SnowGoer 2010 Sled Of The Year

[jpsted]

"The 2010 Polaris 600 RUSH™, a machine that reflects innovative Polaris engineering and delivers Terrain Dominating Control, has been named the 2010 Snow Goer Snowmobile of the Year."

My wife doesn't ever allow me to say that anybody's baby is ugly...to her, there are no ugly babies. But this is really an ugly baby!

I'd still like to take a spin on it though!

http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-us/Snowmobiles/2010/Performance/600-Rush/Pag es/Features.aspx

[mnuser]

Wonder how much Polaris paid to get Snow Goer to get that title this year? I never buy into that stuff. Those labels/awards are all for sale the highest bidder.

I would like to take a spin on one.

[polarisrider1]

mnuser, I to believe it is up to the highest bidder and who gets a couple new sleds delivered to their driveway for free to "Just try them out" The sled has not even been released yet. How can it be "sled of the year". Snow Goer has long been on my no suscribe list because of things like this. Note: I have done massive editing to keep Polaris Lawyers off my case. But, I still like there products.

[ezra]

I am your father luke

[indy_500]

i still think it's a great sled. sit on one and bounce up and down.

[crskidoo]

I guess if you want to bounce up and down ride a Rush. Kiddding Indy 500! Ive seen a few of these sleds and Polaris did really think out of the box on the suspension. I would agree that sled of the year is total personal preference. Someone has to have the title.

[polarisrider1]

Can you imagine the after market possibilities for this sled. Cha Ching! I am going to market a tunnel extension to make it look like a sled again. The front end is sweet. I need more running board. I ride with my legs behind me. I can't get the hang of the ride forward idea. The way I ride I like to bail every so often a tree comes my way. lol

[ezra]

sled of the year well lets go over some sweet stuff thay picked or got payed to pick in years past.one of my favs the 1993 xlt center piston any one?the 1992 yami vmax4 well it was fast it had a 4banger.1995 xlt well at least it did not burn down as mutch as the 1993.the 1996mxz583 why?snow goer blows do I get it yes buy out of the rags out I find it to be least informitive. snow west and snowtec then supertrax are prob my favs.and sled heads for the killer picks

[polarisrider1]

100% in agreement with ezra on this. I could go on and on about the duds he mentioned.

[mnuser]

It does look like a sweet ride. I wish they would do away with titles like that and let the buyers make the call. Like the above statement it has not even seen a year with real riders. I'm sure it will be a hit. Polaris has made good sleds for years and I'm sure they will continue with that tradition. I do ride Yamaha and think it just depends on your riding style and how your "luck" has been with a certain manufacture.

[whitedust]

SnowGoer does have nice pictures but that is about it for the well informed rider. I let my SnowGoer script lapse this year & this was my last copy. The Rush does have a lot of new rear suspension tech for Poo but is it catch up or tech that the others will copy? I think catch up & good for Poo faithful once refined which will take 2-3 years based on poor tarck record of new Poo products. Time will tell.

[indy_500]

seriously though sit on the sled and test the suspension

[whitedust]

Not interested in jumping up & down on a sled in show room but would like to bang a Rush thru the trail rough & whoops sometime. Can't tell much without test ride. Poo should set up test rides for everyone if they want market acceptance.

[famousguy]

indy_500

Your post was at 11:25 AM

Shouldn't you be in school??

[snobinge]

I let my subscription lapse this year as well.

[indy_500]

famousguy i am in school. i posted the one at 11:25 in shop class on the computers and now i'm in the library for study hall it's homecoming so we can do what we want i'm leaving in an hour. there's a bunch of activites but i'm skipping and going to dairy queen

[famousguy]

indy500
ohhh I see.

Enjoy the day.

I am teaching a shop/construction class today, so I have to go out in the rain to finish the new sled shed we are building.

[winterwarlock]

Is Polaris going to finish the back half in 2011? Must be a cost savings idea...lol

[zrjes]

Although I do not subscribe to this mag, it is obvious it was picked becuase it is very "Outside the Box" in terms of design. Whenever you have something a little radical, it tends to grab the spotlight. Just like the Vmax-4 grabbed the spotlight with the 4 cylinder 2 stroke behemouth it packed under the hood.

[rsvectordude]

I put zero faith into any magazine reviews anymore. Especially snowtech as of late. They are writing about long term reviews on some 4 stroke sleds that they put 400 miles on in the last issue. They aren't even broken in in 400 miles and they are reporting on long term tests???

[vmaxal]

Maybe if you read how they pick the sleds you would understand how they come up with them at this time of year. They even admit they have picked some lemons. It is an opinion and they are entitled to it. Making statements that they make their picks based on manufacturer lobbying and gifts shows a total lack of respect for somebody trying to promote the sport we all love.

If you have the time read the Editor's Note that is in the front of the Sled of the Year Issue below...

The Annual Great Debate

Snow Goer


It had been a long day, and it was starting to turn into a long night. My eyes burned and lungs ached due to the heavy cigar smoke in the air. Boxes holding stale pizza covered part of the table, and an assortment of back-issues, loose-leaf paper, notebooks and press kits covered the rest. Most of the crew had switched from coffee to beer hours ago, while the boss opted for whiskey, followed by more whiskey. Phones rang with interested third parties lobbying our staff, secretaries occasionally burst into the room carrying stacks of paper holding statistics and research, and one co-worker was turning surly, as others weren’t buying into his arguments. No solution was in sight.

I started on the Snow Goer staff in the fall of 1993, a young motorhead with a journalism degree and newspaper experience, eager to prove myself as a magazine writer and test rider. Because I hadn’t ridden the new snowmobiles at the Rode Reports testing event the previous March, my role in selecting the 1994 Snow Goer Snowmobile of the Year was mainly as a spectator and tie breaker. But it was my introduction to the process and criteria that is still used today.

Part of me kind of wishes it would have been like the portrayal above – it would make a more dramatic story – but nobody is allowed to smoke in our offices, drinking here is taboo, we’ve rarely ordered in food, and we’ve never had a manufacturer official call in and lobby on decision day. An occasional surly staff member? Oh sure, that part’s accurate.

For 16 years, I’ve been either directly or somewhat indirectly involved in the process. Most years I’ve been in the room, listening to arguments and making judgements. In the last few years, as I filled a few different roles with our company’s powersports magazines, I’ve played more of a distant role – contributing my opinions based on Rode Reports testing, and then staying out of the way. Now that I’m back full time with Snow Goer, I’m in the center of the action again.

My first year, the argument was between two specific models – back and forth the discussion went, point followed by counterpoint. Then the other associate editor and fellow new kid said, “If this thing is truly about innovation, why aren’t we talking about the ZR 440 – that front arm control dial makes it the first adjust-on-the-fly suspension in snowmobiling.”

That halted conversation for a moment, as everybody pondered. Race sleds were generally avoided as a part of the discussion, but Craig was right – the other finalists weren’t breaking any new ground, but the ZR was. It took several more hours of debate, but eventually the ZR won, and the rest is history.

Looking back, I think we’ve picked truly historic snowmobiles. Some weren’t perfect (the 1992 Vmax-4 was a beast, for example, and the 1998 ZR 600 EFI was a timebomb), but each machine brought something innovative to the market, and that’s what the award has always been about – innovation, challenging the status quo and raising the bar.

We have had some close calls that caused much debate. In the fall of 2001, for instance, some industry folks melted down when we didn’t choose Arctic Cat’s Yellowstone Special four-stroke as the Snowmobile of the Year. I remember similar hard feelings when Yamaha’s SXViper and Polaris’ 900 Fusion were not selected in their respective introductory years. In each case, we had seen enough of each rig to shy away, even though each machine was creating a buzz. Sometimes the decisions you don’t make are the best ones.

Where will this year’s Snowmobile of the Year fit in when the story of snowmobiling history is written? Truly only time will tell, but we’re confident it will kick off an important era of development for rear suspensions.

[whitedust]

Yep I already read all that BS & still dropped the mag.after a long long run maybe 15 years or so. Snowgoer getting very skinny & not much news & too basic for me but nice pictures.lol Rush has new tech in rear for sure but will it hold together is the question. Even FAST, the king of comfort, has traditional rear susp. design but uses all air shocks. I'm not sure Rush is the future for all OEMS rear susp. design just different for now. Poo needs a shot in the arm to win back lost sales & users that went green yellow & blue but they may be gone forever anyway. I like Rush design but would not buy one. No way! Poo's new product bad track record scares me away & other OEMS doing very well with new products & their sleds all handle & ride very well so wait & see on Poo for me & stay with what I know is good.

[eagle1]

The way I see it even if the rear suspension is the cats ••• I still wouldn't buy it because 1. its ugly (all of it) 2. no storage (tunnel for bags) 3.how do you reach the rear bumper when you bury it?

I just hope this doesn't sink Polaris.

[indy_500]

there is a rear bumper on this sled btw. i don't think it's ugly. and i don't see why storage is a big deal because the people that need storage buy saddlebags. and you can buy saddlebags, tank bags, handlebar bags, and windshield bags. and there's a polaris rush underseat bag too. they tested this rear suspension and the epoxy is stronger than welds and rivets so i don't know how it could fall apart.

[whitedust]

Moving parts fail & lots of moving parts in rear suspensions. To me all sled rear suspensions are amazing machines when slammed on bumps & encased in ice frozen solid for months. I think the frame will be will be ok even tho glued as this tech has been around for awhile. Rear supen. adjustments when iced just need to be tested by use with the average rider to know if good or bad. Poo was smart to bring Rush platform first then new engine later. As said time will tell but I think this configuration will be Poo only & not spread to other OEMs.