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President & Publisher: Richard Kehoe
Copy Editor: Rick Bloye
Art Director: Darryl Aspin
Production Manager: Tendra Crossman
Advertising Sales: 1-888-661-7469
Director of Sales & Marketing: Andrew McEwan
Sales & Marketing: Eric Torresan
Steve Belyntsev
Administrative Assistant: Sarah Day
Photographers: Todd Williams, Rob Alford, Emily Wicklund, Taylor Batch, James Wicken, Rob Alford, Richard Kehoe, Tendra Crossman, Maria Sandberg, Shelby Mahon, Chris Burandt, Brian Caswell, Levi LaVallee, Kristen LaVallee, Museum of Ingenuity J. Armand Bombardier Archives, Mike Duffy, Andrew McEwan, Brent Geerlings
Contributing Writers: Mark Boncher, Jeff Steenbakkers, Jason Kawczynski, Levi LaVallee, Chris Burandt, Tyler Swarm, Darren Desautels, Maria Sandberg, Rob Alford, Jordan Hammack, Richard Kehoe, Mike Duffy, Andrew McEwan, Brent Geerlings, Jake Hudson
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OSM is published five times a year by OSM Publishing Ltd. Office address and undelivered copies and change of address notice is: 27083 Kennedy Road, Willow Beach, ON L0E 1S0, Canada. Telephone (905) 722-6766. Printed in Canada by: Trade Secrets • Copyright 2022 OSM Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts. Subscription rates for magazine (includes Trail Map Atlas) $19.00 per year, $29.00 for 2 years. $37.00 for 3 years.
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In the snowy landscapes of Saguenay, Québec, a snowmobiling revolution is unfolding with the Widescape WS250. More than a snowmobile, it embodies freedom, agility, and joy—a key to unlocking exhilarating winter adventures.
Originating over 20 years ago in a small family garage, the WS250 is a collaborative father-son project, integrating the thrill of jet-skiing, enduro motocross, and mountain biking. This remarkable engineering achievement is designed specifically for dynamic, immersive, and physically engaging off-trail riding in deep snow.
Powered by a robust 250cc 4-stroke engine, it delivers consistent torque for off-trail riding. Weighing a mere 200 lbs, its agile build ensures smooth navigation through dense forests and deep snow, tackling side-hills and switchbacks effortlessly. Forget the shovel—this snowmobile's lightness ensures hassle-free self-rescue. Remarkably fuel-efficient, the WS250's 8-liter tank sustains up to 4 hours of continuous riding, urging you to match its endurance for longer,
In a world where snowmobiling often means complexity and expense, the WS250 offers a refreshing, straightforward, and exhilarating alternative. It rekindles the joy and freedom of snowmobiling, reconnecting riders with the thrill of winter exploration—discovering new paths, relishing the outdoors, and maximizing the season.
Discover a new way to experience winter. Book a test ride or order your WS250 from over 70 dealers across North America.
Cutting edge design was a something that Japanese companies are known for. For the Yamaha Motor Company who has been designing snowmobiles since the 1960’s it wasn’t until the early 1980’s that Yamaha caught everyone off guard. This was the beginning of many unique, original, and futuristic looking snowmobiles that Yamaha designed and produced that broke all molds for decades to come. At this time of Yamaha’s snowmobile design, they all originated from Japan. In this issue of OSM we look at five of the most uniquely designed Yamaha snowmobiles.
For many, this is where Yamaha started to introduce some radically different looking snowmobiles. The 1981 SRX and then 1982 Vmax 540 were the first snowmobiles that featured the Telescopic Strut front Suspension (TSS) or known as the pogo stick by everyone that didn’t ride own one due to its appearances.
The SRX/Vmax powerhouse sled had the sleek look of the future with flat top skis hiding all bracing and welds with stickers on them. The handlebars were high at the time with the gauges nicely located on them and the headlight was hidden and flipped up when wanted, this was similar to the Chevrolet Corvette at the time. In 1982, the Vmax 540 took over as Yamaha’s heavy weight from the SRX but could not handle the pressure of being Yamaha’s flag ship. Constantly being blown out at every local radar run to 600’s and eventually 650’s. The Vmax quietly went away and left the also under powered Exciter line-up to try and mingle with the other big boys.
