock running boards several times, I went with the coated Better Boards and feel it is an improvement over stock, worth the money and time to install.

 

[elvis1280]

After slipping on the stock running boards several times, I went with the coated Better Boards and feel it is an improvement over stock, worth the money and time to install.

Totally agree, better boards are the best insert for the money and I doubt they are going anywhere? Great product and great improvement over any stock boards. the flimsy raised edges on the pro bent over after 100 miles. I think this thread was nailed correctly

Boards- better boards or for 500 buck the skins are amazing
rear bumpers- by skins for sure/
burandt put them on all his rental sleds and his personal sleds day one. stock is a joke.
front bumpers- skinzs
Front shocks- float evol or evol x's
a arms- HOLZ

And considering my 10' M8 LE is a great sled with so many aftermarket parts on it! I will be happy to only spend 2k on making a pro the perfect sled. Cause i had to spend that to get the weight equal to a pro thats stock!
Cant wait for the 12 PROS

 

[rmk727]

There again IMO it's personal pref, I have had the Walkers and Fox springless shocks and personally will put up with the small weight dif for the long givity of the product, I want to ride not fiddle, thus the turbo is for sale and stock will rock also have a complete 163 Timbersled skid for sale, not that its bad its great but I'm returning the sled to stock to get another stock pro ( titanium drive spring and black/purple driven)

 

[coyoteman]

I agree 100% on the front bumper. Mine looks by far worse than yours, the impact dented the pipe but the plastic never broke, figure that one out. There will not be a stock bumper put back on the sled when I get it home this spring to fix it.

 

[Peevo]

I agree 100% on the front bumper. Mine looks by far worse than yours, the impact dented the pipe but the plastic never broke, figure that one out. There will not be a stock bumper put back on the sled when I get it home this spring to fix it.

They way i smashed my bumper was a joke. I hit a small tree with a minimum of speed.

Another thing I have noticed is when i'm hauling my sled. The "forced air" venting system start working perfectly and fill my clutches with snow. I will need some cover for my sled, or stop haulin it. You can read more about venting on pro ride in Mountainhorse helpful post: http://www.snowestonline.com/forum/showthread.php?t=249254

 

[F-Bomb]

rmk727 You are echoing what many many people state when they saw these new factory models on the showroom floor.

BUT..just as with the Ski Doo XP and M's with small openings cut into factory running boards once the RIDERS get on them and actually experience the difference the attitude changes. Quickly the XP model Snowmobile Better Boards are catching up with the IQ RAW and New M style as the most popular set in our line-up. FYI we sell alot of Better Boards!

But that said, you (enthusiasts) guys should also be pretty concerned with the economic strategy of the primary manufactures especially Polaris. When the aftermarket companies are all gone this industry is DONE. We are all dinasours and don't even realize it YET!

Stop and think about this: Who is going to sell you a new sled and service it when all of the dealerships are closed because they can't live on a few hundred dollars profit from new vehicle sales? Dealerships need the profit and labor dollars from the aftermarket parts industry to survive and prosper. Do the manufactures go to owning and operating all of the sales outlets for snowmobiles? DOES THAT SERIOUSLY CONCERN YOU? Does me!

 

[voodoo]

Not to Hijack, but every equip. mfg. I know is trying to own their aftermarket. As a dealer in the transportation industry it disgusts me when my primary vendor adds a product we already sell from a secondary vendor. Usually it means a margin decrease and more of my profitability is gone. I seriously wonder if the dealer model will work long term. It may be better to buy everything direct and have small service only shops licenced to do warranty or make repairs. The cost/risk to be a dealer is not worth the return. The overhead of brick and mortar, employee costs, taxes, etc. are too high for a single digit GPM.

 

[4Z]

BB running boards
Z-Broz arms
FTX CrMoly front bumper

 

[1Mike900]

I would go with Z-Bros front arms as they look to have more ground clearance at the ends? The stockers look low in clearance with the downward bend. What if someone came out with a front energy absorbing bumper? Basically a bumper inside a bumper! Would this help low speed impacts and not worry if it broke the frame casting mount? spring and small bleed orifice for air release upon compression. A new rear bumper would extend into where the rear tunnel is weak and add support at the rear suspension mount. Just some backyard hammer mechanic ideas. Mike

 

[rotax]

After looking at FTX's carbon skid plate pic, it shows that their front bumper attaches(?) to the a-arms, under the front bellypan?

Can't see exactly how/where it attaches?
Any better shots of this?
I'd think this would be an important shot for them...as it helps justify the extra $130.

 

[rmk727]

F Bomb please don't take it as a bash sir, I personally made sure well over 3/4 of the Dragons we sold had pcv's and better boards plus venting, your product is a must on the d-8s or other older sleds, to support the sport I sent u my rails to be powder coated because u are in the snow business. But as I ride I (me personally) don't need the BB's as the stock set up works as good as anything else I've seen ,still gets a build up in the way back but so do
bb's as my feet are not back there as much to knock the snow off. If people chose to use BB's great. To remonise on whats happening , back in my day when we got a new race sled we tore the whole drive system apart and centered the drive shaft bearing and shimed the gears and such. That is all done at the factory now ( very close anyway) Then we learned that bending the rails gained speed that now is stock on some models, anyway I will purchase everything I can from the aftermarket that I need just to keep those guys thinking up new stuff but if it is not needed or doesn't add to the personal touch of my ride I chose not to.

 

[Arcteryx]

It only took 2 rides for me to bend a trailing arm so I am definitely in with the A arms. I went with Zbroz, and love em.
Tri City bumper is awesome!. It looks good on my sled and works like a dream. I had one of theirs on my Dragon and it save me many times.
I don't really ever get snow build up on my rails but I am experience a slight bending of the cleats under my feet. I hate to void a warranty or cut my sled up so I went with the Polaris tunnel supports. However, if I was going to go with one it would definitely be the Air Frames. Nothing clears snow better and they look sick!!!

 

[F-Bomb]

RMK727
I know you weren't bashing. I was just pointing out what we hear versus our actual experience. Giving you guys the prospective of hundreds of direct comments that we get. It will all air out in the wash...IE with time the consumer will discover that when you cut traction holes you have to have a minimum of strength and a minimum volume of the opening to evacuate snow. Can't accomplish this with the thickness of the tunnel metal as people are starting to find out on the newer sleds.

With our products it's all about expectations of performance and now with these lighter designs it's also become about durability. If you don't know there is something better and you seem satisfied with what you have that is great. Just don't ride one with our boards in certain conditions or you'll have to spend some money or then be dis-satisfied with stock! Also don't put more pressure on the stockers then they can handle because they will plain and simply break. Most of the time those breaks are not being supported by a warranty (as they shouldn't)

Just like with these other products discussed. The aftermarket industry builds and supplies BETTER parts in many many cases.

 

[FTXMOTORSPORTS]

After looking at FTX's carbon skid plate pic, it shows that their front bumper attaches(?) to the a-arms, under the front bellypan?

Can't see exactly how/where it attaches?
Any better shots of this?
I'd think this would be an important shot for them...as it helps justify the extra $130.

You were looking at our IQ bumper-our Pro bumper mounts to stock locations quickly and easily. We are using aluminum heim joints for the upper mounts to add adjustability for the variance in body work we see and also they are a break away point to help avoid the mounting tab breakage issues that have shown up. We do not supply a skid plate for the Pro chassis. Our bumper is fully fabbed from 4130 Chromoly also-not aluminum.

Curt

 

[rmk727]

F-Bomb; 10/4

 

[BigBoreManiac]

Of the aftermarket front bumpers, WHO actually has them ready for delivery?