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FXR BOOST X JACKET

Supertrax Online
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FXR BOOST X JACKET

Cool casual style meets technical outerwear. That’s the best way we can describe the Boost X jacket from FXR.

As one of our favorite jackets from FXR, the Boost X jacket has kept us warm, dry and looking great. The bomber style cut provides a comfortable fit with plenty of room for movement in the arms and shoulders.

Its combo layering system provides what we feel is the best combination of warmth ratings. On really cold riding days, the thick insulated liner keeps you toasty warm. Come the longer days of sunlight in March, you have the option of zipping out the liner completely or opening up vents to moderate your heat level.

On days when the snow is plenty and deep the Boost X Jacket really comes into its own. The adjustable shock cord hem provides a tight seal across your torso and the lycra hand cuff extensions prevent any snow or drafts from getting underneath the jacket.

When needing to take a break with your helmet off, the removable and adjustable hood works perfect from keeping your head dry and all the pockets from large side ones to strategically placed arm and chest pockets keeps all your essential belongings safe and in place.

The Boost X Jacket is available in 9 color combinations and because we like this jacket so much, we’re giving one away. To enter go to supertraxmag.com/fxr

For more information on FXR’s full line of jackets and snowmobile gear go to: fxrracing.com

PERSONAL FAVES: 2008 Switchback Dragon 800

Luke Lester
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PERSONAL FAVES: 2008 Switchback Dragon 800

Everybody’s had that one sled that stands out from the rest. It defines the fun of snowmobiling and every time you reflect back on it, there’s a little twitch in your heart. In this series we asked our staffers to share their faves. Read what SnowTrax Television Co-Host Luke Lester has to say about the 2008 Polaris Switchback Dragon 800

Of all the sleds I’ve ridden over the years, a handful stand out as being really memorable for me.

When I look back I think of my first Indy 400, the Indy Ultra, Arctic Cat’s ZR900 and Ski-doo’s GSX 600 SDI. However, no other sled stands out more for me than the 2008 Polaris Switchback Dragon 800.

In our part of the world, 2008-09 was a really good winter – cold and plenty of snow! That year I had more time than I’d ever had to just go riding and I spent a lot of time on that Dragon.

Sometimes, I’d take off in the morning with no destination in mind and ride 200 miles or more. This particular Dragon wasn’t Polaris’ first in the IQ chassis, but the combination of the IQ front end and its 136-inch skidframe made it, in my humble opinion, Polaris’ best IQ to that point.

I felt very comfortable on that sled and its ergonomics fit me perfectly. Besides that, it handled amazingly well on trails or even on occasional trips into deep snow. It rode great, too, and was decently fast.

Thinking back, it probably wasn’t the fastest of the 800’s that year and maybe didn’t even get the best gas mileage. Its power just seemed perfect for me, though.

What I loved most about it was I could go almost anywhere with it thanks to its longer and deeper track. Top it all off with cool looks and it was a winner for me that season – and it really stands out in my memory.

Even today, I’d still happily ride that sled.

PERSONAL FAVES: 2017 Renegade Enduro 900 ACE

Craig Nicholson
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PERSONAL FAVES: 2017 Renegade Enduro 900 ACE

Everybody’s had that one sled that stands out from the rest. It defines the fun of snowmobiling and every time you reflect back on it, there’s a little twitch in your heart. In this series we asked our staffers to share their faves. Read what The intrepid Snowmobiler Craig Nicholson has to say about the 2017 Ski-Doo Renegade Enduro 900 ACE

As a high mileage trail rider, my criteria for sleds I’ve known and loved may differ from the other guys. My pick is the 2017 Ski-Doo Renegade Enduro 900 ACE I rode last season for almost 9,000 kilometres (5,400 miles).

Because I encounter a multitude of trail conditions I really appreciated the ride quality of the rear suspension. Tweaked with handlebar adjustable Air Ride, it synched with Ski-Doo’s adjustable skis to provide a flexible range of cornering control and easy steering.