At the time, nobody really knew what Yamaha was thinking when they came out with the Sno-Scoot and maybe they didn’t even really know the importance at the time. This snowmobile was designed as an introductory snowmobile to snowmobiling. Yamaha tried introducing in city centres even having evenings at local hockey arenas for test rides. While this all seemed odd in the late 80s to be trying to attract new “city people” on small snowmobiles to the sport. It was nearly four decades ahead of the curve of the future of snowmobiling of introducing new people to the sport on smaller more affordable snowmobiles.
In 1984 Yamaha came out swinging with a snowmobile from the future with it’s headlight mounted on the handled bars with a tight fairing and small sporty windshield. All the gauges where also a part of this fairing giving the rider a better and easier view of the gauges as well as added hand and wind protection. The ‘Phazer also featured a Telescopic Strut Suspension that gave the snowmobile an even more of Star Wars look. Yamaha knew that they needed to have more power as the Phazer was only a 485cc fan cooled snowmobile and in 1987 they introduced the Exciter which featured a larger 535cc liquid cooled engine. Both the Phazer and Exciter had many great years of production and had predecessors, the Phazer II and Exciter II which propelled Yamaha in to the early to mid 1990s. Sadly both the faring mounted snowmobiles ran their course and were discontinued.
At the time Yamaha might have felt like they missed the mark with the rather small size of the 80cc mid-engine of Sno-Scoot so they doubled down and came out with a larger 125cc engine Sno-Scoot called the Sno-Sport. This unit had a better suspension giving it a better ride and reduced rider fatigue, it was a little wider and dare we say it, more power. Unfortunately, this snowmobile was also decades ahead of its time and as snowmobilers giggled at their favorite pit spots at both these Yamaha mid-engine snowmobiles, they ultimately fell out of the Yamaha Snowmobile catalogue.
Today, the Sno-Scoot is an iconic snowmobile, the used market has completely eaten them up. Parents everywhere look to stumble over one for the kids to blast around the yard on. To this day you still might find one an original Sno-Scoot in the swap meet like Haydays or Sledarama, most likely, they’re probably not running. If it’s a runner, it’s not going to be for sale and has been in the family for generations and will be continued to be so. It’s simply a “look what I have that you want” piece.
The Vmax 4 was introduced from the land of the Rising Sun in 1992 with a vengeance. Yamaha re-released the Vmax brand with a 750cc four-cylinder two stroke engine that ran as smooth as the first sight of fresh jar of Jiffy peanut butter. This was the first real Hyper Sled to be released in the 1990s and the first snowmobile to surpass 701cc. With its incredible fit and finish, all new wrap around headlight, black finish, bright florescent pink accents, stickers, and ski skins on all aluminum light weight skis the Vmax 4 checked all the boxes in 1992. The Yamaha faithful were once again lining up at dealerships with their cheque books in hand.
On the racetracks and at radar runs everywhere they were always expected and often coming out on top due to its larger displacement and fierce looks. Tim Bender pushed his Vmax 4’s to multiple wins and championships rightfully naming them the Terminator.
The Vmax 4 was introduced from the land of the Rising Sun in 1992 with a vengeance. Yamaha re-released the Vmax brand with a 750cc four-cylinder two stroke engine that ran as smooth as the first sight of fresh jar of Jiffy peanut butter. This was the first real Hyper Sled to be released in the 1990s and the first snowmobile to surpass 701cc. With its incredible fit and finish, all new wrap around headlight, black finish, bright florescent pink accents, stickers, and ski skins on all aluminum light weight skis the Vmax 4 checked all the boxes in 1992. The Yamaha faithful were once again lining up at dealerships with their cheque books in hand.
On the racetracks and at radar runs everywhere they were always expected and often coming out on top due to its larger displacement and fierce looks. Tim Bender pushed his Vmax 4’s to multiple wins and championships rightfully naming them the Terminator.
