Everybody’s had that one sled that stands out from the rest. It defines the fun of snowmobiling and every time you reflect back on it, there’s a little twitch in your heart. In this series we asked our staffers to share their faves. Read what SnowTrax Television Co-Host Luke Lester has to say about the 2008 Polaris Switchback Dragon 800
Of all the sleds I’ve ridden over the years, a handful stand out as being really memorable for me.
When I look back I think of my first Indy 400, the Indy Ultra, Arctic Cat’s ZR900 and Ski-doo’s GSX 600 SDI. However, no other sled stands out more for me than the 2008 Polaris Switchback Dragon 800.
In our part of the world, 2008-09 was a really good winter – cold and plenty of snow! That year I had more time than I’d ever had to just go riding and I spent a lot of time on that Dragon.
Sometimes, I’d take off in the morning with no destination in mind and ride 200 miles or more. This particular Dragon wasn’t Polaris’ first in the IQ chassis, but the combination of the IQ front end and its 136-inch skidframe made it, in my humble opinion, Polaris’ best IQ to that point.
I felt very comfortable on that sled and its ergonomics fit me perfectly. Besides that, it handled amazingly well on trails or even on occasional trips into deep snow. It rode great, too, and was decently fast.
Thinking back, it probably wasn’t the fastest of the 800’s that year and maybe didn’t even get the best gas mileage. Its power just seemed perfect for me, though.
What I loved most about it was I could go almost anywhere with it thanks to its longer and deeper track. Top it all off with cool looks and it was a winner for me that season – and it really stands out in my memory.
Even today, I’d still happily ride that sled.
