Observations from the cornfields of the Midwest about the sled business.

[rminier]

 Hey, it's the dog days of summer...and I have a few minutes to reflect upon the time when I first became intrigued about snowmobiles back in the fall of 1978 when I picked up a Fall issue of "SnoTrack" magazine while taking a lunch break while I was travelling on the road.
 It had the article where Olav Aaen developed the porting, clutching, and pipes for a 78 Invader that turned it into an SRX killer....and the Kawi add showing both 79 Invaders, both Drifters, and the Intruder in a full page ad travelling across some untracked snow.....goodness gracious...I have to own one of those Invaders some day!!
  So, I did, when I bought my '79 in 1982.
 I have followed the industry closely ever since...I about died when I received the "SnoWeek" issue when it was announced Kawasaki was exiting the business....you remember when Snoweek was published 16 or 18 times per year, on news print?
 I have watched Yamaha rise to # 1 in sales when they came out with the 84 Phazer...very light, very responsive,....reliable....kudos to them.
 Then, the Indys took over.....I don't know about you, but I
awaited with baited breath when Polaris unveiled the "NEW Indy"
...when was that?.....94?
 Great fanfare and mystery led up to this new Indy.
 I remember getting one of the snowmobile mags back then and being extremely "underwhelmed"!!
 Forgive me for a moment....I have 3 sons...and 3 daughters...so I don't think I could have survived by being too much of a male chauvinist pig.....but I found the new Indy to be a very pretty, streamlined sled.
 Guess what?....I don't want a "pretty" sled....I want the meanest, new Romulan Warbird or Klingon Battle Cruiser....something like when Yamaha came out with their new 81 SRX....Now that looked MEAN..
 Just havin' some fun during the dog days of summer....I think Polaris should have fired everyone in their design staff 30 years ago. Polaris poo-pooed the Ski Doo Rev when it came out in 2003, while they were scurrying behind the scene to catch up....and what did they come up with?...The Fusion!!!...sorry, one of the most butt-ugly sleds ever.
 I am entirely open to others opinions....but the Fusion didn't do much for me.
 I have a great deal of admiration for the engineers at Polaris...they developed modern clutching, dominated cross country racing with the Indy,....really have their act together....but their design team SUCKS....have you looked at their Snocross sled....it's a bloated hippopotamus....fire everyone and hire someone from George Lucas's Star Wars staff.
 What's wrong with Yamaha? They put great motors and sleds together with very high quality components, yet they seem to always remain a day late and a dollar short in the suspension department.
 Yamaha had it together pretty well...As exhibited by my 83 Vmax, when they came out with the new Pro Action rear skid in 1983....a quantum leap compared to their earlier skids.....The pogo stick front suspension had absolutely no camber change,...no bump steer, but yet they never developed it as rapidly as Polaris did with the IFS Indy front end.....The Indy was simpler, and the TSS pogo stick could not have survived to 2015, with 12" of front suspension travel....but,  you're  kiddin' me, Yamaha?...you didn't even include a front anti-sway bar on the 83-87 Vmaxes or SRV's as standard equipment. You had to wait until the next models came out to go...Doooooh! ..we need a sway bar.....meanwhile, Polaris was kicking your a## in CC racing.
 Yamaha...always a day late and a dollar short in the suspension dept....still today.
 Ski Doo has pretty much obliterated the other 3 manufacturers, since the Rev came out....Yamaha is having Cat build the sleds....a pretty cool alliance between the 2 companies....but, I just find no particular inspiration from the new sleds...like I once did.
They all look kinda the same???
 They all cost $12,000??
I think I will stick with my vintage stuff...
It's all relative...I'm sure the newest sleds can travel a trail at 60 mph, where I would have to be content at 30 mph on my Invader or Sno Jet, but the fun factor would remain the same....and a tree will hurt a lot less at 30 mph.

[Interceptor398]

AMEN!!!!!!

