SNOWMOBILE – Ski-Doo targets Gen Y with the 2006 Freestyle

When developing its first 2006 snowmobile planned for release, the Freestyle, Bombardier Recreation Products Inc. (BRP) opened its library to take a look at its history in the industry.
Citing statistics on declining sales and an aging snowmobile population, BRP snowmobile product manager Christian St. Onge said the company is looking at how to make money from the newest spending population: Gen Y.
BRP wants to get Gen Y — the children of baby boomers — hooked on snowmobiling. According to census reports, the 71 million Gen Y members span 17 years and are an extremely important population segment as they are considered the next big generation. BRP is aiming the Freestyle specifically for the older end of the Gen Y spectrum, St. Onge said, the 18- to 24-year-old adult.
The Ski-Doo Freestyle is designed to be a playful, inexpensive, light weight and fun entry-level machine. St. Onge said this machine should meet the Gen-Y expectations of value and ease of use.The price for the Freestyle is in the $4,000 range.
This sport-entry niche is one the company abandoned 10 years ago when it discontinued the basic, entry-level Elan.
A lot of this machine’s acceptance will depend on marketing and product positioning. BRP has plans to plant them in rental fleets across the Snowbelt and to set up programs for consumer exposure at ski resorts, terrain parks and other rental venues.

THE MACHINE
The power for the Freestyle fits into the entry-level spectrum: it’s a 268cc fan-cooled single from the Tundra that produces 30 hp. Ski-Doo officials claim it has power enough to climb to speeds of more than 50 mph.
The Freestyle and its new chassis derives from the REV chassis. In the new chassis, called the RF, the engine is dropped low for centralized mass. It uses a pyramidal frame architecture, an over-the-engine steering post and what Ski-Doo called advanced ergonomics are on this chassis as well, further pointing at BRP’s future chassis direction. The Freestyle gets the new SC-4 suspension. It’s coupled, but it uses oil shocks and it will rely on torsion springs for adjustments.
Front A-arms mount central on the bulkhead, and operate like a simple swingarm configuration with non-adjustable, coil-over shocks to supervise the travel. Steering linkage is also a simple, inexpensive drag-link.
The Freestyle has a narrow feel when sitting in the cockpit. The rider position should adapt to riders of all shapes and sizes, and it is not as far forward as the REV driver position.
One of the build targets for the model was light weight, and the claimed weight is 370 pounds — 100 pounds lighter than a fan-cooled REV.