[Trickster]

Kinda wondering why the brand never (at least as far as I know) got into sleds.



Other motorcycle mfgs have, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Harley Davidson, Polaris, etc.



Honda has marine engines, snowblowers, generators, ATV's, lawnmowers, etc.(edit & airplanes)



But no sleds, fairweather engineers?

Like most or all of their products, they would probably have built a tremendous machine....too bad they have not done so.

 

[Blindstitch]

I don't really think there's a huge market for it.



Lots of areas without snow. 4 wheelers and motorcycles make a lot of sense over snowmobiles. But yeah it could have been a hell of a product.



No reason you couldn't take a chain driven motorcycle engine and put it in a snowmobile since all I played with had a chain from the engine to the first axle.

 

[Panther]

Hummm,



CBR600f4i sled anyone?

 

[InWeldingWeTrust]

Snowmobiles are a very small market already saturated by manufacturers so there's not much opportunity for profit. Knowing the way that Honda test however, I suspect if they ever did you would hear the other manufactureres crapping themselves from a distance

 

[plumcrazy]

I'm looking at a "snowmobile motor" powered buggy and would love to get a Honda motor that would fill in for the Kohler engine...does Honda make an "automatic" with reverse?



Wayne S

 

[Ohm]

Snowmobiles are a very small market already saturated by manufacturers so there's not much opportunity for profit. Knowing the way that Honda test however, I suspect if they ever did you would hear the other manufactureres crapping themselves from a distance

Especially if they powered it with a CBR600f4i motor

Yeah I think the biggest problem is that there is such a small market for them.

 

[Linny]

I would give them a look if they made snowmachines. The price would prob be the reason for me not to buy one. Same holds true for any of the new stuff out there right now. A buddy of mine paid 12k for a new skidoo last week. NFW for me!! For a snowmobile getting used 4 months of the year where I live I could never justify it.

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

1973









R

 

[Abes_CW]

I'm looking at a "snowmobile motor" powered buggy and would love to get a Honda motor that would fill in for the Kohler engine...does Honda make an "automatic" with reverse?



Wayne S

They do in their quads.

 

[Trickster]

I would give them a look if they made snowmachines. The price would prob be the reason for me not to buy one. Same holds true for any of the new stuff out there right now. A buddy of mine paid 12k for a new skidoo last week. NFW for me!! For a snowmobile getting used 4 months of the year where I live I could never justify it.

No chit season is very limited to justify big bucks for sure. I paid $600 for my Ski-Doo and $800 for my Arctic Cat with



a trailer. Went to buy an inline filter at the local retailer and was overwhelmed by a brand new $19,000 + snowmobile.



Wild looking no doubt, does not even resemble my old sleds. But holy crap that is alot of dough for a sled. Mind you



if you are a hardcore rider and got the cash, why not.

 

[Dash]

You guys are too young. Or maybe I was too serious about reading Popular Mechanics magazine way back when. Just about every small engine manufacturer and tractor manufacturer made a snowmobile in the 60's for at least a few years. In my recollection from Popular Mechanics, Honda was late to the game and just as they were getting ready to release a model, the snowmobile market crashed. Here's some snowmobile brands that I remember bopping around my neighborhood when I was just a lad: Johnson Skee-Horse, Evinrude, John Deere, Massey-Ferguson, Mercury, Sno-Jet, Skiroule, Rupp, Bolens, Sno-Prince, Chaparral, Wheel Horse, and of course, Ski-Doo, Artic Cat, and Polaris. The Rupp and Alouette dealer was right by my house. I thought the coolest looking snowmobile by far, was Mercury.

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

Here's some snowmobile brands that I remember bopping around my neighborhood when I was just a lad: ...

Where did you spend your lad-hood, Dash? I'm guessing somewhere other than California. Upper mid-west?



R

 

[Burkhart]

Hi,

I'm relatively new here. Noticed the question about Honda & snowmobiles. Honda did make snowmobiles for just a short time. There is one in the museum in Williamsport, Pa. The dealer is Bob Logue. I was by there this year to see his collection of turbos and other early Hondas. It's really worth your time to see. In the show room I saw what looked like a large sled with a small shield and a motor. He explained that Honda only made a few thousand, decided it was a product that needed to be hauled to its place of use and I suppose scrapped the idea and issued an order for a recall and had them destroyed. I think the one on display was found in Canada and he was offered over $10K for it. There are supposed to be a total of 3 left.

Big Bird

 

[americanclassic]

Honda also doesnt do jetskis. I think they stray away from 2-strokes nowadays, and as far as I know (never owned either) they are usually 2 stroke engines.

 

[Ryan]

Honda also doesnt do jetskis. I think they stray away from 2-strokes nowadays, and as far as I know (never owned either) they are usually 2 stroke engines.

They do in Canada at least, and it's a 4-stroke: http://hondacanada.ca/MCPE/Motorcyc...w?L=E&Type=Aquatrax&Year=2009&Model=ARX1500T9



And don't forget about this guy: http://hondajet.honda.com/default.aspx?bhcp=1

 

[americanclassic]

They do in Canada at least, and it's a 4-stroke: http://hondacanada.ca/MCPE/Motorcyc...w?L=E&Type=Aquatrax&Year=2009&Model=ARX1500T9



And don't forget about this guy: http://hondajet.honda.com/default.aspx?bhcp=1

Thats odd. I had never seen one, and I live in Florida.

 

[Ryan]

Yeah I couldn't find it on the US site. Not sure why they would only offer it in a country that can only get use out of it for 6 or 7 months in a year.

 

[Ryan]

Oops, scratch that...in with motorcycles and not watersports: http://powersports.honda.com/water.aspx

 

[Dash]

FYI, I grew up in Michigan. Went to college at Michigan Technological University in the upper peninsula.



I really like the old snowmobiles because they were much more individual whereas today, they all look the same. Also, I think the new ones are way too high-tech and way way too fast. There's nothing wrong with the high-tech and the reliability and comfort is great, but I just don't need to go 120 mph and these new machines do that fast easily. I like being outdoors and exploring. If I could rent a horse and sleigh, I'd do it.



Typically I go snowmobiling one week a year in the U.P. Last year, Evert's in Hancock, MI rented me a brand new sled for $130 per day and that's from like 7:30 AM until way past dark. Pretty good deal I'd say.

 

[Blindstitch]

That's where my dad gets his fourwheelers. He's been a customer since 1988.



One word of advice. Always get insurance. My old roommate rented one for a weekend and he was out with friends and somehow got off the trail following a poleline and there was a cut off stump of a pole. Well he didn't see it. He was ejected from the sled but not before taking a handlebar to the groin. One of the skis was bent out of wack but he managed to limp it to a gas station where he called me.



I dropped him off at the ER in Marquette where he then had to explain to the attendant that his junk was bleeding.



Somehow he made out like a bandit on it. The place told him his options were to pay for the repair which was $3000 or buy it for a little over that. He bought it and fixed it for $300 and sold it for just short of out the box price.