Some will say that a dusty relic hardly qualifies as vintage snowmobile, but I found this 1994 Ski Doo Safari Deluxe sitting in a shed waiting to see the light of day. The owner said it was the “kid’s sled” but the kid hadn’t ridden it in a while. So what’s the story of Ski-Doo Safari?
Here’s what one forum contributor had to say about the Safari: “So far it's been a real nice first sled! It's pretty quick, but I wish it was a little faster. She tops out at around 85-90 km/h.”
If a vintage snowmobile starts at 25 years, then this 1994 Ski Doo Safari is on the cusp of being a vintage ride.
Talking about sleds of this era, American Snowmobiler stated back in 1995, “Ski-Doo recognizes this. That is why you see the Bombardier line taking on a very familiar stance. The 1995 models are all based on the F-2000 chassis, DSA front suspensions, C-7 type rear suspension, and proven Rotax engines from one to three cylinders. This year, Ski-Doo has "out-Polarised" Polaris when it comes to efficiency and standardization in its model mix. Oh, yeah. The Safari replacements, now simply Touring models, combine the best of the best - the F-2000 chassis and rock-steady Rotax fan-cooled engines. And with standardization comes an ability to offer aggressive pricing, which is good news for snowmobile consumers. Doesn't this all sound familiar? Isn't that what Polaris has been doing with its Indy? And isn't it what Yamaha would do with the Max series if it was focused?”
Surpassing and overshadowing the Ski-Doo Safari line up was the milestone introduction of the Summit line, because on September 14, 1993 the two millionth Ski-Doo snowmobile was manufactured in Valcourt, Québec. Bombardier creates a new segment in the snowmobiling market with the Summit model, especially designed for powder snow and mountain terrain.
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