Can't wait to see a comparison between the Freeride 146 and the SKS 146 thanks guys for the show greatly thanks guys for the show well put together greatly appreciated
I just bought a 2018 freeride 146 with shot start. It works amazing. Been out ice fishing at -30 for almost 2 hours walk out hit the button fired right up. 52% break in left.
Been watching for a long time! Subscribed and reading Supertrax since 1998.... That’s the only magazine I have that the wife can’t throw out! Keep up the good work guys! Merry Christmas!
Been watchin u guys on utubes for awhile like towards the beginning of ur utube's channel and I'd like to say Thank You guys for all ur content from both dirt trax & snow trax u guys are my goto for my information & news on everything
Don't forget that the track is also 16" wide making the footprint that of a 144" sled. I have one of these and have put 230 Kms on in the central Ontario region and the sled is an absolute beast in the powder. I had the 2017 800etec which was great but this new 850 motor is everything and more than you will expect. I found myself screaming WOOHOO in my helmet.....never done that on a sled before. They are AWESOME plain and simple. Did some powder coating to the rails and bumper and now it really looks aggressive.
Track lengths options are 137, 146, 154, and 165. The front end A-arms on the 137 & 146 are the same 38-40 as the Backcountry and you can even opt for that width on the 154. I have the 146 with a 2.5 paddle and the fun button doesn't disappoint.
I have a 146 2018 Ski-doo FreeRide I love I like how its easy to carve with and side hilling and how light it is compare to the 2004 viper I had witch it was 600 pounds that sled I got stuck in 3ft of snow and it just sank it got stuck I got tried of getting it on stuck of how heavy it was so thats why I did a lot of home work and research of the type sled I wanted and I fell in love with the skidoo more because of the type of motor it has so when I compared the wait difference and fell in love with the freeride :) I very happy with it and its my first spring order sled to
Would love to see a bit of the throw back to some of the older stuff, not everyone can afford new gear. Be cool to do review of so early 2000's etc and see how they compare to everything else in the era and what held up best.
Backcountry X with the premium shocks would be the ideal sled I think! I cannot wait for the shootout on the Assault, BCX. Is that also going to have a Freeride and SKS? These are all top sleds that share some commonality.
sick machine right... do these have reverse and heated hand warmers? also, if you live in a place that get's descent snow, but not hero snow..... would the 146" 2.25-2.5" lug combo be a little too much....
When you are describing your changes to this sled(later in the video) , basically crossing this sled wit the Renegade back country X, you have essentially just built the 2018 Arctic Cat XF 8000 Cross Country Limited ES! Think about it :-) (minus the "Shot") Love these new behind the scenes videos BTW, not to mention SnowTrax Television !! Keep up the good work, hopefully some day I can get my boys out to an event to meet you guys! Let it SNOW!!
I got a new 2018 137 freeride for this year you were talking about it not having the battery cover and being more manoeuvrable but you could option it with 3 different starters electric,manual,or shot you could also order 2 track options 1.75 as seen or a 2.25 I got the 1.75 as I do more trail riding one thing that helps this sled a lot on the trails is a good aggressive set of carbides I put 6 inch shaper bars on and it makes a world of difference in the corners with the stockers it pushes straight way to much
I'm debating between this and the SB assault, possibly the backcountry....question. What is the difference between "mountain" vs. "trail" front end... just ski stance width?
I'm like you, I'm a little confused by this formula. It reminds me of my 2002 RMK 600 with a 136x1.175!!! (Long time RMK guy) these crossovers were very popular 10 years ago with the short tracks ie. The ceasefire cats.. But man the shot is soooo cool..
You should do a comparison between the freeride 137 & the 146. That’s a huge debate towards riders when wanting a fr and I really would love a video like that.
Did you ever get a set of wider arms on the freeride, im kind of curious to see what would come out of that in terms of trail maneuverability? Its an awesome sled for off trails but would love to find out if anyone ever successfully ran some renegade arms and suspension?
Hi AJ, thanks for these side videos you do....what’s the power band like on the 850 vs the Polaris 800? Would you you add any upgrades to this sled for off trail rides?
This is the play sled I have my eyes set on for the future! Agreed on much better boingerz then back country! Unsure of track config... do you think the 137 would suit your back country needs? Or longer and deeper lug?
At least out west that 137x1.75 is not gonna cut it. The 154 with a 3 inch would be allot of fun though. If your 70%trail with flatter terrain this would be fine. Or in spring snow. But if your planning to play allot in the steeper deeper off trail backcountry. Your gonna be stuck and frustrated allot!
