Bottom line for ski doo is they make the most reliable, best performing sleds out of the box and have a really good dealer network. The "most reliable" part is incredibly important to the newest people into this motorsport as they don't have much mechanical aptitude. Which is fine...because doos are a PIA to work on. Because of the all this, they also have ridiculously good resales and dealers are happy to take them on trades. This is also appealing to many in this sport.

Are they the best sleds out there? Well, it depends on what you want and how you ride.

 

The ride of the rev is what started it and nobody has come up with anything that is decisively, unquestionably, superior to get it back.
Chasis and suspension is what sells sleds for the most part, if you look at ski doo being 1, then polaris, and cat and Yamaha a distant 3rd and 4th it makes sense when you look at how their chassis work and ride.

 

Ski Doo has been number 1 for sometime (2003 REV I believe), but my understanding is Polaris isn't really all that far behind but not sure about Cat or Yamaha. Sled sales are something like 20% Utility/work/touring sleds, 25% trail performance, 25% crossovers and 30% mountain. Ski doo and Lynx (both BRP) are strong in all 4 of these segments.

 

Ok well here goes
I first bought brp product in the late 80's. Prior to that owned other "retired" brands for the most part. Exception being ac.
At that stage I really had no brand preference unless we are talking cars or trucks.

But several more years into ownership and seat time I clearly fell in love with brp product.

As a consumer I had a dealer who put my needs first, and the manufacturer from my perspective was extremely responsive and fair.

My dealer (s) were at first the people who stood behind the product. And it appeared that was the manufacturer that supported that.

So goes my feeling of "loyalty". And to follow my continuation of being a customer and keeping my snowmobile purchases for years to follow.

I wanted to actually type a response that was thought out and accurate. I'm not sure what the op wanted to know in spirit by asking this question.

All bs and rhetoric aside that is my reply. Brp has been innovative, reliable, consistent.

 

They gained market share in 03 legitimately but in last few years it's simply monkey see monkey doo.

 

I think being a Canadian company and sledding being so big in Quebec helps. You see a ton of Doo's in Quebec and add a fantastic dealer network to that and you have a large homegrown customer base. They are innovative and hit all sectors of the sledding industry along with having great ATV's, Side x Sides, Sea Doo's and Spiders. This is a great way of getting buyers for your sleds. Lots of people like dealing with the same dealer for all thier toys and Doo has it. When the 4 stroke engines came to be very prominent Doo came out with thier version and have been improving and marketing it in a lot of different models. This has become a huge thing in Quebec as people put on big miles and like touring. The number of 900 Aces I see are unreal and they are good, durable, fuel efficient and resell well. If you look at the other brands they just don't cover it all well enough. Poo has no 4 strokes, Yamaha has no 2 Strokes and Cat only lately has a 4 stroke that isn't a turbo or a real slouch.

 

How about “cause they are fast eh”

 

Best dealer network. Great for beginner rider who has no idea. Lots of sled configurations, options, and gimmicks. They look great on print: light, quick, great on gas and oil. For the average point A to B rider they're perfect. Of course, everyone knows if you plan on doing anything close to what is considered hard riding you need to buy every brace and support in the Grip N Rip catalogue.....

 

I read that Polaris has taken back the number one sales position in the mountain category which happens to be the largest segment of sales overall. So the points made here would seem to follow that track in order for Skidoo to still be number 1 while being second in the mountain category they have to be selling a lot of sleds to Trail people and newcomers.

 

Overall Ski-Doo make a good sled, few onions here and there but for the most part, solid. I think the name of their brand really helps and they have always had a big following, I loved my Mach 1 670...say what you want about ROTAX that machine was a demon. For me, I am not a real big fan of yellow, but I loved the Bee and honeycomb graphics on some of the REV's.

 

I'm sure it's different everywhere but the core areas I ride, off the beaten trails and more local riders, they are dominated by Polaris and Cat. But when I go to more tourist type riding places, that's where you see the big skidoo groups. And these people are a little different, its almost like they all have some little man syndrome going on or have something to prove? I don't know, very broad generalization there LoL but just something I've noticed and doesn't apply to all I'm sure. In the end we're all just having fun and who cares about sales numbers?
I just watched a sledhead 24/7, sneak peak at the 2019's. After seeing the American sleds, it's pretty hard to get over the looks of the skidoo, I'm not huge into caring about the looks but God they just look literally retarded. To each their own I guess.

 

Ski-Doo dominates here in new england and quebec. They make a good riding trail sled with a good dealer network. Wasn't always that way, they were junk for a long time. It was the rev platform that started it all.

