My wife and I are considering getting into snowmobiling. We are into off road motorcycles and quads, and street bikes in a big way - and snowmachines seem to be a perfect way to enjoy the winters!

There is another similar thread below that I found quite helpful, but I have some specific questions.

A limited budget is a big factor in selecting sleds for us - but I need some advice as to what to look for in used sleds, and perhaps some specific model recommendations. With me, the wife and two kids, two up sleds will be needed.
I am in no way thinking at this point we need newest latest bestest fastest, rather we need something that will be reliable and comfortable on the trails. Yeah I know - later on I am sure i will want more - I do like a bike that performs, and I do race off road enduros, so eventually performance will matter ...but the budget will prevent a performance sled or higher end sled for a while.

I would say I am fairly mechanically adept. I have rebuilt 2 stroke motorcycles MANY times - from the crank up or simple top ends - there is not much on a bike I would not feel comfortable doing. I dont mind finding a sled I might need to wrench on, however - I would hope to find someting that I might be able to shape up, then be fairly comfortable it is reliable. I realize there is a point of no return on any machine, were eventually it is no longer worth working on, I just dont know with a sled where that point of no return is!


1) What mechanical points are of particular concern on a used sled? What are the high wear items, and how do I check their condition?
2) How do you check the conditoin of slides, track, suspension (these are what I am guessing are high wear areas, likely in need of attention on a used sled)
3) With modern sleds, what is considerd "high miles"? I know with street bikes, more often than not, the bikes are capable of way more than what the typical riders do. Many riders would say a bike with say 25,000 miles is "high miles" when I have put well over 100,000 on a bike before. I know they can do much more that what most people think of.
4)OK, now the tuff one - what sort of conditon etc could I expect to get for say the $1500 to $2000 range for a sled (we are looking to spend less than $4000.)

Thanks in advance for the replies!

Mike

Read some of the other posts on this website where everyone goes into great deal explaining what sled is best for a begginner looking to buy something reliable and cheap etc...

Welcome to the board! SWRules

Well Mike, getting into sleds won't be as big a step as you think.

A two stroke motor is a two stroke motor...you'll be fine there.

The biggest thing you will have to learn is all the parts on a sled that wear..such as the hyfax, carbides, track, and the numerous bearings on the thing. But that is what this site is for.

To be honest, your budget is tight, but not unworkable. This time of year, you should be able to find some decent sleds for $2000 each. You mentioned you will be looking for 2-up machines. In that case I believe all of the manufacturers have a 500cc fan cooled touring machine. They are not going to plaster your skull to the back of your head, but are loaded with features such as electric start, reverse, handwarmers all over the place etc etc. Two that I am familiar with are the Polaris Indy Trail and the SKiDoo Touring SLE. The SkiDoo has one thing that sets it apart is that if you look at a 98 or newer, you can get the RER (Rotax Electronic Reverse) which all will agree is an EXCELLENT reverse system. These sleds will be comfortable to ride, and are great for teaching kids to drive. In fact my father has a 98 SkiDoo Touring SLE and I can say that it is a nice sled to drive. He loves the reverse and electric start (the wife will too ;) ) I am not sure what the Arctic Cat and Yamaha equivelents are to these two sleds but rest assured they do have representatives in this class.

When you are looking at sleds, regardless of make or model, you can be sure to look at the general condition of the vehicle..does it look abused to you--are things bent, plastic scraped etc. Its always a good idea to check the compression of the engine. Come back to us with a model and we'll tell you what the compression should be on a new engine ;) For a sled, 3000miles is getting up there. Make a note of how easy/hard it is to start. Look at track wear, a track will run you upwards of $300 US, so take that into consideration before you make an offer if the track is worn down or torn up. Any track with holes or tears in it is pretty much done.

And the main thing, DO use these forums to your advantage. You will find an immense wealth of knowledge on everything from regular maintenance to performace tuning right here on our site.

Well I think you are looking for answers in the right place.
This forum has been great for me.
This is a good link on evaluating a used sled. You may find some good points

http://users.metro2000.net/%7Ermmc/usedguide.html

You can usually get your ?? answered quickly

Good luck and welcome SWRules

Thanks for the replies guys! And I now (already!) have a couple of specific sleds for your input on!

I just looked at two sleds that seem to fit the bill. Tell me what you think? (the seller is making what seems to be a decent package deal). He is about to retire and move south - so the snow toys are going.

sled #1 - a 1995 Polaris XLT Touring. Has 5100 miles on it. Owner says he has it serviced each year at the dealer he bought it from when it was new. Never anything needed than routine maintenance (slides etc). Cosmetics are super - no evidence of any abuse what so ever. The only downside is when he bought the sled new, he had them take off the two up seat and put on a single seat. anyone know how much a two up seat will go for? I did not hear it run as he had battery out of it etc. will come with a dust cover and (i think...i need to verify this) saddle bags. I would of course hear it run before I bought it!

