OSM 14.1

MEN’S ADRENALINE JACKET BLACK / HIVIS

SOMETHING BIG IS ABOUT TO BE UNLEASHED

HAY DAYS | SEPT 9, 2023 | 1 P.M. CST

NEEDLIN’

The President of the Riders Union makes going through the woods in deep look easy proving you can teach old dogs new tricks.

Sled: Polaris Rider: Dan Skallet

Clothing: FXR

FRISKY KITTY

Bonch rodeo’s the new Catalyst Platform.

Sled: Arctic Cat M 600 Alpha One

Rider: Mark Boncher Suit: Klim Valdez Jacket

President & Publisher: Richard Kehoe

Copy Editor: Rick Bloye

Art Director: Darryl Aspin

Production Manager: Tendra Crossman

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Director of Sales & Marketing: Andrew McEwan

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Photographers: Todd Williams, Rob Alford, Emily Wicklund, Taylor Batch, James Wicken, Rob Alford, Richard Kehoe, Tendra Crossman, Maria Sandberg, Shelby Mahon, Chris Burandt, Brian Caswell, Levi LaVallee, Kristen LaVallee, Museum of Ingenuity J. Armand Bombardier Archives, Mike Duffy, Andrew McEwan, Brent Geerlings

Contributing Writers: Mark Boncher, Jeff Steenbakkers, Jason Kawczynski, Levi LaVallee, Chris Burandt, Tyler Swarm, Darren Desautels, Maria Sandberg, Rob Alford, Jordan Hammack, Richard Kehoe, Mike Duffy, Andrew McEwan, Brent Geerlings, Jake Hudson

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ON WITH THE SHOWS!

Seriously now, there is no way that it was just me, but this summer started early than expected and seemed the heat also turned off early too. Hopefully the snow starts to fall early too because I can’t wait to get back on the trails!

Now with the Fall creeping up on us, comes all the fun stuff such as; swaps, shows and more gatherings around the sport we all love. Our crew has already started strategizing our method to hit all the annual outdoor shows, Haydays in North Branch, Minnesota and then we have the Toronto International Snowmobile, ATV & Powersports Show in October at the International Centre, out by Simcoe, then we’re out west, and we have Sledarama in November.

These get-togethers are a lot of fun for everyone. Shows helps us get one on one with so many companies to check out what is new, what’s coming and what’s on the out. This year there is a lot of new riding places catering to off-road and many vehicle improvements like transmissions, engines and new models being offered. These Shows are a great place to see everything at one place at one time and meet the people that bring them to our sport.

If you are at one of these shows, please drop by our OSM booth and grab the latest copy. If you’re not at one of these make sure you get to an event close to you that supports, the sport!

- Richard

Need some time alone in your thinking room, have a seat on the throne and give it a go.

Arctic Cat

Bacon

Battery Belt

Copy of OSM

Fuelstabilizer

Garage

Lawn Ornament

take 5

THE KINGS OF THE SNOWMOBILE WORLD

To be a King you need to be respected, a natural leader, feared and at the top of the game. If you do not check all those boxes, you will never be the King and if you are already a King but don’t continually check all of those boxes, expect to be overthrown. No matter what, it’s always good to be the King. In this issue of On Snow Magazine we look of the Kings of the Snowmobile World. Sit back, relax, grab a cold one because you might not agree with these Kings!

POLARIS SNOW KING SPECIAL (SKS)

The SKS (Snow King Special) is a versatile snowmobile designed for both on-trail and off-trail riding, making it a favorite among snow mobiler enthusiasts. Dating back to the late 1980s, SKS models were based on the Indy chassis, featuring a 136” long track that improved off-trail capability compared to other shorter track on-trail models. In a nutshell it was a regular trail sled with a longer track. Over the years, It turned into its own line of sleds as Polaris continued to refine and improve the SKS line with various engines, track lengths, suspensions, chassis, etc. Part of the allure of the SKS is that the sled had major trail sled characteristics but when the opportunity came a knocking you could jump of the trail, and it was a deep powder mountain orientated sled with a front heat exchanger.

Polaris continues to evolve the SKS, today, the SKS a borderline entry level mountain sled as it is only available with a 146” track length, the 650cc Patriot Engine all nestled in the Matryx chassis.

the racers navigate their way up the mountain. As more and more racers make or attempt their way to the summit the course gets increasingly rough making it at times virtually a vertical whooped up Snocross track.

This is unlike any other snowmobile hill climb in the world. It is very sobering and terrifying when you see just how steep and how high participating racers have to climb in order to be crowned the King of Kings. The winner takes home a big cheque and a huge trophy. Think you have the stones? Think again.

POLARIS ROCKY MOUNTAIN KING (RMK)

The introduction of the Rocky Mountain King series of snowmobiles was introduced in the mid 1990s as a response to the growing demand for snowmobilers going steep and deep in the mountains. For decades the Rocky Mountain King line-up has been one of the sexiest line-up of sleds on the snow.

