Buyers Guide 2011

COVER STORY: There’s a revolution in high-tech 800cc sleds for 2011 and we love this invasion of power and efficiency. We rate the Fab 4!

Not enough choices for beginners and newcomers you say? Look again! We review three great entry-level sleds and offer some additional sage sled advice to new riders.

AmSnow worked with Dynotech Research to get an early dyno of a pre-production 800.

AmSnow names the 2011 Best of the Best snowmobiles. Did your favorite snowmobile win?

8+ pages of 2011 snowmobile charts & stats

Bonus for subscribers! Check out our interactive buyers guide where you can compare up to 4 sleds at once for any year! Read and write reviews too!

Looking for new gear for 2011?

Check out the latest gear from GMAX, MotorFist, Klim, HMK, Arctiva, Altimate, Trukke, Z1R and Fly Racing.

Talk about lucky, we not only get to test snowmobiles, but occasionally get a chance to drive new trucks from various automakers. We know, ours is a tough job!

But this gives us a chance to update you on some new trucks you might find helpful for towing, plowing, off-roading, or if you are like us, you just might enjoy them simply because they’re trucks! Or in one case, a Jeep.

“It’s like, I mean, totally awesome, ya know, like so cool, like the freakin’ coolest sled ever.”

We know it sounds like we may have watched one too many 1980s flicks, but we just can’t say enough good things about this new Ski-Doo 800! We felt like we were on a date with the prom queen every time we jumped on this sled (no double-meaning intended, really!).

Yamaha builds some of the stoutest engines in the industry, so when we learned it was upgrading to a fuel-injected 120 in its Vector lineup last season, we knew it would be something special. 

Lucky us, we landed a candy red Yamaha RS Vector LTX GT for the season. This is the long-track (136 inches) version so the ride is major league compliant and that new FI 1049cc 4-stroke is a torque monster. Really!

Arctic Cat’s F8 Sno Pro can back up nearly any boast you can spout at your local watering hole. This was our agreed upon all-around favorite demo sled at our Real World Shootout last season. Why? It has great power, easy handling, a very capable front and rear suspension, durable and rigid chassis, and a ton more!

Thinking of investing in a mountain rocket this season? You’ll want to read Stephen Clark’s roundup, it’s full of surprises!

Mystery John Deere prototype

Check out our online searchable database of more than 800 companies under the Buyers Guide tab on our home page. Search by category or scroll through the PDF version.

Yamaha ups the ante for easy handling with Electronic Power Steering on its new Apex. Olav Aaen dissects the new system.

Inside the new Ski-Doo engines

Twenty-five years seems a pretty fair benchmark. It’s roughly half a lifetime ago for some of us, and for the young pups it’s the good ol’ days when they were first straddling a sled.

Simply put, this issue marks American Snowmobiler’s 25th season. So this year we’ll share a few blasts from the past, to mark our milestone and stir some memories (hopefuly fond).

Each issue we take a few questions from our "Ask The Experts" forum on our Web site, www.AmSnow.com, to feature in the magazine. Our team of industry experts consists of staff from Straightline Performance, Speedwerx, Starting Line Products, Dyna-Tek Racing, Aaen Performance, Hauck Powersports, and our own editorial staff. If you have a question you can’t get answered anywhere else, try our Ask The Experts forum and we’ll get you started down the right path.

Cool new gadgets and accessories to increase the fun meter on your ride!