AJ unleashes the power and performance of the 2012 Ski-Doo MXZ XRS featuring the ETEC 800R engine and revolutionary rMotion rear suspension.
If you choose the Grand Touring Sport with a 550 fan-cooled 2-stroke, you can immediately check the model lists from Arctic Cat and Polaris and find sleds offering the same features.
However, Ski-Doo’s Grand Touring Sport equipped with a carbureted 600 Rotax 2-stroke is a completely different creature.
Fact is, there just aren’t any carbureted 2-strokes being built any more with liquid cooled 600cc engines, exhaust valves and 100-plus-hp outputs.
Obviously, Ski-Doo sells enough of these sleds to continue offering them. There’s good reason why. There just isn’t another 2-up tourer that offers this combination of performance, ride quality and chassis sophistication at this price.
Since ride is the single most important facet of a 2-upper, we just want to let you know we’ve ridden this sled and it is without question one of the best suspended snowmobiles we’ve sampled – and that includes single passenger and 2-passenger rides.
Its SC-5 rear suspension equipped with gas cell shocks is especially plush – and not in a wimpy way, either.
This skidframe handles chatters so well you don’t even know you’re riding over them and its ability to save the rider pain in deeper stuff at trail speeds is flat-out incredible.
If we were riding a sled a hundred miles a day on trails where the groomers have been absent, this is the sled we’d want to be riding.
Since the Touring Sport is built on Ski-Doo’s super-lightweight XP platform, you’re getting some of the most sophisticated chassis technology available.
This sophistication comes home with a 2-up sled that handles precisely, resists darting and adapts to 2-passenger configuration without any negative effect.
Except for its engine, shock package and a number of expensive gizmos this is the same sled as the upscale SE, so it’s in very good company tech-wise.
The carbureted 600 twin under the hood is a consistently strong performing engine that melds beautifully with the Sport to generate sufficient power for 2-passenger riding and although it won’t deliver the incredible gasoline and oil mileage the E-TEC 600 does, it’s a relatively low-smoke engine making horsepower in the 110-hp range.
This is ideal performance for serious 2-up travelers and the $2500.00 you’ll be saving on the initial purchase (compared to the 600 E-TEC LE) will buy a lot of in-season petroleum.
DATE: February 10th-11, 2012
The Moonlighters Snowmobile Club of Long Lake, NY hosts the Annual Poker Run Stops in Newcomb, Long Lake and Raquette Lake.
Play Cards available at Newcomb House or the Raquette Lake Tap Room on Friday, February 10th starting at the open of business.
$10.00 per person. Participants must be 18 years of age to get a play card.
Only the original play card that is stamped at each stop will be accepted at the end of the run. Not responsible for lost play cards- no exceptions!
New for 2012 Poker Run Cards will be stamped and hands dealt at the Adk Hotel. Dealing starts at 4pm at the Adirondack Hotel Sat. Feb 11th AND Ends 5:00 PM, Saturday, February 11th at the Adirondack Hotel. All stamped play cards must be in by 5:00 – no exceptions!
Door prizes will be awarded at 6:00 PM. Awards for 1st/2nd/3rd best hand. 1st Prize – $100.00 2nd Prize – $75.00 3rd Prize – $50.00.
POKER RUN STOPS
The Tap Room – Raquette Lake – Start Poker Run Here
W.W. Durant – Raquette Lake
The Newcomb House – Newcomb – Start Poker Run Here
Northwoods Diner & Gift Store – Newcomb
Quackenbush’s Longview Wilderness Lodge – Long Lake
The Adirondack Hotel – Long Lake
The Cellar – Long Lake
Long Lake Diner/Owl’s Head Pub – Long Lake
Hoss’s Country Corner – Long Lake
Stewart’s Shop – Long Lake
Kickerville Station – Long Lake
Sponsored by the Moonlighter’s Snowmobile Club
Call 518-624-3941 for Information or check out www.mylonglake.com
Oval Racer Malcolm Chartier Wins Factory 600 World Championship
BRP’s Ski-Doo X-Team snocross racer Tim Tremblay, riding for the Warnert Racing team, bested a talented field of riders to win the Pro Open snocross World Championship at the 49th World Championship Snowmobile Derby in Eagle River, Wis., this past Sunday.