For most mountain riders the RMK has been the benchmark for many years. Other brands have always been compared to and measured to the Rocky Mountain King. The years have been exceptional kind to the RMK featuring many changes in the past thirty years with various chassis, engines, suspensions and it has gone through a constant weight shedding program constantly emerging as one of if not the most sought-after mountain snowmobiles on the market. The RMK is a mountain sled only, don’t even think about riding it on a trail, that’s not where it belongs or wants to be. It is 100% designed to be in the mountains, climbing the steepest inclines in the deepest powder. While its narrow stance will assist you navigate through the tightest trees while being able to successfully side-hill without a second thought other than getting to where you want to be.

Today the RMK has six different models to choose from with engine options from a 550cc fan cooled engine right up to a turbo 850cc Patriot Engine. Track lengths vary from 144” to 165” offering an RMK for every type of rider.

ARCTIC CAT KING KAT

In 1971 Arctic Cat came to the plate with three air cooled sleds to go rocket ship fast called them the King Kat. The three King Kat models came in a 650 and 800 triple/triple (three cylinders and three exhaust pipes) and the belly buster 800cc had four cylinders with quad pipes. It’s said that only 415 these collector sleds were made in its only year of production of 1971. Racing has always been in Arctic Cat’s bloodlines and speed was the original form of snowmobile racing and held true way back in the King Kat’s day of 1971 through the years of the Wildcat 80’s to the Thunderous Thundercat 90’s to the turbo four-stroke Thundercat of today. Arctic Cat has always been fast…superfast.

lawn ornaments

For over a decade we have been reporting on the fever of Lawn Ornaments. Quite frankly, nothing surprises us anymore. The way artistic way that people can properly display their clapped-out sleds rusting behind garages and trash cans or left out under the protection of a tree to protect from the suns UV rays is remarkable. If you are lucky enough to find an Lawn Ornament in your travels snap a photo of it and email it to us at info@osmmag.com and if we print it you will receive your very own T-shirt for your troubles.

Hey OSM,

Thought I’d try my luck again. After a few submissions I’m getting chaffed that nothing has been used yet. I don’t claim to be a qualified photographer behind my iPhone, but come on. Hook me up. I snapped this submission months after the snow left. I was surprised that it was left out long enough for me to finally stop and snap a pic. I need a shirt bro.

Steven, Sutton, ON

Lined Up for Success!

Mark from Milwaukee, WI sent us this photo of from a few streets over from his house. The neighbour’s vehicle line-up Shows a custom Polaris XC 700 next to some real hot-rod cars as Mark put it. We just like the fact that the proud owner backs everything into their driveway for quick getaways and didn’t trim the weeds around the XC to give some extra cover.

Hey OSM,

I was taking my kid to hockey training at a place they call the Barn and saw this near mint Citation. It pained me to see that this was just left out. It looked too damn good to be just abandoned like this with its original stickers and custom orange tunnel. I’m sure it’s a runner just like the scooter in the weeds in the background.

Stew, Newmarket, ON

lawn ornaments

Hi OSM,

Hopefully this isn’t too blurry, I didn’t want to stop just in case the owner saw me. I thought that this was a pretty artsy set up. The way this guy used all the ground under his tree to protect one a sled quad and left the other ZL out in the open. I never went down this backroad again but I hope he didn’t leave it there all summer. Not sure if you can see the tarped bar b q in the back. He clearly takes better care of than the sleds.

Shawn

OSM - I need a shirt!

When I was dropping my boat off for storage last week, I found this sled decaying. I’m not sure how long it’s been here but it looks abandoned. I don’t think the owner is ever coming back…Can’t imagine how much the outdoor storage fee is going to be.

Jeff

15"

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By Mark Boncher

WE

weren’t sure what to call this article exactly… 2-Stroke ridiculousness? The pair of power? Mach 3 with your hair on fire? There were plenty of ideas thrown out there, but regardless the point is that these two sleds in question are the new pinnacles of trail scorching, bump crushing, awesomeness. And if we see anyone with a tackle-box strapped to the back of one we will ask that you kindly turn in your sno-mo-card to the nearest dealership.

The Ski-Doo MXZ XRS 850 Turbo R Competition Package, and the Polaris Patriot Boost Indy VR1 are going to be going headto-head on the lakes and trails this year, and plenty of times in heated bar-stool discussions as well. We rode them both and cracked a few helmet molds with how big our grins were doing it. This is the run-down!

SKI-DOO STEPS UP…

Then they knocked it into next week! This new turbo pumps out 180 ponies and is a homerun for all the faithful yellow-jackets. The 850 E-TEC Turbo R motor is what everyone knows should have been in the Mach Z when it was re-introduced, but nevertheless the masses were heard and got what they asked for… a liquid cooled, 2-stroke, turbo, with eRave, and the new ‘water injection system’, all running on 91 octane pump gas. We’ve already talked a lot about this motor but instead of an intercooler this turbo runs cool with a mix of water and methanol (ICE it is called) injected into the system. The mix comes from a 1.2 liter tank behind the seat and is mostly water, with the methanol there to prevent the liquid from freezing or foaming. Basically it means the sled can

go super-fast, for longer periods of time, without overheating.

