2026 Predictions

[Mountainman52]

in the next 2 months we should know what the remaining 3 are offering for 2026.

CAT? will they resume production?

Polaris? 9R Turbo?

Skidoo? 950 NA?

BNG

 

[skid]

I really hope Polaris gets something similar to “shot”, it’s a great feature.

 

[greenthumb]

Similar to the 340 I had as a kid.

I miss the 340 I had growing up. Father sold it without telling me. Been trying to track it down ever since.

 

[oler1234]

big new graphics. and different sled options. as well in-season snow checks avaliable anytime of the year, i belive there in season snowcheck was a success for sled sales.

mayby we see meth injection system on mountain models.

be nice if doo ditched some weight as well, heavy sled overall.

 

[greenthumb]

I think the quads and SXS are made in mexico, I don’t know where the watercraft is manufactured.

I totally agree, I am not sure what that would look like if the Tariffs are implemented, pass the cost to the US consumer? I dunno if doo has the balls to attempt that.
I see alot of yellow and red crates at doo dealers when there normally isn’t any, regardless of what’s in them, it’s inventory.
If the Tariffs are implemented I highly doubt doo would release a new Chassis and retool, but Guaranteed there is a new chassis and engine ready to be released, when is the question.
I do feel Alberta will weather the tariffs better than any other province.

Yes, the other brands and product lines are mostly made in Mexico, but I thought we were talking specifically about sleds. I ride with some frenchies that live just down the road from headquarters. Supposedly old man Bombardier put in some of clause in his will that the sleds are never to leave Quebec or something along those lines.
Someone brought up an interesting point with Lynx being built in Finland. Maybe that's some sort of workaround for them.
I really don't think this tariff thing will last long. Look how quickly he backed off Colombia. There will be major revolt one their fuel prices jump 25%.

Had a good chat with one of the BRP reps at the sled show in 2023. It was at another booth while he was roaming the show. He was a young guy that was in the marketing team for Can-am.
He thought BRP was great to work for, but he was critical about some of the things they did, and cited that all Can-am and Seadoo products were 100% manufactured in Mexico. Most of Skidoo products were made either there or offshore, but simply “assembled” in Quebec. He was quite vocal about not agreeing with where the product came from, but noted that BRP was aggressively profit driven.

Have a good look. The sleds are almost entirely made in Canada. The engines are from Austria, the wiring harness is from Mexico, the little rubber bits are China. Everything else had made in Canada stamped all over it. The wiring harnesses were made here too not that long ago. The TRA was from France, not sure about the pDrive, but the QRS is made here too.

As stated, the other brands/product lines are whole different story. I believe the Quebec plant makes the Spyders in the opposite season.

 

[1100]

we are at the limit of pump fuel i don't think there is a safe 10hp available for that sled that would work at low elevation keeping in mind that they have some safety factor in there as not everyone is getting true 91 premium at the pumps

I was surprised you got 15 horse at once in twenty three. I thought doo would add 5 for three years. It caught me off guard

 

[1100]

That new triple triple is going to have a lot of torque

Hopefully a 1200 at least

 

[Ghfalls]

How about a 154 or 165 x 2 1/2 de tuned by 5 hp so it’ll hold together beyond 5k, with just plain black plastics with yellow stickers , plain shocks and 6 months of warranty for $12500 plus gst. I bet they’d sell a boat load of them. Perfect for the smaller budget guys, of the guys that wanna throw a shock package and a turbo on. Cheap bastard like me would likely find a way to buy one of those. Dealer upgrade to 3”

 

[deaner]

How about a 154 or 165 x 2 1/2 de tuned by 5 hp so it’ll hold together beyond 5k, with just plain black plastics with yellow stickers , plain shocks and 6 months of warranty for $12500 plus gst. I bet they’d sell a boat load of them. Perfect for the smaller budget guys, of the guys that wanna throw a shock package and a turbo on. Cheap bastard like me would likely find a way to buy one of those. Dealer upgrade to 3”

Maxwell says it will never work

 

[maxwell]

I really hope Polaris gets something similar to “shot”, it’s a great feature.

not possible with their current engine and fuel management system. It would need to be direct injection

 

[maxwell]

Maxwell says it will never work

it'll work, but other than you two guys in here no one wants it lol. Unless your buying a honda forman no one wants the plain jane stuff.

 

[adamg]

not possible with their current engine and fuel management system. It would need to be direct injection

I disagree. Direct injection is only a minor factor that changes how many revolutions the external motor needs to rotate the crankshaft to start the ICE.

At its heart there are only two key requirements to a new, lighter starting system that can be comparable to SHOT:
1. Electrical energy storage in a small, lightweight package (a big capacitor or a special battery).
2. The magneto/alternator/ electrical generator device strapped to the engine's crankshaft needs to be able to run as a electric motor.

 

[maxwell]

I disagree. Direct injection is only a minor factor that changes how many revolutions the external motor needs to rotate the crankshaft to start the ICE.

At its heart there are only two key requirements to a new, lighter starting system that can be comparable to SHOT:
1. Electrical energy storage in a small, lightweight package (a big capacitor or a special battery).
2. The magneto/alternator/ electrical generator device strapped to the engine's crankshaft needs to be able to run as a electric motor.

minor factor? its the most critical part. the computer positions the piston to ideal position and then instantly injects fuel into the chamber ( the injector is on top of the cylinder head) and a small rotation to fire the engine. This is how they are able to get away with using just a capacitor. the engine does not even make one full revolution and depending on where the piston is when the engine stops sometimes its almost exactly where it needs to be.

it takes 3 good pulls to start a Polaris on a good day so you would need a full battery and at a minimum a much larger magneto capable of rotating the engine 10+ times without burning out. Your talking about electric start but maybe saving 5 lbs going from a starter motor to a magneto starter. A capacitor provides good power for a very short duration, not enough to rotate that engine 10 times. The magneto is not designed to spin the engine at speed enough to start the engine like a conventional ring gear and starter motor.

when you pull the rope on a snowmobile with the gear reduction in the rewind how many times does the engine turn over? Its a lot.