 

I will tell you why Ski-Doo is # 1:

• - Ski-Doo gave us RER, zero weight reverse, and the current industry standard for 2-stroke reverse, while everyone else was giving us no reverse or heavy, chunky chain cases or the Diamond Drive failure
• - Then Ski-Doo revolutionized chassis design in 2002/03 by going rider forward, it took Polaris another couple of years to offer the Fusion disaster and Cat another 4 years to offer the F-tank, and Yamaha another 5 years to offer the obese Nytro.
• - The same year they also offered a clean and integrated, 1+1 seat, another industry first. So those of us who wanted to share the experience with our wives, girlfriends, or kids did NOT have to go and buy a 2-up touring tank.
• - Then in 2004, Ski-Doo offered clean and crisp running semi-direct injection 2-stroke and people were using a lot less oil and using almost 50% less fuel than competitive sleds.
• - Also, in 2004 they offered a well running and efficient carbureted, reliable, budget 600 2-stroke (the 500SS) at a 500cc price that ran very well against the competition.
• - In 2005, in response to this, Polaris fired the Fusion 900 bomb across the bow. This failure convinced many Polaris faithful waiting for something better to jump ship.
• - In 2007, Arctic Cat finally responded with the F-Tank, a 2-stroke that weighed more than a 2009 Ski-Doo TNT 1200.
• - And then Ski-Doo changed the game again in 2008 with the XP, a sled 50+ lbs lighter than the competiton.
• - Then the following year, they offered a direct injection AND a probably the lightest high-performance 4-stroke at the time.
• - Then in 2010.5 the 800 ETEC came out, while it took Cat almost 7 more years to offer a comparable motor.
• - Then in 2012 they offered industry standard for rear skids, the R-Motion, 7 model years later, it still appears to be the industry standard.
• - Then in 2015, they offered the 900 ACE, which feels like a 600cc 2-stroke when you ride it. Yes, it runs out of steam at about 60 MPH but it will still spool up to 80-85 MPH.
• - 2017: A new chassis and well performing 850 2-stroke.
• - 2018: Battery-less electric start.
• - 2018.5: A new 600R 2-stroke that is out performs the competitions’ 600 2-strokes (how do I know, I have ridden all 3 back-to-back, there is NO comparison).
• - 2019: ACE 900 Turbo. A 4-stroke that performs like a 800 2-stroke but does feel heavy and should be super reliable.

I have owned sleds made by all 4 manufacturers and I currently own a 2008 Yamaha in my fleet. But I will share with you my Ski-Doo experience.

• - In late 2004, I bought a new 2005 MXZ 500SS Adrenaline for $6,400 (Spring order). I put 1,600 miles on it with no issues whatsoever and the sled regularly smoked my buddy’s Polaris XCSP 700. Not bad for “budget” sled. And when riding with the Firecat crowd, they were constantly cutting our rides short looking for fuel, oil, or bitching about their backs. I sold the sled in the Spring for $5,800. So it depreciated $600 in a year, with no maintenance costs.
• - In late 2007, I bought a new 2008 MXZ 500SS TNT for $6,600 (Spring order). In 2 seasons, I put 3,400 trouble free miles on it (I did have to have the drive shaft replaced in the Summer under recall, but never missed a day on the trail). Then I sold it for $5,600. So it depreciated $600 a year, with no maintenance costs other than a pre-season service.
• - In August 2009, I bought a new 2009 MXZ 500SS TNT for $6,600. In 4 seasons, I put 6,000 trouble free miles on it. And then I sold it 4 years later for $4,000. So it depreciated $550 a year, with no maintenance costs other than an annual pre-season service. I think at 4,000 miles or so, I proactively replaced the rollers and pins on the secondary clutch and they needed it.
• - In August 2013, I bought a new 2013 MXZ 600 ETEC TNT for $8,100. In 4 seasons, I put 5,000 trouble free miles on it. And then I sold it 4 years later for $5,000. So it depreciated $775 a year, with no maintenance costs other than an annual pre-season service.

I will also share that whenever I post my sleds on Craig’s List they sell in a week or 2 for my asking price.

Most of my friends have had similar experiences with current Ski-Doo’s, so this is why nearly 50% of sleds sold are Ski-Doo’s.

How the competition has contributed to Ski-Doo’s success:

• - Delays in introducing rider forward chassis
• - Delays in introducing 1+1 seating options
• - Delays in introducing semi-direct injection
• - Poor integration of accessories (look at the numbers of non-Ski-Doo sleds with Ski-Doo LinQ accessories)
• - The Polaris Fusion & lagging 800 motors
• - The F-Tank
• - Yamaha’s nearly total avoidance of the rider forward chassis
• - Yamaha’s inability to offer a decent home grown rear skid (albeit the Nytro XTX was not bad)
• - The belt and quality fiasco on early Cat Procross Models

That being all said, Ski-Doo is not the end all, be all. Recently, they are getting cocky with their pricing and cheap with their shocks.

Polaris is coming back strong and I can finally picture myself on a Polaris again: The Indy 850 XC. I hope it lives up to the hype; the Assault 800 certainly does. And Polaris RMK’s flat out rock.

