"Contrarian" First Ride Review: 2023 Gen5 Turbo Expert

[turboless terry]

Our season is SHORT, I want to be back on the snow riding as MUCH AS POSSIBLE before the dreaded SUMMER arrives!

You mean dreaded winter. Below zero here and supposed to be 25 below Wednesday night. Sheetmetalfab is the only one I know tough enough to ride in that. I think he has the Alaskan fur line gauntlets and a switch that diverts some of the boost to the handwarmers

 

[christopher]

You mean dreaded winter. Below zero here and supposed to be 25 below Wednesday night. Sheetmetalfab is the only one I know tough enough to ride in that. I think he has the Alaskan fur line gauntlets and a switch that diverts some of the boost to the handwarmers

Nope, I am not a huge fan of Summer.
I spend most of my year looking forward to that FIRST RIDE of the season.
And so far this season HAS NOT DISAPPOINTED at all!!

its time to go WORK THOSE TURBOS HARD

 

[turboless terry]

Nope, I am not a huge fan of Summer.
I spend most of my year looking forward to that FIRST RIDE of the season.
And so far this season HAS NOT DISAPPOINTED at all!!

its time to go WORK THOSE TURBOS HARD

View attachment 397413

Winter would be great if the 9r and shredder were here. Also, if i wasn't an idiot and still pouring concrete. Heavily stress idiot. Anything for the almighty dollar i guess.

 

[caper11]

Nope, I am not a huge fan of Summer.
I spend most of my year looking forward to that FIRST RIDE of the season.
And so far this season HAS NOT DISAPPOINTED at all!!

its time to go WORK THOSE TURBOS HARD

View attachment 397413

I would love to be there!

 

[firstkitty]

Well I could of easily bin talk into selling my 23 turbo too until I put the 36” front end and pro 40s on the front , I also have the lynx 15” wide track on mine now . The expert is marketed great from brp lol . I’d like to find a set of DS skis to run . I keep all the stock stuff for when I trade in

 

[Top]

Nope, I am not a huge fan of Summer.
I spend most of my year looking forward to that FIRST RIDE of the season.
And so far this season HAS NOT DISAPPOINTED at all!!

its time to go WORK THOSE TURBOS HARD

View attachment 397413

Stop! I'm at work and PORN isn't allowed!!!!

 

[turboless terry]

Well I could of easily bin talk into selling my 23 turbo too until I put the 36” front end and pro 40s on the front , I also have the lynx 15” wide track on mine now . The expert is marketed great from brp lol . I’d like to find a set of DS skis to run . I keep all the stock stuff for when I trade in

Assuming really planted. Have you rode it with the 15 wide lynx track?

 

[firstkitty]

Yes I’ve got around 300 miles on it with the lynx 15” track the sled works very nice this way . I leave the sway bar disconnected with this setup now . It’s a great combo for me .

 

[christopher]

Winter would be great if the 9r and shredder were here. Also, if i wasn't an idiot and still pouring concrete. Heavily stress idiot. Anything for the almighty dollar i guess.

I thought concrete and freezing temps were not a good match?

 

[christopher]

I would love to be there!

you do realize that our riding areas out here are open to the general public!
You can come visit

 

[christopher]

Stop! I'm at work and PORN isn't allowed!!!!

BEST REPLY OF THE DAY!

 

[turboless terry]

I thought concrete and freezing temps were not a good match?

Nobody likes a coward. It was 32 when poured. Cold at night. 2% and hot water and blanketed. Really windy was big problem trying to cover it. Has enough time before Really cold

 

[turboless terry]

Yes I’ve got around 300 miles on it with the lynx 15” track the sled works very nice this way . I leave the sway bar disconnected with this setup now . It’s a great combo for me .

Apparently you think its more nimble, or easier, with 36 and 15 wide than 34 and 16 wide?

 

[Xrider]

Nobody likes a coward. It was 32 when poured. Cold at night. 2% and hot water and blanketed. Really windy was big problem trying to cover it. Has enough time before Really cold

Glad I finally retired last year. We always pushed it too, usually poured right up till Christmas. I loved pouring in the summer, mud on the ground at 6, home at 11. I hate blankets and waiting for mud to set up even with 2 and hot. Good luck.

 

[BeartoothBaron]

One question on the skis: I always thought that more ski behind the spindle made for heavier steering, and moving the ski forward gave you lighter steering, but more darty, unpredictable behavior. I could be wrong. The footprint and profile of a ski definitely makes a huge difference though, and a "great" ski on one chassis might be terrible on another.

Anyway, you definitely have to go with what's fun to ride for you. Like @Solarguy said, it's hard for us to admit if we made a poor choice, picked a new sled for the wrong reasons, etc. I'd also add, it's easy to talk yourself into what the pro riders / youtubers are raving about (not saying that's the case, but I know I'd scour ride reviews everywhere before I bought a new sled). More than a few people are riding sleds they don't enjoy that much because it's "the best one." The quality of the snow you ride in is big too. I love my Pro in deep stuff, but in marginal snow, my so-so skills and its planted, deliberate feel make technical riding pretty difficult. I usually run out of energy and stick to easier stuff after a while in those conditions. It's been a good start to the season though - it's not like you haven't had a chance to evaluate it in good snow. So I can totally see moving on while it's still basically a new sled and early in the season (top dollar resale) and moving on to something you'll enjoy more.

