[Guest]

[/font=Tahoma][navy][/navy]My wife and I will be moving to Maine this fall. I was born and raised in Wisconsin and haven't ridden since the late 70's. Obviously sleds have changed a lot since then. The first sled my dad bought for us kids was a 10hp Yukon King. My question for the forum is... I want to get a sled that my wife and I can ride trails together in comfort, but I also want the sled to be sporty enough for me to get a bit crazy with now and then when I ride solo. It also has to be a machine my wife can handle (she's 5 feet tall and about 130 pounds and has never ridden before). A tall order to fill perhaps. I've begun searching the various manufacture sites and am partial to Ski-Doo for no other reason than that is what I primarily rode while in Wisconsin. I like the looks of the 2002 Arctic Cat 600 EFI. Thoguhts and suggestions appreciated. Also, what kind of prices am I looking at? Thanks in advance.

 

[erick]

This is my opinion. I am huge Polaris fan so no matter if the competition has better, I would not buy it. I was browsing through the Polaris website ( http://www.polarisindustries.com ) and found a 2002 600 classic touring. This is a two-up and is loaded with many goodies. It will easily keep up to your freind when you are going solo, yet you and your wife can both ride together with great comfort. This machine is easy to steer and your wife should be able to conrtol very well. The suggested retail price is over $7000 but that doesn't mean you can't find a deal. Other manufactures are great as well, go and look through the websites they operate. I hope this helps. Mabye Polaris-Man has more to say on the matter. Thanks!
Here is a picture:

Erick..."Driving slow is a waste of life insurance."

 

[Polaris-Man]

I agree with erick, the Polaris 600 Classic Touring would have lots of power but it's easy to handle.

But not to be biased

I have to say the Cat's and Doo's have good tourings sleds, but I like the Polaris way more. I have also ridden a 600 Touring (Polaris) and you could have fun by yourself. Lots of power!

"If I close my mind in fear, please pry it open" - Metallica

 

[Guest]

Ah, a couple of Polaris homers...

Do you guys know of a magazine or website that does side-by-side comparisons? Like a Consumer Reportsa for snowmobiles? The manufacturers websites are pretty and all but aren't very objective.

The Polaris 600 Classic has OK looks and has all the basics I'd be looking for. But why the low MSRP? It's considerably cheaper than it's competitors. Makes me nervous.

The Yamaha Venture 600/700 is very nice. Fully loaded. But green?

The Arctic Cat Pantera 600 EFI is a mean looking machine. But it's a Cat and I always rooted against them at the races when I was a kid.

The Ski-Doo Grand Touring GS 700 RER is a beauty for sure. MSRP is $8400 though. Ouch. But I am partial to Ski-Doo.

Hmm, what to do. I think if I had to decide without test driving any it'd be between the Ski-Doo and the Yamaha.

What about Redline machines? Any good? Stay away?

Thanks!

 

[erick]

Since Polaris offers so many differnet models and sells more snowmobiles, than any other manufacturer every year and are I think third, mabye back in second for ATV sales they can offer considerably lower prices therefore leaving the competition with the high prices. No, they are by no means made any cheaper or built without great detail taken into consideration.

Redline, I would stay away from them for now. Sure, they have a nice sled and nice features but take a look at the price tag. I am not sure on any snowmobile comparison sites but I will look around in a bit for some and post here with them.

You seem to be completely opposite from me. I would take Polaris and Arctic Cat over the other two, mainly because I live a mere 30 miles away from each factory and know a lot about each machine. Thats all I can offer for now.

I be back with more later.

Erick..."Driving slow is a waste of life insurance."

 

[erick]

Here are a few sites I found.

Greg's Comparison Page
This site offers comparisons on models from the 4 top brands. He is still working on getting the 2001 models done.

Snow Tech They offer a lot of information on lots of stuff.

Snow Connection There is also a lot of information here.

Check them all out. Do a search on google or something for more. There are tons.




Erick..."Driving slow is a waste of life insurance."