I loved the 900 ACE 4-stroke. It sips gas and babying it, my best fuel economy was almost 350 kilometres per tank. At a normal touring pace I averaged just under 300 (180-miles). The other key 900 ACE benefit for a touring rider is not having to carry extra oil.

That 900 ACE scooted my Renegade Enduro along nicely and kept pace with my buddies on their 600 and 800 2-strokes on trails.

It delivered consistent and reliable performance, handling and comfort in every condition and for every ride. What’s more, I looked forward to climbing back in the saddle again every morning.

My only dislike was its drab Northern Lichen (tan) paint job. The goods news is the Enduro is back again for 2018 in a jazzy Lava Red that’s easier on the eyes.

PERSONAL FAVES: 2007 YAMAHA ATTAK

Supertrax Online
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PERSONAL FAVES: 2007 YAMAHA ATTAK

Everybody’s had that one sled that stands out from the rest. It defines the fun of snowmobiling and every time you reflect back on it, there’s a little twitch in your heart. In this series we asked our staffers to share their faves. Read what Gary Broderick, Sales Rep & Contributing Editor, Supertrax has to say about the 2007 Yamaha Attak

I joined the world of 4-stroke high performance sleds in 2003 when I traded in my 1992 Arctic Cat Wildcat 700 for a new Yamaha RX-1.

It wasn’t long before I fell in love with that sled. Some say it was too heavy, handled poorly and its suspension was too stiff, but in comparison, riding the Wildcat was like riding a cement block with skis.

At the time, the RX-1 was perfect for me: Fastest on the lake, manageable on the trails and it delivered great gasoline economy on the long hauls, consistently putting 10 bucks less in the tank than everyone else on a day’s ride.

In 2007, I moved to a Yamaha Attak long track and it added comfort and better handling to all those things I loved about the RX-1.

The Attak, based on the Apex, was and continues to be my favorite and rarely does any kind of maintenance problem pop up. I changed the original factory drivebelt at 6,300 miles and added a pair of Woody’s Dualy carbides to the skis and the handling issues that bothered me went away.

Like I said: Perfect!

PERSONAL FAVES: 1994 ZR 700

Motorhead Mark Lester
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PERSONAL FAVES: 1994 ZR 700

Everybody’s had that one sled that stands out from the rest. It defines the fun of snowmobiling and every time you reflect back on it, there’s a little twitch in your heart. In this series we asked our staffers to share their most memorable sleds. Read what Motorhead Mark Lester has to say about the 1994 Arctic Cat ZR 700.

In the 90’s Arctic Cat built a ZR chassis powered by a hogged-out version of the original Wildcat 650 from the 80’s. The sled was called the ZR 700.

In it’s first iteration it used the cobby “rubber overshoe” ZR skin but was later re-introduced in the svelte late 90’s ZR bodywork.

I have many memories shredding tight trails, launching from corner to corner with skis in the air, surgically plying that legendary ZR handling to position the sled perfectly for the next slice of white top. The chassis was, IMO, remarkable.

Even better was Cummins caliber torque emanating from ridiculously rumbly, non-counterbalanced, juice-can sized pistons. This kind of NVH would never ever be acceptable today.

However, when the ZR 700 was popular we forgave its unrefined oscillations – so intense at idle they seemed like they could shake the chassis right off the trail and into the ditch.

Thus the ZR 700’s “Freddie Krueger” handle was popularized on the pages of Supertrax. My tolerance for this raucous behavior was rooted in a 3,500-rpm engagement that threw the skis high in the air for the first 100 feet while stretching your arms like a 1000 T-Cat.

The sled was insanely potent down low and often produced wet Depends on your first pull down Kevlar Lake.

Alas, refinement and political correctness invaded snowmobile marketing and so the ZR 700 in its last rendition, dressed up in a suit and tie, was put out to pasture.

