Wow amazing suggestions! Got me really thinking we are going to Revelstoke next week for a week and will be renting 2019 Ski-Doo & Polaris 850s they don't have any AC and also trying to snow bikes for a day.
I do like the idea of getting all three but I rather just learn one and stick with it likely forever that's what I've done with dirt bikes, outboards, jet skis, so we can carry key parts and share if necessary. Right now I am leaning towards Ski-Doo but I do love what I hear about AC alpha-1. My-personal-experience-with-Polaris-has-been high maintenance and probably not going that direction.
I love the idea of buying sleds in the spring from dealers in areas of the country that got very little snow that is brilliant!
Thanks for everyone's input!
Great choice rent before you buy with a couple major caveats.
An easy analogy for me is buying a TV. Going into the store and looking at several brands with same screen size. End up buying the one least price with most features is my experience. The issue is most stores do not calibrate the TV … just the factory defaults which IMHO are substandard because they don't take into effect a specifics user room , and color tint preferences.
Obviously a sled rental must maintain the sleds so they last the season.
After you buy a sled many experienced riders do modifications.
Basic modifications such as compensating for riders weight, height, strengths etc are addressed by adjusting the limiter strap, changing spring tensions , even dual springs or air adjusted shocks, handlebar height and position.
I'd take the time to see what the rental facility did to the "suspension" adjustments. Adjust the suspension for riders weight, height, strengths.
This will help you understand to how the sled was designed to be adjusted in the field.
Second or first major adjustment most experienced riders do is clutching. (I doubt a rental shop will modify clutches because the typically sell the sled based on the season and or miles) An aftermarket clutch kit allows the rider adjust the power band from how and when ( in the power band - RPM) the sled hooks up to what is an appropriate track speed given hill climbing . trees , and on the trail. There are many discussions on what clutch ramps and springs to use.
Most sleds come with a tool to adjust the secondary clutch providing optimal top end speed.
I know of only one stock sled with the ability to adjust the primary clutch easily in the field. Skidoo's PDRIVE which has the weight adjusted using "clickers"
Even then people gear down mountain sleds so the have more throttle control / finer tuned speed between clutch engagement and top RPM.
Top RPM in most 800-850 sleds are around 7900-8000 RPM.
Instead of clutch engagement at 4000 or so RPM to optimal RPM around 8000 RPM . Weights , springs and ramps are changed to lower the engagement RPM and Combined with Ramps, springs and weights top end speed decreases. Thus causing more precision in the power band because sleds speed is 0-60MPH from 3X00RPM to 8000RPM instead of 0-80MPH from 4x00RPM to 8000RPM
After these two basic "adustments"… suspension and clutching you get into the type of "tires. Track length , type , lug height are important. Some here even have various tpes of skis and change them out depending on snow conditions.
I explain it this way to a non user snowmobiler. A snow mobile is like riding a quad on sand, riding a jetski , off roading in the MOAB … it all depends on the type of snow, terrain and season.