Thanks for all these great videos! We would all be screwed if we had to rely on the other guys... I just have a question. I'm curious if you guys will have a 146 or a s38 154 Freeride this year? I'm super interested in seeing what you guys have to say about them as crossovers. Thanks again!
The 137 Freeride does not have the s36 summit front end. It’s identical to the backcountry x other than the shocks. It’s the mid width 38-40 ski stance with Ras3 spindles and ds2 skis. The rear is quite different due to the backcountry being 146 c-motion and the Freeride 137 being R-motion, and of course 137. The Freeride 165 has the s36 front end and it’s optional to get either on the 154. 146 Freeride is like the 137 and gets the 38-40 width. The 146,154,165 all have T-motion Rear. Believe it I’m not actually a salesman lol
gopherchoker You did a good job explaining that for everyone. I don't know why AJ said the Freeride 137 has the summit front end, he should know better. But I guess alot of people get this confused. Hope it's a good winter for ya!
Lane Grass It depends where you ride. The 2.25" would be nice for the extra traction in the deep when boondocking! But if you mostly trail ride then the 1.75" would probably be the better choice. I know this is a hard decision lol
Lane Grass there’s also the backcountry 146 2” or the Freeride 146 2.5”. It’s really dependant how you ride. If you do offtrail I personally would never go back to less than 2.25”
Capacitors are made to charge and discharge very rapidly. They aren't to be compared to batteries, except for in the sense that they hold an electrical charge. It should barely be minutes for the caps to reach capacity for the next "shot." The only improvements they could make is charge hold-time and make a powerful enough power pack to turn over their other 2s and 4s motors.
I like everything except the handlebars. They just look bare and flimsy to me. I'd prefer to see a larger assembly. The view @ 4:30 shows what I'm talking about. This is a big machine that goes very fast and is going to be driven in extreme conditions. Looking at the sled, it looks built tough as hell except for these flimsy, thin, weak looking handlebars that look like they were taken off of a kids BMX bike or something. I remember back in the 70's, my father had a Scorpion and the handlebars were a plastic/rubber casing that looked far more sturdy and less likely to bend in the event of a collision. I know it's a pretty standard style these days, but to me, it looks like that one part needs serious improvement and upgrade.
Anthony Viau Because Ski Doo is the industry leader. Cat hasn't done anything in a long time to get to being the leader for snowmobiles, and they're coverage represents that. Why do you think Ski Doo and Polaris get the most coverage? They are the ones pushing innovation and pushing the sport to new levels.
Forgot to mention the 2018 ski-doo renegade xrs 850... one badass sled man comes with an optional 1.5 or 1.6 i believe too you can compare that to a switchback assault in my opinion I’d rather have an renegade xrs vs a Polaris anyday. Arctic crap or yamahaha aren’t even in the picture anymore. But anyway renegade xrs is more like a renegade/freeride more than anythinggg bro
I'm a big fan of the freerides, they built em up really good very fast and light sleds, they have all the best components but I'm not a fan of this colour
Also all these new sleds are not built to sit down. Im 46 years old and cant stand up all the time so i cant be comfortable sitting . Its like all these sleds for kuds in the teens or early 20s.
Darrren Betker I'm 42 and spend 90% of the time standup riding. You do have to have decent fitness to ride the modern backcountry sleds effectively though. Standing up You just have more control. If sit down riding is your thing you might want to stick with a touring style trail sled. Here in Wa. state though the 155s are short tracks. I don't remember the last time I've seen a trail sled on the mountain. I personally ride a axys rmk 163x2.6.But I spend most of the time dangling off the sled on steep sidehill's in the trees.
I really hate how all the models are the same. One body style for every model. Why is that. If you say these companies simply cant afford to change chassis for different models i call bs. With a number of these sleds hitting the $20,000 mark after taxes up here in NW Ontario how the hell could they not afford it? Years ago yamaga had different body styles for almost every sled in theire line up. I miss those days. Now you throw some color and graphics and think thats good enough to throw a new name at it. For the price you pay you should have some options.
davidbrennan5 i said i was old.....not a sap. I enjoy 120mph and 200hp as much as i did 30 years ago. Dont think for a second kuz us veterans are old that wed be happy putting around on a 540.
