Are Snowmobiles Going To Get More Expensive if Tariffs are Imposed? 

This is the question of the hour and frankly it cannot be answered at this time. However, here is what seems to be the situation. Big dollar, resource-based items like steel and aluminum produced in Canada are likely to be the first targets for tariffs. 

Items of a more household nature may be slower to be affected and who knows, may not be affected at all. It would make sense cars built in Canada may be pretty high on the list to have tariffs imposed. As a result, I would suggest keeping an eye on automobiles as they could ultimately be a clue to answering the first question regarding snowmobiles.

Will US Tariffs on Snowmobiles Result in a Retaliatory Response From Canada?

I would be shocked if any tariffs imposed on Canada do not result in a retaliatory tariff response. This has been reported in the main stream media since the first discussion of tariffs emerged earlier this year. 

This seems likely and could mean the price of Canadian and Mexican made snowmobiles headed for the US will go up as will American made snowmobiles destined for Canada. I am drawing from what is being said in the general media. None of this may come to pass. At least let’s hope it doesn’t.

Will the Price of Used Sleds Go Up?

This is one of the most interesting issues in this situation. It makes sense used sleds should be in higher demand if tariffs affect new sled pricing. In the mid 00’s there was a huge cross-border, used sled business going on between Canada and the US. The situation was somewhat different though as it related to the value of the US dollar compared to the Canadian dollar. Nonetheless any increase in the flow of used sleds crossing the border (either direction) would appear capable of putting upward pressure on the used market.

What Impact Could Tariffs on Snowmobiles Have on Dealers?

Clearly, if imposed, tariffs and retaliatory tariffs will hurt the retail sales of new sleds. However, there is a caveat. Canadian buyers buying Canadian made snowmobiles may not be hit with price increases and it would seem logical US buyers of US built sleds should experience the same situation – no price increases from tariffs.

How Much of The Tariff will be Passed on to the Retail Customer?

This may be the biggest question in this whole deal. Unfortunately, the answer will be determined by each OEM. You’ll know when we in the enthusiast press know. 

This is just a very narrow snap shot of what might be going on in the sno-mo-biz as it relates to tariffs. I have posited no answers here – just hypothetical descriptions of what could happen. 

We want to give our readers and viewers a clearer view of what tariffs ultimately mean and what may be happening in the immediate future. 

Stay tuned and we’ll bring you all the latest info as it rolls out and what to expect as we head into the 2026 Model Year.

Since I’ve been around a while I can recount and document with firsthand experience how these vintage sleds impacted the snowmobile marketplace of the era. Of significant interest is the Yamaha Enticer series.

First arriving on the scene was the sled that changed the sport: the 1977 Yamaha Enticer 250. Many connoisseurs of all things Yamaha do not realize there was a very limited run of the original ET 250 for the 1977 model year.

It’s challenging to identify a real ’77 – here’s the simplest way to do it. The 1977 limited-build ET 250 did not have a dash mounted decompressor. Check out the decompressor toggle on a ’78 to fully visualize this descriptor of a 77.

Why is the ET 250 the “snowmobile that changed it all?”. When Yamaha first came to the market with the ET 250 the company literally shifted the paradigm that told the market what a snowmobile should be. Take oil injection. Yamaha arrived on the snowmobile landscape in the late 1960’s and every sled it sold was so equipped. Only racing destined rides like the original liquid cooled 440 SRX was premix. This feature alone caused this writer to hurry down to my local Yama-store and pick up a copy for the ridiculous sum of $1,249.00 Canadian. US ET 250s were $999.00 retail.

The ET 250 was light as a result of the liberal use of aluminum in the tunnel, body fenders and belly. The sled would pull heroic wheelies whenever you whacked the throttle and called up all 23 ponies. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? The 250cc single cylinder 2-stroke was a rumbler at idle but was smooth-as-silk once underway.

Its 28-inch ski-stance gave the sled a solid on-center feel and we (myself and a legion of friends who bought ‘78 ET 250s) could carve the twisties – outrunning sleds with way more HP. The ET 250 brought a new level of comfort to the sport. All Yamaha sleds at this time featured ultra-plush, foam seats covered with a grippy, stretchy cover.

Underneath the ET 250 was another game-changing feature – a molded rubber 15-inch-wide track with fiberglass rods imbedded in the carcass. These rods carried hardened steel clips for the slide rails to “slide” on.

The industry standard to this point were “built” tracks using three rubber belts (left, right and center) held together with riveted steel grauser bars. These built tracks were noisy, prone to grauser bar breakage and, unless studded, not particularly great at producing traction.

The ET 250 came with an unusual steel rail skidframe with a gas cell shock on the rear arm with torsion springs and an undamped torsion spring front arm. The skid looked odd but delivered a ride that flat-out drove around the skid’s used by Arctic and Polaris at the time.

Up front it was leaf springs but the front edge of these springs slid on friction eliminating UHMW blocks generating unheard-of leaf spring ride quality.

Here’s two important features of not just the ET 250 but every Yamaha sled of this era. Quality and reliability. The ET 250 was just about indestructible. Believe me, my friends and I tried to break an ET 250 with motocross antics and endless wheelies – but to no avail. That 250cc mill would pop to life on the coldest mornings and never, ever fouled a plug doing so. Even belt life was good despite a “secondary on tunnel chaincase” transmission design.

Another feature the competition had not brought to the market was matched-die fiberglass hoods. This process is similar to how Yamaha builds watercraft hulls. The bottom line is the inside of the hood was as smooth and warp-free as the outside. Competitive hoods continued to look like someone troweled wet kitty fur on their underside.

Yamaha brought so much that was new in MY 1978 the competition struggled to include the many value-added features on their comparable priced sleds. The ET 250 was the shot across the bow for the other players in the market. As a result they struggled until the end of the 70’s to match Yamaha’s Enticer series for value.

Arriving in rapid fire succession Yamaha upped the ante in the industry with the Enticer 340 twin and then the Enticer 300 twin. Both these sleds helped cement the reputation the ET 250 had established.

Stay tuned! There’s more to come on iconic Yamaha’s of the 70’s and early 80’s.

Here’s one we think deserves analysis: Now we know Yamaha, a premium priced and positioned snowmobile product is leaving the business, is there an opportunity for another premium positioned sled to fill the void they’re leaving?

If you don’t know about Lynx’s premium pricing and “Spring-Break-only” ordering process, here’s what it means. Lynx sleds are sold exclusively through current Ski-Doo dealers across North America. BRP has wanted it this way so shoppers can learn about Lynx snowmobiles when they drop into their local Ski-Doo store.

Shoppers also find out Lynx is not just a Ski-Doo painted a different color. They also learn Lynx sleds carry a premium MSRP. If three years ago BRP had launched the Lynx line-up into an entirely new dealer network there would have been considerable angst amongst Ski-Doo’s successful dealers.

It’s possible BRP felt there wasn’t enough room for a fifth OEM being sold through an independent network of dealers.

The landscape changed in a pretty significant way when Yamaha announced it was exiting the snowmobile market in a couple years. Yamaha has an exceptionally high-quality network of snowmobile dealers and you have to assume many of these dealers would like to stay in the snowmobile biz. In fact, a number of these dealers are probably dealing popping Rolaids like Tic Tacs over losing an important profit center within their powersport dealerships.

Would BRP sell more Lynx premium priced and premium positioned Lynx sleds if they were not solely available at Ski-Doo stores? If the answer to this question is yes, then the availability of a premium quality dealer network, ready to take on another snowmobile brand must be a tempting opportunity.

This is an opportunity coming from what many feel is a somewhat disappointing reality. Sort of making lemonade from lemons. We agree, Yamaha’s exit is a tough pill to swallow for all of us who love this sport. We need four healthy OEMs to shoulder the weight of the snowmobile business.

BRP is an exceptionally opportunistic company that knows exactly what it’s doing and rarely – if ever- misses an opportunity. Stay tuned.

AJ gives a quick summary of the updates to the 2024 Yamaha snowmobile lineup, then he takes a quick look at what Polaris is offering for 2024.

Then Luke and Mark have a look at how the Ski-Doo Neo line appeals to a variety of riders and has brought their family closer together.

Then in TEST RIDE, Mike covers off yet another iteration of the turbocharged Sidewinder and explores the differences between the pre-order L-TX LE versus the in-season L-TX SE looking at what would entice a Yamaha buyer to lay down his money to order one of these bad boys during Spring Power Surge.

If you haven’t ever attended Hay Days, let me suggest you put it on your bucket list and make plans to go this year. I get asked loads of questions about Hay Days, year round, from people planning to attend for the first time. The number one question I’m regularly and consistently asked is: How big is it?

After spending too much time on emails and the phone explaining the height, width and length of the 180-acre facility, here is my all-purpose answer, “If I told you how big Hay Days is you wouldn’t believe me anyway – and you’ll figure I’m lying.” How’s that for an answer?

Yes, Hay Days is big. In fact, it is the hands-down biggest consumer event in the snowmobile industry. Here’s more. I suspect Hay Days is the largest attended consumer show event, either indoor or outdoor, in the whole powersports industry. The only thing we’ve seen that’s bigger are deep south boat shows.

Making this year’s edition of the event even more attractive to witness is the arrival of Ski-Doo’s MX-Z X-RS 850 Turbo R. Even though the Grass Drag part of the event is still alive and kicking, Hay Days has become so much more than Grass Drags.

As a result of this seminal part of the weekend not being the ultimate attraction it once was, this year may be different. Not to say there isn’t enthusiasm for Hay Days Grass Drags; there is! However, there are so many other powersport activities including snowmobile, ATV and motorcycle freestyle events and the events that have really grown in popularity the past five years – SxS stadium racing and ATV mud racing – to watch at the enormous Hay Days facility.

Back to Ski-Doo’s Turbo. I predict if the new Ski-Doo X-RS Turbo and the Polaris 850 Indy BOOST are allowed in the stock 850 class there won’t be enough fence trackside for people to line for a front row viewing location.

There hasn’t been as much excitement for a new consumer available, production snowmobile than there is for these new, 2-stroke trail turbos, in over a decade. We’ll update you when we can decipher the eligible entries listed by the Sno Barons.

Next snowmobile Grass Drag class to watch this year will be Stock 600. For many years this class was the benchmark at Hay Days. The past few years the lack of anything substantially new in the 600 class (I didn’t say 650!) has calmed crowds’ anticipation of the annual 600 stock shootout. With Arctic Cat unveiling the new Catalyst 600 this time last year its all new 600 class sled will be getting heroic attention.

Okay, so Grass Drags are admittedly not the center of everything at Hay Days. However, this year they may again rise to be one of Hay Days most popular events.

Hay Days 2023 is September 9 and 10 in North Branch, MN. Visit haydays.com for more information.

ARCTIC CAT

Yup, we know – we picked Arctic Cat as a winner last time around. Seems Arctic Cat is in a unique position dealing with both fallout and benefit from the Yama-retreat. Inasmuch as there is solid evidence Cat will receive some benefit there is also one substantial hurt that only Arctic Cat will bear. What is it? The loss of multiple millions of dollars in sales of Arctic Cat-built Yamaha snowmobiles.

It’s pretty simple, building sleds has to be profitable for Arctic Cat on at least a couple fronts. First, there’s the economies of scale savings which Arctic enjoyed while building Yamaha’s sleds. This fact alone would make Arctic Cat’s cost to build its own sleds lower. Example: Instead of buying X number of shocks for just AC sleds Arctic Cat could order X-times-two shocks at a volume price.

Then there’s the money Arctic Cat made on every Yamaha it built. We don’t know that number but suffice it to say it was likely very tasty to the corporate bean counters.

KEY DEALERS

In our first go around we indicated there are significant numbers of successful Yamaha snowmobile dealers using the auto dial feature on their phones to get someone to answer their calls to Ski Doo, Polaris and Arctic Cat. Yamaha has an enviable, high quality dealer network globally, and in the snow belts of North America a number of those quality dealers are going to be stuck without a snowmobile brand. Why? Because the hottest markets with the biggest and best Yamaha dealers are the same biggest and best markets for Ski Doo, Arctic Cat and Polaris.