Sled #2 - a 1997 Polaris Sport Touring. Has 3100 miles on it. Has the two up seat, appears very nice cosmetically, again supposedly well maintained. Started up on second pull! motor sounded fine to me. No evidence of any abuse on this one either. will come with a heavy duty cover. this was their "guest sled" they have had this one a couple of years.

Both machines really do look nice. Both pretty much spotlessly clean, nothing banged up at all, nothing what so ever to note cosmetically, not as much as a rip in the seat or anything. The seller a upper middle aged couple, really dont seem to be the type to have abused the sleds. they used them for longer distance touring here in Michigan. I always look to the condition of the garage and what else is around and would say this guy does keep things well maintained. He will sell both sleds for $3600 including two helmets with heated sheilds and two way communicators. How does this deal sound?

Once again - your comments appreciated!

Mike

Sounds like you are off to a good start.

What size engine is the Sport Touring? 440cc fan cooled? I'm not sure if you know, but the XLT is a 3 cylinder sled. That may not mean much to you, but there will be an extra carb and piston to look after. Not a big deal. Plenty of guys have those XLTs as they were very popular in those years. I know my cousin has a 94 or so Indy Sport with a 440cc fan cooled and it has been an excellent sled for them with tonnes of miles on it.

A two up seat will run you about $200 USD I believe, maybe more by the time you get a backrest and so on.

Mike, I'm thinking about selling a sled you might be interested in. It's a 97 Polaris Ultra Touring. Its a big two up touring sled on a 133.5 (long) track, only it thinks it's a sport sled in the hands of an experienced rider used to a big sled. It's a 3 cylinder 700 (actually 680). HP somewhere in the 120 neighborhood, plenty to keep things interesting until you are able to go with something in the way of a sport sled. Xtra-12 Long travel suspension, electric start, reverse, handwarmers front and rear. Sled is in exellent mechanical condition. Seems like it's around 4500 miles. No big bangs or bruises, track in exellent condition with no pulls or tears. In short, it's ready to go. I have 3 others (that are not for sale), and no longer need it. The guy that was riding this one is no longer able due to health(stroke). Hate to see it just sit.

I'm in Waterford, sled is in Gaylord. Email me if interested.

:D hey mike you ought to check out the snowmobile auctions at bronson michigan .Its open to the public and where you have your sledding areas listed you can't be that far from there. I have seen very, very many 2 up's sleds go thru there and at very good price's for the buyer that is. i am positive you can get exactly what you are looking for there, and at the money you want to spend. here are some things you need to take with you. because there are about 200-300 sleds there sometimes.
1. a note pad ( to keep track of which sled is which when they come thru for bidding.
2. a buddy that know's some about sleds .
i guess i didn't need to put it in a list format but i would go early you can inspect all the sleds for as long as you want. you can start them up look under the hood you can even do compression tests on the sled if you want. the auctions are the first saturday of every month although they have posted on there site that they are going to start having 2 auctions per month . you can also visit there website and see what things sold for what at last month's auction... good luck and remember we are a family here. MOST OF USE SPEND MORE TIME HERE THEN WITH ARE REAL FAMILYS SO WE TEND TO GET PRETTY CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER. WELCOME ABOARD AND NEVER BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS

http://www.snowmobileauction.com/

Hey Mike sounds like your off to a great start, although some of the 600XLT tripples had crank problems but if the one your looking at is a Touring than it is probably a 440 fan like Rocketman said. I told you this site is a big help, good luck and let us know how it goes!! :thumbsup:



SWRules

I would look into the 2-up seat. I looked into one for a Yamaha and it was over $500! The yamaha 2-ups are called the Venture. They are excellent. Mine was a 98. I am not sure if they went to the "Pro Action" suspension in 97, but 98 and newer are good, reliable sleds.

Be sure to check the condition of the track - no rips, ripped out studs holes, lugs missing, etc. New tracks are an expensive proposition and a lot of work. Go to a new snowmobile dealer. Sit on a two up in the rear seat. Stand up as far back as you can and bounce up and down. Feel how the travel is supposed to feel when the shocks and everything else is working properly. While your older sled may have less travel, you can get an idea if the suspension is working properly. Depending on how old, you may have a lot less travel, so keep this in mind - it might not be as cushy, but if it isn't moving much you may have a problem.

Flip the sled on its side (put a blanket or tarp underneath - be sure to ask the owner first!) You can see the condition of the wear bars under the skis. There should be some round metal left. If its flat and close to the ski it needs to be replaced - not a big deal if the ski is in good condition. If they've been used the skis will be scratched - it can't be helped, but look for excessive gouges. Look at the "belly pan" - underneath in the front. You might get some indications if they've hit a lot of things. Check out the track, hyfax, bogie wheels and general condition. Hyfax are easy to replace - not a big deal, but if extremely worn may have caused damage to the skid. Often there is a wear line in the hyfax to approximate where they should be replaced. Check in the front where the skid bends - often this is where it wears first.

Check for bent and broken parts. They all smoke - its not like a car.

Good luck!