Wow is riding getting expensive

play and work or work and play

Never realize how lucky I have it up here in Sault Canada, until I here you guys and gals speaking about trailering your sleds that many miles. Most of us here in the Sault just have to trailer our sleds about 6 miles to hit anyone of our nicely groomed trails and just dissapear on them for the day or two or three. But I still do feel the crunch on the gas though 'cause I drive an older B.B 800 yammi. I definitely know the sickness of snowmobiling though I would go through great hoops to get out just for a couple of hours of pure enjoyment it's just really sad that we all have to get raped by the prices of everything to have a little outside fun. I think going outside and doing this kind of thing with the family is priceless though.
 
Yamahasrx700 said:
How wrong you are.400 miles a day is in the woods, In the U.P. That would be trail 8 to Republic trail 18 to Amasa, trail 111 to Sidnaw, trail 15 to Baraga, Trail 14 to Lanse, trail 14 to Big Bay, trail 5 to Ishpeming and then trail 8 to Gwinn. So that equals about 20 miles of straight riding on railroad grades. The deal is we go to RIDE not to eat not to drink (cause any one can do that any time of the year in any weather). If you want to give it a try let me know. We ride all day for 2 or 3 days. Most people cant handle the exercise. What may be a blast to us may be a brutal beating to most. To each their own. Enjoy the scenery and have a good time doing whatever type of riding you prefer.
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I do the big bay loop once every year. Start from Negaunee head toward either Marquette or Champion up into big bay and come back the opposite way or highway 510 if I am really beat. That is more than enough riding for me for one day. I can't physically take much more than that. I can't imagine riding over 200 miles a day. Cripes, I can't ride in a car much more than 200 miles in a day. But I get your point of "I came up here to ride" and couldn't agree more with the to each there own.
 
Get a long track sled and go off trail for a day. Put on 30-50 miles of pure fun factor in the deep and then do it again the next! I'm spoiled tho too, I ride from my garage 3 miles to one trail or 8 miles to another, and then get off of the trail in my play areas...
 
Yamahasrx700 said:
How wrong you are.400 miles a day is in the woods, In the U.P. That would be trail 8 to Republic trail 18 to Amasa, trail 111 to Sidnaw, trail 15 to Baraga, Trail 14 to Lanse, trail 14 to Big Bay, trail 5 to Ishpeming and then trail 8 to Gwinn. So that equals about 20 miles of straight riding on railroad grades. The deal is we go to RIDE not to eat not to drink (cause any one can do that any time of the year in any weather). If you want to give it a try let me know. We ride all day for 2 or 3 days. Most people cant handle the exercise. What may be a blast to us may be a brutal beating to most. To each their own. Enjoy the scenery and have a good time doing whatever type of riding you prefer.
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No thanks. 150 miles in Wisconsin at a nice pace, stopping on a few lakes for some racing, enjoying the scenery and a nice lunch, exploring new trails not knowing what's around the next corner or over the next hill, that's for me.
 
YooperMike said:
Get a long track sled and go off trail for a day. Put on 30-50 miles of pure fun factor in the deep and then do it again the next! I'm spoiled tho too, I ride from my garage 3 miles to one trail or 8 miles to another, and then get off of the trail in my play areas...
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^^^^ ;)! I could care less how many miles are put on in one day or trip for that matter. I have a friend that i ride with and he never wants to stop to chat or play off trail and it drives me nuts. It's as if we are being timed and he wants to see how many miles we can rack up in one day or something. I'm all for riding hard and fast, but not 24/7.
Anyway, the additional expense doesn't bother me too much considering I only make a few trips a season. However, the increasing costs has got to be tough for those that make the road trips every couple weeks.
 
Let's see..
sled payment is $220/month * 12 months = $2640/year.

Let's say I average 1500 miles this year. That's 2640/1500 = $1.76 mile for ownership.

Insurance is $240/year divided by 1500 miles, that's $.16 per mile for insurance.