2018 Ski-Doo Freeride 137 850 E-TEC

SnowTrax TV
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2018 Ski-Doo Freeride 137 850 E-TEC

A closer look at the 2018 Ski-Doo Freeride 137 850 E-TEC.

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SUSPENSION PART 2: YAMAHA SINGLESHOT

Kent Lester
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SUSPENSION PART 2: YAMAHA SINGLESHOT

In this series, Supertrax takes a look at some of the most popular skidframe designs and evaluates their performance.

Yamaha birthed the SingleShot, used exclusively in RS-Series Yamahas like the Apex and Vector a couple years ago. It was designed to offer a better long travel ride while paring weight from an already too heavy snowmobile. It is available in two lengths, a 129-incher and a 146-inch version.

It is unique in that it uses couplers with a single shock system. Thus, the coupling depends solely on the rail unlike most coupled skids that couple with the middle and the rear shocks and their related arms involved to get either or both ends of the rail to actuate when necessary.

Since one shock is definitely lighter than two, unsprung weight is less than most 2-shock skids but the downside is there’s less adjustability with one shock than there is with two.

We like the way this skidframe rides and Yamaha has done a really good job of maintaining ride compliance whether using an IFP gas shock or an air shock. One of the challenges with a single shock back end is track deflection (loosening and tightening of the track as it cycles through its travel) and by carefully mounting the shock angled forward in the skidframe and using big pull-rods and separate front and rear arms, deflection is not much of an issue here.

We’ve also noted the SingleShot uses a fairly long front arm with a rather high mounting point at the base of the front arm where it attaches to the rail. This up-to-date thinking is likely one of the reasons this skid works so well despite its relative simplicity.

We think there’s a future for the SingleShot in SR Yamahas like the Viper and SideWinder – whether or not Yamaha will go in that direction remains a big question.

THE ARGO SUPER SHARK

John Arkwright
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THE ARGO SUPER SHARK

For 50 years Ontario Drive and Gear (Argo) has been building amphibious 6 and 8-wheeled off-road vehicles for outdoor enthusiasts, but raise your hand if you knew Argo built snowmobiles in the mid-70s!

A few years ago I went to visit an acquaintance of mine, Don Richardson, who over the years had built up quite a collection of vintage sleds. He was selling off the majority of his collection and I was curious to see just what he had.

As I was looking around I noticed an unusual sled off in a corner of his property. As I walked over to it I found myself looking at a long nosed Argo Super Shark.

I was immediately intrigued and asked Don how he came to own it. I learned he’d found it in a boathouse where it had been sitting for over 30 years. I must say it was a far cry from being a pretty sled by any stretch of the imagination, yet it was in very decent shape.

My good friend Rob Rickward who is a local Polaris dealer ended up buying this Super Shark. Turns out Rob knew of these sleds and back in the 70’s when Rob and I raced, he was riding an SSX Chaparral and it had the same liquid-cooled Chaparral Xenoah engine as the Super Shark.

Long Nosed Shark

Argo produced sleds from 1973 to 1977 with the first sleds produced in 1974 called Sharks that featured two engine options – a 400 and a 440 Kioritz fan-cooled, reed valve engine.

In Argo’s first year of sled production, 500 units rolled off the line. That year Argo stated its main promotional thrust would be through race participation in stock classes. Personally, though, I can’t remember ever racing against one.

The first Super Sharks appeared in 1975 with liquid cooled Xenoah reed valve engines. The 340 produced 40 horsepower and the 440 produced over 50. Argo carried on production in 1976 and from what I’ve learned; a limited build model was produced in 1977 called the Argo/Chaparral Super Shark. It weighed in at a svelte 353-pounds and had an internal 15.5-inch track with duo-flex slide rails, tuned exhaust and dual Mikuni BNO carbs. The tag line for this model year was, “Slide in behind the long, sleek nose of the Argo/Chaparral Super Shark”.

Argo was no different than so many companies in the 70’s trying to be players in the snowmobile industry. Despite the company’s best efforts its sleds were not moneymakers and like many other brands of the day had a short life span.