The Derby featured a snocross track located inside the famed ice oval that featured a mix of jumps, tight turns and rough mogul sections.
After seeing sub-zero temperatures for the first two days of racing at the Derby, Sunday dawned gray, but warmer with temperatures reaching 20-degree Fahrenheit.
X-Team rider Robbie Malinoski, of Scheuring Speed Sports, won the Pro Open snocross race during the Derby’s Friday Night Thunder event and was the favorite to win the Pro Open World Championship race, but an incident with another rider off the start in final left him at the back of the pack.
Tremblay, who got a clean start, rode to the win setting a blazing pace around the rough track.
Tremblay was joined on the podium by his Warnert Racing teammate Justin Broberg who took third. Ski-Doo rider Darren Mees was close behind Broberg finishing fourth.
On the ice ovals, Malcolm Chartier took the win the Factory 600 Champ World Championship race.
Factory 600 Champ is a class where riders pilot a Champ chassis fitted with a stock, single pipe 600cc race engine.
Chartier’s single pipe Rotax 600 race engine was running lap times nearly as fast as the highly-modified 440cc engines in the Champ 440 class.
In the 30-lap Champ 440 World Championship race, Ski-Doo rider Matt Schulz was running in first place during the closing laps of the 30-lap race before he was passed by another rider just before crossing the finish line.
When the checkered flag flew Schulz was just .025-seconds away from his second World Championship win in three years but he was still able to claim the second step on one of the most prestigious podiums in snowmobile racing.
Champion Works at His Family’s Northern Wisconsin Polaris Dealership
Just after 4 p.m. CST on Sunday, January 22, the T&N Racing Facebook page featured a historic status: “We WON the WC!!”
Nick Van Strydonk (T&N Racing) had just driven his lucky No. 13 Polaris race sled to victory in the Eagle River Snowmobile Derby World Championship, which he won by 0.025 of a second ahead of Matt Schultz, who led most of the race but was passed by Van Strydonk in the final turns of the last lap.
Dustin Wahl (Jimmy John’s/Wahl Bros./Polaris Racing) finished third on his Polaris-powered Wahl Bros. race sled, and his teammates Jordan Wahl and Brandon Johnson finished ninth and 10th, respectively. All three are from Greenbush, Minnesota.
Van Strydonk, who is from Tomahawk, Wisconsin, and has long dreamed of winning the Eagle River World Championship, took the lead by diving inside of Schultz entering turn three on the final lap of the 30-lap race. Van Strydonk ran that lap in 19.314 seconds, 0.319 second faster than Schultz.
Van Strydonk, 21, won the 49th running of the title race in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. He works at Erv’s Sales and Service, his family’s Polaris dealership in Tomahawk. The champion’s parents, Alan and Stephanie Van Strydonk, own the dealership and the race team.
Polaris racers were fast all weekend in World Championship qualifying and related events such as the Friday night Champ 440 final.
Also known as the Sweet 16, the race featured the 16 fastest racers from World Championship individual time trials.
Brandon Johnson won the Champ 440 title under the lights, finishing 2.3 seconds ahead of Van Strydonk. Johnson posted the race’s fastest lap at 71.856 mph, and the victory earned him an automatic entry in the World Championship, so he and his sled sat out the Saturday qualifying.
Van Strydonk, who topped the individual time trials with a qualifying lap in 17.873 seconds (74.526 mph), won his semi-final on Saturday to earn a spot in the World Championship, as did Dustin Wahl.
Sunday afternoon’s World Championship was a start-and-stop affair, with one mandatory red flag at lap 10 for an equipment and track check, and several additional stoppages after crashes.
Van Strydonk ran in second place for much of the first half of the race, then fell back to around fourth until the final 10 laps.
With three laps to go, Van Strydonk regained second place and was gaining rapidly on leader Matt Schultz, who was on a Ski-doo.
Van Strydonk was right on the leader’s snow flap for the final two laps, and the eventual champion dove low in turn three on the final lap for the decisive pass. Van Strydonk won the drag race down the home stretch to win the title by the length of a ski.
