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With todays Sno-Go's they don't require near the modifications as the older machines did. Yes all the top riders take those machines down and check & double check bolts and loctite.The two key points that they look at it tuffness and weight, the lighter the machine the better, they will go to some pretty interesting methods of shaving weight. Some will take their tools and machine them down to cut as much out as possible, some will remove foam from under the hood as well. You want to try and put as much of the weight center forward and balanced as possible. The one mod that most of them do today is add auxiliary fuel tanks, there are a couple stretches that push the limits of your fuel range especially if there is fresh snow. As far as suspensions go, todays rears are so much better than the old it's unreal. Shock revalving is a standard, but as far mod's it really changes from year to year on who's rear ends are bullet proof versus who's are not, for example last year the Ski-doo REVS that one the race where bone stock machines (it was very impressive, that coming from a Cat guy) but the Polaris machines that the guy's used Walker/Evan shocks had nothing but problems, there more more bent & broke shocks flying around the shop in Nome than you could shake a stick at. The cats seemed to be pretty good in the rear but there where problems with pipes breaking. Yamahas always seem to have several problems that just plague those racers, last year the RX1 were in good shape but I don't know how hard they really got pushed. Most of the racers will ride the same model that their going to race to find out all the weak points that need to be addressed, my experiences have always been during the race, that everything you had problems with training you had fixed and all of a sudden you have a new set of problems...that's part of the challeng !!! As far as motors go I think most of the guy;s like to run them pretty stock. Windshields need to be bigger !!! most stock ones are to cold when your on the Yukon River and the coast.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you are in the middle of the Alaska wilderness the more stock you are the better your chances are to find parts in the remote villages.

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