In addition to the new powerful turbo, this sled harnesses and transmits all those ponies with a pDrive primary clutch with easy-to-use clickers to dial in precisely. The secondary clutch is the QRS vent plus that stays cool and helps extend belt life. Plus you get the same Launch Mode system, originally debuted in the updated Mach, at your fingertips. That was probably the coolest thing about the Mach and if you’ve never had the chance to try it, you really need to! Put it in launch mode, hold the brake, hold the gas, then release the brake and you’re off the line like a scared rabbit!

Once you’ve tried Launch Mode just once you will realize why there’s a new

ONCE YOU’VE TRIED LAUNCH MODE JUST ONCE YOU WILL REALIZE WHY THERE’S A NEW BREMBO 4-PISTON CALIPER BRAKE STRAIGHT FROM THE RACE SLED TO DO THE STOPPING AND WOW DOES IT WORK WELL!

TIGHT

Brembo 4-piston caliper brake straight from the race sled to do the stopping and wow does it work well! I’ve personally always liked Ski-Doo’s brakes as they feel the most intuitive especially not having to ‘drag the brake’ as much to be fast through the corners.

At 505 pounds dry weight the competition package is the best power-to-weight ratio production trail sled that Ski-Doo has probably ever built… and certainly the fastest. It’s fitted in the new Gen5 chassis as well, so you get extremely nimble, responsive, and predictable handling even at Speedy Gonzales mph/kph. Some of the weight savings came from using the SHOT ultracapacitor starting system in the machine, which we thought many years ago should be standard issue on most, if not all, of Ski-Doo’s sleds. The Pilot X skis do the turning under the RAS X front suspension and being an X-RS (basically the snocross race sled) the best of the best shocks are used all the way around with the KYB Pro 40 EA-3 R Kashima coated absorbers. With the newly introduced Smart Shox you can change the settings on the fly and don’t have to ever get off your sled. Comfort, sport, and sport+ are your options and it’s a semi-active system (similar to what is in a lot of full sized vehicles) to eliminate body roll and automatically calculate correct damping with multiple factors dialed in.

If that wasn’t enough to get you to your local dealer, the competition package X-RS also comes with thicker reinforced and flatter angled RS running boards. If you are like me and prefer to stand a lot, then these boards really make a difference. They are wide and produce less leg fatigue that the more angled boards can produce. Also, being a longer 137-inch sled gives you lots of grip and moving around on the sled while riding is imperative so grippy big boards are important.

Finally you get a huge display! GPS, all your indicators, Bluetooth, and glove-friendly touch to make changes are all right there. These types of displays are what a lot of the high end mobile machines will be getting in the next couple years and it’s great to have it on a sled! All-in-all there’s not much that was forgotten on this X-RS, and if everything is working right, I can’t think of one thing I would change… other than that dang low windshield!

CORNERING AND BIG BUMP HANDLING IN ANY SITUATION IS THE TRADITIONAL FORTE OF THE MXZ-XRS.

KYB PRO 40 EA-3 R KASHIMA COATED SHOCKS ARE TOP OF THE LINE AND SMART SHOX ARE AN OPTION ON THE X-RS AS WELL.

IN THE GEN 5 CHASSIS THE X-RS IS NOT ONLY POTENT, BUT SLEEK, SLIM AND THE ERGONOMICS ALLOW FOR GREAT MANUEVERABILITY.

POLARIS DOES THE PASSING!

To be straight up with you, the Polaris Patriot Boost Indy VR1 will easily hit triple digits…quickly, so it is far from a beginner’s sled. This machine is just another example of the great things Polaris is doing and passing other OEMs as they build better, leaner, higher quality, and faster snowmobiles each year.

The VR1 boosted is just sooo fun to ride is a true buzz to ride! If you haven’t squeezed the throttle on one you ain’t livin. It brings a big grin on my face just thinking about it. There are only a few sleds that can even come close to getting your blood pumping like this one can. Ski-Doo claims 180 hp on their turbo, but honestly the VR1 boosted just feels faster… and most likely it is because by many independent dyno reports this one is cranking out significantly more than 180hp. I’m sure they are close, and the Launch Mode helps the X-RS rider on a lake or side-by-side run out of the gate, but standing up the skis on the VR1, or running down your buddies to catch up makes you giddy and produces

many a sly grin. We tested the VR1, X-RS, and Yamaha Sidewinder next to each other on a long lake pull, and fairly consistently the X-RS just notched ahead out of the gate, then was passed by the VR1 and the Yamaha was slowest out of the gate, but eventually caught and passed the other two. So, if you are that guy that just sits on the lake all day waiting for someone to race then the VR1 is only second in top end to the Sidewinder.

It important to note again here that the Patriot 850 twin 2-stroke was developed along with a potential turbo upgrade from very early on. Everything on the motor is overbuilt and that was apparent from the first introduction. This is not a bolt-on, or an afterthought, and the engineers painstakingly worked to get this right. Recalls and jabs aside, this is an engine made for reliable power.