In other racing at Eagle River during World Championship weekend, Polaris snocross racer Kody Kamm (Hentges Racing) continued his incredible string of success in the 2011-2012 season.
Kamm has won four of six Pro Lite finals on the ISOC circuit this winter, and he won the title at Eagle River. In the Pro Open snocross final, Ross Martin (Judnick Motorsports) finished second at Eagle River. Martin is the current Pro points leader on the ISOC circuit.
If there were any questions about which brand would start the 2012 USCC cross-country race season on top, Team Arctic answered by winning 13 of 17 classes (while sweeping the podium of six) and going 1-2 in the vaulted Pro 600 final.
The dominant performances by the team aboard the new 2012 Arctic Cat Sno Pro 600 and Sno Pro 500 race sleds on Pine Lake in Gonvick, Minn., proved beyond doubt that when it comes to speed, cornering and handling, Arctic Cat is the one to beat.
Leading the charge in the Pro 600 final was defending I-500 champion Brian Dick, who found the fast balance of speed, intensity and smooth line choice on the 10-mile lake course to move into the lead halfway through the first of 10 laps and never look back on his way to the win.
His two Team Arctic/Christian Bros. Racing teammates would keep him honest, as D.J. Ekre finished a strong second while defending USCC Pro Champion Ryan Simons took fifth in his first-ever ice cross-country race.
Jordan Torgerson served notice that he’s gunning for the Semi Pro title this year by taking both the Semi Pro 600 and 600 Improved classes.
Joining him in double-victory category were Boris Mahlich (who won Sport 600 and Sport 600 Improved) and Bryce Buchanan in the Expert 85-hp classes (where Arctic Cat swept the top-9 places in both).
The indomitable Jolene Bute returned to her familiar place atop the Women’s class; Dustin Isaak led an Arctic Cat sweep of the Sport 85 class; and it was all green atop the Junior classes with wins by Matt Feil, Cole Lian and Kelsey Pladson.
“With low snow cover, USCC was forced to go lake racing, which is a form of cross-country that we hadn’t focused on for more than a decade,” said Mike Kloety, Team Arctic Race Manager. “Our racers and crews responded with a winning performance that matched the ZR period of lake-race success. And the new Sno Pro 600 in the ProCross chassis proved it has the speed and handling needed to win in all forms of cross-country.”
You could argue this sled lines up pretty much against Ski-Doo’s GSX series or Cat’s LXRs but the fact is the Adventure offers features that separate it from the others.
Certainly, the most noticeable items are its set of aluminum racks and its hard shell luggage kit. The idea here is the Adventure makes no apologies for being targeted at the touring crowd – it just wants to appeal to those who like to tour solo.
With the flick of a few Lock & Ride buttons, the Adventure can be converted from a tourer into a short journey trail sled or even a Crossover. However its appeal is undoubtedly toward the long distance rider.
With the bags in place (each bag has a liner inside that seals the cargo airtight and free of snowdust) you can ride hundreds of miles and then go cross-country off-trail if the grooming runs out.
Its 136-inch track guarantees flotation in powder snow and the Switchback’s uniquely designed “stretched” chassis, with its extra length in the middle of the sled instead of sticking out the back, enables it to handle like a 121-incher.
In fact, handling may be the keynote of the SW Adventure. Polaris has fine-tuned the Pro-Ride front end this year with new spindles and upper A-arms and sharpened the sled’s turn-in while easing steering effort.
This translates into less fatigue on long rides and a sense of oneness with the sled when navigating tight trails.
The rear suspension’s shock calibration puts it in the hunt with some of the best riding sleds in the biz and certainly makes it the plushest riding of Polaris’ external shock, RUSH-based models.
As for the Adventure’s 600 semi-direct injected 2-stroke; this strong, responsive engine gets fabulous gas mileage and is an absolute miser on oil – two features that make it even more appealing to long-distance riders. It’s the only engine available in the Adventure configuration.
Although it isn’t cheap, the Adventure does enable its owner to do a number of different kinds of riding capably.
This kind of versatility – and more than that, its competence in each job description, makes it unique and very appealing.
Dear Motorhead:
I am in the market for two new sleds. I am thinking about a 2013 Ski-Doo Freeride 146 for myself if they make it in 2013 because it seems to be a great match for my style of riding. The problem I’m having is picking a sled to buy for my girlfriend.
