Introduction: Permit me to be as detailed, specific, and as (mostly) succinct as before: For the Rest of Us, the snowmobile makes an excellent physical therapy rehabilitation assistant when we are sadly forced to step off our trusty Segway® X2 due to snow depth or snow consistency. After years of experience and many many miles of experimenting, there are no negatives -- well, as long as, unlike me, you don't get bloody stranded, stuck, or lost!

Prerequisites: (1) Gotta say it, gots ta say it: Of course we must get clearance from our physician before straddling any snowmobile. Right? Yes, or YES?
    (2) Segway X2 trails, paths, fields -- Safety is virtually assured if indeed we Rehab Battlers commit to snowmobiling along only off-road routes we have come to know by heart.
    We Rehab Battlers react more slowly and with far less range of motion than The Rest of Them. Accordingly, we really don't need any unnecessary surprises when "doing our rehab thing" in very cold temperatures while a mile or more away from home. Unfamiliar terrain invites unnecessary added risk -- something we can (and should) avoid. Remember: A trail well tread is a trail well known.
    (3) Sufficient upper body strength -- Gosh, I may be wrong on this, but turning a snowmobile at any speed takes some strength. The point: Be sure to steer someone else's snowmobile before making a purchase. Some of us Rehab Battlers will find that we simply are not up to the task.
    (4) Attitude -- Our Segway® X2 is a spoiler. For us battlers who, like me, are frustratingly spastic, our Seggies bring such a refreshing balance back into our lives. Oh, how we do get spoiled. And yes, "how sweet it is" (aka Ralph Kramden of the classic "Honeymooners" TV series of eons ago), to be able to engage in a host of daily PT exercises otherwise exhausting and perhaps impossibler if balance were an issue.
    Balance remains a non-issue when switching to the snowmobile as our main rehab assistant. The challenge is the weather plus dressing up against the cold plus wind chills plus .... well, a positive attitude for many of us may become a problem.

Which Snowmobile: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Polaris 340 Classic. Not the 340 Xl or the 340 Tourer. Only the classic model is the model I am wholeheartedly endorsing. Any of the 4 years listed is fine. Used is fine -- I suspect there are no new Classic models available, since 2006 was the last year the Classic was offered. Probable cost of a used Polaris 340 Classic: $3,000 or less.
        2003-2006 Polaris 340 Classic Critical Features We Rehab Battlers m-u-s-t have: (a) Electric start (It has a manual pulley-type start. But most of The Rest of Us do not have the balance and/or strength to yank away on a lawnmower-type startup rope!) (b) Reverse. (Reverse is mandatory. Many snowmobiles, for whatever reason, don't have reverse. We Rehab Battlers must have reverse. Period. End of conversation.) (c) Small engine size. (We Battlers have no need for gobs of power. Our focus is rehab, not speed. A 250cc to 350cc engine is more than sufficient for our rehab needs.) (d) 2-stroke. Two-stroke engines are lighter, less expensive, easier/cheaper to repair, and in my humble opinion, more reliable. (e) Thumb, hands, seat, feet warmers. This critical feature is self-evident.
        2003-2006 Polaris 340 Classic Features We Shall enjoy: Electric start. Reverse. Adjustable thumb warmer. Adjustable handle grip warmers. Adjustable seat warmer. Feet warmer (from engine heat). Low to ground (hard to tip over). Wide track (span between the two skiis; hard to tip over.). Ample power for 200-pound person. Two-stroke (less moving parts than 4-stroke). Very reliable. Acceleration slow enough to be safe for the Rest of Us who might easily fall off. Top speed around 50mph, though I have never driven mine faster than 25mph -- no need to drive any snowmobile fast if used as a rehab aid. Nothing fancy.
        You see, my concern is that larger engines or sportier snowmobiles tend to have a higher center of gravitty and thus -- relatively speaking -- have a greater chance of tipping over more easily. Another concern of mine is that the greater the engine size, the greater the chances are that we might get into speed related problems we don't need. Yet another concern is that I want our service dogs to ride with us or run behind us: Smaller 'mobiles won't so easily lose them; smaller 'mobiles are -- again, relatively speaking -- less noisy and thus hopfully less intimating to our beloved and centrally important service dogs.