Hope this doesn't go the wrong way lol.
Seems SW (in every forum) is quite sensitive to different opinions nowadays, compared to the past. It doesn't matter if the topic is steering mods, pick of piston or the brand you picked to ride but things get out of hand quite quickly sometimes with discussions about simple steel and rubber being looked at as a personal attack for some reason.
Maybe it is the shorter winters nowadays, maybe it is size of money investment and perceived return, maybe it's just a natural evolution to specific "classes" in a sport but, if your opinion-experience is different, post it, join in, or hit the back button lol.
Every forum is open to any member.
MO any way.
Another opinion of mine.
Does weight really matter? Good question. If we talk scientifically-physically and not personally (obviously no universal answer there lol) there is really only one answer, truthfully. Yes weight does matter, a lot.
Weight has always mattered in snowmobiling more than any other motorsport and here is a thread where some are asking if you can really notice 80 lbs. Hmmm.
In other motorsports weight loss is measured in decimals of a lb. and recorded performance improvements show the gain in fractions of a sec. No questions or theory are asked there. It's just a fact everyone knows.
Rider effort is hard to quantify but dang, a 200 lb bike is right away easier to throw around compared to a 230 lb bike and at the end of a day,,,,.
Wanna feel 10lbs really easy and the effort-energy used immediately and at the end of a day, experiment with your backpack. Throw in or take out 10lbs lol.
Mountain sleddin has 3 big areas where weight is definitely a big factor if nothing else is changed. One, we go up and lighter goes higher. everytime. Two, we go down and lighter is easier to control when you are riding something that weights more than you, everytime. Three, when it's fresh, lighter sinks less, everytime.
I won't go to stucks because yah, there all heavy when stuck, but, just like an elevator built for three 200lb people won't elevate four 200 lber's to the next floor, there is a chance you might bench press 200 lb and get the sled to move but 275 will not budge at your power level lol.
Evolution of sleds simply to overcome weight.
You can't change Mother Nature or the physical properties of gravity. But we try to overpower it, lol, and win to certain plateaus. Pretty soon MO, there may not be a tall enough mountain or deep enough snow to take a sled beyond it's limits right off the showroom floor. Pretty good human effort to overcome weight for only about 20 yrs since the first mountain sled came off the floor.
Rider aside, is there some place on this earth that a 270 HP 174 3.5" will not go? If there is the 350 HP 210" is right around the corner lol. When we had a max of 70 HP and 121", leaving the packsack at the bottom of the hill was worth 20 feet or more lol. No need today.
So we have the power and the floatation to overcome weight (I think this is why some asked the question if weight is really important). Snow has been the constant over the years and so has the rider.
Sure you can be strong enough to throw around an 11' or 12' sled at 700 lbs but you can't argue that a sled that's 10' and 600 lbs would not be easier physically to ride. Can you lol?
I think this is where we are at right now in the sport. The weight thing for the rider (the Pro let many people try it off the floor) has been added because we have overcome floatation and HP limitations of weight for the average Joe. Someday one of the OEM's may give us all of it if we keep asking but presently you pick the most important weight overcoming factor for you when you pick a sled.
Different strokes for different folks but weight does matter.
Do you think Yamaha could become #1 again quicker if they built a 320lb 75hp Phazer for $8000 first or a 475lb 180HP Apex for $15000. Which one would take the most innovation? Which one would get the most "talk"?