[jimvw57]

When we get a winter with minimal snow, I am glad I am not making payments on that brand new sled, and I have my old reliable Kawi sitting on the trailer, the sled I tore apart last summer and went over everything so it would run when it gets too cold to work on it....

Sadly the sleds are gone, but the dream lives on!!

[Tory944]

Well said Rick...I feel the same way.  I talked with Greg Lahr yesterday about his new "Shark project" and he asked me if I saw the advertisement with the five or more Kawis for sale in the classifieds for $1500.  Just look at all the FUN you could have for $1500!  You can't buy much with that coin nowadays.  12g's + for a new sled?  No thanks.  Think about this...   I purchased a 1989 Toyota four wheel drive pickup with NO RUST (almost show quality) and had it shipped from the Southern U.S. to Maine.  I can load a nice Interceptor in the back of my truck...  all my new, warm gear...   fill both tanks and stay at a lodge for the weekend for "thousands less" than that "NEW" submarine.  Or...  I could look like all the others.  BORING!  Lol

[mswyka]

As far as new sleds, I will have to take your word for it.  Over the years I have taken a few blasts on a couple of different Arctic Cats, but I am sure that I could not tell you what they were.  And except for a 1972 Bolens Super Sprint, the Kawasakis have been the only sleds that we have owned.  You are spot on that these sleds provide a tremendous bang for the buck.  I remember that Bolens had a great engine and could spin up to 60 mph if you gave it enough room.  But the steel chassis made it a heavy dog.

And now that you have me reminiscing, it was that Bolens that gave me an early near-death experience when I managed to find a wood slat snow fence one snowy evening.  I remember wondering if I was alive or dead as I lay there starting to think about taking inventory for lost parts.  Reality intervened when I finally hit the ground.  Still today I can't tell you how far I flew but I can tell you that I now have a very healthy respect for snow fences and make sure that I keep my distance.

[DougKauer]

I keeping dreaming that Kawasaki will get back into the business one day and I'm pretty sure a few of use fans could help them out in the designs of the sleds.   

[sprocket]

I keeping dreaming that Kawasaki will get back into the business one day and I'm pretty sure a few of use fans could help them out in the designs of the sleds.   

buy yourself a Invader buy a ninja 600r, 750r or a 1200r put in sled with a few up grades.

[rminier]

I keeping dreaming that Kawasaki will get back into the business one day and I'm pretty sure a few of use fans could help them out in the designs of the sleds.   

YES!! Yamaha and Sea Doo are battling it out for #1 in market share in the PWC business....Kawasaki is not exactly relaxing their efforts in the PWC business....take a look at their new models....still dominating in the rough water, ocean racing...how cool would it be to have a new sled based on those principles?? Kawasaki hit the snow in 1978 with the new Intruder and Invader....remarkably well engineered and the best suspension in the sled business....?
 Arctic Cat (Tigershark) and Polaris (Sea Lion)....doomed from the beginning with that name... both "bailed" from the PWC business when they couldn't turn a profit...
Kawasaki pretty much invented the "Jet-Ski". ...Yamaha had to call them "Wave Runners"
 I don't want to think about what Kawasaki could have developed in the late '80's until today....

[rminier]

 Further observations??... an old saying..."Perceptions are reality"...We all have our own particular "perceptions" in life....
 We all have our favorite colors, our own favorite actresses...dare I say Salma Hayak...a young Elizabeth Hurley....rrrrrrrr...wait, I digress....
  I tend to view Honda and Yamaha in the same vein.....spectacularly well equipped to maintain market share....if that's what your goal is...
  I bet that the folks at Kawasaki and Suzuki have a bit more of a free hand in pushing the envelope.. 
 I don't particularly care about your ""conformance" to a 3 piece corporate suit.....
 I would prefer some radical, innovative thinking...something that I have to "perceive"  that Kawasaki and Suzuki are better at.... It is pretty obvious that Bombardier has this goin' on....since the Rev hit the snow in 2003.....