There’s nothing quite like racing down the mountain slopes in your Polaris 850, while the wind rushes past you as you glide smoothly through the trees. Snowmobile riding is arguably the best activity to get yourself into this winter, and it seems like many Americans are jumping into the snowmobiling bandwagon.
Data from snowmobile dealers shows that in 2017, there were 53,179 snowmobiles sold in the US during winter, compared to 472,000 motorcycles sold the same year. This disparity may seem huge, but keep in mind snowmobiles can only be used in winter, in select places.
Finding the Perfect Snowmobile
If you’re a snowmobiling avid, you probably understand all too well how difficult it can be to find the right snowmobile. From the different companies to the types of sled and engine variants, finding a snowmobile can be very daunting overall. It is actually takes more than just responding to a well crafted snowmobile for sale advert.
If you’re are in the market for a snowmobile, whether new or used, here are a couple of things you should do to help you make the right choice.
Get Introspective
The first thing you should do, if you’re considering buying a snowmobile is have a thorough assessment of yourself. Assessment in this context means an evaluation of your riding skills and experience with snowmobiles. The key is to gauge how well your riding skills and experience is? How fast or slow do you ride? If you like riding over big bumps, then relate that to the type of bike you want.
Remember to take an honest look at yourself and don’t compare yourself with others, which is very easy to do. As a rule of thumb, don’t splurge too much on a costly snowmobile if you’re a beginner. There’s bound to be more winters where you can go for a newer, more expensive bike with all the bells and whistles once you have made good riding progress.
Buyer-Seller Camaraderie Always Work
It makes sense to establish a good rapport between you and your seller before purchasing a sled. This relationship will always work to your advantage when it’s down to the actual buying. It’s highly advised to go over the exact requirements you want for your new snowmobile with snowmobile dealers so that they can find the best-suited one for you at a reasonable price.
Snowmobile dealers can also help you with financing or offer you a discount on the snowmobile once you have decided what to buy. Also, if you’re also in good terms with them, you can always ask to take the sled out for a test ride to be sure it is exactly what you are looking for.
The Basics Will Never Let You Down
You can never go wrong with a snowmobile if you have the basics on lock. When it comes to basics, you’ll want to look at two main things. First, the engine and second, the track length.
The engine is a very tricky compartment that could either make or break your first successful purchase. Engines in snowmobiles come in two main variants, either the two-stroke or the four-stroke. The former engine has a higher power-to-weight ratio than the latter, but only applies this power to a smaller range as compared.
Modern four-stroke engines are lighter than their first iterations and have more power too. They will, however, cost you a bit more than the two-stroke engine versions.
When it comes to track-length, the choices are numerous. The most popular being crossover sleds. These sleds are incredible because they offer a little more track-length than their alternatives, and are great for both on and off-trail sledding. If you get longer sleds, however, you trade off the smooth handling, but gain better traction and flotation in deep snow.
Final Word
Reputable snowmobile dealers can be your single biggest asset when purchasing a new snowmobile or related snowmobile equipment. Therefore, always remember to do your due diligence before making any purchase. Hopefully, you’ll find the perfect snowmobile for your winter sledding.