SHOT technology is not possible on a Polaris. A modified slightly lighter electric start system sure, but anything remotely close to SHOT comparable is not. Until they move to Direct injection and a much more sophisticated computer and engine management system.

 

[Teth-Air]

minor factor? its the most critical part. the computer positions the piston to ideal position and then instantly injects fuel into the chamber ( the injector is on top of the cylinder head) and a small rotation to fire the engine. This is how they are able to get away with using just a capacitor. the engine does not even make one full revolution and depending on where the piston is when the engine stops sometimes its almost exactly where it needs to be.

it takes 3 good pulls to start a Polaris on a good day so you would need a full battery and at a minimum a much larger magneto capable of rotating the engine 10+ times without burning out. Your talking about electric start but maybe saving 5 lbs going from a starter motor to a magneto starter. A capacitor provides good power for a very short duration, not enough to rotate that engine 10 times. The magneto is not designed to spin the engine at speed enough to start the engine like a conventional ring gear and starter motor.

when you pull the rope on a snowmobile with the gear reduction in the rewind how many times does the engine turn over? Its a lot.

SHOT technology is not possible on a Polaris. A modified slightly lighter electric start system sure, but anything remotely close to SHOT comparable is not. Until they move to Direct injection and a much more sophisticated computer and engine management system.

In 2015 I put a super capacitor on a 2012 Skidoo XP, in place of the heavy lead acid battery. It had a traditional starter motor. The capacitor would start it no problem after an initial charge. So the capacitor is ample but the starter needs to be eliminated and the magneto redesigned to operate as a DC motor or an AC motor with a DC to AC convertor. All the components have already been engineered for other purposes. They just need to be brought together for Polaris. Shot starts the motor in one stroke so it needs everything to be perfect, fuel, timing etc. Polaris can just crank the motor and leave all the rest of the system as is.

 

[maxwell]

In 2015 I put a super capacitor on a 2012 Skidoo XP, in place of the heavy lead acid battery. It had a traditional starter motor. The capacitor would start it no problem after an initial charge. So the capacitor is ample but the starter needs to be eliminated and the magneto redesigned to operate as a DC motor or an AC motor with a DC to AC convertor. All the components have already been engineered for other purposes. They just need to be brought together for Polaris. Shot starts the motor in one stroke so it needs everything to be perfect, fuel, timing etc. Polaris can just crank the motor and leave all the rest of the system as is.

a 2012 xp was direct injection and starts in a half pull of the rope. Put that super capacitor on a polaris that needs 3-5 pulls

 

[Rhodesie]

after the initial start in the morning why does a polaris need 3-5 pulls to start? i have owned quite a few polaris sleds and have never needed more than a half pull for them to light up when warm.

 

[maxwell]

after the initial start in the morning why does a polaris need 3-5 pulls to start? i have owned quite a few polaris sleds and have never needed more than a half pull for them to light up when warm.

they are very inconsistent. Some start very well and some need 3-4 pulls consistently. Others start on one pull and the next time 4 pulls. Fuel is being injected into the system about as far back as a carburetor so it cant be consistent depending on the sleds angle, roll, temperature or piston position. I ride with alot of polaris and not one of them starts the same. Especially when you are tired your probably not getting the same leverage on the cord



id like to see a polaris get with the times and build a Direct injected 9R and boost. The entire automotive industry has moved to direct injection they don't even need skidoos fancy voice coil injectors. It would give them alot cleaner running machine

 

[Rhodesie]

i agree but unfortunately with how their market cap has tanked and the 40% loss in 2024 i really don't see anything new coming for a long time. i think we are going to be stuck with what we have. no extra mulla for r&d. not that they did much anyway. i do think shot is bar none the koolest innovation ever applied to a sled.

 

[snopro]

minor factor? its the most critical part. the computer positions the piston to ideal position and then instantly injects fuel into the chamber ( the injector is on top of the cylinder head) and a small rotation to fire the engine. This is how they are able to get away with using just a capacitor. the engine does not even make one full revolution and depending on where the piston is when the engine stops sometimes its almost exactly where it needs to be.

it takes 3 good pulls to start a Polaris on a good day so you would need a full battery and at a minimum a much larger magneto capable of rotating the engine 10+ times without burning out. Your talking about electric start but maybe saving 5 lbs going from a starter motor to a magneto starter. A capacitor provides good power for a very short duration, not enough to rotate that engine 10 times. The magneto is not designed to spin the engine at speed enough to start the engine like a conventional ring gear and starter motor.

when you pull the rope on a snowmobile with the gear reduction in the rewind how many times does the engine turn over? Its a lot.

SHOT technology is not possible on a Polaris. A modified slightly lighter electric start system sure, but anything remotely close to SHOT comparable is not. Until they move to Direct injection and a much more sophisticated computer and engine management system.

Yep we all saw Matt’s Polaris in the last vid. He had to pull on the rope 3-4 times to get his sled to start. Not bad when it’s warm but a PITA when it’s cold out