Snowbike vs Snowmobile Cost of Ownership

[M5-]

IMO it would be foolish not to. Bikes take maintenance but so do sleds. I don't even know how many hours I've put on all my various bikes over the last decade of snow biking but it's a lot. When you read about rebuilds etc. as in this thread you need to understand it takes a lot of riding and a lot of days to put 150 hours of runtime on a snow bike. Most guys won't have to do any major maintenance for at least three seasons of typical use, say 40 hours engine time. On 2 bikes I do probably 100-125 hours per season which is a lot. If you can't wrench and plan on riding 30-40 days a year maybe a sled is the better choice, that said I'd never go back.


M5

 

[56pdlx]

You should also consider fuel cost as the bike uses about 1/3 of the fuel that a sled uses in a typical day.

You’re not riding hard enough or long enough! When riding Allen Creek for a full day I fuel up twice during the day. About the same amount of fuel as a sled.


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[needpowder]

Wow. I have never come close to using 10 gallons on my bike. Not sure where allen creek is but you must have a super long approach if you’re using anywhere near as much fuel as a sled. Plus, 2 tanks of gas on a bike is only 4 gallons. Maybe you’re counting your spare tank and have a gas station halfway?

 

[56pdlx]

Wow. I have never come close to using 10 gallons on my bike. Not sure where allen creek is but you must have a super long approach if you’re using anywhere near as much fuel as a sled. Plus, 2 tanks of gas on a bike is only 4 gallons. Maybe you’re counting your spare tank and have a gas station halfway?

Valemount, BC, Canada. No gas stations! Ok, maybe not as much as a sled but we still use a lot! 7kilometers from staging area to the cabin.

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[Pinchecharlie]

You lucky bc kanuks!! I was shopping for a snowbike pretty seriously for awhile recently and you can get a very nice used bike set up properly for snow for 10-12k us. Of course you can’t get a new set up for that and I can’t afford new but my dealer has a really nice Ktm and Timbersled brand new for 26k is. Only thing is I feel like with the bike you need bike riders to go with. Take a vacation to Vernon bc and go ride some and see. I decided to give my sled another season or two before I give up trying to learn to ride lol. Other thing is everyone says Snowbikes are way easier to ride off camber.

 

[EXO Sled]

You lucky bc kanuks!! I was shopping for a snowbike pretty seriously for awhile recently and you can get a very nice used bike set up properly for snow for 10-12k us. Of course you can’t get a new set up for that and I can’t afford new but my dealer has a really nice Ktm and Timbersled brand new for 26k is. Only thing is I feel like with the bike you need bike riders to go with. Take a vacation to Vernon bc and go ride some and see. I decided to give my sled another season or two before I give up trying to learn to ride lol. Other thing is everyone says Snowbikes are way easier to ride off camber.

If you come to Vernon BC , let’s try EXO Sled. We are out here for a while!

 

[snoxracer40w]

If you come to Vernon BC , let’s try EXO Sled. We are out here for a while! View attachment 399090

Very interesting, never knew these kits existed.

 

[gorillam]

Simply put, you can not put cost of ownership on paper, or even guess. It's completely random and 100% depends on how you ride. Snowbike = more maintenance yourself. Snowmobile = infrequent but extremely high dollar shop repair bills.

 

[Jaynelson]

^ Very true. I sell sleds, bikes, and TSL kits. You could spend more route or less on either or....depends on model of sled, and/or how far you go with a bike build. For arguments sake, you could say the purchase price is the the same if going with a nice new sled, or new 450 with a new kit. If you start adding any amount of bling to a new bike build... TSS, Trio, etc....you are quickly into new 9R or turbo sled country for grand total.

If you go new on a sled, likely you will have (or can buy) at least a few years of warranty. So major mechanical costs are not happening if you stay current-ish. Bikes have no warranty, but are generally quite reliable when new-ish....no guarantees tho.

You will spend a little more on fuel for a sled. You will spend notably more on oil/filter for bikes. The bikes in snow-form are definitely more mickey-mouse, as they're not OEM assembled, and require a bunch of aftermarket parts to set up for snow. You will 100% spin more wrenches on a bike, and need to do at-home maintenance.

Honestly I think they would be similar at day's end - I would pick what you want to ride, or if you're getting in to it - mimic what your riding buddies have to start. If you are coming from the dirtbike world and have 0 snow experience, you will 110% have a quick learning curve on a bike. Mountain sledding takes awhile to figure out.