The Procross is a good looking sled with probably the best front end in the business and their 2016 and newer skid is not bad. And the Thunder Cat is definitely the king of the lakes.

And Yamaha seems to have thrown in the towel and wants to be a motor supplier only. Which is too bad as I thought that they were on to something with the 2009 Nytro XTX.

And for the record, I have ridden just about every sled from every manufacturer.

And I feel bad for you that are butt hurt by Ski-Doo market dominance. It seems that you would be happy because Ski-Doo has forced the other manufacturers to up their game.

 

When will Ski produce a 600 sled than can actually qualify and compete in the Soo I-500? Doo can only manage to qualify a couple sleds each year let alone win more than 1 race in the past 30 years. Polaris has dominated that race for the past 30 years, but Cat won this year and are looking like an actual competitor.

 

Trail....heck of a post.

I think there is some validity to the "little man" post as I have experienced it first hand the ATV side. I know an individual who first tried to combat it by always buying the largest cc machine he could. Now that is not enough, so he wants the most expensive machine he can get to show the world he can afford more than most. Naturally he has moved from Polaris to BRP and is buying the most expensive 1000 they make, because it is several thousand more than the most expensive one Polaris makes.

In my sales training this week I had a slide that pointed out the statistic that 80% of ALL SALES are made by EMOTION. I guess that really is the bottom line....and I forget it when I asked the original question in this thread.

 

Skidoo is #1 because they have been selling the 500ss and now the 600 carb sport sleds for so cheap all of these years. The best selling cars are always small grocery getters. Honda Civic, toyota corolla, etc.

Those 600 carb skidoo sleds are actually quite reliable, the engines last alot longer than an 800, and they really dont have enough power to break stuff.

In the PWC world, Seadoo came out with the spark in 2014 for 6 grand brand new. Theyve probaly sold more sparks since they came out than Yamaha and Kawasakis sold combined.

 

because there are a lot of ******* in the world more concerned with linQ accessories and what color their skis are than performance........thats why

 

All I can say is that I've never walked home due to a breakdown. Price wise, a lot has to do with the CA$ versus U.S. Looks wise, that is subjective as they've all built some dogs. IQ's and Barney's to name a few. Little man syndrome? Too funny!! How many Madcatters buy a Turbo sled that WILL NEVER use it to it's capability and then buy tunes and shit? That defines little man syndrome. Hey, this is a golden age for sleds as there isn't a real turd out there. Enjoy whatever trips your trigger, could be some rough trails ahead.

 

Low price????? Lol

 

Alright guys ... sorry to force the train back on the tracks here, but I didn't look close enough to realize this was in the General Snowmobile Forum vs. our playground in the General Discussion Forum. So it's been cleaned up a bit to keep this where it needs to be.

 

I was thinking that too...good to read a discussion that isn't a pissing contest.

 

It is always good to only read things that confirms one's bias. It makes one feel better......

 

Surprised you ventured out of the Cat forum then.

Of course to keep this on topic, the reason Doo sells in Canada is the same reason guys like 2lips are biased towards others. The bigger question to me is always how are they big outside of their own home regions. When someone buys one in Roseau or TRF, those reasons should concern Cat or Poo.

 

I went Doo last time around because my other choice from a local dealer was Polaris, and I wasn't going to spend much on a sled that I was concerned about reliability on. That left the Indy vs Doo''s entire line almost. The indy rear suspension just wasn't an option for me when I sat dow, my body weight was behind the pivot point of the rear skid, so the skis got light. Struck me as dangerous. I've been real happy with my Doo and my Doo dealer so far.

 

850 turbo for Doo next year, summit only

 

Because as the years continue going by, more and more people who've been in this sport for several years are getting dementia. I'd rather ride aolaris_poops:than Ski-Doo self-destructing sled any day.

 

Want to know why they're in first ? I think it's mix of a few things. They make a great machine and people are sheep. The 03 rev imo was revolutionary, pun intended. It was the reason I turffed my xcr. I rode my buddies rev and couldn't believe how comfortable riding can be by sitting on the sled vs in it. Coming from a tall guy with a knee issue, it was a no brainer ,but I opted for the poo version . The rev came oot ,and itvwas the end of days for everyone else. If another manu was to obtain first in sales ,I could guarantee it wouldmt be for long. People respect doo for what they doo /Did for the sport .

 

I bought my first sled in the fall of '96. It was a 1996 mxz 440. I am so glad i purchased the extra warranty when I bought the sled! The chain broke and trashed the case(warranty) i blew a belt that took out the belly pan(warranty on pan, not belt) I blew the motor(warranty) and I broke the bar in the skid that the front skid shock mounts to. Now, some of you are probably thinking warranty, right? Might have been, I sold that piece of shit before I even asked the dealer if it was covered. I'm just as baffled as the OP as to why they are number 1 in sales, cause as far as I'm concerned, Ski-doo is a big pile of number 2.

 

I don't blame you for still being pissed.:blink: