Snowmobile vs Dirtbike vs Snow Bike

snowmobile vs dirtbike

Which vehicle will fit you between a snowmobile, snow bike, and a dirt bike?

Have you ever felt that there is something missing in your life? Do you feel like your life is a simple routine? If the answer to these question is yes, I think I do know what you need. You need to experience a new feeling, like adrenaline. There are a lot of ways you could do that, but a very simple one is to get into sports.

Not common ones, of course. An extreme sport, to be exact. The best extreme sports use an uncommon vehicle that will bring a lot of fun. People seem to find snowmobiles, snow bikes and dirt bikes the most interesting vehicles. That is why in this article I’m going to help you choose one of them.

What are they?

Although snowmobiles are quite popular, I’ve met people that surprisingly don’t know what snow bikes and dirt bikes are. Just to make sure, I’m going to explain what snowmobiles are as well.

Snowmobiles

The snowmobile is a vehicle that is considered indispensable for a lot of people around the world. Why is that? Because it is used just like cars, but on snow. You can carry things with it depending on their size or even people.

However, most of the owners use it just in recreational ways. That means just riding it and doing a bunch of tricks. You probably know them from the Mountain Rescue teams, snowmobiles being a vehicle that they use frequently.

Snowbikes

Snow bikes have a really suggestive name. It basically describes them to you right away. They are really similar to the snowmobiles in terms of components. Both of them have skis in the front and a track in the back.

Compared to the snowmobile, the snow bike only has one ski in the front. These gained a lot of popularity lately, because they are, to most people, even better to ride than the snowmobile. They are easier to ride as well! Snowmobiles are much heavier and hard to turn and fit between 2 close trees. These problems are solved by the snow bike.

However, you need to know how to ride a simple bike before getting on one of those. Learning how to maintain your balance and how to steer a snow bike can be pretty hard. This also applies for the dirt bikes.

Dirtbikes

You probably are a little bit confused right now. Why did I mention the dirt bike if I talked about 2 snow vehicles? This is because snow bikes and dirt bikes are not too different. The dirt bike is also a light and fast vehicle, just like the snow one.

However, this is used for off-roading, not for snow terrains. I’m going to tell you a little trick to enjoy both of them. If your dirt bike is fabricated in 1990 or later, chances are, there is a conversion kit for it. Although it isn’t too easy, if you manage to nail it, you will be able to install the track and the ski, turning it into a snow bike.

Do you need a license for them?

Most people tend to not start one of these sports because of their commodity. And the first thing that they worry about is the license for these vehicles. That’s why I’m figuring that you are curious about this as well.

If I give you an answer, you might try something you will regret. This is because the laws are different for each state. You can determine this really easy, by asking Google. Make sure that the answers are up to date, as these can change from year to year.

I’m going to give you a general answer just to prove this. Many states require you to have a driver’s license for the snowmobile. If you don’t, you can drive those in special arranged areas. Yes, that is very odd.

Cars and snowmobiles are very different, but this law exists. You will need to be a minimum age as well, but this is also different from state to state.

Because snowmobiles and snow bikes need to be ridden on the same terrain, they usually have the same rules.

Dirt bikes, on the other hand, don’t usually need a license, but they require you to be 16 or older in most states. They are very loud vehicles, so they aren’t allowed on public roads. This is why most states don’t require you to have a license. While off-roading, there aren’t too many things that you can hurt, except yourself, of course.

Fun and adrenaline

You will enjoy every single one of those. The question is, which one will fit you the best? This is a question that will find its answer once you try them all. Generally speaking, even though snowmobiles seem more aggressive and tougher, people still seem to appreciate bikes more. Because of their lightweight, they will be powerful and faster. The speed is a thing which many people seek.

If you are one of those, you need to be very careful. Yes, speed is definitely more interesting and it gives you more adrenaline but is also life-threatening. We are going to talk about how to deal with that later.

Again, if you have the opportunity to drive all of them, go for it. Don’t let people influence the decision of your first buy, as it can be an expensive one.

Price

If we already mentioned price, let’s cover this as well. And brace yourself, we are talking about thousands here. This shouldn’t stop you from following your dreams. It’s not like you’re going to pay this money every day. Sure, you will need to take care of them, but their maintenance is not that expensive.

In this case, snowmobiles are the most expensive. Being such a massive vehicle, it will obviously cost a lot. A brand new powerful one can go up to 25.000 dollars. However, a beginner’s model is about 10.000 dollars.

Dirt bikes can have high prices as well, especially those made for racings. A modified dirt bike can value almost 30.000 dollars. The regular ones used for recreational purposes only aren’t that expensive. Their average price is about 7.000-8.000 dollars.

Snow bikes, as I’ve told you, are dirt bikes with a few modifications, including the track and the ski. There aren’t stores that sell an already built snow bike, unless they are second-hand, modified by people. So in order to get one, you can either buy it already used, or buy a dirt bike and the installation kit. A good kit is about 5.000 dollars. Consider going to a mechanic if you never converted one of those before. You don’t want to damage something.

If you don’t think that these prices are worth it, try visiting the second-hand market. Take a mechanic with you before buying anything, he will tell you what to get.

Gear

It is pretty obvious that these sports are very dangerous when you do silly things. Those can include tricks, jumps, speeding etc. And because of those, sooner or later, you will have an accident. Without the adequate gear, you will get some bad injuries. But what pieces of gear do you need for these vehicles? Let me inform you.

Both snowmobiles and snow bikes will be used on snow. That’s why the gear is the same for those. Many people told me: “Is just snow, how could you get hurt by that?”. This is such a wrong mentality.

Snow will not help you if you roll over with your vehicle. That is one of the most dangerous accidents that could happen. You need to be lucky to get out of this alive.

You will need gear that will keep you warm and protected like: a helmet, a jacket, some long waterproof pants, gloves and a good pair of boots. Wouldn’t you be enjoying those vehicles more knowing that you are protected? I know I would.

The gear is pretty much the same for the dirt bike, but the temperatures outside will be different. That’s why you should get something that will not make you sweat, like a thin jacket and thin pants.

Don’t spend your whole wallet on the vehicle itself. Save about 500 dollars for the quality gear.

Can a kid drive those?

Every one of these vehicles comes is kid size. That means a smaller vehicle with a smaller engine. They can be dangerous as well, so make sure you teach your kid what to do. These “toys” can make them love these sport and you can eventually buy a real vehicle once they grow up.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the best vehicle out of the snowmobile, snow bike and dirt bike is… the one that you like the most. No one should influence you and tell you which one you need to buy. The decision is yours. The only way to see which one is the best is to try them all for some time, and see which one provides the most fun. Which one did you buy and how long did it take to decide?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *