powdergirl
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hey im buying me a first sled and im wondering what is the best sled for an new mountian rider
thanks
powdergirl
thanks
powdergirl
asking about what skidoo is best
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Summiteer
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How much experience do you have? How big are you? Are you looking for new or used? Most folks that you talk to will have a different opinion, the best advice you will get is from someone that knows you and how you ride and who you will probably be riding with in the mountains. All manufacturers make good mountain sleds although the 4 strokes are heavier and require more strength to maneuver in the deep. Good luck with your search.
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I Agree
Very well put Summiteer..... I totally agree with you. good luck powdergirl, and let us know what you're deciding.... if you have any questions after narrowing it down, please post a thread!!!
Very well put Summiteer..... I totally agree with you. good luck powdergirl, and let us know what you're deciding.... if you have any questions after narrowing it down, please post a thread!!!
2003Summit
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Hi powdergirl;
Lets see if I can help. This first part goes for all brands.
If you get something with a 144" track it will be big enough for the mountains and small enough to ride around here. You can get by with a 600cc in the mountains as well, a 800 is nice but not necessary until you are a bit more experienced and looking for some harder climbs deeper snow but mostly just cuase you want to feel the power. In truth a 600 may not be as glamorous or as fast, but it will go there as long as you are not trying to go silly high/steep. The 600 will cost less and get better fuel mileage and be a bit lighter (easier to handle). The larger engines tend to make for a heavier sled. A 1000cc or a four stroke are getting quite heavy. Heavy is not good for a novice rider, not good at all. Remember you can always trade up if you advance past the abilities of your sled, but if you start to big it will be unpleasant. Anything smaller than a 600cc will probably be too small these days in the hills (trying to go where other riders are going), unless you are a very light person.
There are sizes of sleds and brands of sleds, but there are also applications. Lets talk about that for a bit.
Differences between cross country sleds, trail sleds, muscle sleds and mountain sleds are subtle at first glance. What's immediately obvious is mountain sleds normally have longer tracks and deeper lugs. Other than that and besides little features like mirrors or extra seats, storage etc, often the only difference to the inner works of the different models is the gearing and sometimes clutching. But this makes all the difference in where it can operate well. Mountain sleds tend to be geared lower to make more power but less top end speed - necessary for deep powder. Trail sleds and muscle sleds are the other way around. Cross country sleds try to be in between. In this end of the country more people run some version of a mountain sled. This is because of the type of snow we usually ride in. Down east where there are very large trail systems they have almost no mountain sleds, they are all short tracks and fast.
If you are going to go into the mountains occasionally to experience some deep powder, I would not recommend anything other than a mountain sled, it can be a smaller one, but a mountain sled. Taking one of the other sleds does not work well even if they do have an aggressive track because gearing and clutching is not right. I started out with a mountain sled even though I don't get to ride in the mountains much and I am glad I did. They work well around here. With some of the snow we have been having around here these days, a mountain sled is very appreciated when you are going cross country. And they are not a determent when you trial ride as long as they are not too long. People with longer sleds (151", 156" etc) will occasionally complain about maneuverability and handling issues but 144" are ok (the complaints go up fast as the track gets longer). 136" can get by as well if you are a bit lighter or if you do not go into silly deep snow. 144" tracks are really kind of a sweet spot though for their versatility IMHO.
Used sleds are sometime a bit hard to buy. I have seen used sleds that have a lot of km on them but if they are well cared for they are good buy. I have seen newer used (like 1 or 2 yo) sleds that have only a few thousand km on them but if not well cared for or rode hard they can be quite a bad buy. New sleds are pricy these days but if you can afford one at least you have some piece of mind about what you are getting. I would say look for sales on last years models but with all the hot selling this season it you may not find one, but still worth it to call around. Even a *NEW* 1 or 2 model year old sled can work very well for you and you might save some serous cash on one if you can find one somewhere.
As far as brands go, well I can start a war in here talking about this. One thing to consider is who you ride with and who you know and what brand they ride. The reason is that "know how" will be very important. Know how to ride it, know how to fix when it breaks unexpectedly on the trail and know how to maintain it. And it's the people you ride with that need to know *your* sled if they are to help you. You will do better with the same brand as people you are riding with on just this alone. And if you get a brand that few people you ride with have you will need to be a lot more self sufficient, not at all good for a new rider.
Which bands also depends on which model year as well. For example, Polaris Edge chassis, made up till about three years ago have a good reputation for being very easy to ride in deep power, the next generation chassis from Polaris that came out with the 900 engine was very hard to ride. The 600cc in the same newer chassis was fine though (had to do with how high the engine was mounted in the chassis). I could go on like this and probably write a book on each brand but you will get overwhelmed with info. But safe to say there are issues, or at least important things to know with one model or another of all of the brands. So you need to ask impartial people before buying.
In the end though, the short safest answer will probably be buy a sled similar to the ones most of the people you are riding with are riding. Not necessary as large, because experience riders get into large sleds and that may not go good for a beginner, but the same type of sled (brand and application).
If you check with your friends on what brand they ride and tells us where and how often you ride in each type of riding area (groomed trail, cross country and hills), and determine what your budget is then re-post your question you will probably get some very specific answers about what sled to buy.
Hope this helps you and was not too long to read.
Lets see if I can help. This first part goes for all brands.
If you get something with a 144" track it will be big enough for the mountains and small enough to ride around here. You can get by with a 600cc in the mountains as well, a 800 is nice but not necessary until you are a bit more experienced and looking for some harder climbs deeper snow but mostly just cuase you want to feel the power. In truth a 600 may not be as glamorous or as fast, but it will go there as long as you are not trying to go silly high/steep. The 600 will cost less and get better fuel mileage and be a bit lighter (easier to handle). The larger engines tend to make for a heavier sled. A 1000cc or a four stroke are getting quite heavy. Heavy is not good for a novice rider, not good at all. Remember you can always trade up if you advance past the abilities of your sled, but if you start to big it will be unpleasant. Anything smaller than a 600cc will probably be too small these days in the hills (trying to go where other riders are going), unless you are a very light person.
There are sizes of sleds and brands of sleds, but there are also applications. Lets talk about that for a bit.
Differences between cross country sleds, trail sleds, muscle sleds and mountain sleds are subtle at first glance. What's immediately obvious is mountain sleds normally have longer tracks and deeper lugs. Other than that and besides little features like mirrors or extra seats, storage etc, often the only difference to the inner works of the different models is the gearing and sometimes clutching. But this makes all the difference in where it can operate well. Mountain sleds tend to be geared lower to make more power but less top end speed - necessary for deep powder. Trail sleds and muscle sleds are the other way around. Cross country sleds try to be in between. In this end of the country more people run some version of a mountain sled. This is because of the type of snow we usually ride in. Down east where there are very large trail systems they have almost no mountain sleds, they are all short tracks and fast.
If you are going to go into the mountains occasionally to experience some deep powder, I would not recommend anything other than a mountain sled, it can be a smaller one, but a mountain sled. Taking one of the other sleds does not work well even if they do have an aggressive track because gearing and clutching is not right. I started out with a mountain sled even though I don't get to ride in the mountains much and I am glad I did. They work well around here. With some of the snow we have been having around here these days, a mountain sled is very appreciated when you are going cross country. And they are not a determent when you trial ride as long as they are not too long. People with longer sleds (151", 156" etc) will occasionally complain about maneuverability and handling issues but 144" are ok (the complaints go up fast as the track gets longer). 136" can get by as well if you are a bit lighter or if you do not go into silly deep snow. 144" tracks are really kind of a sweet spot though for their versatility IMHO.
