Snowbike vs Snowmobile Cost of Ownership

[coloradodirtbag]

I'm trying to determine the total 5-year cost of ownership between a snowbike vs sled.

Snowbike
YZ450FX = $10,000
Riot 3 = $7,000
Purchase price = $17,000

Snowmobile
Skidoo Freeride = $16,000
Purchase price = $16,000

Lets say I average 600 miles/season * 5 years = 3,000 miles

What will total maintenance cost look like after 3,000 miles on a 450 vs freeride?

 

[AllHatNoCattle]

Are you factoring in the thousands of dollars in accessories you need to make the bike work properly in the snow?

 

[coloradodirtbag]

Are you factoring in the thousands of dollars in accessories you need to make the bike work properly in the snow?

No I'm not. I'm unfamiliar to the sled world. How much additional are mods to make the bike snow ready?
Also have no idea what long-term maintenance costs are like on a sled vs bike. I know the 450 will need at least 1 full rebuild.

 

[AllHatNoCattle]

I don't know anything about sleds. I've never even sat on one.


I am also not familiar with the Yamahas. I am a KTM guy. That said, here is a bit of a list with ballpark figures on accessories you would want to add. I am in Canada, so my Canuckbuck estimated prices are probably higher than what you guys pay.

ECU- $1000 (I think the Yamahas may not need this because they can be programmed with a computer or something?)
Intake: $400 for the good one
Heated bars and thermostat: $500ish?
Hand guards: $150
Seat Concepts Seat: $500
Light: $100
Pipe (recommended not required): $800
Engine Blanket: $150
Skid Plate: $200
Gas Can Rack and cans: $300?
Pelican Case or similar: $150?
Recommend high quality chain: $100
Fork Revalve with heavy springs or Trio: $500?

I don't know anything about sleds, but they seem like they are way simpler. I am guessing that your cost to maintain the sled is going to be a lot lower than the bike.

All that said, I think bikes are WAY more fun. I love ripping through the trees in the powder. Watching the sled guys ride at the bottom of the valley in the hacked out trail while we hit fresh snow in the trees is always fun.

When we come out of the trees into the bowls and see the sled guys just going up and down the big climbs... I mean it looks... ok... but I dont know if I would make the trip just to do that.

 

[Sheetmetalfab]

No I'm not. I'm unfamiliar to the sled world. How much additional are mods to make the bike snow ready?
Also have no idea what long-term maintenance costs are like on a sled vs bike. I know the 450 will need at least 1 full rebuild.

Call it $20k even for the snowbike setup.
3000 miles on a snowbike is a lot.
Probably 35-40 oil changes.
10 chains.
If you get a 2015-2018 yz450fx you might make it with one engine rebuild.
The newer YZ450Fx probably will need 4 rebuilds.

The freeride won’t need anything major in 3000 miles. (Except what you damage)

Probably 3 belts, 20 gallons of oil and 4 chaincase oil changes.

I’ve had 5 snowbikes and 15 sleds over the last 18 years.

 

[eric82930]

Just to throw this out there, If cost is the primary concern why not look into the used market? I know prices have gotten crazy but before this year my buddies have built some remarkable budget builds and I guarantee they have more fun than many guys with 20k$ bikes. And they are as reliable as anything.

 

[coloradodirtbag]

Just to throw this out there, If cost is the primary concern why not look into the used market? I know prices have gotten crazy but before this year my buddies have built some remarkable budget builds and I guarantee they have more fun than many guys with 20k$ bikes. And they are as reliable as anything.

I'm open to this, was just trying to compare apples to apples. I'm unsure what the used snowbike market is like compared to the used sled market. Do you think I can find a reliable snowbike build under $10k?

 

[eric82930]

I'm open to this, was just trying to compare apples to apples. I'm unsure what the used snowbike market is like compared to the used sled market. Do you think I can find a reliable snowbike build under $10k?

Yes for sure. But you can't assume every used bike is the same. You need to have some mechanical knowledge or a lot of luck. That being said a lot of new bikes break too sometimes ending a season early because dealers can't even fix anything under warranty in a reliable manner. Some dealers are better than others. The best example of good used bikes was the often overlooked 250sx 2 strokes. They are cheap and make more power than a 300 out of the box and the whole engine can be rebuilt by a monkey for next to nothing. The other over achieve is the rmz450 yes they are kind wimpy in hp but they are reliable and often super cheap. And keep in mind set up is everything. The latest and greatest bike with a crappy plugged up intake will make less power than the rmz with a good intake. The air needs to flow regardless of what you get.

 

[coloradodirtbag]

Yes for sure. But you can't assume every used bike is the same. You need to have some mechanical knowledge or a lot of luck. That being said a lot of new bikes break too sometimes ending a season early because dealers can't even fix anything under warranty in a reliable manner. Some dealers are better than others. The best example of good used bikes was the often overlooked 250sx 2 strokes. They are cheap and make more power than a 300 out of the box and the whole engine can be rebuilt by a monkey for next to nothing. The other over achieve is the rmz450 yes they are kind wimpy in hp but they are reliable and often super cheap. And keep in mind set up is everything. The latest and greatest bike with a crappy plugged up intake will make less power than the rmz with a good intake. The air needs to flow regardless of what you get.

I actually have a low hour 2019 YZ250X, how much am I looking to convert this setup? Would the power be sufficent?

 

[couch]

I love ripping through the trees in the powder. Watching the sled guys ride at the bottom of the valley in the hacked out trail while we hit fresh snow in the trees is always fun.