Simply put, some of these well-run, big volume Yamaha dealers will not be able to get another OEM to sign them up because their market is already serviced by strong dealers from the other three OEMs. This is to say nothing about the closely guarded territorial boundaries dealer contracts often contain. To this issue I will say just one word, which I mentioned in Part I of this story: Lynx.

SNOWMOBILE MEDIA OUTLETS

Oh yeah, this hits close to home. Frankly the breadth and depth of the snowmobile business compared to powersports segments like ATVs, SxS or Marine products is small. That being said, the sno-mo-biz has generally been a stable place for the media to do business. Let’s be one hundred percent honest here. All snowmobile media outlets sharing – up until last month – OEM money for promotion and marketing, just got a significant cut as a result of Yamaha’s departure.

Truth is the snowmobile media depends on OEM advertising and promotion for its continued existence. You like reading this stuff – right? We like bringing it to you. For the record, this cut also applies to things like snowmobile consumer shows and snowmobile racing.

SNOWMOBILE CLUBS AND ASSOCIATIONS

Undoubtedly the lifeblood of recreational snowmobiling is the hundreds of state and provincial snowmobile associations and their member clubs who mandate and manage our amazing network of interconnected snowmobile trails. These volunteer-managed and membership-funded organizations depend on local snowmobile dealers (who depend on their brand’s OEM) to contribute to their efforts.

Everything from selling raffle tickets to winter festivals to map advertising and other promotional efforts, clubs depend on local dealers to help communicate with snowmobilers. In many jurisdictions dealers aid in both funding and promoting these events. Many state and provincial organizations count on branded dealers to help with the sale of trail permits. Snowmobile dealers have a much deeper role in the sport of snowmobiling than any other powersport activity. That includes Off-Road and ATVing, both on-road and off-road motorcycling and any kind of recreational watercraft activity. Losing these important Yamaha dealerships will increase the volunteers’ burden of providing the sport with groomed, signed and mapped trails.

For sure there’s more winners and losers to be identified as the industry navigates this arduous chapter in the history of recreational snowmobiling. As always, stay tuned.

WINNER: Ski-Doo

There’s little doubt some of the 10,000 new Yamaha sled buyers will ultimately migrate to other camps in the future. Here’s how we think this looks: Undeniably, Yamaha snowmobile buyers have overwhelmingly been 4-stroke buyers. This trait is deeply entrenched in the typical Yamaha demographic profile.

Because of this we think Ski-Doo is going to benefit most from Yamaha’s departure. Why? Ski-Doo has more 4-stroke models in more segments than any other sled-maker. In fact, Ski-Doo has more 4-stroke models than Yamaha. Look for the current market share and unit volume leader to attract the largest number of these now “available” former Yamaha fans to the Ski-Doo brand.

WINNER: Arctic Cat

Arctic Cat is in a good position right now. Clearly, your local Arctic Cat store will be offering models with Yamaha 4-stroke engines for the foreseeable future. Many of these sleds closely mirror Yamaha models the Thief River Falls OEM offers with minor tech changes and Arctic Cat graphics.

There’s much goodness for Cat in Yamaha’s decision, as current Yamaha owners and those who will buy a 2025 model will have an uncommon opportunity to access service parts for many, many years. Obviously, the Arctic Cat chassis and most of the current driveline components of AC sleds has been common with Yamahas since MY 2014. We can already see a new catalogue with cross-referenced Arctic Cat part numbers for Yamaha sleds.

WINNER: Polaris

While Polaris has just entered the 4-stroke market with its new 4S twin cylinder, 90-plus horsepower engine in a number of current models and chassis configurations, the company’s ability to capitalize on Yamaha’s exit will be less impactful than for AC and SD. However, Yamaha’s exit will provide more runway for Polaris to get traction with a now substantially larger 4-stroke marketplace moving forward.

WINNER: Lynx

Lynx is not a huge player in the 4-stroke category but is definitely a player. Here’s where we see Lynx benefitting from Yamaha’s exit. We believe (because we’ve been told by some people who know) there is a substantial group of Yamaha owners who would not buy any current, longstanding OEM’s snowmobile – even if you put their fingers in a vice until they cried Momma. These buyers are hardcore-loyal to Yamaha.