For over a decade we have been reporting on the fever of Lawn Ornaments. Quite frankly, nothing surprises us anymore. The way artistic way that people can properly display their clapped-out sleds rusting behind garages and trash cans or left out under the protection of a tree to protect from the suns UV rays is remarkable. If you are lucky enough to find an Lawn Ornament in your travels snap a photo of it and email it to us at info@osmmag.com and if we print it you will receive your very own T-shirt for your troubles.
Hey OSM Staff,
Everyday leading up to the Toronto Snowmobile/ATV Show in the month of October I parked my truck by the infamous Scuzzy. What a lawn ornament. It does not run, is over studded, weighs more than a small car and is impossible to move by yourself. I want to thank the team that unloaded from a trailer. Now, It’s starting to snow and is still in the way, please come collect it, move it or recycle it …If anyone is willing to buy the Scuzzy before it’s keepers comes back from snowmobiling this winter, please contact 888-661-7469 for details of potential sale. No reasonable offer refused.
Signed, Mr. Kehoe
Yo Guys, I found this guy properly secured on a flat deck on my way to work this fall. It’s in decent shape for a late 80’s model. Even though it’s missing its windshield (probably for aerodynamics giving it an extra mile or two) the custom painted trailering arms say it all. As you would say, “It’s a runner”.
Chris, Pefferlaw, ONOrganized – Perch beware
We’re not sure who or where this photo was taken but it says a lot. Please make sure when you are submitting your photos you send some information. We have tried to reach out to this Hotmail account owner with no response.
This is less of a lawn ornament and more of an organized ice fisherman. Sure, it’s been left outside to witness the leaves fall and the rain turn to snow. With the late start to the winter in many parts, the early 2000s Arctic Cat is ready to haul the hut out on the lake once the ice and snow arrives. Money says that everything has been greased, fresh gas is in the tank and a can of either has been left under that tarp just in case. The organization is noticeable in this yard.
The end of the road, After the gates closed and the swappers and exhibitors moved out of the Peterborough Sledarama a gem was left behind to rot by the dumpster. Maybe it was strategic thinking to save a few bucks on disposal fees. At any rate the “Jer-Bear” gave the Panther one more day of charm and grace. Even in its day the Panther wasn’t a “cover” model and still isn’t today but the Bear worked the old Panther over one more time in order to grace the pages of OSM before the Peterborough Waste Management came for pick up. Thanks for the memories.
assemblies
Why most snowmobilers own full size trucks?
Never ask questions about another man’s purchase. ET’s are a dream come true at the right price but this looks more of an example of an overpaid nightmare. Hope he brought his passport!
Looking to be single again? Bring an item like this home from Haydays –your wish is granted.
Our Trio found this Ultrasonic Therapy Unit with bull horns fastened to it by superglue. Does it work? At “mid intensity” on the dial at a 14 dosage in minutes, Boncher gave it a sample. After the first jolt he looked violated and immediately said “no more” and walked away. Not one of them have spoken about it since… well until now.
What a deal! Suckers are shopping everywhere in the swap.
Most truthful sign at
Possibly the only way to drive a Smart car and not be ridiculed.
Entrepreneurs are everywhere in the Swap.
The swap has been known to be lonely on Sundays.
There are many opportunities with all the non-sanctioned contests.
Haydays.
Best set of bar hangers.
Classic marketing of years past.
Possibly the only way to drive a Smart car and not be ridiculed.
Entrepreneurs are everywhere in the Swap.
ACCESSORIES
BACON
BELT
BOOTS
CABIN
DESTINATION
ENGINE
FUEL
GLOVES
HEAT PACK
HELMET
ICE
JACKET
LUNCH
MAP
TBY JASON KAWCZYNSKI
he clock is ticking on the availability to purchase a brand-new Yamaha Snowmobile, as we all certainly have heard that Model Year 2025 will be Yamaha’s last. What they have in the sidewinder might go in the history books with their exit from the industry as the tech share agreement with Arctic Cat doesn’t seem likely to continue. What better reason to get your hands on what is one of the most unique, and powerful, snowmobiles ever made before they are gone forever!
Thanks to our good friends at Yamaha, we have been provided lots of opportunities, since 2017, to ride many different Sidewider models and rack on tens of thousands of high adrenaline miles. Honestly, not much has changed in the eight years of production of any massive significance. We received plenty of new colorways but that’s about as radical as it was until they launched the new power steering system in 2022 on the LTX LE. We were already in love with the Sidewinder but this is when we went head over heels. Especially Steenbakkers.