Sorry I just though VK was prolly best sit down model lol. I get where you are coming from, I grew up with the old iron too, first sled was 72 Skidoo with 20hp single. I would love to see the return of a triple 2 stroke that will pull your arms out of their sockets at 100mph and or a low slung Trail/Lake chassis like the old Polaris Wedge Indys, with a modern suspension with 9" of travel max. They would sell the shit out of something like that. The newer stuff has trickled down from Sno-cross racing and Mountain Riding The old stuff tricked down from Cross country and Oval racing, which made for a better Trail/Lake sled imo.
Definitely should do vid between the Switchback Assault, the Freeride, and a High Country
Can't wait to see a comparison between the Freeride 146 and the SKS 146 thanks guys for the show greatly thanks guys for the show well put together greatly appreciated
I just bought a 2018 freeride 146 with shot start. It works amazing. Been out ice fishing at -30 for almost 2 hours walk out hit the button fired right up. 52% break in left.
every year just gets better and better
Been watching for a long time! Subscribed and reading Supertrax since 1998.... That’s the only magazine I have that the wife can’t throw out! Keep up the good work guys! Merry Christmas!
Thanks for your loyalty! Hope you had a great Holiday!
Been watchin u guys on utubes for awhile like towards the beginning of ur utube's channel and I'd like to say Thank You guys for all ur content from both dirt trax & snow trax u guys are my goto for my information & news on everything
Don't forget that the track is also 16" wide making the footprint that of a 144" sled. I have one of these and have put 230 Kms on in the central Ontario region and the sled is an absolute beast in the powder. I had the 2017 800etec which was great but this new 850 motor is everything and more than you will expect. I found myself screaming WOOHOO in my helmet.....never done that on a sled before. They are AWESOME plain and simple. Did some powder coating to the rails and bumper and now it really looks aggressive.
This type of review seems more honest and true to life, keep them coming, nice job!
2016 freeride 2.25” summit gearing ,,, best sled I ever owned
Love the 2018
Track lengths options are 137, 146, 154, and 165. The front end A-arms on the 137 & 146 are the same 38-40 as the Backcountry and you can even opt for that width on the 154. I have the 146 with a 2.5 paddle and the fun button doesn't disappoint.
Love behind the scenes AJ !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you!
Love this sled, I'm thinking about getting one. I have a XF1100 cross country now but I am thinking of switching to this. Awesome video thanks
I like these unrehearsed reviews."Shot" is a great idea and long overdue.
I have a 146 2018 Ski-doo FreeRide I love I like how its easy to carve with and side hilling and how light it is compare to the 2004 viper I had witch it was 600 pounds that sled I got stuck in 3ft of snow and it just sank it got stuck I got tried of getting it on stuck of how heavy it was so thats why I did a lot of home work and research of the type sled I wanted and I fell in love with the skidoo more because of the type of motor it has so when I compared the wait difference and fell in love with the freeride :) I very happy with it and its my first spring order sled to
It does also come in a 2.25 inch lug. that what we have on are demo unit.
Would love to see a bit of the throw back to some of the older stuff, not everyone can afford new gear. Be cool to do review of so early 2000's etc and see how they compare to everything else in the era and what held up best.
Клево, люблю смотреть ваши обзоры, информативно и по делу
Backcountry X with the premium shocks would be the ideal sled I think!
I cannot wait for the shootout on the Assault, BCX. Is that also going to have a Freeride and SKS? These are all top sleds that share some commonality.
AJ - I would love to know your thoughts of the Freeride 154 S-38 and how you think it would compare to the BCX as a flatland boondocker
sick machine right... do these have reverse and heated hand warmers? also, if you live in a place that get's descent snow, but not hero snow..... would the 146" 2.25-2.5" lug combo be a little too much....
When you are describing your changes to this sled(later in the video) , basically crossing this sled wit the Renegade back country X, you have essentially just built the 2018 Arctic Cat XF 8000 Cross Country Limited ES! Think about it :-) (minus the "Shot") Love these new behind the scenes videos BTW, not to mention SnowTrax Television !! Keep up the good work, hopefully some day I can get my boys out to an event to meet you guys! Let it SNOW!!
keep it up, love the show and these videos
A free ride assault sounds like the ultimate project sled this winter.
I got a new 2018 137 freeride for this year you were talking about it not having the battery cover and being more manoeuvrable but you could option it with 3 different starters electric,manual,or shot you could also order 2 track options 1.75 as seen or a 2.25 I got the 1.75 as I do more trail riding one thing that helps this sled a lot on the trails is a good aggressive set of carbides I put 6 inch shaper bars on and it makes a world of difference in the corners with the stockers it pushes straight way to much
I'm debating between this and the SB assault, possibly the backcountry....question. What is the difference between "mountain" vs. "trail" front end... just ski stance width?