The bonded aluminum Matryx chassis could be the most flickable and maneuverable chassis made yet. From the sculpting of the panels to the seat and running

THE VR1 BOOSTED IS JUST SOOO FUN TO RIDE IS A TRUE BUZZ TO RIDE! IF YOU HAVEN’T SQUEEZED THE THROTTLE ON ONE YOU AIN’T LIVIN. IT BRINGS A BIG GRIN ON MY FACE JUST THINKING ABOUT IT

EXTREMELY GOOD MANEUVERABILITY, SKI LIFTING POWER AND ONE OF THE MOST COMFORTABLE CHASSIS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR WHEN ROLL CALL IS TAKEN FOR THE POLARIS VR1.

boards, to the tip of the ProSteer skis everything just seems to work together and if you move your body then the sled will follow. Now I did have an Assault get away from me while doing a photo shoot last year … and our editors made sure it was documented in the magazine. Thankfully the sled did NOT follow me that time as I certainly ran out of talent on that double jump! In full transparency I had a Renegade do something similar to me later in the photo-shoot so my mistakes are not brand-specific by any means.

Truthfully the Walker Evans Velocity shocks in the VR1 are possibly my favorite bump absorbers. Plus the coupled ProCC rear suspension may be the best trail suspension on snow and paired with the WE shocks, it is potent. Now it looks like Polaris is buying WE so everyone will see even more great snow specific (and other vehicle specific) innovations no doubt soon. When I asked, my magic mirror on the wall it not only told me I was the most attractive 6 foot 2-inch-tall man in the Midwest but also that the likeliness of a version of adjustable-on-the-fly shocks will be coming to soon this very same version of the VR1 is, very likely.

If there is one thing we would like on the VR1 it would be an option of a137x15x1.5” lug track. The current options of 1 or 1.35” lug are fine for the trail, but even trail riders end up in the deeper snow sometimes. Plus the 1.5” lug really digs in on the trails and you can still stud it without much worry. This sled can truly be a ‘cross-country’ racer and won’t let anything stand in its way. It corners extremely predictably with no bump-steer and it is easy to keep that inside ski down with just a little body-english.

The VR1 has all the snazzy options too from the 7S display with glove-friendly touch screen, Ride Command, diagnostics, maps, Group Ride and more. Plus, you get the smart warmer hand grip system that keeps the temp at the correct warmth no matter the weather or speed, standard handguards, and more. There are just as many and just as smart accessories available as any other OEM provides - if lighting, bags, gold chains and bling are your thing. There’s little to nothing this sled lacks compared to anything else in the hypersled market and I would give it 3 thumbs up if I had another hand.

THERE ARE PLENTY OF HIGH QUALITY ACCESSORY OPTIONS AVAILABLE NOW FROM POLARIS INCLUDING ADDITIONAL LED LIGHTING, BUMPERS, AND MORE.

WALKER EVAN WAS RECENTLY ACQUIRED BY POLARIS AND THE VR1 GETS THE HIGHLY ADJUSTABLE VELOCITY SHOCKS TO TAKE THE BASH OUT OF THE BUMPS.

DECISION TIME

I AM CONTRADICTING MYSELF HERE, BUT ISN’T THE ACTUAL ‘RIDING’ THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOLKS SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT?

Assuming money is no object (it can’t be even in the conversion honestly if you’re looking at either of these sleds) but my personal choice would be the X-RS. Two things sway my opinion and that is the SHOT starting system and Launch Mode. Those are both things that I value for weight savings and fun.

As far as pure riding goes, I would sway towards the fun factor of the VR1 if you did not consider all the bells and whistles on either sled. I am contradicting myself here, but isn’t the actual ‘riding’ the most important thing folks should be worried about?

I’ll end with a small rant, but there are many sledders that would just like a bare bones all black (no decals), zero bling hypersled that could be customized to

their liking and save all those extra dollars to put towards exactly what they wanted. This market would want to take off the fancy display, oversized bumpers, LED’s, electric start, modes, etc. and just sell those things as add-ons. I fear us snowmobilers have made our own bed though unfortunately, and we in the media haven’t helped the real true ‘performance rider’ out either. However, most of who is buying these sleds just want to check one box when ordering it and wanted it fully loaded. These manufacturers have it right, I said it earlier, “if money wasn’t an object when buying either of these sleds” and like it or not that is predominantly who bought one. I won’t close on a down note though, as these sleds are still the most fun you can have with your clothes on!

KYB PRO 40 EA-3 R KASHIMA COATED ABSORBERS WITH SMART SHOX TAKE THE BOTTOM HIT OUT OF ANY DEEP HOLES ON THE TRAIL ON THE X-RS.

CORNERING IS A BREEZE ON THE VR1 AND THE POWER YOU GET OUT OF THE CORNER IS TRULY FORE-ARM STRETCHING!

2023

JANUARY 5-7, 2024

TORONTO INTERNATIONAL CENTRE

By Mark Boncher

The perfect performance storm is brewing in the 600-class in model year 2024! This segment is always contested as they are honestly what almost all trail riders actually need. All of the three sleds we will report on are pumping 125-135hp out of their powerplants and produce performance enhanced fun for days. These sleds will save you plenty of coin, save your body from a little fatigue after a 250-mile day, and if you are half the rider that you bragged you were at the bar then you will have no problem keeping up in the trails to any 850’s on these snow buggies.

The steeds we are focused on are the new Arctic Cat Catalyst ZR 129 600, the Polaris Indy Matryx XC 129 650, and the Ski-Doo MXZ X 600R. These are all 129-inch long trail tamers and they are, in our humble opinion, some of the best all-around trail sleds.

By now everyone in the snowmobile world has already heard quite a bit about the new Catalyst. We’ve ridden and wrote about it extensively, but we can’t say enough about this chassis and it is hands down the best thing Cat has put out on the market in decades. It’s not only great on the trail, but also in the crossover and mountain markets. In the trails it corners extremely flat, predictably, and with less effort than any other Cat trail sled we’ve ever ridden. Much of that ease of turning and maneuvering comes from the centerline steering post with progressive steering. This system almost feels like power steering and paired with new performance trail spindles, and Trail 6 skis with 4-post staggered dual carbides this sled really rips through any trail corner chatter. That was the goal of Arctic Cat engineers, to make a sled that was on par or better than… dare I say it… a Polaris or Ski-Doo in each of the

market segments. We can honestly say that Cat’s new chassis is everything the years, and years, and taunting, and pre-releasing, and closed door meetings said it was.

The powertrain is the 599CC C-Tec2 laydown engine with dual stage injection (DSI) and it has been one of the most dependable quietest, and smoothest 600’s on the market for several years. How many times have you heard of a C-Tec 600 burning down early, or having major issues prematurely? I know multiple people with 8,000+ miles (not kilometers) on these motors and they have been bullet-proof. This is an aspect rarely talked about in bar-stool racing, because the 600 class just doesn’t seem to be sexy to anyone anymore.

The battery-less EFI motor is lightweight, and the laydown orientation allows it to sit low in the engine bay, making the center of mass more applicable with the

THE PRO-CC REAR SUSPENSION IS NOTHING SHORT OF EXCELLENT AND POLARIS DESERVES MORE THAN A GOLF CLAP FOR OFFERING THREE DIFFERENT TRACK OPTIONS FOR THIS MACHINE.

Arctic Cat ZR 600 Catalyst

heaviest portion of the sled lower the snow. There’s an electric oil pump, electronic APV exhaust valves, and pipe temp sensor. Plus a new crankshaft, flywheel, fuel mapping, and exhaust servo. The ADAPT clutch system transfers power seamlessly, and these sleds have a fiber composite Torque Control Link with the clutch guard incorporated into it. The TCL has been around for a while, but it’s not really discussed much anymore on the Cat sleds and is a true innovation that originated from long time Arctic engineers. When this motor first came out it had a different oil tank with just a sight glass on it, but that has been changed to a clear tank to easily judge oil fill for us old guys. Cat says this refreshed C-Tec2 makes 125 hp and we would agree it has all of that if not more from the many rides we’ve had on it. You might not quite hit triple digits if you are carrying too much around that mid-section, but you’ll be darn close!

The Cat rear slide-action suspension has also been around for a while, but the 129-inch version in this sled allows for a .5-inch sliding movement of the front arm which not only makes it feel free, and playful, but helps the front of suspension from bottoming out when the rear of the suspension totally collapses. Power to the snow is more constant with consist-

ent track tension and you’ve got block adjustment and spring pre-load tension adjustment as well as 3-wheels in the axle in back.

Up front you’ve got the AWS 42 (Arctic Wish Suspension) which sits more under the pilot and gives quick response and feel through the bars. Stance is an adjustable 41.25-42.25 inch which is nice even for trail riders as some people feel more comfortable with a slightly narrowed up stance and some people like to be super-planted with as wide a stance as possible. This ZR 600 is available with either the standard Cat IFP 1.5 shocks up front, center, and 2.0 in the rear… OR the new ATAC adjuston-the fly system with 3-settings you can change in a millisecond utilizing Fox 1.5 Zero IQS shocks up front, center and 2.0 in the rear. We would pick the ATAC system every, single, time… and I know what you are going to say, “well it’s the newest system Cat has”, but we don’t always choose the newest and flashiest. Arctic Cat was the first sled maker in the industry to use this type of system and has had longer to get it dialed in perfectly and it performs great. We still would like to see the center shock incorporated into the ATAC but hoping that will come soon.

If there’s one drawback of this sled it is the gauge. Even the ‘Deluxe Digital’ gauge

on the ATAC version is less desirable than anything from Polaris or Ski-Doo… and the Sport gauge even smaller and more minimalistic. My personal feeling is that as long as all my necessary info is there, then I’m not too concerned, but all the additional options with the touchscreens and software from the other two main OEMs is impressive and is certainly a selling point for a lot of buyers. Over-all though we are incredibly happy with the new Catalyst and believe Cat totally dropped some awesomeness on the industry with this new platform.