The LTX LE again doesn’t differentiate a whole lot from most of the other Sidewinder lineup. Its 137-inch rear skid is shared everywhere else, except on the XTX (146-inch). Even the 15 x 1.25-inch lug track is the same across the board except for the SRX with the smaller 1-inch lug. That is for good reason as it works very well on this sled. It does a great job transferring the 200+ HP to the snow and when stopping doesn’t load up terribly. If you add a pile of studs it gets even better!
EVEN WITH ALL THESE CHANGES WHICH TECHNICALLY SHOULD HAVE MADE THE STEERING MUCH HEAVIER, THE EPS SYSTEM HAD NO PROBLEM OVERCOMING IT!
The EPS addition opened a load of different possibilities that we couldn’t do with prior models. The non-eps sidewinders were rather heavy in steering effort and what we typically would do on our demo’s was raise the center spring rate as much as possible to shift the weight of the big 4-stroke turbo motor off the skis. This did work, and quite frankly if you were not a rather strong grown adult and did NOT make changes to lighten the load, it would have considerable ski pressure making it a little tougher to steer over the course of a long day’s ride. Adding larger length carbides also made the steering even heavier so it was a fine balance between comfort and control when getting these dialed in. Some of the hard-core Yamaha riders might balk at this statement… but if you are a rider who ONLY rode Yamaha this might have been something that you overlooked as it would seem normal. Our OSM test rider posse has the luxury to jump back and forth between all different OEM model snowmobiles. This makes it harder to get used to heavy steering, so we always try our best to make the larger 4-strokes ride like the lighter 2-strokes.
All that being said, add the EPS into the equation and you could do so much more with very little effort! Forget taking the weight off the skis, instead we were able to add more precision with suspension and limiter adjustments that went the opposite way. We added 8-inch carbides to double the bite from the stock setup
and could pile on plenty of studs to propel the turbo to its maximum speed in the shortest duration possible.
Even with all these changes which technically should have made the steering much heavier, the EPS system had no problem overcoming it! This delivered what we adored from sleds past, affectionately we called it “trailing arm feel”, which was light and consistent steering and almost perfect predictability. Coming into, or out of, corners just feels awesome and the trail conditions really didn’t matter anymore it was easy to ride.
The LTX package was paired with not only EPS but the other necessary trail comforts that made high mile days a breeze without complaints. A tall windshield, heated seat and Fox QS3 shocks all around gave you no reason to ever get out of the saddle.
The heated seat worked well when you were riding hard packed and smooth trails. But if you found yourself having to stand up over rough patches, or when there was a lot of snow dust getting thrown around, sometimes you would sit back down on a wet seat. Over the course of a day’s ride, this tended to soak into your snow pants. We chose a lot of times to just leave it off, unless the rider was leading, as it could cause more of an issue than it helped.
The next question everyone asks is how the durability of the LTX was over the many miles? We know Yamaha has always been the icon for dependable build quality and this sled is no different. The only significant issue we had was on the first ride when it was throwing engine codes and going into limp mode.
After one phone call with our local dealer, he was able to identify that our throttle cable was likely out of adjustment and this easy fix resolved the problem in five minutes. We did change a belt once on it, purely out of precaution, after getting it stuck and being lazy just trying to power it out… inevitably we got a little burning rubber smell. Otherwise, an oil and filter change after 500 miles and a new set of carbides were all it needed to get to 4000+ miles. We didn’t even always ride in perfect snow conditions and frequently used it on hard packed lakes, but we never came
close to burning through the hifax. There was a lot of wear but the hifax got to a point of 30-40%, and kind of stayed there. That was not always the case with Yamaha’s, especially the Nytro sleds and Apex XTX machines where you knew you had to add the extra wheel kit. But this sled was ‘temper it and forget it’ for the most part.
ONE ISSUE THAT WE DID HAVE WITH THE 998CC IS THE POWER DELIVERY IS SO SMOOTH AND CONSISTENT YOU OFTEN FOUND YOURSELF GOING WAY FASTER THAN INTENDED
The Yamaha gauge certainly wasn’t the best around, with no options for any fancy tech that you see on the high-end Ski Doo or Polaris sleds. But honestly that is not an issue for us as prefer to ride with our Garmin Zumo GPS that can be loaded with detailed maps that are readily available for any areas we ride. The advantage of having a Garmin is you can customize what you want to see, add your own trails, backcountry routes and waypoints by plugging into your laptop and using their basecamp program. Then when you jump on a different sled for the day it can be moved in seconds via a quick-change RAM mount.
This $400 device is far cheaper than adding on any of the OEM fancy displays and is just as capable with most features. Plus when you sell your sled and get a new one, you can bring along every prior adventure and customization that you have had to your new ride.
Wait, did we forget to mention that the LTX has insane power! The 200+ HP is still the top horsepower production sled again after many years. Little has changed with it which is a testament to how reliable it has been. New motors usually come with significant changes in their early development to address common issues that are only found after thousands are built and ridden. With the 998cc turbo 4-stroke, not much was ever needed. That is an achievement in itself! Adding a turbocharger usually leads to a lot of stress on motors of any kind and gives far less long term durability than a naturally aspirated motor would. But like all the Yamaha motors, riders should have no fear putting on excess of ten thousand miles and still having these turbo 4-stroke motors be as perfectly reliable as the 1000 miles you rode it.
YOU MIGHT NOT “NEED” A TURBO BUT LIFE IS SHORT SO YOU MIGHT AS
GET THERE
One issue that we did have with the 998cc is that power delivery is so smooth and consistent you often found yourself going way faster than intended! With or without or studs, it didn’t feel like it took off overly fast and you didn’t really get that feeling of some other turbos where suddenly, they threw you back off the seat. Rather it just kept pulling consistently until you glanced down and saw triple digit speeds and decided it would be prudent to easy back the throttle a touch!
Even with the power and our proclivity to use it all the time, fuel economy was very good. Depending on the rider and how heavy their thumb was it did differ a bit, but never was this sled needing fuel stops before other sleds in the group. Typically, we found that you could do over 100 miles on a tank before the low fuel light would come on and then a fill-up would be 7-ish gallons. That consistently came out to around 14-15mpg. During the first 500 or so miles this was a bit lower, and it also seemed like the motor wasn’t putting out nearly as much power as it should have, but after the first oil change it really opened-up both in fuel economy and
WELL FAST! YAMAHA’S COLORWAYS ARE NOT ALWAYS THE CROWD FAVORITE BUT THIS ‘WINDER IS EXCEPTIONALLY SHARP! NOTHING NEW HERE ON YAMAHA’S GAGE BUT IT CONTINUES TO DELIVER THE NEEDED INFORMATION IN AN EASY TO USE PLATFORM. PLENTY OF NEEDED STORAGE WITHOUT ADDING COSTLY ACCESSORIES, STANDARD ON ALL SIDEWINDER MODELS. HEATED SEATS DEPLOYED AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON, NO NEED TO FUMBLE THROUGH A TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY.
top speed. Best of all, the entire season of oil consumption was limited to one gallon of oil, not a gallon per weekend like on a performance two stroke.
Being an avid 2-stroke rider myself, I can’t really complain about the extra weight that comes with this sled. If you can get a fantastic handling sled like the LTX that doesn’t suck every last bit of energy from you on a long day’s ride, there isn’t any advantage to having a lighter 2-stroke sled. Sure, going off trail on this or most of the Sidewinder lineup was more difficult for the average rider, but that’s not what they are meant to do. If you are look ing for an ultra-reliable trail sled that is cost effective during your ownership period, and is blazing fast, this one is a true winner!
Sadly, the Sidewinder LTX and the rest of the snow lineup will disappear after next season, but that should
warrant serious consideration to purchase these while you still can. There is nothing like these snowmobiles in the industry and the truly remarkable reliability backed by the full warranty of Yamaha and their dealer network is not going anywhere. You can still purchase an extended warranty if you so choose and have full coverage until the 2030 season. Maybe by that time Yamaha might return with new innovations, possibly a twin turbo 400hp sled?!?!
