Anyone disappointed with their 2016 M8?

As the title asks, if unhappy, please pm or elaborate why. What you have fixed, or want to fix. I'm a catman, not riding other brands, and am close to signing papers on a 16 limited. Probably will only big shark pipe her for this first year, then figure out clutching.

Also, Im one of the few not chewing my finger nails waiting on a new motor, don't care. The Suzi is a beauty, tried tested true motor. I won't be one of the guys working the bugs out of a new power plant.

Im 6ft, 220lbs coming off a 200hp m1000. Hoping for an easier day on the hills, know I will miss the umph. But clutching change help would be great

wade

A buddy of mine traded his pro off on one and rode it for a weekend and took it back. He didn't like it. But that being said I have no idea if he tried to dial it in at all. He doesn't even change weights from flat land to mountains so I doubt if he tried to much.


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Working on clutching???


U have to do that these days??


I put gas and a little oil in my doo and ride the balls off it

tex78 said:

Working on clutching???


U have to do that these days??


I put gas and a little oil in my doo and ride the balls off it

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maybe, maybe not. I've heard at my size I'll have to take a few grams out to get a few hundred rpm up. Guess we'll see.

After 80 views and nothing really mentioned yet, Nuff said for me.
Anything Ive searched for, has a few intake sensor issues, everything else said is positive so I think I'm making a good choice. Gonna miss my old girl.....

Buddy brought his 16 163 m8 with 3" track out to Nelson this winter. His other sled is an AXYS 163 and that is what the rest of us ride too. He had a terrible time trying to keep up with the rest of us with that Cat. We were riding mashed potato snow in the steep tight trees. He was getting stuck way too much as the sled would completely auger in. It was awful to dig it out in that type of snow too. Part of the problem could be blamed on not being used to the sled or set-up but the part about it being way heavier and harder to come out of a stuck was obviously not anything to do with his ability. In the end my view on the sled is it is strong but too heavy and wide. Great sled for other types of riding maybe.

90% of sleds I saw at chatter creek opening weekend were skidoo xp, s and xm,s.

All towed sleds were poo and cat. Including a 2016m8 ...

Also we are questioning a primary center bushing failing at just under 2000km. Separete issue ...

Why are people so brand loyal when another manufacture makes a fun turn key and go machine? Especially when out sold 100 to 1 ...

Man I can't answer that other than maybe to be that 1 in 1000 on the hill haha.

Sound, feel/fit and looks, and lastly the guys at Mountains Edge in Sundre have been solid for me and others I know. Back in the day, Howies in PG was the same. To me, dealership is everything. All I got for an answer and not willing to change that. My other brand quads or side X sides I cannot say the same. Bad taste in my mouth time and time again

For Tethair, funny thing about your story, a buddy rented a 800axys last winter, had his wife come up on his m8, a line he wanted to pull, couldn't get the pro to it let alone do it. Jumped on his cat and slayed it. Not rhat the pro couldn't do it, he couldn't get the sled to work for him.... In time I'm sure he could make it dance

All these story's about guys who try a different sled than what they have been riding for years, and say it is garbage are funny. Every manufacturers sled rides different, you want to do a real comparison you need to spend a season on a sled to learn what works, and what doesn't.

The guys I ride with have two 2016 cats. Pretty good machines but the bolt that sets the belt tension has broken off several times. And it seems like they break a lot of clutch springs too. Other than that they've been pretty good.

Allseasons said:

As the title asks, if unhappy, please pm or elaborate why. What you have fixed, or want to fix. I'm a catman, not riding other brands, and am close to signing papers on a 16 limited. Probably will only big shark pipe her for this first year, then figure out clutching.

Also, Im one of the few not chewing my finger nails waiting on a new motor, don't care. The Suzi is a beauty, tried tested true motor. I won't be one of the guys working the bugs out of a new power plant.

Im 6ft, 220lbs coming off a 200hp m1000. Hoping for an easier day on the hills, know I will miss the umph. But clutching change help would be great

wade

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I have a 16 ltd and love it they are tough and work well. My only change was the gearing 19/50 was to low with the 7 tooth drivers and the bottom gear being aluminum doesn't wear well. There is a learning curve for the riding part and it takes a little time be patient and shock setup is critical. I agree with you on the engine its still one of the best. I am heavier than you and the clutching worked well for me completely stock sled not even a can. I do believe there is more to be had with the clutching. I read all the comments and am sure the events happened just as they were remembered. I have seen every brand towed out and frankly you dont see it every often any more and when you do its damage or mods a lot of the time.My rididng partner is on a Pro and its a good sled also i like it. The 16 Cat LTD with the right rider will go anywhere and do anything the Doo or Pro will. I came off the same sled as you,I still have it and yes you miss the raw power but the new ones ride and handle so much better its a good trade off. The Jaws pipe will help alot i had a 14 for one season with the Jaws and it works.

mountianguy said:

I have a 16 ltd and love it they are tough and work well. My only change was the gearing 19/50 was to low with the 7 tooth drivers and the bottom gear being aluminum doesn't wear well. There is a learning curve for the riding part and it takes a little time be patient and shock setup is critical. I agree with you on the engine its still one of the best. I am heavier than you and the clutching worked well for me completely stock sled not even a can. I do believe there is more to be had with the clutching. I read all the comments and am sure the events happened just as they were remembered. I have seen every brand towed out and frankly you dont see it every often any more and when you do its damage or mods a lot of the time.My rididng partner is on a Pro and its a good sled also i like it. The 16 Cat LTD with the right rider will go anywhere and do anything the Doo or Pro will. I came off the same sled as you,I still have it and yes you miss the raw power but the new ones ride and handle so much better its a good trade off. The Jaws pipe will help alot i had a 14 for one season with the Jaws and it works.

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Welcome to S&M, 90% BS. You need to read between the lines to find real world info. Most of the time bias poster's don't really relate the true story and are so caught up in their own fantasies they see nothing else but what they have. I have concluded that most of these guy's are ride challenge, they can't ride in the first place, never mine trying to ride something they're not use to.
IMO, asking for sled info. on a forum like this is a waste of time, out of one or two good post you will get a dozen BS post's.

I have ridin the M8, a 15 model and a 16 model. Loved both of them, great mountain sled's and don't see where you can go wrong with the M8. I don't have one but would not hesitate to pull the trigger on one.

No news there. All forums same.

I don't care about 4-10 sled lengths higher and 40lbs lighter blah blah. At 40 years of age I'm out for a good time, its not a competition out there, mostly ride to forget about work or life in general while pissin around in the trees and meadows with my riding buddies.

Last year I rented an m8 ltd, loved it and went anywhere I wanted with ease, just short on power compared to my 1000.

Im looking for real world, breakdowns or improvements before something fails sort of info. I'm buying the sled regardless.

Thanks for for all the replies thus far

I ride skidoos 4000-7000 km a year. Never had a spare sled till I started on doo's. Mostly cats in my group. Belts last me 5-800 km. the cats rarely change belts. Dealer service for me is a couple times a year. Coils. Raves. Fuel pump and other little electrical stuff. All things I can't fix without Buds computer. Cats break driveshafts at 2500 miles. Fixed in trailer and go. Cats Air box seals suck. Easy fix. Primary on cats crack or blow around 2-3000 miles. New clutch $600 for replacemnt. My doo needs the tra gone through every 1500km if you want it working perfect. Ramps and rollers wear fast for me. Spring riding oil last 3 days on etec which is great. Deep days I burn 2 full jugs in 3 days. I'm riding doo for now and love both my sleds. For me it's skidoo for now. But those cats are tough. Also whatever breaks on one cat will happen to all of them. Easy fixes. If a skidoo has gremlins your at the mercy of a doo dealer. Good luck with that. I've rode lots of 2015-16 cats. Also the 2017 mountain cat. They work great and have tons of power.

ill add my .02 i suppose. im coming from a 14 m8 153 to a 16 m8 162 3". i am far from the best rider but have no problem hanging with most guys on the hill. theres things i like about both sleds and i picked up the 16 to get the wife off the 2013 pro that is now the spare. if i didnt do this i doubt she would want to ride any more after half a season. both her and i find it awkward and honestly its gutless. cant say anything to compare them both to doo but i would love to trade the pro for a xm to try one out.

but back on track...ill start by saying i havent had a issue with ether sled so far in the 500ish miles they each got this year and i bought the 16 knowing it had a proven engine. the first ride on the 16 i wasnt real happy with how it handled. found it unstable at first but now going back to the 14 its a way better ride and alot easier. the biggest thing with the 16 iv been trying to figure out is setting up the skid pressures. cant find the happy point for general riding. its always to hard or bottoming out but im no suspension guru just a average guy, it has gotten better tho. overall the sled holds a edge very well and i have no issues side hilling up/around/over anything in my path. with the 3" it chews like crazy and has no problem going where ever i point it with minimal stucks. its very forgiving in the places i know i shouldnt be letting off or stoping. if anything i think it could use some clutch work cuz id like it to come out of the hole a little quicker but part of that will help with the clutch noise that bugs me also, it does sound kinda cool at times like a bov/wastegate. overall i think the 16 is a well balanced sled that can hang with any of the others out there and i wouldnt let anyone talk me out of it because of the little extra weight or what ever other excuse they come up with. i think alot of the people that are real caught up on the weights and having a stupid skinny front end need to put the fork down and give it a rest.

i have always been a cat fan but the number one reason id buy another one is service. not that iv needed any warranty work but iv always delt with mountains edge in sundre and continue to make the trip for any of my needs. if there was a better skidoo dealer near by i might be a little more interested in getting one but turple brothers is a joke and the way they run the store pisses me off as soon as i walk in.

Some bling showed up today.

Nah that's not bling, all performance related.

Pickup some anodized bars and slap a wrap on for bling.

The bling looks good, I also recommend the Canada Sled Parts steering bushings $100.00. I installed mine yesterday and they make a big difference. What gearing did you go with?

mountianguy said:

The bling looks good, I also recommend the Canada Sled Parts steering bushings $100.00. I installed mine yesterday and they make a big difference. What gearing did you go with?

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21/49 gears. Also grabbed a cast 50 to replace the aluminum bugger in case I like the lower gearing. Need seat time....

do you have a link to that bushing?

Always on kijiji
sorry if link doesn't work
Arctic cat Proclimb anti slop steering bushings | snowmobiles parts, trailers, accessories | Red Deer | Kijiji

Allseasons said:

21/49 gears. Also grabbed a cast 50 to replace the aluminum bugger in case I like the lower gearing. Need seat time....

do you have a link to that bushing?

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The gearing at 21/49 with the 7 tooth driver is pretty close to 19/50 on a 8 tooth driver. I found that the 19/50 with the 7 tooth is to slow in the snow. Now that you have both it would be intersting to compare the 2.