Polaris Indy Matryx XC 129

Like all three of these sleds, the Indy 129 is seemingly an unheralded hero. The Patriot 650 twin cylinder liquid cooled with Cleanfire injection is the strongest motor in this class. It should be as it has the largest displacement, but the fact that this little 650 plays closer to the 850 class than the 600 class should tell you something. I know that’s a bold statement, but I can’t count how many times we’ve been in testing or been out riding with friends and I’ve had people be shocked because they assumed I (or another rider) was riding an 850 and not a 650. It’s honestly becoming more the norm than not. That broken record can be played once again here because I’ve had many friends here in the Midwest swaying on either buying a 650 or 850 and every single one that bought the 650 has not been upset with their purchase. Just that small sample set of maybe ten buyers should tell everybody

THE PRO-CC REAR SUSPENSION IS NOTHING SHORT OF EXCELLENT AND POLARIS DESERVES

MORE THAN A GOLF CLAP FOR OFFERING THREE DIFFERENT

TRACK

OPTIONS FOR THIS MACHINE.

EXTREMELY GOOD MANEUVERABILITY, SKI LIFTING POWER AND ONE OF THE MOST COMFORTABLE CHASSIS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE ALL PRESENT AND ACCOUNTED FOR WHEN ROLL CALL IS TAKEN FOR THE POLARIS VR1.

headlights, and the grommets on the panels are revised as well for easier turning in all conditions.

At just 488 pounds dry this sled will scalpel cut with precision through the winding trails with its dialed in Polaris Independent Front Suspension. You won’t get tired horsing around the nimble Indy XC, there is little to no bump-steer in the corners, it will ask for more when you hit the throttle, and with a slightly larger 11.5 gallon fuel tank paired with frugal fuel economy you can likely outlast most of the riding group. The Fox QS3 shocks all the way around are more than enough to take on any bumps, and easy to adjust compression… spring tension adjustment is another issue, but since all the OEMs use these shocks I won’t hold Polaris’ feet to the fire for having to use Cro-Magnon wrenches to make spring changes. Plus, with the acquiring of Walker Evans I expect that will see a lot more of them on Polaris sleds in the future.

The Pro-CC rear suspension is nothing short of excellent and Polaris deserves more than a golf clap for offering three different track options for this machine. It is coupled and combined with the ease of maneuverability of the Matryx body panels and narrow seating arrangement you can get the full use of transitioning out of corners, keeping the front end down (or up) in any scenario presented to the rider. This is a trail and cross-country defined machine with bonded aluminum construction, and you have your choice of a 15x129x1.25inch Ice Ripper XT, 15x129x1.352-inch Cobra, or a 15x129x1.5-inch Storm track. I won’t probably ever own a sled with a 1.25inch lug for my personal sled again, and for people like us in the Great Lakes area flatlands with lots of snow the 1.5-inch lug is so much fun!

Where the Catalyst might be lacking in the gauge category, the Polaris message center gauge is not. You’ve got a large screen and everything laid out for you succinctly and intuitively. Or you can always upgrade to the incredible 7S display with all the goodies that a millennial gamer could ever want! Plus you get the LED headlights, handguards, option of a mid or tall smoked windshield, and the Smartwarmer hand-grips that are every bit as ‘smart’ as advertised.

The yellow team from Quebec is still leading the pack when it comes to releasing new chassis and upgrading things year after year. That being said, the MXZ X in the Gen 5 chassis is not a ‘flagship’ machine for Ski-Doo, but maybe it should be! I wrote in an article a couple years ago, when this sled was still in the Gen 4 chassis, that I purposely got “lost” on a trail ride during one of our photo shoots just so I could put on another 20-30 miles of worry free, isolated, mind calming miles on the MXZ X. Now in the Gen 5 chassis my compadres have gotten wise to my shirking of duties so it may take some more ingenuity on my part to get more of my Zen time on this machine. But we’ve got plenty of miles under our

belts on the 2024 MXZ X, and this one again is one of few machines that I will attempt to ‘steal’ from our regular riding group to selfishly ride the trails on my own.

EXTREMELY GOOD MANEUVERABILITY, SKI LIFTING POWER AND ONE OF THE MOST COMFORTABLE CHASSIS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE

Ski-Doo MXZ X 600R

RATED AT 125 HP THE 599CC E-TEC TWIN

DIRECT INJECTED 2-STROKE WITH NEWER BOOSTER INJECTORS

IS A SMOOTH FUEL AND OIL EFFICIENT SLEEPER OF AN ENGINE.