I would LOVE to have this sled!
Same I ride a 1998 phazer ss
I'm like you, I'm a little confused by this formula. It reminds me of my 2002 RMK 600 with a 136x1.175!!! (Long time RMK guy) these crossovers were very popular 10 years ago with the short tracks ie. The ceasefire cats.. But man the shot is soooo cool..
At first I did not like the new Gen4 body style but now it's kinda growing on me. Depends on the colour I think.
You should do a comparison between the freeride 137 & the 146. That’s a huge debate towards riders when wanting a fr and I really would love a video like that.
Do a review on this please!!
Merry Christmas
Did you ever get a set of wider arms on the freeride, im kind of curious to see what would come out of that in terms of trail maneuverability? Its an awesome sled for off trails but would love to find out if anyone ever successfully ran some renegade arms and suspension?
24 inch of snow out there eh went through Rogers pass yesterday snow is looking good there at the highway waste deep
Mines working great I have the same track and your right a 2.28 track is what it needs
Looking forward to a test between a Switshback Assault and a Ski Doo Renegade Backcountry X or Freeride the coming winter
You should do a drag racing episode!
Hi AJ, thanks for these side videos you do....what’s the power band like on the 850 vs the Polaris 800? Would you you add any upgrades to this sled for off trail rides?
are you able to put a larger windshield and passenger seat for it also?
This is the play sled I have my eyes set on for the future! Agreed on much better boingerz then back country!
Unsure of track config... do you think the 137 would suit your back country needs? Or longer and deeper lug?
At least out west that 137x1.75 is not gonna cut it. The 154 with a 3 inch would be allot of fun though. If your 70%trail with flatter terrain this would be fine. Or in spring snow. But if your planning to play allot in the steeper deeper off trail backcountry. Your gonna be stuck and frustrated allot!
With the Freeride being offered in 145/154/165 track lengths and both on the G4 chassis, what criteria would you use to choose between the Summit?
Thanks for all these great videos! We would all be screwed if we had to rely on the other guys... I just have a question. I'm curious if you guys will have a 146 or a s38 154 Freeride this year? I'm super interested in seeing what you guys have to say about them as crossovers. Thanks again!
It is a 137 with SHOT.
SnowTrax Television Yeah.. you totally missed the question. Thanks for the reply anyways.
SnowTrax Television So you didn’t read the question, huh?
The cover behind the seat covers up the battery. This one does not have that cover because it has shot or pull start
Which one do you prefer ? Free ride 137 or backcountry ?
The 137 Freeride does not have the s36 summit front end. It’s identical to the backcountry x other than the shocks. It’s the mid width 38-40 ski stance with Ras3 spindles and ds2 skis. The rear is quite different due to the backcountry being 146 c-motion and the Freeride 137 being R-motion, and of course 137. The Freeride 165 has the s36 front end and it’s optional to get either on the 154. 146 Freeride is like the 137 and gets the 38-40 width. The 146,154,165 all have T-motion Rear. Believe it I’m not actually a salesman lol
gopherchoker You did a good job explaining that for everyone. I don't know why AJ said the Freeride 137 has the summit front end, he should know better. But I guess alot of people get this confused. Hope it's a good winter for ya!
scotty bogs if I rode as many sleds as he did a year I’d get confused too.
Would it be better to get the 137 with 2.25 or 1.75
Lane Grass It depends where you ride. The 2.25" would be nice for the extra traction in the deep when boondocking! But if you mostly trail ride then the 1.75" would probably be the better choice. I know this is a hard decision lol
Lane Grass there’s also the backcountry 146 2” or the Freeride 146 2.5”. It’s really dependant how you ride. If you do offtrail I personally would never go back to less than 2.25”
Stoked for the next season to drop!! Are you guys going to do a Revelstoke segment???
If I'm not mistaken the freeride is technically the xrs of the back country x
This is the perfect sled imo. I would just get another color package lol
Capacitors are made to charge and discharge very rapidly. They aren't to be compared to batteries, except for in the sense that they hold an electrical charge. It should barely be minutes for the caps to reach capacity for the next "shot." The only improvements they could make is charge hold-time and make a powerful enough power pack to turn over their other 2s and 4s motors.
Lithium LifePo4 battery pack would make more sense to me.
