Remembering The 1986 Ski-Doo Formula SP Snowmobile

As the 1985 snowmobile pre-season got underway in spring 84, whispers from my contacts at big yellow indicated that they had something special coming later on. And sure enough, in the fall Bombardier announced a new model aimed at performance-oriented trail riders who wanted the ultimate in comfort and ride quality.

The “White Sled” as it was known in Ski-Doo-speak turned out to essentially be a 1985 Formula SS with a plush-riding long-travel rear suspension. And because it followed the introduction of Arctic Cat’s 1985 Pantera by several months, the new Ski-doo Formula SP became the industry’s very last leaf spring performance sled.

Evolution

The leaf spring ski suspension had ruled snowmobiling for well over two decades. However, by the mid-1980s, it was obvious that the coil-over-shock front end was the future of the sport. Each of the four remaining snowmobile manufacturers had its own version of a coil-over ski out on the trails, but Bombardier continued cranking out less expensive leaf spring sleds for use on all those wide, smooth trails in Quebec.

The “White Sled” had its origin in the 1984 SS-25, a sleek, new, low-profile performance sled for Ski-Doo’s 25th anniversary season that was slotted below the Blizzard 9700 lake racer. In 1985, the SS-25 returned pretty much unchanged as the Formula SS. Essentially a Safari with Bombardier’s low-end, liquid-cooled engine, the SS was a good-looking and very solid trail sled that ran pretty well. It was positioned at the low-end of the new 1985 Formula performance sled family that was otherwise equipped with Ski-doo’s ingenious Progressive Reaction Suspension (PRS) coil-over-shock set up in the front.

The new 1985½ Formula SP slid right in between the leaf spring Formula SS and the coil spring Formula MX. This mid-season entry utilized a skid frame with external coil-over-shock springing similar to that on the discontinued Blizzard 5500 MX, although it failed to match the 10-inch travel of the Blizzard MX. But the new suspension did increase total slide rail travel from 6 inches on the SS to a solid 8 inches on the SP, a big improvement in those days. Track width was also increased from 15 to 16.5 inches for more stability and better deep snow performance. Color was the only other significant change.

The plush-riding SP outsold the SS in 1985, so it was retained in the lineup for 1986 while the SS was discontinued. The only changes on the 1986 SP were revised shock damping, a new voltage regulator, a slightly taller windshield and different trim graphics.

Boulevard Ride

When Snow Week test team tested the 1986 Formula SP, the ride quality made a big impression. “Maximum bump absorption with a minimum of trade off in the handling area,” was their key comment. “On the trail, the leaf spring front end seems to be a perfect match-up for the compliant track suspension as the SP has easy steering and the kind of predictable handling that assures rider comfort and confidence.”

The review also noted that the engine got good fuel mileage on regular or unleaded gas, and that the sled was good in deep snow due to the leaf springs and wider track. The reviewers concluded that, at $500 and a few horsepower less than the Formula MX, the Formula SP was a good lower-cost, high-performance machine.

Having spent an afternoon pounding an SP over some badly beaten Adirondack trails, I absolutely concur with the Snow Week testers. The externally-sprung skid frame did a great job of absorbing the bumps. It was easy to bounce the front end into the air and ride it on the rear suspension a good deal of the time. In fact, I rate it as the best riding leaf spring sled I’ve ever been on, and I’ve tried a whole lot of them.

The Formula SP was a lot of fun, too, with decent ergonomics overall, more than adequate power for trail use and no handling issues. It was also fairly well equipped for the day. My only real complaint was the lack of a front bumper that would have made it a lot easier to pick up and tie down.

Short Life Span

Unfortunately the increasing popularity of coil-over-shock front ends meant that there just wasn’t much of a market left for leaf spring performance sleds. Almost all go-fast buyers were willing to pony up the extra bucks for the improved ride and handling of the coil-over models, so the short-lived Formula SP disappeared after the 1986 model year.

Nevertheless, this relatively rare machine retains the distinction of being the last leaf spring performance machine to make it to marketplace, and that makes it a very collectable snowmobile.

 

1986

Ski-Doo Formula SP

Manufacturer: Bombardier Ltd., Valcourt, Québec

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Powertrain

Engine: 463cc Rotax Type 462 rotary-valve liquid-cooled twin

Carburetion: One Mikuni VM-34 slide-valve float type

Compression Ratio: 6.7 to 1

Ignition: Capacitor discharge (CD)

Lubrication: Oil injection

Power Output: 56 HP @ 6,750 RPM

Electrical Output: 160 watts

Exhaust: Single pipe into free flow calibrated muffler

Drive Clutch: Bombardier “Instant Torque” three-roller square shaft

Driven Clutch: Bombardier cam action

Chassis

Type: Painted aluminum and steel, painted tube steel rear bumper, Reaction Injection Molded

(RIM) urethane belly pan, fiberglass hood

Dry Weight (claimed): 434 pounds

Front Suspension: Mono-leaf springs with hydraulic shock absorbers

Ski Stance: 32.25-inches

Rear Suspension: Torque Reaction aluminum slide rails with outboard coil-over, dual-rate

shocks

Track: 16.5- by 114-inch fiberglass-reinforced molded rubber

Brake: Self-adjusting mechanical disc

Fuel Capacity: 8.4 gallons

Standard Equipment: Speedometer/odometer, tachometer, temperature gauge, fuel gauge, oil level indicator, high beam indicator, kill switch, handlebar pad

MSRP: $3,499

6 thoughts on “Remembering The 1986 Ski-Doo Formula SP Snowmobile

  • Avatar for Kevin

    I bought an 85 formula sp new as a carry-over the next year for $2,625. With a single carb, it was quick but not fast. The skid definitely outrode the front end but for the day it was a nice, quiet and equipped sled. Loved the white.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Tim

    I picked up an 1986 sp two years ago for my kids. It was restored by the previous owner. I have two 1986 formula mx’s that I restored a few years before. My kids fell in love with the sp. The throttle felt light and the power was mild compared to the mx’s, and the ride was very smooth.This article is right on.I have four kids and when I got the sleds out last year they all ran straight to the 1986 sp, even turning away from the two 2013 e-tec sleds. I think that says a lot.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Danny Rose

    I have a 1986 ski doo sp with a type 462 engine, no electric start.i need help on knowing where the wires go coming out of the stator
    2- brown wires. 1-solid yellow wire. 1- yellow wire with a black stripe. 1- black wire with a yellow stripe and this is the power wire.
    My regulator has one yellow wire coming from it.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Chad Smith

    I have two for sale, running driving machines a 85 and a 86.

    Reply
    • Avatar for CHRISTIAN JJ PREVOST

      do you still have them and how much

      Reply
  • Avatar for james tinsman

    restoring 1986 formula sp need pics of wiring and hose placement under hood .

    Reply

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