I would like to order her a Freeride as well, but she is a green rider and I’m worried it might be too much sled for her.
I don’t know where to go from here and am not getting a lot of answers from the dealers.
Hoping the pros at SnowTrax and Supertrax can help.
Thank You!
Mark
Dear Mark:
Thanks for your email!
It is very difficult to answer your question without knowing how proficient your girlfriend is in deep snow and trails.
If she is comfortable on trails and not so much off trail then maybe you should consider a Renegade 137 Back Country. It will introduce her to deep snow off trail riding, but will provide an excellent on-trail experience as well.
Hope this helps!
Motorhead Mark
It was a weekend of firsts for FOX athletes at the United States Cross-Country (USCC) National Guard Cross-Country Snowmobile Championship at Pine Lake near Gonvick, MN.
Not only was the January 15 race the first event on the 2012 USCC race schedule, it was the first cross-country lake race to take place in over a decade.
To complete the string of firsts, FOX athletes took first place in Pro Open, Pro 600, Semi-Pro Improved and Semi-Pro 600.
The race took place on the frozen surface of Pine Lake. Located about halfway between Bemidji, MN and Thief River Falls, MN; as the crow flies, Pine Lake was traditionally the place where the cross-country snowmobile racing season would kick off.
An ice race posed many new challenges for a generation of snowmobile racers who have never had to set up for the more speed- and handling-oriented type of competition.
Arctic Cat racer, Brian Dick, put on a clinic in the Pro 600 race, improving his lead by 6 seconds a lap over his next closest competitor during the 10-lap, 100-mile race on his way to the win.
Yamaha racer, Ross Erdman, was equally as fast in winning Pro Open and was also top qualifier for the Pro 600 race. Jordan Torgerson swept the Semi-Pro classes on a FOX-equipped Arctic Cat.
“Pine Lake was a good test for us both technically and logistically,” said Rick Strobel, Snowmobile Race Manager at FOX. “Lowering the snowmobiles to work on ice requires a lot of shock work and we were inundated with requests to set up shocks all the way up until race day. This along with helping our (FOX) athletes calibrate their setups kept us real busy, but it paid off as FOX proved to have the winning setup!”
The next USCC National Guard Cross-Country Snowmobile Championship event is the J&K Marine Beach Bar 100 set to take place January 28-29 in Detroit Lakes, MN.
About FOX – FOX redefines ride dynamics for ATVs, mountain bikes, motocross, off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, trucks, and UTVs. In 1974, Bob Fox redefined the world of motocross suspension with the FOX AirShox and for over three decades, FOX’s team of enthusiasts and professional athletes have been uniquely committed to redefining ride dynamics that improve your performance. Headquartered in Scotts Valley, CA, FOX’s main manufacturing operations are located in Watsonville, CA, its Offroad Division and manufacturing in Santee, CA, and a Midwest Service Center in Baxter, MN. FOX distributes its products in more than 40 countries. FOX is a registered trademark of FOX. All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Dear Motorhead:
Could you possibly do a report on reliability of sled made by different manufacturers.
I’ve had too many seasons ruined by blown engines. My first one being the notorious MachZ.
I feel manufacturers like Yamaha should be given credit for building a better product in terms of getting you back home.
Perhaps reports of repairs and recalls needed by different manufacturers would be good.
Thanks,
Gary
Gary
Thanks for your email!
You pose an interesting question and one which is difficult to cover. We hear from literally hundreds of customers of all brands each season and many of the comments revolve around reliability/durability/warranty issues.
From our perspective each OE has had their share of problematic engines, drivelines and chassis.
Yes, Yamaha has a very good reliability record and in your case – BRP’s situation has improved pretty substantially since the days of your Mach 1.
We attempt to quantify the experience we have with each sled and OEM’s record of reliability in our test reports.
Often times though the problems readers experience are completely different from what we see.
We’ll continue to quantify this important criteria in upcoming test rides and test reports in Supertrax and on Snowtrax TV.
Thanks,
Mark
*Subscribing indicates consent to receive newsletter content to the provided email. Of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
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.
© TRAX MEDIA INC 2022