When we come out of the trees into the bowls and see the sled guys just going up and down the big climbs... I mean it looks... ok... but I dont know if I would make the trip just to do that.

Your riding with the wrong sledders .....

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[eric82930]

I actually have a low hour 2019 YZ250X, how much am I looking to convert this setup? Would the power be sufficent?

Heck yeh, if you already have one its not a tough decision, throw a used track on it and ride the rest of this season stock. Then do the yz mods to get the power up for next year and add tstat and carb heat/wrap.

 

[wwillf01]

The question is where and what you want to ride … to me if you ride the same terrain on a snowmobile as a Snowbike damage cost can go up exponentially.. I have ridden both and converted small Snowbike.. they both are expensive so I would get what you like to ride the most… rent or ride both … the catch to the snowbike is set it up right to have the most fun. Also who are you riding with … it’s more fun to ride with the same type of machines for sure .


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[BeeDoo]

I'm relatively new to snow biking -- just this season. Been riding sleds since about 1998, all makes and models.
I think the big difference is just due to the R&D. It used to be that you had to work on sleds all the time, set them up, make adjustments, etc. We are now at a time where new, manufactured sleds are ready to go (Mostly!) and awesome right from the dealer. If you buy a new sled, you'd probably get 2K-3K trouble free miles with relatively no maintenance (belts, oil, etc.)
The bikes are still in the infancy stage. It's basically people -- a lot of whom are on this forum -- taking existing dirt bike technology and adapting it to/for snow riding. Which means there are going to be hiccups and a lot of different setups, etc. And with no real snowbike manufacturer currently existing, there is no company R&D money being poured into development.
I purposely bought mine from one of the few dealers that builds snow bikes themselves. They are a motorcycle dealer, not snowmobile. I just wanted something that was already set -up so that I wouldn't have to go through all that. And I was willing to pay for it.

I've loved the bike this season -- every ride has been extremely fun and challenging. I've also learned something, or many things, every ride. Still have the snowmobiles, still have fun on them too, and don't plan on selling them. But, I'd say I prefer the bike at this point. Especially in any conditions that aren't tits deep powder.

 

[GKR]

You should also consider fuel cost as the bike uses about 1/3 of the fuel that a sled uses in a typical day.

 

[jrlastofthebreed]

KTM guy here. A nice accessories build without to much whistles and bells will run you $2k.
3000 miles works out to about 300 hours the way I ride.
Costs about 8 gallons of gas for 10 hours or riding
1 Oil change for 10 hours of riding at $10 to $40 per oil change depending on what oil. so $300-$1200 in oil changes
1 new chain every 100 hours at $80 so figure $240 in chains.
You can get 300 hours out of most top ends these days. (I did 320 before my top end)

2 completely different machines that do different things. your comparing pickups and race cars.
I build a snowbike a few years ago for $7100 out the door. And it had quite a few accessories on it. Its possible to do on a budget. Both my current setups cost around $13k and I have all the nice features. It can get expensive though, Im in over $2000 this season in broken stuff lol. It wasn't a good year for me

 

[M5-]

IMO bikes are more maintenance than sleds, specially new sleds. Purchase cost wise I don't see a big difference. It comes down to lack of use of the money. If you can afford to have $20k tied up in a new sled then spend $20k on your bike set up. That $20k you spend is now off the table for other things like a smart investment for example not a toy. On the back end when it's time to sell, I'm not sure there is a huge difference in depreciation between the two provided the bike has been maintained. A decade ago when I bought my first kit there was no way a guy would spend as much on a snow bike as a sled, it was a second toy, now its the same price for a new setup.

On a bike I run 60 hours from a good quality (read DID) chain less from a crap one (read anything else) its not worth breaking a case half because you were too cheap put on a new chain, 100 hours max for a top end (rings, piston, hone/replate, timing chain, valve set), 150 on a bottom end (crank, bearings, the works), I need a shipping container full of fenders and rad shrouds, wraps are a waste of money for me. 5+ gallons of T6, a lot of time. If you can't do your own work a sled is a cheaper easier option for some guys and new sleds get it done compared to older stuff. That said I'm still not going back to a sled, like ever.

M5

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

Down the road, I would rather have a used bike to sell / and a kit than a used sled. No snow winter, you still have a bike to ride. But truley, there is no comparison, if you like bikes, the best new sleds just don't cut it. The sled mfg are now making the sleds we wanted 20 year ago. I only took up sledding 50 years ago because I couldn't ride my motorcycles in the winter..............so we have go past the sleds as an alternative winter sport.

 

[wwillf01]

This sums it up




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[EXO Sled]

I think it might be appropriate to consider EXO Sled in your analysis. You will have the best of both worlds! EXO Sled kits are maintenance free, the snowmobile has a low maintenance cost and you don't need to spend thousands of dollars on accessories as mentioned by AllNatNoCattle. You can easily ride on the same terrain as the snowmobile and snowbike. Also, you need to think about how much time you will spend on maintenance on each ride if you have a snowbike. The "maintenance time/travel time" ratio is close to 1/1...
You can find many used sleds in good condition to install the EXO kit on, then you have the most powerful snowbike at an affordable cost.

 

[56pdlx]

You should also consider fuel cost as the bike uses about 1/3 of the fuel that a sled uses in a typical day.

You’re not riding hard or long enough if your not burning the same amount of fuel as a sled! 2017 YZ450FX with dts 129. 2 1/2 tanks of fuel per day.


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