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THESE SNOWMOBILES IN THE INDUSTRY
1.) The Sidewinder is the fastest sled on the market. Don’t listen to what Ricky Bobby is trying to tell you down at the end of the bar about his blown 2-stroker, the Sidewinder will have you going faster than a cheetah on cocaine. There has not been, nor is there currently a production sled that has more top end, and can sustain that top end, than the Sidewinder… period… end of discussion.
2.) For fast high mile trail riders EPS and a Yamaha 4-stroke is the best combination on the market. No more shoulder or upper back issues, no more tendonitis in your elbows, and no feeling of being ripped off the sled when doing 100+ mph across 10 miles of belt-smoking frozen-lake riding. Just give everyone a 5-10 second head start, you WILL catch them… and then pass them faster than Santa can eat a plate of cookies. – Mark Boncher, Cheetah tamer and “OSM Heavy Thumb Award” winner.
There are more choices in the mountain segment than there are insurance companies these days. It’s seriously incredible the available options, lengths, powerplants, colors, accessories, and more that customers can pick from. It’s not even possible for us editors and riders to get on every single sled made these days… and we ride A LOT! However, we do tend to gravitate towards certain machines for good reason and that’s why we like doing the ‘Best of the Best’ so that we can discuss the machines that really trip our triggers.
The sleds we had the most fun on for model year 2024 included the Polaris 9R Pro RMK Slash 155, Ski-Doo Freeride 850 Turbo R 154, Arctic Cat M Mountain Cat Alpha One 154, and the Yamaha Mountain Max LE 154 SL. While these are all basically the same length, that was not done just to have a more apples-to-apples approach, but more because of a consensus from all our riders (all have eclectic backgrounds riding sleds) as to what people just simply
IT’S THAT TORQUE OF THIS SLED THAT REALLY ALLOWS YOU TO HAVE FUN AND NOT ‘PUCKER UP’ IN HAIRY SITUATIONS.
R stands for Race-Mod and this is a naturally aspirated - non turbo/supercharged machine with big power. The new 2-stroke CFI tuned race motor affords riders all the lightweight aspects, and low-end torque that mountain riders want, especially in the tight trees. The low inertia powerplant provides 7% more horsepower than a standard Patriot 850 motor and 12% more torque with less weight than its turbo equivalent. This is all accomplished with a plethora of essentially aftermarket mods - factory installed, that come backed with a full warranty.
It’s that torque of this sled that really allows you to have fun and not ‘pucker up’ in hairy situations. Climbing out of somewhere you maybe weren’t planning on ending up becomes much easier and picking your way up a pine-tree filled steep incline takes less planning and is simply more fun. The quick throttle response and instant track speed, combined with the RMK’s innate ability to get up on top of the snow make the Pro RMK Slash 155 a heavy hitter. It’s available in the 155, 163 and 165 inch lengths as well, and honestly
the majority of us riders picked this motor over the turbo because it was the easiest to ride in all areas.
We’ve mentioned it before, but the RMK’s all new 325 Series 9 is a big help in the deep snow. Especially in a 155-inch length this deep 3.25-inch lugged track with 3.5-inch pitch really helps your cause when the snow starts to pile up. This track helps the sled get up on top of the snow even more (if you can believe that) and helps the 155 punch out of its length class. The pitch, pattern, ply and more allow it to be equal in weight to the shorter lug 275 Series 8 track, which is just another positive to the machine. This Slash is light, quick on its feet, easy to
roll up into a sidehill, bowtie, or ride down the elevator. Without this track we probably would have chosen the 163-inch version of the Slash, but a 155 is just so much more fun in our eyes. Add to this new track, the QuickDrive2 drive system and you’ve really got a sled that responds predictably and fast to rider throttle inputs.
Everything RMK is focused on lightweight components including the highly capable and lighter weight version of Walker Evans Racing Velocity shocks in the RMK React front suspension with the same options for shocks in the rear Matryx skid. Dry weight is a staggering low 419 pounds and the sled stays skinny with a
36–38-inch adjustable ski stance. Buyers also had their choice of three bar riser options on this early season sled. Most of our riders choose the low-rise height ProTaper bars, even some of our taller guys! Face it, the ape hanger bars not only look ridiculous, but don’t serve much function either.
You could get the Polaris Message Center or upgraded 7S display when you ordered this sled as well. If money allows, we certainly suggest 7S as a luxury addon, but the typical mountain rider is more worried about things like the sculpted tank, low seat that is easy to hop over, and the shorter tapered tunnel with tiny snow flap which - are all standard on this machine. Just remind your riding buddies to beware, the big lug track and lack of flap means no one will want to follow too close behind one of these on the trail getting out to the powder spot!
Once you get the hall pass from your significant other, it is time to jump on your Ski-Doo Freeride 850 R Turbo 154 and ride outta Dodge! We still love the name Freeride as it is exactly what snowmobiling should be about.
In the Gen 5 chassis this turbo-charged direct-injected 2-stroke 154-inch-long mountain masher is made for massive jumps, drops, and the hellish terrain that overly aggressive backcountry riders relish. This year this sled was available with the turbo in the 146-inch track as well, and that sled is also unbelievable with how fast the track spins and the places it can go while still being a short track. With the sea level calibrations for the 146, that is a great alternate option for the guys around the great lakes to take full advantage of lake effect lowlands or riders on the northeastern seaboard. The 154 however is the sweet spot we feel that allows riders to get more mountain capability, and not lose any mobility in the tight trees and technical areas. The liquid cooled motor has eRAVE technology and additional booster injectors as well and boasts 180 ponies up to 8,000 ft. It does taper at higher levels, but most mountain riders spend their time between 7,500-10,000 ft. elevation so you should have close to full power for much of your experience. If you are coming off of, say a naturally aspirated 850 then you are in for a treat, and there is now less worry about belts disintegrating with the belt monitoring system.
This sled has the newer tMotion XT rear skid which moves with the sidehill terrain to give you the best traction at any off angle, with a new rigid rear arm and rail reinforcements for those gnarly landings that maybe did not turn out as you planned. Your choice of the PowderMax 154x15x2.5 or PowderMax X-Light 154x15x3.0 tracks do the snow churning beneath the shortened tunnel with its tiny snowflap. Flex-edge track technology also works in tandem on the track with the tMotion XT to keep pushing you forward with one (or zero) skis on the snow. You get the great option of the sway bar quick-disconnect as well so when you want to really hammer down on the trail on the way out to your powder destination,
AT 459 POUNDS DRY WEIGHT, THIS IS NOT THE LIGHTEST MOUNTAIN SLED IN THE SKI-DOO INVENTORY, BUT IT’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE, AND THAT’S STILL LIGHT FOR A 154-INCH MACHINE!
or be the first back to the trailer, you have the confidence with a very stable front end. We have said for years that this should be standard on ANY crossover or mountain sled from Ski-Doo… but what do we know, it’s not like we’ve been riding/testing sleds for 40+ years… oh wait.
The front suspension is the RAS 3 geometry with KYB Pro 40 EA-3 shocks in it paired with lightweight coil-over springs. The newer DS 4 skis do the floating up front as well and these are some of the best skis out there. Turning them with the handlebars is easier too in many situations with the shorter 4.7-inch riser block, and we’ll take the low handlebar strap any day. My guess is that someone in accessories learned that Ski-Doo was selling WAY more of these low straps than any other and finally made their voice heard.
It’s easy to hop around the tiny deepsnow seat, and the full-length running
boards give good space, grip, and evacuate snow/ice easily. The adjustable brake lever is a nice touch if multiple people ride this sled as well… similar to the quick limiter strap adjustment system. Both are great, but in reality, if there is only one person riding the sled it is often ‘set-it and forget it’. Premium LED headlights are also a must these days and this has ‘em!
At 459 pounds dry weight, this is not the lightest mountain sled in the Ski-Doo inventory, but it’s not supposed to be, and that’s still light for a 154-inch machine! You’ll get all the standard cool gizmos like the pDrive primary clutch with adjustable clickers, hooks on the ends of the handlebars, RER, and of course… the Doo-exclusive SHOT starting system standard. There isn’t much not to like about a 10.25-inch color touchscreen display with the BRP Connect as well… but the Neo Mint color may or may not be your thang!
We are not going to sugar coat it, and really the OEMs don’t anymore either, but the Arctic Cat M Mountain Cat Alpha One 154, and the Yamaha Mountain Max LE 154 SL are pretty much the same machine. There we said it, but that’s not a bad thing! These sleds have the same time-tested Cat Ascender, or Yamaha SRV-M, platform which does double-time and is built by Arctic Cat (per the shared agreement that has been in place for many years between Arctic and Yamaha). We all know at this point that the Yamaha badged machine will be no more after model year 2025 so there is no point in trying to divide these brother sleds.
What really sets these two mountain machines apart from the competition is the Alpha (or mountain single-beam/rail, or monorail) rear suspension. This Arctic Cat technology has been around for several years but is still regarded as some of the newest mountain tech in the industry that is not motor or new chassis related. The single pivot point down the middle of the suspension, instead of having the traditional 2-rail rear skid, allows the Mountain Cat and the Mountain Max to roll up onto
a sidehill/incline/decline more easily and takes a lot of the manual effort out of getting the sled on one ski. This balancing act is what mountain riders do the vast majority of their days in the powder so a technology that flawlessly diminishes effort for much of the day is paramount. Ski-Doo’s tMotion combined with the FlexEdge track attempts to achieve the desired end result as the Alpha One does, which is ease of getting the sled off camber, but also continue positive traction. The Alpha suspension is more advanced in that it does this without multiple variables put into the mix. While it takes some getting used to on the trail it becomes very intuitive in the deep snow. One drawback is that it is only one rail though, and can be a spendy fix if you do manage to cause it to fail. However, this skid does not hold near as much snow/ice as a normal 2 rail system so your actual ‘riding sled weight’ tends to be a lot less and that is one of the biggest overlooked areas of weight on sleds in the deep snow… and just another positive to the single-beam skid.
The Yamaha Mountain Max LE SL only comes with the shorter lightweight
mountain seat (also available on the Cat) and Yamaha’s mountain ski, but otherwise there is nothing but colors that these brethren don’t share. Well, that’s not all true… as the Yamaha comes with Fox 1.5 Zero QS3 shocks and a 2.0 QS3L in the back of the skid... while the Cat has Fox Float 3 QS3 shocks with a QSL in the rear of the suspension. Also, the Yamaha comes with only a 3-inch lug track, while you have your option of a 2.60 or 3.00-inch lug track on the Cat depending on model. And I suppose the windshields (if you can call them that) are slightly different between the two. Both come with the adjustable 35.50 to 37.50-inch ski stance, same 794cc 2-stroke C-TEC2, liquid cooled Arctic Cat produced motor, and 10.4-gallon fuel tank. You could get a larger 11.7-gallon fuel cell though, also depending on model.
If you are looking for a do-it-all mountain sled that won’t cost you $20k then either the Mountain Cat or the Mountain Max fit the bill very well. You get all kinds of standard accessories like LED lights, reverse, goggle holder, ice scratchers, lightweight brake rotor, storage bags, and more.
If money were no object, it’s a pretty easy decision on this one that I would be picking up a new Polaris 9R tomorrow. Not just for practical reasons, but also selfish reasons like the fact that it is basically an awesome sounding, responding, race sled that normal folks like me can purchase. I’ve had the opportunity to ride some of the best 2-stroke modified mountain sleds ever made, but it was never realistic to own one. I guess the fact that I live in Wisconsin makes it still somewhat impractical for the few times each year I ride out west in the mountains… but it is mighty tempting!
These three sleds have done a better job than Superman’s Clark Kent glasses in masking my mountain riding abilities… I’ve gone from subpar to superhero status! After riding them, my decision was very clear, I needed one of each. The Freeride turbo was my choice for high marking my buddies up the steepest slopes. Slow picking through the trees and side hilling to our secret spot REQUIRED the Alpha rear skid in the Mountain Cat/Max. But for all around riding or when our trailer only fit one more, I almost always took the 9R as the singular best possible do-it-all tool in the box!
Jason K
(2023 OSM Rider Award winner for ‘Most A-arms Broken in a Single Season’, runner up for ‘Best Unplanned Dismount’.)
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