 

[Brayjay]

I have a newish mountain sled and snow bike. The bike is more maintenance obviously due to oil changes etc but I for sure enjoy the bike over the sled . One way a sled gets more expensive is when you fall off and it ghost rides into a tree as happened to a buddy of mine recently where as the bike just flops over.

 

[Jaynelson]

There is definitely more damage potential on a sled. That's tough to ad in to "cost of ownership" tho....I've sold a lot of trucks and never added up the cost of smashing 1 brand into a light pole vs another into my calculations.

Basically when it comes to damage - there are people who break and smash stuff constantly, and people who don't. Only seems to come in 2 flavours for the most part. So if you're a guy who historically smashes all his rec. equipment - expect regular damage to either unit, but expect the sled damage to likely cost more

 

[BeeDoo]

In my experience, these responses are spot on. I've definitely spent more time tinkering with my snow bike, but all of the costs are rather minimal. And the bike has proven easier to work on compared to the snowmobile. I'm also in the process of replacing a base gasket on a snowmobile. Shop was going to charge about $1200 in parts and labor for that job.
Anyway, for me personally, I've actually enjoyed working on and learning about and fine tuning the bike for me.

Here's my advice. Figure out which one you want to ride and go for it. Cost is going to be a crapshoot as with all toys. Just go out and have fun on whatever....

 

[Pinchecharlie]

I’ll chime in after a really hard day. I think unless you really have the time to master the snowmobile, you should get a snowbike. I spent the very first deep snow dream day stuck . I know it’s because I don’t have the skills and you gotta learn but it’s so freaking hard to me lol! The reason it’s so hard is you have to learn to master and control the 500lb sled on edge. It does not care about you and wants to go down . If you can’t it goes down lol. I was stuck like a statue straight up and down with just my nose and ski’s showing lol. Digging and exhausted when two Snowbikes came riding by all La te da going a medium speed and right up and by and sitting. Pissed me off lol. Yes good snowmobilers will go higher and steeper but you’ll have to earn that with a whole lot of seat time . Like a lot a lot. Like maybe a decade? Or if your lucky not working and riding revelstoke every day for season after season. Now I know it’s my own damn fault but that took me a couple hours to get out. Iam 80-20 stuck ride and I wonder if it’s worth it? Makes you kinda mad too like why am I doing this!! So I’d I had buddy’s with Snowbikes I’d ditch the sled I think

 

[BeeDoo]

Hey it's worth it. Just stick with it. You'll get better incrementally and it gets more fun along the way.
BTW, snowmobiles might go steeper on a straight up shot, but the bikes have the benefit of being able to climb across a steep hill, back and forth, all the way to the top. I've found the bike to be its own challenge after being on snowmobile for 20 years... that's part of the reason I got it in the first place! Don't fear it, conquer it!

 

[Adriana Graaf]

I'm trying to determine the total 5-year cost of ownership between a snowbike vs sled.

Snowbike
YZ450FX = $10,000
Riot 3 = $7,000
Purchase price = $17,000

Snowmobile
Skidoo Freeride = $16,000
Purchase price = $16,000

Lets say I average 600 miles/season * 5 years = 3,000 miles

What will total maintenance cost look like after 3,000 miles on a 450 vs freeride?

The total 5-year cost of ownership between a snowbike and a snowmobile can be calculated by taking into consideration several factors, including the purchase price, average miles per season, and maintenance costs. In this case, the snowbike costs $17,000 to purchase and the snowmobile costs $16,000. Based on the assumption of 600 miles per season and a total of 3,000 miles over 5 years, the maintenance costs for each will vary. It is difficult to determine the exact maintenance cost for each without additional information about specific maintenance needs and costs for each. It is recommended to research and compare maintenance costs for each option and factor it into the total cost of ownership calculation.

 

[tchriste]

The one thing people seem to be forgetting about is the fact that a bike can be ridden is the spring, summer and fall as well. I've got almost 30 years riding sleds and 50 years riding street bikes, now I ride dirt and a snowbike, new skill set to learn but way more fun.

 

[Jaynelson]

Kind of....most guys start out doing the swap in spring/fall, but if they get deep into the snowbike thing, ultimately wind up with a bike that's basically a snowmobile. Often the bike you want for snow isn't the bike you want for summer (if you're a trail rider, dual sport rider, etc). And also once you get more in to the snowbike...it seems the bike gets more and more customized for snow and it ends up being a LOT of stuff to switch over for summer and back.

 

[idahoskiguy]

More and more local riders are including a snowbike to their garage and don't know a single person who switches the snowbike back to a dirt bike.

450s are just not great trail bikes in this area.