95rxl650

Exactly. Buy a used sled with all the bugs ironed out. Most sleds feel the same to me from 0-100kms and after that I'm sure not watching a fancy gauge cluster. Fuel and temp work for me. There's also something to said for extended ownership. If my ol' xcsp 700 has a hiccup at all, I know exactly what it is. I'd trust it to go anywhere, anytime before a new sled. Just no comfort or warmth. lol

Around here I see folks with limited disposable income buying into water toys. Sleds are not even a thought. I can see myself loosing interest in ownership in the near future while opting for just going north a couple trips a year and renting. All my kids and their friends seem to have a blast buying old dirt bikes and atv's to fix up but the old sleds at their disposal just sit year after year.

I'll say it again. Setup is the difference between "oh shyte" all day and "whoo hoo" all day. Being wore out after a few hundred miles or ready to keep going. I figure 90% of riders I come up on in the trails are riding ill handling sleds. I always wonder why they dont take the time to learn. Confidence in your sled makes snowmobiling so much more fun and gives the rider confidence in their ability. It's all "win win"

2 stroke sleds dont bother me other than running it in the shop or trailer where your gear gets pretty rank. I went to 4 stroke years ago on the boat because we spend so much time at idle where your at the mercy of the wind and more often than not, you have passengers. The Mrs. actually enjoys being on the water now.

Upper D9 got about 6 inches yesterday. Things are good right now but it starts to look pretty bleak by next weekend.

Alot of the B around Wasaga is runs along side the road but your still going to have to get across county road bridges. No snow on the roads and plows were out scraping and knocking banks back yesterday when we were there. I cant see roads improving at this point. Alot of sleds out and about though. Keep an eye on the closed sections of 801 and b111. +5 and some rain coming friday but right back to cold. Little to snow forecasted. Be mindful, there will be some road running so if you ride a sled that struggles with hard pack and low snow conditions you may have to keep an eye on it. My Yamicat 4 stroke tripple didnt like it much but never any problems on my 2 strokes. You can always contact clubs for better info.

Staying on the trail has been promoted for years and small fines equate to "legal for a price" If you are caught. That price needs to be much higher. Same with modified exhaust. The two things the public complains about the most are a slap on the wrist. We lost a trail this year that was rerouted down a once quiet little side road. Those locals are petitioning to have it moved due to noise and people riding the ditches and making a mess of driveways as they cross over. One fella drove T-bar stakes in the ground where sledders were jumping his driveway. Bet some of those sleds tore some stuff up. His private property, not road allowance.

Hopefully it's not a twin built by Suzuki. That thing sounded like an antique tractor. lol

The only time I've seen them was on a test ride years ago and I had nothing but an ownership in someone else's name and a bill of sale. They pulled up on us while sitting trailside. No fines, but I was told to go home. Thankfully I had my paperwork for my other sled with me as proof I didnt make a habit of riding dirty.

From the first IFS front ends I think I have owned every Polaris made. Rxl being my favorite but an Ultra was a close second. Best in trail was a 98 600 HO. On rails. Currently have a 2005 xcsp 700 Liberty. I refused to own an Evolved chassis. The ugly duckling. Sleds I bought just for the appeal were an Apex with bender exhaust. Wife said it made me hard faster than she could. lol. A YammiCat ZR7000 in the orange and black and a Jag Z1. It was hard to get past the Z1 farm tractor exhaust note but it was said to be the most comfortable and warm sled ever built. Had to try it out when I found one with under 500 kms on it. The SRX 700's always got my attention also. That cowl just made it look like it was takin roids and it was on rails in the smooth trails. I havent had time to even buy a new sled this season and doubt I will at this point, but I hope you guys are all having a blast this season. New toys or old toys doesnt matter when your out for a rip. The thrill is always the same.

My used, low km sled buying practice's: Be able to do your own maintenance, have a place to do it, have cash, have trailer and ability to travel at any given moment. Keep your current sled. Find what you want and leave a number to be contacted. Alot of people get tired of trying to sell after one week. Make an offer, ask for a bill of sale for 1/4 of asking. Most folks will provide something saying "as is where is". More savings for you and most likely already has a trail pass. I generally ride a different sled every year and always get my money back. When I sell, I still have my backup if I need it. Or you can always keep it and sell your other sled. There is always a great deal to be had in the used market if your not in a hurry.

Not familiar with riding a modern MachZ but I cant stress enough how important set up is. I used to invest a ton of hours in trailside side adjustments while riding the same section of trail over and over. Try front shock adjustment first. If it's to soft you will nose into the corners and make the steering heavy. Let the limiter out to far and you will just plow through the corners. The steering can get to light. A well setup sled is worth the effort.

For the trails in southern Ontario a 600/650 is fine. No one is going to ride away from it. Even on the railbeds there are frequent stop signs and corner to corner trails wont be an issue. If your keeping the Ace you can always run it on bag trips up north. I ride southern Ontario exclusively these days and thats the reason I went back to two stroke. Alot less fatigue. I used to find myself looking for a motel in the middle of the night on a 4 stroke. Makes for a long ride home if your arms are beat.

XCR 9R 128 for me. Like any other race born sled, it's the most fun you can have riding in the big and rough. Duct tape your hands and feet to it and it'll do the rest. lol I havent ridden Doo or Cat offerings in this category of sled but I'm sure they're all a handful if you want get loco.

Just cant make myself do a buffet. lol I can leave Owen Sound and head to Orangeville across to Arthur, up through Hanover and be home for lunch anyway. lol I do love me a 4am start. Just me and the trail.