I got really lucky - I poured a slab for a shop I'm building last Nov. and it was highs in the mid-50s and just touching freezing at night the week I poured. This November, in that timeframe, it was lows in the single digits and snowing. I also lucked out on my house foundation and slab: it was professionally done starting a little earlier in the year, but the slab was done just a couple days before the weather turned, around the first week of Dec. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, given the circumstances. The guy who did that said he had one year in the mid-00s where he only had a couple weeks worth of delays due to weather all winter. I've found that concrete is fairly simple if you're not too picky and conditions are perfect, but the pros make a big difference when it comes to getting the surface finish you want, dealing with the unexpected, and avoiding disasters. Like a lot of things, anyone handy can do it, but it takes some experience to do it efficiently, and a lot of experience to get the best.

 

[christopher]

Anyway, you definitely have to go with what's fun to ride for you. Like @Solarguy said, it's hard for us to admit if we made a poor choice, picked a new sled for the wrong reasons, etc. I'd also add, it's easy to talk yourself into what the pro riders / youtubers are raving about (not saying that's the case, but I know I'd scour ride reviews everywhere before I bought a new sled). More than a few people are riding sleds they don't enjoy that much because it's "the best one." The quality of the snow you ride in is big too. I love my Pro in deep stuff, but in marginal snow, my so-so skills and its planted, deliberate feel make technical riding pretty difficult. I usually run out of energy and stick to easier stuff after a while in those conditions. It's been a good start to the season though - it's not like you haven't had a chance to evaluate it in good snow. So I can totally see moving on while it's still basically a new sled and early in the season (top dollar resale) and moving on to something you'll enjoy more.

I SOOO COMPLETELY AGREE with your comments.
Right on the money.

If I spent considerably MORE TIME ON Mt. Jefferson, and less on pretty much all the other riding I do, then the 23 Turbo Expert WOULD have been the PERFECT SLED for the ride.

I simply spend far too much time on MIXED TERRAIN (Trail, Meadow, Mountain, Forest/Trees), and at 60, I also feel my energy run out sooner than the 30 somethings I usually ride with, so I need to do all I can to OPTIMIZE everything in my favor to keep up with the young bucks.

 

[turboless terry]

Some days i laugh because everyone thinks it is so hard and then there are those days.
The last 5 or so years have been pretty easy to make it until Christmas. This year not so much. As much as i love snowmobiling, sometimes I really hate winter. Funny what you will do or stand work vs. Playing.
In the summer I come home and mic want to eat outside. I tell her hell no, I'm going inside out of sun and heat after cooking in it all day. She's inside and wants out.

 

[DRIVEBYE]

I SOOO COMPLETELY AGREE with your comments.
Right on the money.

If I spent considerably MORE TIME ON Mt. Jefferson, and less on pretty much all the other riding I do, then the 23 Turbo Expert WOULD have been the PERFECT SLED for the ride.

I simply spend far too much time on MIXED TERRAIN (Trail, Meadow, Mountain, Forest/Trees), and at 60, I also feel my energy run out sooner than the 30 somethings I usually ride with, so I need to do all I can to OPTIMIZE everything in my favor to keep up with the young bucks.

All the opinions, suggestions, this sucks that sucks etc comes down to what that individual wants. I am guilty of telling someone something that I love but they could hate for sure. There really isn't that many if any adjustments that can be made that work for everyone. My sled is setup to do one thing really really well and that's aggressive technical riding. But that's what I want, it defiantly isn't as fun or easy in the meadows etc.

 

[Teth-Air]

All the opinions, suggestions, this sucks that sucks etc comes down to what that individual wants. I am guilty of telling someone something that I love but they could hate for sure. There really isn't that many if any adjustments that can be made that work for everyone. My sled is setup to do one thing really really well and that's aggressive technical riding. But that's what I want, it defiantly isn't as fun or easy in the meadows etc.

A guy really needs different sleds for different types of riding or different time of year. Many guys just give up riding if conditions are not perfect. I am too passionate to do that. But I get it, my 174 is not near as fun in the Spring. The Khaos will be.

 

[christopher]

All the opinions, suggestions, this sucks that sucks etc comes down to what that individual wants. I am guilty of telling someone something that I love but they could hate for sure. There really isn't that many if any adjustments that can be made that work for everyone. My sled is setup to do one thing really really well and that's aggressive technical riding. But that's what I want, it defiantly isn't as fun or easy in the meadows etc.

Its SOOOOO MUCH EASIER when you are that able to focus in on just ONE SPECIFIC kind of riding.