I like everything except the handlebars. They just look bare and flimsy to me. I'd prefer to see a larger assembly. The view @ 4:30 shows what I'm talking about. This is a big machine that goes very fast and is going to be driven in extreme conditions. Looking at the sled, it looks built tough as hell except for these flimsy, thin, weak looking handlebars that look like they were taken off of a kids BMX bike or something. I remember back in the 70's, my father had a Scorpion and the handlebars were a plastic/rubber casing that looked far more sturdy and less likely to bend in the event of a collision. I know it's a pretty standard style these days, but to me, it looks like that one part needs serious improvement and upgrade.
....what is S-38 and why does the Freeride only have it with claims like ...."50/50 trail ... mountain..." wouldn't it be on the Backcountry ?
Keep it up!
That's not a Mountain front end It's a Backcountry x front end.
Why not try out an 18' Cat high country with the new 800dsi?
They have their heads too far up skidoos ass.
Lol bc cat is 10 years behind
Let's come up with some quality knowledgeable responses not biased nutswinging ones
picked one up this fall, its a beast stands right up on flat ground
Anthony Viau Because Ski Doo is the industry leader. Cat hasn't done anything in a long time to get to being the leader for snowmobiles, and they're coverage represents that. Why do you think Ski Doo and Polaris get the most coverage? They are the ones pushing innovation and pushing the sport to new levels.
So the 137 version of the Freeride uses a coupled rear skid? Is that what I'm seeing?
137 is a r motion skid
Forgot to mention the 2018 ski-doo renegade xrs 850... one badass sled man comes with an optional 1.5 or 1.6 i believe too you can compare that to a switchback assault in my opinion I’d rather have an renegade xrs vs a Polaris anyday. Arctic crap or yamahaha aren’t even in the picture anymore. But anyway renegade xrs is more like a renegade/freeride more than anythinggg bro
How old is the sled
Articcats are nice too
Skidoos are the best sleds
A 146 cmotion freeride would be dope
Aylmer Kauenhofen They still trench, the 154 is the perfect medium in my opinion.
137 not even good for boon docking really.
davidbrennan5 Nope, good for trails and that's about it.
davidbrennan5 Weird; mine did really well in West Yellowstone and the UP...
Where do you ride?
Free ride trail
Will shot start that beast at -40 ???
Can you get electric start on the freerides
Yes you can. Just pull start, electric start with a pull cord and shot with a pull cord. Those are the 3 options
Why does the freeride have a shorter track.
AK_7.3L the freeride is offered in most track lengths because it was designed to be a sled that can do both flatland free riding and mountain rides
I'm a big fan of the freerides, they built em up really good very fast and light sleds, they have all the best components but I'm not a fan of this colour
A 137 up in the mountain? Lol idk about where you live but we have like 25ft base snow and 3-4ft powder lmao
Also all these new sleds are not built to sit down. Im 46 years old and cant stand up all the time so i cant be comfortable sitting . Its like all these sleds for kuds in the teens or early 20s.
Darrren Betker I'm 42 and spend 90% of the time standup riding. You do have to have decent fitness to ride the modern backcountry sleds effectively though. Standing up You just have more control. If sit down riding is your thing you might want to stick with a touring style trail sled. Here in Wa. state though the 155s are short tracks. I don't remember the last time I've seen a trail sled on the mountain. I personally ride a axys rmk 163x2.6.But I spend most of the time dangling off the sled on steep sidehill's in the trees.
The FaceBook sled !
I really hate how all the models are the same. One body style for every model. Why is that. If you say these companies simply cant afford to change chassis for different models i call bs. With a number of these sleds hitting the $20,000 mark after taxes up here in NW Ontario how the hell could they not afford it? Years ago yamaga had different body styles for almost every sled in theire line up. I miss those days. Now you throw some color and graphics and think thats good enough to throw a new name at it. For the price you pay you should have some options.
Yamaha brought back the VK540 to North America. You can get one for 11k Canadian perfect sled for someone who wants to sit down and take it easy.
davidbrennan5 i said i was old.....not a sap. I enjoy 120mph and 200hp as much as i did 30 years ago. Dont think for a second kuz us veterans are old that wed be happy putting around on a 540.
Sorry I just though VK was prolly best sit down model lol. I get where you are coming from, I grew up with the old iron too, first sled was 72 Skidoo with 20hp single. I would love to see the return of a triple 2 stroke that will pull your arms out of their sockets at 100mph and or a low slung Trail/Lake chassis like the old Polaris Wedge Indys, with a modern suspension with 9" of travel max. They would sell the shit out of something like that. The newer stuff has trickled down from Sno-cross racing and Mountain Riding The old stuff tricked down from Cross country and Oval racing, which made for a better Trail/Lake sled imo.
Gay ....... my cat way nicer good try .
Yes