Our interview with Premier Recreational Product Corp’s Christopher Bell
Premier Recreational Products Corporation is coming to market this fall with a new line of snowmobiles to fill a gap in snowmobile product offerings. The new Enforcer 200 and Enforcer 300 snowmobiles are smaller than a conventional snowmobile in dimension, weight and performance.
Throughout the past decade, rumors of “tweener” sleds that fall between a youth size snowmobile and a full-size machine have surfaced, but products haven’t come forward and the in-between niche has remained dormant. Recent product introductions from existing snowmobile manufacturers have missed the mark and haven’t adequately bridged the gap. Premier’s President Christopher Bell hopes his company changes all that.
“We set out to provide a product that is missing from the market right now,” Bell said. “That intermediate, family value segment is missing from this marketplace. When you go back 25 years, it was actually a very important segment. That’s exactly what we hit on.”
Bell is a longtime snowmobiler who has automotive assembly and manufacturing in the family gene pool. Many people have recognized the obvious gap in snowmobile size and performance, but Bell took the initiative to launch a company set on reintroducing a neglected niche. And he didn’t have to look outside of his own home to get his source of inspiration.
“I have a wife who is 5’2” who enjoys riding, but she’s not a very aggressive rider,” Bell said. “She’s an example of a person who doesn’t want to ride more than 40 mph on the snow. Also, I have three kids who are 13, 13 and 10. They grew up on 120s and outgrew those, and there wasn’t anything that catered to their needs.”
The Machines
The Enforcer 200 has a 14 hp liquid-cooled four-stroke engine with a factory-estimated 30-32 mph top speed. The Enforcer 300 uses a 22 hp liquid-cooled four-stroke engine with a factory-estimated top speed of 40-42 mph. Prices are $3,679 and $4,289, respectively. Both models have a full list of features and come with a one-year limited parts and labor warranty.
At first glance, the Enforcers look like a 5/8 scale snowmobile. “If you look back at the last 10 years and the attempts at this segment by the existing manufacturers, typically they would take outdated tooling, their older chassis, and team that with a low-displacement engine, a lower-quality shock and mechanical brakes,” Bell said. “But that was a chassis designed for full-size men. Not one designed for smaller riders. We decided to start with a clean slate. We studied ergonomics and we designed a product that’s correct for riders that are 48 to 64 inches tall.”
In contrast to value machines from the current manufacturers, the Enforcers aren’t stripped down on features to hit a price target. Enforcer features include electric start, reverse, hydraulic disc brakes, aluminum-bodied rebuildable shocks and LED taillights.
Orders are being accepted now for the first production run in November, but getting them to market hasn’t been easy. “Of course, with any endeavor like this you’re going to find weaknesses and things you want to change,” Bell said. “But the outcome is that we persevered. We worked through all those issues and today we are announcing the product available this fall for families who want to enjoy them this winter.”
Making sure people enjoy a Premier snowmobile is something Bell is clearly passionate about. Part of ensuring people enjoy the machines is building a quality product. “The key for us is that you never get a second chance to make a first impression,” he said. “We’re concentrating on making sure that every product that goes into a customer’s hands is as good as the one before it and the one after it. We want consistent quality and trouble-free operation.”
Market Birth
Bell gets affirmation about his business venture from what he hears during Premier public showings as they’ve come closer to market. “There’s interest out there. As of mid-September 2009, we’ve had more than 36,000 visits to our website, we have dealers in 14 states now from Alaska to Maine. We’ve had about a dozen [public] showings and the consistent thing we keep hearing is, ‘Wow, what a great-designed sled’ and ‘wow, what a great looking sled.’”
Bell credits his creative mind and attention to detail for the Enforcers. “As a consumer, I have an idea of what I would want in a product. What I did was take those ideas and I brought them to reality. And that’s why today we’re looking at the Enforcer 200 and the Enforcer 300. Well designed products, good looking products and products that perform very well and are trouble-free.”
While the Premier brand has persevered obstacles and challenges so far, Bell is close to success but not blinded by it. “I think the greatest satisfaction we’re going to have is this winter – being out on the trail and seeing Premier units pass us by,” he said.
“I think that with the exception of getting married and seeing the birth of my kids that will be the most exciting time of my life. That’s the anticipation I hold right now, but we also know that the work is not completed.
“We’re going into production in November and we’re going to look them over two – three – five times – before they ever go into the hands of a consumer. I think the satisfaction in addition to seeing them out on the trail will be to see that they are trouble-free for consumers. That’s the most important thing right now.”
The big unknown for this product birth is how large the market is, but Premier’s intent is to build to dealer orders. Bell said that first year Enforcer models will be limited in order to help gauge production levels.
“This is not going to be a product that is of interest to all in this market, but it obviously is going to be of interest to some,” he said. “For those people, I want them to look [an Enforcer] over and make the decision if it’s right for their situation. This product fills a need that we all know is out there, but we have to look at the fact that this is not for everybody – just like a 1000cc machine is not for everybody. Our Enforcer 200 and 300 is not going to be for everybody.
“I would hope that people at least see an appreciation for a new company that started because of the enthusiasm and passion that we have for snowmobiling, and how we worked hard for three years to bring it to reality,” Bell said.
There is more information, including machine specifications and a list of dealers across the Snowbelt, on Premier’s website at
www.PremierRPC.com.