The snowmobile industry continues under pressure heading into the fall sales season.

Poor weather in the east combined with localized insurance spikes, is making for some superb non-current deals in three of the four OEM’s showrooms.

Surprisingly, traditional core markets ended the winter with a better than average feel. The Midwest, the sales breadbasket, and the far western mountain market concluded with strong winters laying the foundation for optimism in showrooms this fall.

The central US and particularly Canada, also had a decent finish. The toughest markets were hardcore heavy snow locales like upstate New York.

What everyone needs to realize is this: There will always be good snow somewhere and sometimes even the snowiest places on earth come up short.

This doesn’t mean it won’t snow again in harder hit locations, it just means the law of averages deals out both good and bad winters.

Press Release –

New Group Insurance Program Launched September 1st

Special to the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC): “Save your dough to ride the snow!” So says Don Cherry, spokesperson for Sledder’s Choice, the new, leading edge group insurance program that launched September 1, 2006. For your first look at Sledder’s Choice visit www.sledderschoice.ca

With Sledder’s Choice, many Ontario snowmobilers will be paying less for insurance when they ride trails operated by the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) this winter, even on sleds with larger engines. Cherry is on board for Sledder’s Choice, because, as he says: “What’s more Canadian than snowmobiling, except hockey!”

Designed by snowmobilers for snowmobilers, the new Sledder’s Choice Group Insurance Program is provided exclusively to OFSC members by Believer Plus Insurance Brokers Ltd., underwritten by Royal & Sun Alliance Insurance Company of Canada. Sledder’s Choice offers responsible riders special group rates on snowmobiles, trailers, autos, homes, and cottages. Safe riders can save money on their insurance needs by signing up as OFSC members at the same time as they buy their 2007 Full Season Snowmobile Trail Permit.

“We know that most snowmobilers are responsible family people who have been hit hard by high premiums over the past five years,” said John Mitchell, President of Believer Plus. “Sledder’s Choice rewards their membership in Canada’s most safety-conscious and progressive snowmobiling association with more accessible, affordable insurance.”

The OFSC expects that Sledder’s Choice will also positively impact the snowmobile and winter tourism industries, where business has suffered from rising sled insurance costs. According to industry experts, many families have parked uninsurable sleds or cut back on their riding.

Higher premiums also diminished sleds sales as customers either delayed or cancelled purchases or shifted to less expensive models. Many hospitality operators also reported adversity for winter tourism as riders traveled less frequently and became more budget conscious.

“Sledder’s Choice is great news for snowmobilers and for the snowmobiling industry. It removes one of the major barriers to participation and proves to snowmobilers that the OFSC is working hard to help them,” commented new OFSC President Bruce Robinson. “Sledder’s Choice sends a clear signal that OFSC snowmobiling is alive and well — much to the benefit of hundreds of communities in rural and snowbelt Ontario, who rely on snowmobiling for a considerable part of their winter prosperity.”

The Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs is dedicated to providing strong leadership and support to member clubs and volunteers, to establishing and maintaining quality snowmobile trails which are used in a safe and environmentally responsible manner, and to furthering the enjoyment of organized snowmobiling.

For further information, please contact:
Paul Shaughnessy, OFSC General Manager, at (705) 739-7669 or
Rob Vosseler, Believer Plus Vice President – Operations, at 1-888-513-7587.

For the first time in roughly five years we haven’t been tracking lame Honda snowmobile rumors!

While some in the enthusiast press have desperately attempted to keep this one alive, we’ve been more realistic with our interpretation of these wildly skewed and more importantly, completely unverifiable rumors.

Case in point, while we do glean insights (that means top secret sources feed us info) into what is going on in far-away, remote test locations and sometimes even photographic evidence of new equipment magically appears on our email, we have never seen a legit pic of any snowmobile under development by Honda.

Oh sure, over-used and over exposed pics of Honda Cubs with track kits and skis have floated around the industry for more than a decade. Guess what? Getting into this industry right now is not a simple or cheap deal.

A motorcycle OEM can far more easily jump into the ATV biz as a result of crossover technologies, particularly in the engine department.

To build a good snowmobile – and entering this biz with anything but a great sled would be nothing less than stupid – requires purpose-built engines and most importantly, complex, durable and efficient CVTs.

Polaris, while not as widely talked up these days, is strongly suspected of being close to landing a semi-direct injected (Clean Fire SDI) version of their venerable 800 Liberty motor.

We expect to see this engine appear with exhaust pointing forward and carbs against the bulkhead, in an IQ chassis.

The question we have is this: Would Polaris, already competing in the 700 market with the Dragon 700 – a segment arguably thinning out – throw an 800 into the fray?

Maybe a reborn SDI 800 would get honed to 850 cc’s or larger breaking into an as yet undefined segment. Look for at least one more IQ during the late winter.