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Nov. 29, 2010 – PG&A check: These three passed the test

With the snow season in full swing in some parts of the Snowbelt, it only makes sense to evaluate what parts, garments and accessories dealers have in stock.

The products described on the right might be worth adding to that PG&A inventory. All of these products recently scored very well in editor evaluations from Powersports Business’ sister publication, SnowGoer.

Here is a brief look at those products, their companies and some of the reviewing editors’ comments.

1001 Rattler

Company: Snobunje

SnowGoer comments: Snobunjes have been around for about 10 years to help sledders free their stuck snowmobiles. We normally test and review only new products, but until last winter I’d never used a Snobunje. And after hearing from friends how “amazingly well” they work to help free a stuck sled, I figured I’d better get a Snobunje Rattler to use on my trip to The Snowies in Wyoming last March.

A foot-and-a-half of snow fell the day before we arrived, and it didn’t take long for it to produce a stuck sled. After a quick lesson, I hooked the Snobunje to a ski of the augered-in machine, took a few steps back to stretch the four elastic cords and leaned back while facing the sled. With my weight pulling on the machine, the driver eased into the throttle and the sled popped out — no sweat! — while the other two riders in my group watched. Without the Snobunje, we all would have been involved to get the sled out — digging, pushing and pulling.

Pulling with a Snobunje doesn’t move the sled; that’s the track’s job. The tool works because it reduces the amount of weight that the track needs to move so it can hook-up and drive out of a hole.

MSRP: $69.95

Y-pipe, Clutch kit, Dynojet Research PCV

Company: Speedwerx

SnowGoer comments: Nobody likes to modify their sleds, puff their chests and go fast more feverishly than Arctic Cat riders. We had a fun, hot-running 2010 F8 Sno Pro in our fleet last winter, but we wanted our grins to grow even wider while maintaining the sled’s reliability, so we turned to Speedwerx.

Speedwerx General Manager Jeremy Houle prescribed a Y-pipe, Dynojet Research Power Commander V and Stage 2 Hypershift clutch kit (primary spring, adjustable weights, helix, drive belt) that made our Cat even more fun to run down the trails and blaze across frozen lakes.

The H.O. 800 engine in our F8 pulled hard and ran clean throughout the powerband before the modifications. But after the kit was installed, our black-and-green machine took on an extreme personality with a harder hit and more powerful feeling.

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Clutch kits and Y-pipes are a safe way to bump up a sled’s performance a few notches, and so are controllers like the PCV ($369.95) — as long as people who understand an engine’s requirements for fuel program them.

Packages like this one from Speedwerx are a smart way to boost a sled’s punch because, for less than $1,000, buyers will gain a lot of performance.

MSRP: Y-pipe $189.95; PCV $369.95; clutch kit $370

BJ33G Ballistic Jersey

Company: EVS Sports

SnowGoer comments: Ever taken a tree branch through the chest at 70 mph while going down the trail? It can really knock the wind, or life, out of a person. If you’re under the age of 25 and zestfully living life with a feeling of perpetual invincibility, you may not want to hear it, but the slightest thing can injure you at any moment.

How to protect yourself against the unknown? Wear the best gear you can get your hands on, and that includes some form of chest/body protection to defend against sharp blows to the torso, shoulders and, in the case of the EVS BJ33G Ballistic Jersey, even your arms.

With light, see-through mesh, foam padding, plastic shielding and a zipper, the BJ33G is like wearing a sports jersey and vest in one article.

MSRP: $139 PSB

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