I got to ride this sled on Friday in McCall.
You guys that are going to 'wait it out' are going to miss an entire year of riding the best sled on the mountain.
I am dealer loyal (as opposed to brand loyal). If this was an AC/SkiDoo/Yamaha....I would be jumping ship and hurting Carl's Cycle's feelings....lucky for me - that is not the case.
Quick background: I have an '09 Dragon and am left scratching my head when I read about the problems everyone is having. I love my current sled's handling, motor, ride...best sled I have ever had...this is my 4th IQ chassis (900/660/700/800)
This 2011 sled is awesome and blows the IQ out of the water...
The suspension and chassis are unbelievable. I am 215 lbs [insert 'fat kid' ribbing here]...and hammered some RUDE bumpy trails and could not get it to bottom out. But more than that, it just tracks straight and doesn't get squirrely.
I'm not sure how they made it so much more stable, yet is still ridiculously easy to get on its side?? Seems like these 2 should contradict each other....but this sled does it.
Climbing in rutted out tracks is TWICE as easy as the previous sled.
The boondocking is going to be WAY better...steering radius is way tighter...steering effort is super light...off camber handling is 100% improved.
Our riding group is talking seriously about going to IROC rules from now on...and I have ZERO problem with that.
I havent seen anyone else comment on this, but it takes about 1/2 the effort to start the motor compared to the current motor?? The chicks are going to love that part...
Whether or not I snow check or wait until Jan 1, 2011 to buy one will depend on the program, but either way I WILL own one of these sleds.
I am sure these demo sleds will be at dealers for the rest of the year....and if you enjoy the sport I HIGHLY recommend riding one. If you want to save $11,000, then I would strongly suggest staying as far away as possible.
Believe the hype people....this sled is THAT good.