WHAT WE THINK ABOUT THE NEW TWEENIES
We’ve dubbed the new Yamaha Sno-Scoot and Arctic Cat ZR 200 “Tweenies” because they suit an overlooked class of snowmobilers who are avid but haven’t had anything to ride.
These snowmobilers are kids between the ages of nine and fourteen who may have owned and even raced a mini-sled when they were younger and littler but simply don’t fit on one anymore. At the same time, both they and their parents don’t feel comfortable with them riding a full-sized sled.
The Sno-Scoot and the ZR200 are both perfect sized sleds for these riders. The plus is that there is nice power on tap to keep things interesting and with a 30-mph top speed, they can participate in real trail rides with friends and parents.
Here’s our take: Both these sleds are way, way more fun than they look like they could possibly be. On our test rides we observed full-sized, corn-fed adults ripping around on them and absolutely falling off, giggling.
With dual A-arm front suspensions, real shocks and a mind-bending 9-hp, the sleds rip in powder and in hard packed snow. No, we’re not talking about 800-class rippage, rather, something way less that still keeps the rider interested and engaged.
Both sleds have pretty sophisticated clutching, comfortable, supportive seats and sensible ergonomics.
Kids and even novice riding adults will love these sleds and they will serve the purpose of getting people interested in the sport – often as a result of their kids loving to ride on of these tweenies.
Our great hope is that the industry will stay with this concept for a long time. Maybe sales won’t be huge the first year or so, but we think as they catch on, there will be a sustainable and considerably large market for sleds like this and future variations.
