Reviews of the Best Snowmobiles - Polaris - Yamaha - Ski Doo - Arctic Cat - Redline:

Riding a snowmobile can be fun and exhilarating, but they can be dangerous at the same time. You need to find a model that you feel comfortable on, similar to a motorcycle or a car in terms of handling, speed and control. If you have some experience riding seadoos, ATV's, or motorcycles, some of the skills are the same for a snowmobile. If the person buying the snowmobile lacks upper body strength, then consider a "sled" that is light on the front end for easier turns and control. Men, women and children will all need to buy different types of snowmobiles due to weight, strength and experience. You will need more power if you plan on riding in heavy powder or ungroomed conditions. Midsize machines usually have 500- to 600-cc engines. Large machines have 700- to 900-cc engines. It's best if you can ride your friends snowmobile or rent one for a weekend to get a feel of what the power and weight of the machine will do in terms of riding ability. You will find most snowmobile models range from $7000-$11,000.

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The top brands in snowmobiles are the Yamaha snowmobiles, Arctic Cat Snowmobiles, Polaris snowmobiles, and Ski-Doo snowmobiles. The top Yamaha "rough trail" snowmobiles are the Apex RTX, Nytro, Nytro ER, Phazer FX, and the Phazer. The Apex RTX is a sweet sled with the Genesis 150FI 4-cylinder engine (150 HP), the fuel injection system lets you get "crisp throttle response", the titanium exhaust is rear exiting with 4-2-1-2 design, standard electric start, and unbelievable handling for about $10,500. The Phazer is a light liquid cooled snowmobile that is priced at $6399. The groomed trail models include the Apex ER ($10199), Apex GT ($11199), RS Vector ER ($8699), RS Vector GT ($8999), and the Phazer GT ($7199). We prefer the trail versatility line with the Attak, Attak GT, RS Rage, and RS Rage GT. The RS Rage ($8899) gets high ratings for a compact and lightweight engine, performance handling, and superior comfort for long rides. In the mountain performance class you will find the Apex Mountain, Apex Mountain SE, RS Vector Mountain, and Phazer Mountain Lite. The touring models are the RS Venture (and GT), Venture Lite, and Venture 600. The Venture 600 ($7699) is a two-stroke triple that is "fast and stylish" and is perfect with 600cc. You can check out the entire line of Yamaha snowmobiles with complete features, photos, pricing and accessories at Yamaha-motor.com. The Arctic Cat snowmobiles are broken down into performance, hybrid, mountain and touring models. The F Series is their high performance line like the F5, F5 LXR, F6, F6 LXR, F6 Sno Pro, F8, F8 LXR, F8 Sno Pro, F8 Tony Stewart Limited Edition, F1000, F1000 LXR, F1000 Sno Pro. The youth model is the Youth 120 and the Jaguar Z1 is refined performance. We prefer their Z Series line for good value. The Hybrid Arctic Cats are versatile and well worth the money and the top rated Crossfire 5 is a gorgeous machine that handles trails with no problem and carves up the backcountry if you want. The top mountain snowmobiles are the M6 141, M8 153, M1000 153, and the M1000 162 Sno Pro. The Panther touring snowmobiles from Arctic Cat are comfortable, powerful, and very fun to drive.

The Polaris snowmobiles have high customer satisfaction ratings, although I have never ridden one myself. The FST IQ sells for $9399 and has 140 horsepower, a four-stroke liquid cooled engine, EFI carburetion, and IQ skis. The other performance models include the Dragon, 600 HO IQ CFi, and 600 HO IQ. The Polaris crossover sleds are the FST Switchback, 600 HO CFI Switchback, and the 600 HO Switchback. For deep snow conditions where extra power is a necessity, the best Polaris snowmobiles are the Dragon RMK, Trail RMK, and the 600 HO RMK 155 ($8399). The Two-up touring class from Polaris is where we think the buyer needs to seriously look. The FST IQ Cruiser and Trail Touring Deluxe are our favorites with enough features to make the snowmobiling safe and fun. The luxury sport collection of snowmobiles from Polaris are stunning, powerful and well built with the 550 LX leading the way in user reviews. The 2007 Ski Doo snowmobile guide can be found online at http://www.ski-doo.com/en-US/Snowmobiles/ with their complete lineup of Mach Z, MX Z, GSX, Summit, GTX, Freestyle, Skandic, Expedition, Legend, and Mini Z styles. We love the freestyle models from Ski Doo and have only heard great things from the early tests of these sleds. Other top snowmobile brands are Redline snowmobiles, Bombardier snowmobiles, and John Deere snowmobiles.

Snowmobile Trailer:

Snowmobile trailers can be purchased at most dealerships. Expect to pay $1,300 to $3,000 for a new two-sled trailer; be sure you have an adequate tow-vehicle and hitch. The top makers of snowmobile trailers are Triton, FLOE, Pace American, and Load Rite. We own a FLOE snowmobile trailer and use it for both ATV's in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter. They are versatile and easy to load and unload. They offer tilt trailers, v-front tilt trailers, and ramp trailers. The FLOE Versa Track tie down system lets you quickly lock and release. All the trailers are contructed with aluminum and stainless steel fasteners. Internet-trailer.com is a great online resource for finding snowmobile trailers. You can always check with your local snowmobile dealer for trailer options.

Snowmobile Parts - Used Snowmobiles:

Looking for a used snowmobile? Maybe you need snowmobile parts or accessory items. Then check out Sledswap.com with classified snowmobile ads, trailer and trailer equipment for sale. They offer all major manufacturers - Arctic, Ski-Doo, Polaris, and Yamaha. Most ads include pictures and desciptions of the snowmobile. A great way to find local snowmobiles is to go through a site like Craigslist.org which offers listings in about 220 major metro areas around the United States. Alssnowmobile.com is another awesome snowmobile site with 100's of parts, clothing items and accessories to choose from. Buy snowmobile parts like hoods and body parts, engine parts, suspension, traction, seats, lights, electrical, and steering parts.

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