I get roughly 12mpg, so that's 125 gallons of gas at $3.25 each for $406.25 or $.27/mile.

Oil consumption is roughly 35:1, so with 125 gallons of gas, that's 3.5 gallons of oil at $26/gallon or $93 annually, or $.06/mile.

Trail pass is $90 and insurance is $15, for a total of $105 divided by 1500 miles is $.07/mile

So, if I don't break anything, I spend $1.76 + $.16 + $.27 + $.06 + $.07 = $2.32 per mile of usage. At an estimated 1500 miles this year, that means I'll wind up spending just shy of $3500. Thank God I don't have to trailer it anywhere.

But, as much as I bitch about the gas, it pales in comparison to what my payment on the sled comes up to. It just seems like a lot because I spread out the payment over 12 months, and I spread the gas cost out over 3 months.
 
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Blkhwkbob said:
No thanks. 150 miles in Wisconsin at a nice pace, stopping on a few lakes for some racing, enjoying the scenery and a nice lunch, exploring new trails not knowing what's around the next corner or over the next hill, that's for me.
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back when I was younger, I would do the 300-400 mile days, but that was also when i didnt foot the bills for the sleds, the gas in the car/ truck to get up north, nor the repair bills/ or parts for the sleds. Nor did I have to pay anything for the cottage.
Now I am older, have more responsibilities, and choose not to blow a few hundred on gas just for the sled in a weekend.

Physically it would be no issue, I am only 33, but if i want to ride with my GF, she would not want to ride at that pace all day.

Now on a guys weekend, maybe, but those are few and far between.
 
Hey Horkn, where do you ride? Anywhere near Marinette? I usually hit the Crivitz area once or twice a year, maybe we could hook up for a ride.
 
Blkhwkbob said:
Hey Horkn, where do you ride? Anywhere near Marinette? I usually hit the Crivitz area once or twice a year, maybe we could hook up for a ride.
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I have a cottage in Tomahawk.

I get to crivitz once in a while, but my home base is tomahawk for reasons above:)
 
So...how about this . I have a good friend who got me into snowmobiling that has owned nothing but New Yamaha's since around 1980. Sold a 05 Rx1 In perfect shape (and I mean PERFECT) about 2000 miles to buy new Apex. Spent 30k on new 2007 4x4 Quad cab Toy truck to pull sleds (has company truck to drive daily) also has nice aluminum 3 place trailer. Truck sits in garage other wise and wife has her own car. Any way we planed to go this week end to WI and put in a quick day and a half of riding before or big trip next month. Tonight he tells me he cant afford to go? I guess I will load my 1400 dollar 700SX in to the back of my 3200 dollar 1993 F350 Crew Cab in almost new condition and go riding. If any of you guys arent impressed with what I ride or drive I dont care. I have nothing bad to say if some one can afford new toys but what good is it to have them if you dont use them? Lets go riding!!!!!!!!!!!! :ORC
 
YooperMike said:
Get a long track sled and go off trail for a day. Put on 30-50 miles of pure fun factor in the deep and then do it again the next! I'm spoiled tho too, I ride from my garage 3 miles to one trail or 8 miles to another, and then get off of the trail in my play areas...
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I'm with you. I AVOID the trail as much as possible all day. Trailer my sled 45 minutes to riding area, ride about six miles on trail, and then rest of day is spent boondocking and hill climbing. Spend quite a bit of time watching friends climb and b-s'ing, and if a certain riding partner is along...digging, lol. End up with around 40-60 miles at the end of the day. Funny though, all that WFO riding in powder nets me about 6mpg. Have to pack an extra two gallons on the back. Probably make it on the tank, but before I packed extra gas I would hesitate to climb the hill a couple more times before heading back. The extra allows me to not worry about a couple more climbs. Last time I rode without the extra gas with me I put on 70 miles. No fuel bars showing and staring at the hazard-fuel icon the last few miles. When I filled up for the next ride it took 10.8 to top it off. I always get a kick out of the guys that say they are disappointed when they don't get over a hundred miles on a tank, that would be a miracle for my sled.
 
