who here is sled skiing?

**grinch** · 03-26-2014, 09:24 AM

haaaaa yes its pretty obvious. still want one cause I'm greedy like that. being a cheap cunt is the only thing saving me from total financial ruin

**Shadam** · 03-26-2014, 09:46 AM

you either get lucky with a sled that just won't stop ... like me and all the ratbaggers ...

or you bought a blow up machine and its a rock magnet ...

are you doubting my numbers ??? hahhahhhahaaa ...

**ACH** · 03-26-2014, 09:48 AM

Sled skiing, even just being sledneck for most is a "pay the price and don't count the cost" proposition at best.
If it's something you want and do for the love of it, just do it and don't wast the time trying to rationalize it to yourself or others.

Shadam - enjoy your posts, wish we had access like that.

**XXX-er** · 03-26-2014, 09:56 AM

Everyone will say yeah sled skiing costs lots so i asked "how much" I don't really care if you want to sled but you might want to realize what your lifestyle choice's actualy costs you, being "a cheap cunt" is probably the reason I could buy & run a sled if I wanted to

There are real costs to "everything" most people are continualy blinded by the shinny-ness of "stuff" which face it lasts about 1 or 2 weeks and forget a lot of the details on everyday stuff they buy, especially now days with (for us) cross border online purchasing

As per my sig I am also "a lazy fuck" and I would rather hike than mess with the 3 T's

Hugh Conway · 03-26-2014, 10:18 AM

they don't want to realize, that's the point. they'll just make snarky comments about someone who spends (often less) money on something else. and bullshit to themselves. i mean, you have to have a Toyota Tacoma to post on TGR, right? who'd drive an actual economy car to live an outdoor lifestyle? It's unpossible.

**kidwoo** · 03-26-2014, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Shadam

you either get lucky with a sled that just won't stop ... like me and all the ratbaggers ...

or you bought a blow up machine and its a rock magnet ...

are you doubting my numbers ??? hahhahhhahaaa ...

That 10k on your old rev1000 is badass. I'd hang that on the wall when you're done with it.

Didn't you say you blew a crank bearing on that this year or was that something/someone else? You definitely got back in the game quick. Kudos! I've never understood people who run into a problem and then just bitch the rest of the winter. Once you got the damn thing, keep it working!

Originally Posted by XXX-er

As per my sig I am also "a lazy fuck" and I would rather hike than mess with the 3 T's

The three wha??

Truck, trailer, tires, taxes, tequila, tuberculosis, treason ?

**XXX-er** · 03-26-2014, 11:17 AM

If something has Tire's or Transistor's or Tit's ... sooner or later your are gona have trouble with it

**ACH** · 03-26-2014, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by XXX-er

If something has Tire's or Transistor's or Tit's ... sooner or later your are gona have trouble with it

Haha, I have a buddy that is fond of this saying...

"If it flies, floats or fucks, rent it...."

**grinch** · 03-26-2014, 07:01 PM

Def not questioning your numbers Shadam. We've seen the proof. Awesome stuff. Keep it going. Some people shouldn't touch wrenches though . I could turn a wrench but people couldn't be in the same room . Either way more $. I can rationalize a purchase w the best of them although skis/bikes are my only vise. I've been buying skis/bindings from the scanner kids that leave town in the spring. Try them out then sell it for a profit in the fall to finance the "new" skis I come to the conclusion will work best/want. Maybe I should start doing that w sleds

**TeCeBe** · 03-26-2014, 11:15 PM

^I've flipped a few sleds over the years. Buy a broken one in the spring, fix it over summer and sell it in the fall. Made anywhere from $500-1000 per sled.

The REV and M7 are starting to get to a price where I could justify in my mind having one around and using it occasionally while still being a capable machine.

**Shadam** · 03-26-2014, 11:30 PM

ok ...

I bought another sled this season for $3000. it made 1700km then blew up. I choose to buy another sled and keep my old one as back up. it sat under a tree in some really cold temps for 6 weeks and 2nd pull she fired up and hasn't stopped.
most sled skiers aren't going to put anywhere near the miles on that I do. 6822miles in the previous 2 seasons.
I wanted another one to push futher and feel more confident on bigger longer missions but clearly it wasn't the one.
so If the bean counter here want to add another $3000 to my season cost feel free to do so. but when talking sleds the purchase price is separate to the season running totals.
still ... under 10g over 70 days all on my sleds.
yes I shoulda just kept running big red til she shit the bed then worried about another sled eh

kicking horse now days costs about $96 per day, imagine a couple, or 2 dudes. for the weekend its almost $400 in lift tickets to fight with the masses over maybe 12cm.
sled skiing will cost about $40 a day if you skin. with these long days we can still do things in the am and still be riding at almost 8pm.
but it does help living where we do ... I can sled from the house even now.

**bobbuilds** · 03-27-2014, 07:57 AM

I've found a left over 2014. Does anyone want to tell me what it's worth, so when I get to the dealer sat. I'll know whats too high.

Over the phone, they told me 12,500 out the door. I can get a 2015 for a few hundred more. I'm thinking 11,000 or so, either way, I think we're bringing her home!!!

3 yr warranty, o miles. im kinda stoked...

**kidwoo** · 03-27-2014, 09:27 AM

A buddy of mine bought a 2013 XM SP in May last year for 8300. Given, he got together with two other buddies who wanted one two and they bought 3 of them together but still...... It was just over 9 for one.

Unless you're just vibrating with anticipation to get it on the snow right now (which is never a good way to buy anything this expensive), walk away and tell him you'll be back in July.

**Shadam** · 03-27-2014, 09:38 AM

the xm's are holding stupid prices 2nd hand. why buy 2nd hand when as you say a few hundo more and you get new. almost eveyone I know on a xm intends to flip it and get a 2015 for not much $$$.
I'll get back to you when I know wot rodgers turn over is ...

hold off on the purchase, season is almost over, buy in june july for lowest price, there will be others ...

**bobbuilds** · 03-27-2014, 11:00 AM

I hear that ^^^^

That is the plan, for now, is to wait till June. I didn't think they'd move on it this early. I figured I'd get it broke in beore the season ends, but a 2015 for 300 more is probably the way to go. So I have till aprill 22 to decide, next years or this.

great points, 2015 it is.

**simple** · 03-27-2014, 11:54 AM

2015 looks...colorful

**cliffhucker** · 03-27-2014, 02:24 PM

I sled, and ski, and often combine the two. As someone with quite a few friends who purely ride, and are pretty knowledgable about sleds, not just some skiers that got their hands on a beater, I would say that the Polaris Pro's are absolutely killing it right now. Next years are supposed to be a new chassis but the current ride is supposed to be great. If I were buying a new or used sled I'd go with a pro.

**bobbuilds** · 03-27-2014, 04:01 PM

I am going with skii-doo because I have Lynn Felker right next door. I dont mean to name drop, but he is a great mechanic. The only polaris around me is a Vicory shop, and I find them to be "no fear havin', hate metal crankin' retards" they are proud of the fact that they had to do bearings on the same sled twice in a week, and had the balls to tell me they had a great shop. "they forgot I was there the week before, and told me a diff. story about the same sled they were working on w bearing issue.

And then there is the local A/C dealer. Dammit Jeff, I feel bad you even had to deal with them. I started there, cause I wanted an AC too, but as they started to tell me about the shop, and how they got the start, they told me that Matt had just finished AC school, and was itching to have a look at my old king cat to "take a swing at" I believe, was the term they used for a cool 85.00 an hr.

Then I heard the magic words " service is everything" and after a short while it is clear that Ski-doo is going to be best for me. With the felkers next door, and I believe they will be around for a while, now to see if they will hire me....

**capulin overdrive** · 03-27-2014, 08:44 PM

2015 doos kindda messed up my game plan. Was gonna go Freeride 154, and add a 3 inch track later if i wanted more.

