What Are Your Thoughts? Brand Loyalty?

[MarleneeSteven]

Click Here to read this article

Read the article above. What are your thoughts on picking a new sled?

 

[PJ-Hunter]

Good read.

Honestly, I'll probably stick with Ski Doo. I have owned Doos since the Summit 670 on an S chassis. With each chassis change I was able to adapt quickly and ride the way I wanted to. I am an an 09 right now and I don't feel that I am riding a dinosaur. I addded the 2012 front end and I am mulling over the T-motion upgrade. As for the motor, there is a lot to be said about simplicity. I don't have to dink around with a fuel controller box and "mapping" and I don't have to worry about this sensor and that sensor. If my sled EGT's run hot, I turn a knob on the fly. There is no sitting at the bottom with my helmeted head resting on my bars adding and removing fuel from the curve. I don't have to worry about the oil injection screwing up the tuning, I pre-mix. The sled mechanics are old-school, whereas the suspension is new tech. It works, flat out works and obviously I do not run the thing stock, it runs right there with the other boosted "newer" sleds.

That being said, I am waiting to see what Ski Doo does on the 2014 with Rasmussen's input on creating the "perfect" mt sled. I thinbk it'll be good. The 2013 season was a learning year, with the two leaders teaching the other what not to do. Doo learned that they can probably make some changes to lighten the sled without sacrificing strength and not to cram important things like a fuel pump next to wires that can short out. Polaris learned that sometimes going too light is not a good thing and there is no substitute for a good, solid TIG weld. They learned that shortcuts are not good things. I think the 2014 Pro will be everything that the 2013 was and wasn't. The belt drive will be a different design. The shaft will be constructed better and fasteners will be used instead of glue.

For those that are on the fence with Doo or Poo, it may very well come down to what decals look better. For me, decals come off fast and I will wrap it.

I think Cat has spent too much time and money on the Pro Climb and they will spend 2013 revamping things to make it a stronger, more mt friendly chassis but end up keeping the same chassis and change the BNG.

Yamaha??? Was and never will be on the table for me.

Good luck in your quest, Steve.

 

[Dogmeat]

1.) Buy a sled that doesn't blow motors and leave you stranded to freeze to death.
2.) Buy whichever sled handles the the best after satisfying #1. Right now that sled is a Skidoo.

 

[BackCountryBob]

Click Here to read this article

Read the article above. What are your thoughts on picking a new sled?

I too am riding old iron that I would like to retire.I joined the Mile Hi SMC many years ago and the first question they asked me when I came thru the door was "What do you ride" and given a yellow name tag signifying SKI DOO. I looked around the room and the yellow tags sat together, the red tags, the green tags and blue--all sitting in their little cliques. I thought this was BS so when I was elected VP Safety Chairman and a board member--I presented my anti clique argument and the colored tags were history.

As the safety guy I thought it important to get dealer participation at the meetings so our members could see what the other brands had to offer. Initially only two dealers came to the meetings, now only one. We offered discounted business club memberships with advertising in our news letter to all the dealers--only three joined.

Aside from the initial cost of the sled, the continuous expense of parts, labor and down time is controlled by your dealer. If your dealer is responsive, fair and involved in the community then your brand loyalty is justified.

BCB

 

[backcountryislife]

Ride them all... buy the one you like.

I like having a newer sled, I'd rather invest in a newer platform in general, and I like the semi-reliability that comes with that.

Brand loyalty is silly, but polaris, yamaha, and skidoo suck...

I don't have any clue what I want next. I want a pro, with a T motion skid, and a Suzuki motor, mmmkay?

 

[MarleneeSteven]

X2 on that kaleb.

 

[Dogmeat]

I don't have any clue what I want next. I want a pro, with a T motion skid, and a Suzuki motor, mmmkay?

BOINGOINGOINGOIGNOIGNOINGOINGOIOIGOIGOGOGIOG

I should build one of those

 

[trinitypowder]

I have had them all.............kinda like Hugh HefnerBeing brand loyal to me is sillyAll of the sleds are good, and all of them are better than any sled from 10 years ago. The brand that is on top this year and next, wont be the following year. That's what makes this sport so much fun and so expensive. We ride some amazing machines, and we, the consumer, pay for all of that developement. Whether its a Doo, a Poo, a Cat or a Tank.......oops, I meant to say Yamaharide on! Life is too short to wear green, blue, red, or yellow every day from November to May for the rest of your life???

 

[drypowder]

I am not married to any brand , and therefore never been divorced either. However i have owned and rode them all but yamaha...
NOt say anything bad about yamaha, i think there bullet proof , but still a little heavy for me and i like the 2 stroke rap

 

[glmtnapex]

I started on Yamahas and was loyal until I rode a 2011 XP that just 'fit' me and my riding style. I've never looked back.

About a week ago I borrowed a stock '09 XP from a friend to go riding with my wife to get out of the house for a few hours to avoid the mountain Janurary Blues. We bumped into a group of Factory Skidoo riders (Skidoo has a test facility here in Grand Lake) who were testing prototype sleds (a 2017 model among them!, sorry no pics). My wife and I know most of the test riders and managed to talk our way into a test ride of a 2014 for a couple of minutes. This gave me a chance to ride the different sled generations (09 XP, '11 XP, '14 XM) back-to-back-to-back.

The '09 felt like a 'TANK' compared to the '11. I'm not a big guy (140#, 5'9") and I have a hard time getting the 09 on one ski and keeping it there. The '11 turns easily, has better/crisper throttle response (Etec 800), and is just plain easier to ride... That being said, the '11 felt like a 'TANK' compared to the '14! I was amazed at how easily, even compared to the '11, that the '14 would turn and manuver. I could simply lean on one foot or the other and the sled would carve a turn in that direction. To say the least, I was impressed.

I guess this is a long-winded way of saying, at least for me, upgrading to the newer technology/new sleds makes sense if you can afford it. I like to tinker and buy parts for my sled as much as anyone, but you just can't beat what the latest generation sleds can do. Yes, any handy rider with good tools, a nice shop, and (most importantly) the free time can upgrade their current ride to keep up with this newest generation of sleds. But in my opinion, between the time and the money you'll spend trying, it's not worth it. You may be able put together a sled to keep up with the new sleds, but it probably will not be as reliable, might end-up costing you MORE money, and certainly will not have a warranty like a new sled (usually 3 years if you Snow Check).

To each their own. There will always be guys/gals that are satisfied with their current sled and level of skill it takes to ride it. And then there are people who always want to push the envelope of their sled, available technology, and their ability to ride it. 'Life is the sum of all your decisions', but there's no 'right' of 'wrong' choice here. I'm just glad we have so much to choose from!

 

[MarleneeSteven]

Great input, guys and gals! Now...anyone have some sleds they want to let me test?