This might be lengthy...
First off (the suck up)
I love my Doo. Ever since I can remember, sledding has been my number one pass time for over 30 years. There was a period of time where I didn't own a sled and choose other activities, but I truely missed the smell of 2stroke. I remember going rabbit hunting on my Elan, and my Dad wrenching on the TnT to get it fired up for a night ride, the throttle sticking on the Olympique and piling into a fence post, I likely wasn't 7 years old. All of those memories support my passion for what I do today. My earliest memories were all formed around a Ski-Doo. Okay I admit, I rode a Cat for a few years too. But I came back!
There will be some bashing, prices are too high, never enough snow, yadda yadda yadda, but I am not about to jump on that bandwagon. I choose to ride the sled I do because I enjoy it.
As my friends are mostly all riders, there are some items that we can poke fun at when looking at other brands. One thing my friends and I find amusing is the love for someone like Chris Burandt. He is an ambassador to Polaris in just about every current movie, has his own Polaris line of parts now and so on. There is a such a thing as too much Burandt. Please do not go down that route. Yeah sure, anyone would love to be in his shoes. Yes he is a great rider and promotes the sport well. But its a little much. Moderation.
The Doo ambassadors, who I can only name three, Treadway, Norona and Hoff I believe are decent. Dave is a little over the top, but throws up some decent videos of when he is out riding. The program seems to work, it gets some attention to the brand and isn't over the top like Polaris.
I'll answer in my own opinion some of the questions you asked:
How can we help you get more from your sleds? Riding in the mountains is all about technique, but also rider fatigue. The less fatigued, the better technique the rider can achieve. There is a weight race out there. It sells. People are focusing more on technical riding (maybe thanks to people like Burandt) than trying to climb the biggest, tallest shoot. HP still sells, but a lightweight chassis that can stand up to abuse will sell more.
Articles on maintenance tricks? That is fine and dandy, but for guys who actually do their own maintenance, we invest hundreds if not more into special tools to do this work. I know you don't want to take away specialty work from the dealers but of the dealers I use they are always strapped with finding good shop help. The economy doesn't always support entry level mechanics working on small engines. Maybe ask the dealers if they are happy with the work they are doing. I will always prefer to do my own work as $100/hr shop rates are a little much to chew on sometimes. Thankfully there is warranty! So the maintenance tricks would be basic, belt changes, track tension, spark plugs, most of which can be found on a forum like this.
Videos on advanced riding techniques? I actually saw one of Robb Hoff's recently on youtube. It works, I was jealous of the snow he was riding in, but it works. How about a heavily influenced full length BRP video? Throw together your ambassadors and make a video. It will sell. Pick 3 or 4 riding locations, with a large focus on mountain riding of course, and film away. I am getting a little tired of seeing Polaris...there is a common theme here
It was interesting to see the option for wraps on sleds. But leave it to the guys who make wraps. If someone truely wants to personalize their sled, it will be a custom wrap.
Make an "X" that is a step above the rest. Very minor differences now between an X and the SP. Some paint, color, bars and minor suspnsion upgrade for a higer price tag that you won't get in season discounts on. The '07 XRS was a step above. It had its flaws, but it was a step above.
I know I could go on, but I actually have to get back to work and earn some cash to take a week off to go sledding now
Thanks BRP