Now they got 3 inch, and even a 174 track. Jesus that would be a two up monster.

**Deebased** · 03-28-2014, 08:20 AM

Originally Posted by powder11

Lets face it. Sleds are god damn money pits!

I had a 14 XM burn down earlier this season and I just caved in the entire left side suspension on my new replacement 14 XM by hitting a barely hidden piece of bedrock a few feet off the track sled skiing the other day. A arms, S & E modules and bulkhead are toast... not to mention the continuous loop in my head of getting pitched off the sled and then having sled endo multiple times on top of me as I'm rolling downhill with it, all the while imagining what life will be like as a quad. Other than bruised ribs, I somehow came out of it unscathed, but when things go wrong, it makes you think "what if?" the next time.

Don't get me wrong, sled skiing and slednecking around is fun as fuck, but it can get very expensive, very quickly when things go wrong. The Etec 800 could practically run in your house without much smoke or noise, so it's a solid alternative to 4 stroke while maintaining 2 stroke performance/weight, so that would be my suggestion. Plus the factory BRP 4 year warranty is unbeatable.

Im in kind of a bad mental place with it right now, but the hours of fun and enjoyment are worth every penny.

Pull the skegs and ride trails slower.

**Deebased** · 03-28-2014, 08:23 AM

Originally Posted by adrenalated

Yeah, nowhere near $4000 for a season.

Here's what I have spent in my first year with a sled. Actual budget.
2005 M7 - $3250
Used 2 place trailer - $600
Registration for sled and trailer, a few fixes and add-ons for trailer - ~$175
So the initial up front investment was just over $4000

Since then, I needed to replace the water and oil pump seals. Cost was $750 to have a dealer do it. If I had the free time to do it myself it would have cost WAY less. Parts were less than $150.

I also spent $250 on vents, a new side panel, and a muffler to slightly increase performance and decrease problems/fiddle factor. These expenses were COMPLETELY OPTIONAL.

I would, and did, own a truck with a sleeping platform for trailhead camping regardless of if I owned a sled so I'm not going to compare costs to a compact car. I take a 3mpg hit when towing the sled vs. not. Doing the math with current fuel prices, a generous distance estimate for how far I drive to go ski for a day, and my truck's MPG, it costs about $10 extra in truck gas to take the sled.

Once out there, I'll burn about $10-20 worth of fuel in the sled, depending on whether we're doing sled laps or just driving out to go skin something. I burn $2-4 of oil for that amount of fuel.

So all told a day of sled skiing costs me $22 to $34 more than not sled skiing.

I'm a weekend warrior so I don't get to ski a ton. About half my days this year have been in the backcountry, and 2/3 of those have been with the sled. I'll get out a few more days before the roads start to melt out. Total, I'll get somewhere between 15 and 20 days of sled skiing in. So somewhere between $330 to $680 in consumables cost, total. If you can ski more, or if you're comparing against driving a compact car just to make a point, then yeah, this number would be higher. I also spent $1000 in maintenance and parts, much of which was optional. That's well under $2k for the season.

Over the summer, I might do a top end for preventative purposes. Parts aren't bad and I'll do the work myself. I'll call it $500 to be safe. Then both the sled and trailer will be ready to go, probably for several more seasons.

I'm not big into just brapping around trying to run into things and break parts, so that helps.

Where do you buy gas Saudi Arabia? The throttle is on the right in case you've forgotten!!

**powder11** · 03-28-2014, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by Deebased

Pull the skegs and ride trails slower.

I got her all back together and went out for a test run yesterday. For having replaced all the structural bits in the front end, it seemed to drive just fine, but I did not leave the beaten path too far and did not really put it through its paces. I was driving miss daisy all day long.

I think I would be willing to sacrifice power to weight ratio for structural stuff to be a bit stronger. Some of the bent broken pieces were stupid light that literally crumple like paper when forces are outside the engineered parameters of use. I understand there are folks who will pay top dollar for that kind of thing, but I am not one of them. Kind of like running XT group instead of XTR on a mtn bike.