Used sleds are sometime a bit hard to buy. I have seen used sleds that have a lot of km on them but if they are well cared for they are good buy. I have seen newer used (like 1 or 2 yo) sleds that have only a few thousand km on them but if not well cared for or rode hard they can be quite a bad buy. New sleds are pricy these days but if you can afford one at least you have some piece of mind about what you are getting. I would say look for sales on last years models but with all the hot selling this season it you may not find one, but still worth it to call around. Even a *NEW* 1 or 2 model year old sled can work very well for you and you might save some serous cash on one if you can find one somewhere.
As far as brands go, well I can start a war in here talking about this. One thing to consider is who you ride with and who you know and what brand they ride. The reason is that "know how" will be very important. Know how to ride it, know how to fix when it breaks unexpectedly on the trail and know how to maintain it. And it's the people you ride with that need to know *your* sled if they are to help you. You will do better with the same brand as people you are riding with on just this alone. And if you get a brand that few people you ride with have you will need to be a lot more self sufficient, not at all good for a new rider.
Which bands also depends on which model year as well. For example, Polaris Edge chassis, made up till about three years ago have a good reputation for being very easy to ride in deep power, the next generation chassis from Polaris that came out with the 900 engine was very hard to ride. The 600cc in the same newer chassis was fine though (had to do with how high the engine was mounted in the chassis). I could go on like this and probably write a book on each brand but you will get overwhelmed with info. But safe to say there are issues, or at least important things to know with one model or another of all of the brands. So you need to ask impartial people before buying.
In the end though, the short safest answer will probably be buy a sled similar to the ones most of the people you are riding with are riding. Not necessary as large, because experience riders get into large sleds and that may not go good for a beginner, but the same type of sled (brand and application).
If you check with your friends on what brand they ride and tells us where and how often you ride in each type of riding area (groomed trail, cross country and hills), and determine what your budget is then re-post your question you will probably get some very specific answers about what sled to buy.
Hope this helps you and was not too long to read.
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powdergirl
Active VIP Member
New Sled
thanks for the help maybe look at a 06 summit 600 144 SDI what doo u think my uncle Albert may be able to set me up with one,if Smiley gets a 800.
powdergirl
thanks for the help maybe look at a 06 summit 600 144 SDI what doo u think my uncle Albert may be able to set me up with one,if
Smiley gets a 800.powdergirl
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sounds good
yup, I think the 600 would be a good sled for you..... I think smiley could use an 800, shes a pretty good rider. Her moms on the 1000, and Lost is only on an 800....... hmmmm, maybe time for Lost to get one of the new bigger ones and start trading the sleds down the line. Gee, wish I was in that line. HAHA
yup, I think the 600 would be a good sled for you..... I think smiley could use an 800, shes a pretty good rider. Her moms on the 1000, and Lost is only on an 800....... hmmmm, maybe time for Lost to get one of the new bigger ones and start trading the sleds down the line. Gee, wish I was in that line. HAHA
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2003Summit
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2003summit......................................WOW!!!!!!!!!!
catmando!
long post eh?
I gotta stop that late night typing, seams I don't know when to quit. Hopefully someone will find all the info useful one day.
Big Grump
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Well you know Summitric that 800 guy (Lost) thinks the 1000 is to heavy.
Smiley
Active member
Hey powdergirl, looks like your wish may be coming true sonner then you think.........
I do have my eye on the 800, so we well talk
Are you sure that you can handle it..... I remember that it took you for a little ride!!!!!!!
Anyway I am sure that you well get used to it, or it well get used to you.
I do have my eye on the 800, so we well talk
Are you sure that you can handle it..... I remember that it took you for a little ride!!!!!!!
Anyway I am sure that you well get used to it, or it well get used to you.
Shifty423
Active VIP Member
Hey Powdergirl... great choice my Girl rides a 600 144 and loves it! I had her on my old ZX chasie and it was too much for her to toss around. She is just ripping on her 05 600 Summit and I am glad we spent the extra cash!
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