I couldn't wait any longer and registered for N.H the other day. I pooped on the linq 2-up seat and headed to Fitzwilliam with my girlfriend Angela. The new 1200 skidoo had some pretty big shoes to fill in the power range category since I retired the Apex.
The skidoo has a totally different sound to it but its a nice growl. The throttle is very touchy...something I've read about in other reports. Engine breaking on the 4 stroke is very noticeable as well. With skidoos new E-drive 2 clutch, engagement is very smooth and engages at a low rpm. This 4 stroke has a ton of torque and with 2 people , it can lug around at low speeds without worrying about belt slippage at all.
I was trying to vary the throttle as best I could...especially since it was new and I had a passenger on board that has never snowmobiled...but it wasn't long befor a nice straight-away presented itself and my right thumb naturally mashed the happy flipper. As the grin widened on my face while the needle easily surpassed the 80 mph mark, I could feel the legs behind me squeezing tight....oops!
Well at least I know the 135 hp machine has a nice pull to that mark :). The R-motion suspension is the most comfortable suspension I have had the pleasure of sitting on...it is sprung to low for this 250 lb guy as I found that on setting #5 it still fell out of spec. I have already ordered heavier springs, but even with a passenger on board it provided the plushest ride. I can't wait to pop the single seat back on and put it to the test...I feel extremely confident that it won't disappoint !
The trails from Fitzwilliam were getting beat up from the holiday traffic, but we rode all the way to Keene . All the lakes we passed were definitely NOT safe...still open water. There were some thinner spots and "snirt" but all in all there was plenty of base for cooling and lubrication. Angela is now in love with snowmobiling so I guess it wasn't that bad for trail conditions. Following WPR protocol I gassed up in Troy even though it only took 3 gallons. I guess I also wanted to give Angela the full experience of snowmobiling...gas station stops, quick candy bar snack, etc..lol
We headed back towards Fitzwilliam and once at the loadeing area we saw 2 EPO's standing there checking for stickers. We stopped and the decided to head over towards rindge. The trails was less than desirable and very boney. I almost turned around but decided to see how the rail bed was...it turned out to be a good choice since it was the smoothest section of trail we saw all day. We rode all the way to Jaffrey and turned around. There were plenty of sleds out but this side of the trail seemed to hold up nicer. On our way back we saw 2 deer standing in the trail...very nice! We arrived back at the truck just enough light to load the sled up. We logged 57.4 miles..not bad for its maiden voyage. We need one more 6-8" storm for ideal conditions but I'm still happy with what we have for local rides.
Hoping to get out some more this week for a few hours...388
