After all the talk about this sled I had some pre-formed ideas in my head. I finally got to ride one for a while and spend a few days riding with the guy who owned it.
After about an hour I actually felt like I was on a weightless sled. HP does over come weight. I found that out. As weightless as it felt, and as responsive as the throttle was (which really surprised me) I am left to wonder why this sled gets a bad rap as a boondocking sled. After an hour of riding, I believe it was the best boondocker I have ever rode. It was so easy to throw around. I think because the all the weight is usually in the air. If it's not and you need to move it all you do is give it some throttle and it lifts and you put it down where you want it. It was like riding without gravity. I did get stuck a few times and if I am going to be honest, I could not tell the difference in weight. For one thing even when it's really stuck, it takes about an 8th of the digging and lifting a normal sled takes because it makes track speed so fast just a little pull and some feathering on the throttle and up and out it would go.
Chances are I will never be able to afford one of these sleds, but I now understand that aspirated motors have got a long, long way to go if they are ever going to get enough HP to make riding this effortless regardless of how LW they are. I love my LW sleds, but they are going to have to get them under 200 pounds, and get another 100 horse out of them to make them competative. I can be happy with what I got, but at least I know why guys are willing to spend big bucks for these sleds. It truely takes riding to a different level. What I thought were downsides to this sled simply are not. I'm not sure they have a down side. I loved not having to pull a rope.
After about an hour I actually felt like I was on a weightless sled. HP does over come weight. I found that out. As weightless as it felt, and as responsive as the throttle was (which really surprised me) I am left to wonder why this sled gets a bad rap as a boondocking sled. After an hour of riding, I believe it was the best boondocker I have ever rode. It was so easy to throw around. I think because the all the weight is usually in the air. If it's not and you need to move it all you do is give it some throttle and it lifts and you put it down where you want it. It was like riding without gravity. I did get stuck a few times and if I am going to be honest, I could not tell the difference in weight. For one thing even when it's really stuck, it takes about an 8th of the digging and lifting a normal sled takes because it makes track speed so fast just a little pull and some feathering on the throttle and up and out it would go.
Chances are I will never be able to afford one of these sleds, but I now understand that aspirated motors have got a long, long way to go if they are ever going to get enough HP to make riding this effortless regardless of how LW they are. I love my LW sleds, but they are going to have to get them under 200 pounds, and get another 100 horse out of them to make them competative. I can be happy with what I got, but at least I know why guys are willing to spend big bucks for these sleds. It truely takes riding to a different level. What I thought were downsides to this sled simply are not. I'm not sure they have a down side. I loved not having to pull a rope.