While some people gravitate towards the X-RS, as it is the ‘race sled’, the vast majority of those folks would be just as happy with the X model. I’ve ridden every Ski-Doo sled made in the last 20 years and can honestly say that if it were my own money I would choose the X model every time. With this sled you get super high-end KYB Pro 36 EA-3 shocks up front in the RAS X, and in the rear with a Pro 36 plus center shock in the rMotion suspension. Other than the slightly smaller riser, rail and board reinforcements, and slightly different angles on the boards/bars, there is not much different from this sled to the X-RS. The normal trail guy/gal will actually

be more comfortable on the X model as it is made for more fast sit-down trail ripping than a person who stands up and wants to do jumps and moguls 24-7. It has the new rack steering system which decreases the effort from your shoulders and combined with the Pilot X skis (arguably the best OEM trail skis out there) you have the ability to dice up tight corners like a sous chef.

Rated at 125 hp the 599cc E-Tec twin direct injected 2-stroke with newer booster injectors is a smooth fuel and oil efficient sleeper of an engine. Will it win you the ‘lake race belt blower of the year’ award? Absolutely not, but it will allow you to be quick, agile, and the reliable sled in your group that doesn’t have to get towed 30 miles back to the cabin and ruin everyone’s fun. In addition, this is one of the lightest sled in the group at 466 pounds dry weight. Five pounds more in the trail doesn’t usually make a trail rider bat an eye as that is simply a big lunch at a trail stop, but when you are talking 10-20 pounds lighter (or more when comparing older machines) than this sled should get some attention. If you are a rider that puts on 50-80 miles a day it may not really matter but the real riders that are going through 2-3 tanks of fuel every day understand that lightweight maneuverability makes a difference in how you feel after the long runs.

The primary pDrive clutch with adjust able clickers is still one of our favorites when it comes to transmission tech.

Paired with the QRS secondary and the already smooth power delivery from the E-Tec, and easy throttle pull, this machine is one that almost anyone can drive. I will put a novice on this sled over a 600 or 900 ACE every single time as it is just easier and safer when teaching a person how to feather the throttle.

Ski-Doo was also smart to offer this sled with several track options including a 15x129x1.25-inch Rispsaw or Ice Ripper XT or a 15x129x1.5-inch Ice Ripper XT. The same comments made on the Polaris XC track options apply here as well and I personally love the 1.5 Ice Ripper! Plus you get premium LED lights standard, the 7.2inch display, handguards, LinQ accessory base attachments and more. At the end of the day, the MXZ X is very underrated and in the all black color scheme it is a stealth cadet waiting in the wings to prove itself.

EXTREMELY GOOD MANEUVERABILITY, SKI LIFTING POWER AND ONE OF THE MOST COMFORTABLE CHASSIS IN THE INDUSTRY ARE

Three Musketeers

The three of these bandits together eating up the trails was one of the most fun rides we have done in quite a long time. You can’t go wrong with any of them and contrary to what many of the masses will tell you, they all punch out of their weight class and are swords that will cut up any trail with ease and precision. I had the most grins on the Matryx platform when it first came out and that 650 is just awesome, but the Catalyst might just be my new favorite all around platform on the snow in this group. My advice, don’t listen to the folks that dig on the 600+ class, it is still the best segment for true trail riders.

YOU

can’t help but think of the Bob Seger song “We were makin’ Thunderbirds” whenever you look at one of these beautiful Yamaha sleds. Back in ’92 they were makin’ V-max 4’s!!! For sure this sled has a huge spot in my snowmobile heart because it came out right when sleds like the Indy 650, Wildcat 650 and Mach 1 were big on making their big twin and triple engines heard. The real speed war was on and it was fantastic!

I was an impressionable kid that year just into high school and all I thought about in the winter was when it would snow. Back then I was riding my 1984 Phazer PZ480 which I had stripped all the decals off so it was all black. Then I added pink ski-skinz to the metal skis because I had to match my hi-vis, pink, purple and green Teknics ski jacket… and yes, photo evidence will prove that I had a glorious mullet as well! Honestly, it was all to resemble the Vmax 4 and when the advertisements for this rocket-ship looking sled came out in the magazines I literally cut out a spread and taped it to a wall in my bedroom. I thought I was pretty cool on my Phazer / fake Vmax-4 but would never be as cool as whoever was lucky enough to actually own a Vmax-4.

Screamin’ demon!

For a long time in the early 2000’s everyone thought the pink on this sled was lame but look around now! Yamaha wasn’t just ahead of the game on color schemes, but this was the first liquid cooled mass produced 743cc 4-cylinder 2-stroke engine ever made specifically for a snowmobile. The feat would not be accomplished again. Earlier Vmax models were very cool as well, but the Vmax-4 finally trumped and stomped and pushed around everything that was out there at the time… we can all discuss this over bar-stools sometime, but for me it was more personal at the time as my family was all riding Yamahas. It was good to be associated with the biggest, fastest brand on the market.

Made only until 1997, the Vmax 4 took a line from its motorcycle heritage by (for

most intents and purposes) shoe-horning a TZ750 motor into the closed engine bay of a snowmobile. Flat-slide rack-mounted carbs and an exhaust tone that gave you an awesome feeling down to your soul were two things that helped make this sled stand-out from the norm. This was the first buggy with digital CDI as well. The PTO system was driven from the center of the crankshaft instead of the end and helped make this big 2-stroker smoother.

