Yeah, but those 2 strokes cost you a lot of money also. I had to rebuild the secondary on my Bearcat and was using a 550 Tundra of a friends for a few days while I waited on parts. While riding around I got to figuring fuel costs in my head. I usually put about 5K on a snowmachine a year (less this year since we haven't had any winter yet). I've used that Tundra with the 550 in the past and I usually average 4-5 mpg in it. I've used some old Skandics with the 550 and I thought they did better, but I never checked mileage on them. I get 10-12 mpg in my 1100 4 stroke Bearcat, while my buddies SWT with a 900 Ace gets 19-20. Not as much experience with the 600 Ace but I've put several hundred miles on a couple Tundras with them in Wyoming and they got around 20 mpg. The only 2-stroke I've ever been around that got that was the 600 Etec; and then you're right back to the same issues as the 4-strokes, EFI, no pull start, lots of electronics.

So if we figure it out at todays local gas prices, which are cheaper than they've been in the past and a lot cheaper than most of you in the bush are paying, it is about $2.25/gal, 5000 miles a year comes out at.

550 fan 1000 gallons= $2250
Bearcat Z1 500 gallons= $1150
600/900 ACE 250 gallons= $625

That saves a guy around $1625/year, which means in 5 years he has saved enough money on fuel in the 4 stroke to buy a brand new 550 Tundra and in seven years he has saved himself enough to buy a new Skandic 900 ACE.

That doesn't even take into account the fact that on a wet sticky snow day, particularly when I'm breaking trail, I can't carry enough gas on the 550 to make a day of it, when a friend of mine used to hunt off of one regularly he would carry two 5 gallon cans, there were quite a few times when he would use both of them and have to borrow my 2.5 gallon can to make it back. . . while I went on hunting.

All that being said, the 300 fan Tundras got about as good as my 4 stroke Bearcat (06-09, older models never got as good fuel mileage in my experience) but finding one of them that isn't worn out is a real trick. I don't like the no pull start backup on the 4 strokes, and the difficulty of working on them on the trail. But I've not had one leave me walking yet (well other than the time I put my Bearcat on its top in the creek without a comealong or winch, and I've walked out from a 2 stroke I've rolled over the mountain also.)

Frankly I've seen less problems with Skidoo motors than the other brands, and less issues with their 4 strokes than their 2 strokes. But I don't like not being able to work on them with the little toolkit of 4 wrenchs and a screwdriver on the side of the trail. I sure wish they would make them easier to jury rig to get home, but I'll take the reliability and fuel mileage over the alternatives.