How well the Argo Super Shark actually ran I couldn’t really say. I do know my buddy Rob has his running and this winter I may actually get a chance to try it. Better yet, maybe he’ll haul out his SSX Chaparral and we can have ourselves a 2-lap feature!

SUSPENSION PART 1: POLARIS PRO-XC

Kent Lester
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SUSPENSION PART 1: POLARIS PRO-XC

In this series, Supertrax takes a look at some of the most popular skidframe designs and evaluates their performance.

The Pro-XC rear suspension used on the RUSH and Switchback 136 is probably the most technically unique back end in the business.

What makes it so different is the way it separates the main shock from the skidframe. The main shock is mounted at the rear of the snowmobile tunnel, actually under the seat, and through a system of levers, transfers the rear half of the suspension’s movement down to the track and skid.

At the front of the skidframe is a conventional coilover shock that damps initial inputs into the front of the track suspension. There are no couplers present.

Polaris feels the only road to a completely rising rate rear end is to separate the two shock functions, much like a motocross bike does. Their opinion is this provides more range, better use of the suspension’s travel and eliminates any possibility of bottoming out.

One of the big advantages of this setup is, because there’s only one shock in the skid and the bigger primary shock is outside the skidframe, there’s a significant reduction in unsprung weight as the suspension moves through its travel. Thus the shock is able to respond to impacts more precisely with a lighter skid.

This same strength was actually a bit of a weakness with the original Pro-Ride (prior to the AXYS) as its rear shock and coilover spring was very sensitive to rider weight and the speed and type of terrain the sled was ridden over. If spring settings were too soft and compression damping not fine-tuned, the sled would bottom out and, if set too stiff, ride compliance was compromised. To some riders, the complexity and sensitivity was too difficult to get right.

The new Pro-XC version, now in AXYS based Polarii, rides much better while still maintaining good adjustability. We like the way this setup resists bottoming but its ride compliance, although very good, is certainly no better than some coupled shock-in-skid systems like Ski-Doo’s rMotion and Cat’s Slide Action.

Shock and spring adjustment is super-easy on the Pro-XC because clickers and the rear coil spring are easy to get at, since they’re mounted outside the tunnel.

SnowTrax Television 2018 Teaser 2

SnowTrax TV
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SnowTrax Television 2018 Teaser 2

An all-new season of SnowTrax Television begins January 1, 2018!

Get ready for some insane travel adventures, sweet modifications and full reviews on the latest vehicles from all the major manufacturers in what will be a thrilling season of SnowTrax!

SnowTrax 2018 will be airing on OLN and WILD TV in Canada and Outdoor Channel in the United States.

Check out below for air times on network television:

OLN:
Season Begins: January 6
Weekly Airings:
Saturdays: 8:00 AM ET
Sundays: 9:00 AM ET

Wild TV:
Season Begins: January 1
Weekly Airings:
Mondays: 9:00 PM ET
Wednesdays: 10:30 AM ET
Fridays: 7:30 AM ET
Saturdays: 2:00 AM ET
Sundays: 9 :00 AM ET

Outdoor Channel:
Week #1 Starts January 2
Week # 1 airings are the following:
Tuesday: 2:30 PM ET
Thursday: 8:30 AM ET
Sunday: 3:00 PM ET

Airings for the remainder of the Season will be posted following week one.

New content will go live on our YouTube channel beginning January 7, 2018!

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!

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    SNOWTRAX has established itself as the most watched snowmobile TV series in North America.
    Each season, the SNOWTRAX crew guides viewers through informative and entertaining content; revealing the inside scoop on the latest snowmobiles, accessories and riding destinations that make snowmobiling winter's greatest adventure sport.
    SNOWTRAX can be viewed weekly during the winter season in Canada on City TV, Wild TV, REV TV and Sportsman Channel Canada and across America on Sportsman Channel.

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