Dyno reports from the bone-stock versions of this sled were showing roughly 120 horses, which sounds like child’s play today. But it was generally regarded as easily having more ponies once it was ‘freed up’ a little bit. Considering my Phazer was putting out 30-40% less than that, well, the Vmax-4 was a BIG muscle

ONCE YOU’VE TRIED LAUNCH MODE JUST ONCE YOU WILL REALIZE WHY THERE’S A NEW BREMBO 4-PISTON CALIPER BRAKE STRAIGHT FROM THE RACE SLED TO DO THE STOPPING AND WOW DOES IT WORK WELL!

sled at the time. Our standard 600cc sleds today are putting out 125+ ponies and for the most part considered ‘entry level’. Which should scare the crap out of all of us with soon-to-be young teen kids. I can’t count how many times I almost wrote the big check on a 300cc Enticer when I was 11-14 years old!

The Yamaha sleds of this era just seemed to fit my family as we are generally ‘vertically challenged’ with my grandfather being the tallest at like 5’10”. So sleds like the Vmax-4 with its narrow, low, tight cockpit with straight handlebars and short .75-inch lug track were so much fun to drift through the corners. 8.2 inches of suspension also does not sound overly worthy of mention today (on the later models), but back then it was pretty darn good! Most others had a hard time standing on this sled, but the few times I got to drive one it fit me perfectly and the ski-stance was wide for the time as well. The TSS front suspension also was familiar to anyone who rode sleds in the 80’s and 90’s and by the end of its lifespan was working very well.

Bittersweet

look back…

There was so much new on this sled, right down to the headlight (and a new whopping price tag of $8500.00) but looking back on all the innovations that Yamaha had in snowmobiling throughout the years it is bittersweet that they have announced the company’s exit from our industry. This sled and many other Yamaha’s were in the discussions of magazine editor’s “Best Sled”, or “Coolest new tech”, for many years. But it was always Yamaha’s pursuit of quality and reliability that made their products staples in many garages and snowmobile trailers across North America. The Vmax-4 was no different and certainly one of our favorite ‘Way Back Machines’.

AM DOLUPTA SUM SIMI, QUOS MI, TECABORE INUS ASSUM ET LAUT QUUNT EOS SANDAM

ODION CUM

AM DOLUPTA SUM

QUOS MI, TECABORE INUS

ET LAUT

SANDAM

Industry 411 TekRider

Located in Minden, Ontario, Tekrider is a company that specializes in manufacturing and designing protective gear for powersports enthusiasts all in house in Canada and the USA. They have been in the industry for 27 years and have earned a reputation for producing super high-quality protective products.

The company was founded in 1996 by Steve Brand, a passionate powersports enthusiast himself. He noticed a gap in the market for protective gear that was both functional and stylish, so he decided to start his own company and fill that void.

Tekrider’s first product was the Tekvest, a protective vest designed specifically for snowmobilers. The Tekvest was a industry game-changer, as it offered superior protection without sacrificing comfort or mobility. It quickly gained popularity among riders and especially snowmobile racers. Featuring the highest level of upper-body protection currently available for a snowmobile racer, their vests meet or exceed all International Snowmobile Racing (ISR) specs. The ISR rules exclude the use of traditional MX chest protectors and stipulate that all forms of protective gear for Cross Country, Snow Cross and Hillclimb must have shoulder/arm protection. With this type of design Tekrider quickly established itself as a leading protective brand in the powersports industry.

With the success of the Tekvest, Tekrider expanded its product line to look after the safety needs of all snowmobilers, including trail/off-trail riders and expand to meeting the safety concerns of other motorsports such as ATV, off-road motorcycles, enduro bikes, and eventually making a moving into mountain bikes.

Tekrider is continuously striving to improve their products by incorporating feedback from both professional riders and racers, utilizing the latest technologies and materials made their goal achievable as the #1 motorsport upper body protection manufacturer.

In addition to their focus on product development, Tekrider is also committed to safety education and awareness. They actively participate in safety campaigns and provide resources and information to help riders make informed decisions about their protective gear.

During the Covid-19 era Tekrider was able to help the fragile healthcare industry by manufacturing PPE. The uniqueness of their PPE was that it was washable and not a use once and burn like many others.

Today, Tekrider continues to innovate and expand its product range catering to the evolving needs of powersports enthusiasts offering seventeen different models of a Tekvest with accesoires like an attachable enduro pack and optional shoulder pads for vests that don’t come

pre equipped.

For almost thirty years Tekrider has used the phrase “If you’ve got somewhere to be on Monday, you should be thinking about a Tekvest! It was catchy in 1996 and even more today, especially as more and more Tekvests are being worn across the snow belts.Visit their website www.tekvest.com check out the stories of the many that made a wise investment wearing a Tekvest and were able to share their experiences.

JANUARY 11-14, 2024