However, at some point in time they will have to replace their current Yamaha ride. Because of this reality, Lynx could capture more diehard Yamaha aficionados than the other three OEMs. Here’s a suggestion: If BRP deliberately severed the Lynx brand and created a network of “Lynx only” dealers we think even with Lynx’ premium pricing they would sell more Lynx’ sleds than leaving them exclusively at Ski-Doo dealers.

This idea has to be tempting right now. Since Yamaha’s intention to leave went public we have heard a substantial number of successful Yamaha snowmobile dealers have been aggressively looking for another brand to fill their showrooms.

Unfortunately, there are considerable numbers of industry participants who have been impacted negatively by Yamaha’s announced intention to leave the biz following MY 2025. Our next report on this topic will cover the other end of the spectrum – those who have been hurt by the iconic brand’s intention to depart our much-loved sport.

While the 2024 model year will be the final available production in Europe, North America’s final production year will be the 2025 model year.

This news comes as a substantial shock and disappointment to the entire snowmobile market. Yamaha has been manufacturing snowmobiles since 1968 with its introduction of the SL350.

While sales in North America remained relatively healthy, global influences as result of Europe withdrawing and sanctions limiting the product supply to Russia weighed heavily into the overall global business outlook.

It is not yet known what the long-term impact of this move will be on Arctic Cat Inc. in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. Arctic Cat has been the snowmobile chassis supplier to Yamaha since MY 2012.

Yamaha supplies a significant number of engines to Arctic Cat for use in both their own and Arctic Cat snowmobiles, all of which are built in Thief River Falls, Minnesota.

Initial reports are that Yamaha is committed to fulfilling the contractual obligations as the engine supplier for 4-Stoke equipped Arctic Cat snowmobiles.

In the short term it is business as usual for Yamaha snowmobile dealers with production of MY 2024 models in full force. Included with this release is Yamaha’s release to consumers and the industry, as well as answers to a number of FAQs.

We will continue to follow this breaking story over the next days and weeks.

Here’s the official announcement from Yamaha…

Yamaha Motor Announces Eventual Withdrawal from Snowmobile Business

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. today announces plans for an eventual withdrawal of the snowmobile business. The 2024 model year will be the final for available production in the European market, while North America’s final production will be the 2025 model year.

1. History of the Business and Reasons for Withdrawal

In 1968, Yamaha released its first snowmobile, the SL350, by applying small engine technology which it developed in the motorcycle business. Over the past 55 years, Yamaha developed snowmobiles for sports, leisure, and business use as a means of transportation mainly in snowy areas found in North America and Europe. Yamaha also aimed to grow the business through the early introduction of environmentally-friendly 4-stroke models and alliances with other companies. However, Yamaha has concluded it will be difficult to continue a sustainable business in the snowmobile market. Going forward, Yamaha will concentrate management resources on current business activities and new growth markets.

2. Future Actions

Yamaha will ensure parts availability, service, and related customer satisfaction now and after the snowmobile final production run occurs.
Production of the recently introduced 2024 models is underway and scheduled for fall delivery. Yamaha distributors will be working closely with dealers to minimize impact and best position their business over the next 12 – 36 months.

3. Impact on Business Performance

Due to the exit schedule outlined above, the effect on consolidated business results will be minor.

Yamaha snowmobile dealers and customers throughout the world have proven to be among the most passionate. Yamaha thanks and cherishes all for their years of loyalty and shared enjoyment of this special winter pastime.

In TEST RIDE a storm is brewing and we’ve got just the sled to tackle every trail condition you can think of – The 2023 Ski-Doo MXZ 850 Blizzard.

Then Motorhead Mark dissects Yamaha’s snowmobile lineup and walks through the company’s evolutionary stages from the newbie up to the seasoned snowmobile veteran.

Then Luke gets an exclusive invite to the home of Arctic Cat to ride the brand new and highly anticipated Catalyst platform. You’re not going to want to miss this exclusive first rip aboard Arctic Cat’s 2024 Catalyst ZR 600 RXC.