Ah DA!!!!

It's no doubt that this sport is getting expensive and the winters are not what they used to be.Our gas prices just jumped again.I'll be paying $1.16/litre now from premium.That is now $5.26 a gallon.Our gas is supposed to climb by summer to $1.40 to $1.50 a litre /regular if world prices remain the same.Everything we purchase will be going up due to transportation costs.I think in Canada we will start to feel the crunch coming this year.Government of Canada already issued in statement that this year could be a tough one for the economy.Consumer spending will go down,lay-offs probably coming.Consumers have to buckle down and watch their money.Wages do not go up fast enough to catch up.
Filling up my sleds would be around $53.00 each time plus your oil,not counting insurance,passes,parts,maintenanace.I see myself already slowing down on my driving around.There isn't enough snow out anyways to ride comfortably and safe.Why would I even think about buying a new sled,I will stick with what I have and will be happy with a ride every once in a while.MY $0.02.
 
gbic1 said:
So...how about this . I have a good friend who got me into snowmobiling that has owned nothing but New Yamaha's since around 1980. Sold a 05 Rx1 In perfect shape (and I mean PERFECT) about 2000 miles to buy new Apex. Spent 30k on new 2007 4x4 Quad cab Toy truck to pull sleds (has company truck to drive daily) also has nice aluminum 3 place trailer. Truck sits in garage other wise and wife has her own car. Any way we planed to go this week end to WI and put in a quick day and a half of riding before or big trip next month. Tonight he tells me he cant afford to go? I guess I will load my 1400 dollar 700SX in to the back of my 3200 dollar 1993 F350 Crew Cab in almost new condition and go riding. If any of you guys arent impressed with what I ride or drive I dont care. I have nothing bad to say if some one can afford new toys but what good is it to have them if you dont use them? Lets go riding!!!!!!!!!!!! :ORC
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priorities, priorities....

Good on Ya!

now just hope that everything up north is not destroyed by the impending warm spell and rain....keep your fingers crossed, otherwise everywhere in the upper midwest will be done.

I hope you were not planning on going up this weekend. way upper 30's and rain all over WI was forecasted from tomorrow-tuesday last time I looked.

its too bad, as there would have been a lot of snow in this system had it been cold enough.
 
living in mass is expensive enough but i don,t ride in mass or even register sledd i allways go over the border to newhampshire 1hr away and ride but even that gets rather expensive these days because of the gas for SUV and sledd riding this year is very good from what i,m hearing but i haven.t got a new sledd yet but i,m not getting new just a used 2003 vmax 600 er just to enjoy the sport but from what i,m hearing gas pricing is here to stay all because we in america have had a long ride on the low side of things while different countries have had to pay very higher prices for everything now its our turn even the US DOLLOR is worth less in Canada who ever figured that could happen . :o|
 
gbic1 said:
So...how about this . I have a good friend who got me into snowmobiling that has owned nothing but New Yamaha's since around 1980. Sold a 05 Rx1 In perfect shape (and I mean PERFECT) about 2000 miles to buy new Apex. Spent 30k on new 2007 4x4 Quad cab Toy truck to pull sleds (has company truck to drive daily) also has nice aluminum 3 place trailer. Truck sits in garage other wise and wife has her own car. Any way we planed to go this week end to WI and put in a quick day and a half of riding before or big trip next month. Tonight he tells me he cant afford to go? I guess I will load my 1400 dollar 700SX in to the back of my 3200 dollar 1993 F350 Crew Cab in almost new condition and go riding. If any of you guys arent impressed with what I ride or drive I dont care. I have nothing bad to say if some one can afford new toys but what good is it to have them if you dont use them? Lets go riding!!!!!!!!!!!! :ORC
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I'll agree with you there. I have ridden with guys that had the biggest, newest sleds with add-ons, and then when on a trip up north they could not afford to spend money.
Another type is the one who will have an expensive sled with dazzling accessories on it, and then parks it out in front of the bar to impress people while the guy spends all his time inside.

I'll just keep riding simple sleds -with no payments- that do everything I need them to do. Right now I have snowmobile insurance, but don't even have to pay for collision or comp on my sleds because it is not worth it.
I am not out to impress anyone either, I just enjoy riding.
 
Interesting thoughts as I sit here watching the History Channel "Crime Wave" (about the FBI, bank robbing, the depression, etc.). My buddy and I got back from the U.P. a few hours ago. Yea, it costs money and the view most of the time is great, but any hobby costs money. My wife and I have been married for 12+years and because her hobby is not snowmobiling, we have had a deal of "your hobby, you pay for it". As for her hobby, its showing her horse. The past couple of summers, she hasn't shown much because of her work schedule, but before that, it was probably 2 times a month from Apr/May to Sept. It was mostly quarter horse shows, so let me put a couple things in perspective:
Because she was going all the time, she bought a 3/4 ton truck (bigger engine, bigger brakes, built to haul, etc.), an aluminum trailer (no maint. compared to a steel trailer), and all the "gear" she needed, and that was before she left the drive. Once you get to the show (2 hours away), she pays for the stall, bedding, class regisration, etc. I don't ask what the weekend bills come to, but I'm pretty sure $500.00 a weekend is not out of line. BUT, she enjoys it a lot, and there's a saying:A happy wife is a happy life".
As I said, a hobby is expensive. Now I want a new sled (4-stroke), so I have to put it into comparison with the horse-showing...Snowmobile will probably get the OK. My 2 cents.
:winterrul
 
Just got back from Three Lakes WI. Put a hundred miles on the sleds Saturday. Put $200 in the Yamaha hauler to get there and back. Used 50 dollars worth of 93 octane. Stayed at buddies cabin for free and spent 100 on food and spirits. I guess i will have Bologna sandwiches for lunch for the next 2 months. Trails were really good. It was hot on the trail. We were unzipped most of the day. Hit a fresh groomed trailed about 7 pm and it was worth it. I am afraid it will be all gone by Tuesday. We are supposed to go back up in 4 weeks. It would have been cheaper but our 3rd and 4th dropped out.
 
blueblooded said:
A cheap trip to tug hill for three days cost me:
65.00 each way pulling 3 sleds = 130.00
50.00 a day in gas for the sled (3 days) = 150.00
40.00 a night for room = 120.00
18.00 for 1/2 gal of oil = 18.00
lunch and dinner and a few beers 40.00 a day = 120.00
tolls = 20.00

TOTAL: $558.00.........OUCH!!!!
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Don't forget the CRAZY outrageous $100 per year to ride the crappy whooped out trails the last 2 years. And another thing is unless you can find a gas station, the bone you an extra 1 - 2 bucks a gallon for trail gas. Where's it going to end? There should be some kind of laws about price gouging the snowmobilers for trail gas. I can see making a few pennys a gallon but c'mon. Also I heard there not grooming as much in NY state because there not getting as much funding from the state this year.
 
I know, Gas prices are terrible, myself, a buddy, his wife, and another friend went to the Copper Harbor area in the UP from Dec 26th-Jan 1st and gas was consistantly 5.05-5.15 a gallon for premium and what a shock that was the first time we pulled in for gas, fillling up 3 yammi's and 1 440 polaris got to be quite expensive what a first date expense that was for me but It paid off ;)! and the memories from the experience never end so its just money and so what if I have to eat Raman noodles for a couple months so I can pay to go to the I-500 in a few weeks(thank god we dont bring the sleds no more) it used to cost about $700 for a thursday-Sunday up there no without the sleds and more fun its max $200 and we save the extra for other trips


Its a hobby either you can afford it or you cant some can afford to do more than others, i have sometimes more fun having a buddy take my brothers sled across the street at my parents house fill up the tanks and go play around in a 50 acre field for the afternoon thats just as fun to me as racing through the twisties with 10 buddies


Just to each there own


Bill
 
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