buying a "new sled"

[Dylan.B]

Going to be buying a used mountain sled for myself soon and was wondering your guy's opinions. I dont have a huge budget so the sled will most likely be in the 2000-2004 range. Ive seen quite a few good deals on ski doo 800 zx but dont really no anything about the chassis. How do they handle, power?etc.

 

[NosRX1]

Well for the years you hae listed I would have to say the 2004 Rev 800, with a 151 or something like that, you'd be looking at the 4000-5000.00 for s good sled and enough sled to go play in the mountains.,,,happy shopping.

 

[trench]

To get a decent handling mountain sled you should look for the rider forward style chassis. This started with the Rev in 2004, M7 in 2005, and 900 RMK in 2005. The older style sleds are harder to ride.

 

[E to the v]

Yup. Pay a little more and get a rev

 

[Warhawk]

M Chassis from cat in was a good chassis in the 05ish era and was used up until last year. You will probably want to get rid of the seat and put a taller seat as in the early years the seat was low. Might want to put a boss seat or even a newer cat seat(09 i think and newer was the tall one)
Cat 700was a very good motor and the 800 as we all know is pretty rock solid. As well.

Polaris 700 back in the 05ish era was good and the IQ chassis was great as well. The 900 was a good engine if you did all the mods to it but was expensive to do.

BRP had a good package in the rev chassis as well. Make sure that if you go with the 800 that you get some history of the motor as they had some issues with cranks as the grease in the crank needs to be repacked on a regular basis. This was usually around 2000ish miles. Some BRP guys will surely chime in here and tell u the correct amount

There are some good deals to be had in the era of sleds that your looking at. If your not sure take a buddy that knows sleds. Do a compression check, or a leakdown test if you have access to one. look at the clutch make sure things look good. Usually u can tell if the guy takes care of it. Better yet take it for a good drive if the owner will let you. You might not like the feel of one sled over another so take your time.

good luck

 

[powderhoundbrr]

Look for a REV, I bought a 2005 6 years ago and am still riding it. That says a lot if I am still happy with it. They were the sled back in the day adn still keep up to the newer sleds with the right pilot. You should be able to get into one for $3500 - $5000. 2005's and 2006's seemed to be the good years but the 04's were good to.

Ride it and have fun. The ZX chasis 2003 and down from Skiddo were alright (at least they had reverse) but they do ride heavy compared to a rider forawrd design.

The M7's were a pretty bomb proof design and the little 700's seemed to keep up with the 800's no problem. I see a ton of these for sale in the 3500 - 4500 range. And they seem to just keep trucking a long. They do kind of ride like a tractor though compared to the REV as the REV's are bit more zippy. I do have an M7 as well as my backup sled.

The Polaris 900's were junk and took a lot of mods to make them work. I would stay away from these. With the right mods they were a not bad sled but unless you like wrenching you won'y have fun with the 900.

Having said that you better like wrenching because a used sled is going to invite some of that. There is great information on here for whatever sled you get into. If it is a REV pm me with any questions, I pretty much have mine figured out after years years of happy ownership.

 

[BC Sno-Ghost]

Definitely agree with the guys on the Rev. I have the 2004 800 H.O. Summit with the 159" track and it is more than capable of handling anything I can throw at it. Try to stay with the rider forward seating found on the 2004's and newer. So much nicer to ride and a lot easier on the back when you're standing...which in the mountains is pretty much always. There's a beauty 2004 800 on Castanet.net right now in Kelowna for $4500 with a new motor.(No, it's not mine).

 

[hondalrd]

Definitely agree with the guys on the Rev. I have the 2004 800 H.O. Summit with the 159" track and it is more than capable of handling anything I can throw at it. Try to stay with the rider forward seating found on the 2004's and newer. So much nicer to ride and a lot easier on the back when you're standing...which in the mountains is pretty much always. There's a beauty 2004 800 on Castanet.net right now in Kelowna for $4500 with a new motor.(No, it's not mine).

not trying to hijack the thread but how much difference is the ride on a m 7 or a rev compared to the zx chassey

 

[TheMuffinMan]

If you are forced to get a trailing arm sled (old style chassis) I would look for a Yamaha 700 mountain max or viper mountain. Rock solid reliable, 150hp with pipes and jetting, and there isn't a sled on earth that sounds better than a triple-triple. Bolt on some bar risers and an altitude compensator and you're good to go.

 

[white ghost]

2004 rev come on guys, don't steer him the wrong way. the 800 is notorious for blowing up. I watched my buddy go through 3 motors in 2 years. found filings on his spark plugs on engine number 3 and decided he better trade it in before he needed number 4!
i know it was a great handling machine but if you wanna ride hard you may want to take a loan and buy newer. save the grief!
no offence to the doo lovers out there!

 

[underdog]

2004 rev come on guys, don't steer him the wrong way. the 800 is notorious for blowing up. I watched my buddy go through 3 motors in 2 years. found filings on his spark plugs on engine number 3 and decided he better trade it in before he needed number 4!
i know it was a great handling machine but if you wanna ride hard you may want to take a loan and buy newer. save the grief!
no offence to the doo lovers out there!

What year? Several guys in our group have 800HO revs (pre 07) and a couple of them have 5000+ MILES on them. Not km. Miles.

sent from a phone

 

[white ghost]

2004 800

 

[BC Sno-Ghost]

2004 rev come on guys, don't steer him the wrong way. the 800 is notorious for blowing up. I watched my buddy go through 3 motors in 2 years. found filings on his spark plugs on engine number 3 and decided he better trade it in before he needed number 4!
i know it was a great handling machine but if you wanna ride hard you may want to take a loan and buy newer. save the grief!
no offence to the doo lovers out there!

I just had my 04 top end with 6000kms on it rebuilt and the mechanic said it honestly could have gone longer no problem. Cylinders were perfect. Some blow by but still ran solid! It's all in the way you ride and maintain. If you have the throttle pinned to the bar all the time, they're all going to let go early. Using crappy oil doesn't help either. I ride with quite a few guys that have the 04 and 05 Rev and they certainly haven't had the problems you're speaking of. Just because you know one guy that has had issues with this sled doesn't make them all problem prone. They ALL have their issues! If you're on a budget, I still say the 04/05 Rev is the best bang for the buck. Judging by your avatar I'd guess you'd be recommending a Cat?

 

[Junior Highmark]

I've got like 5 or so seasons in my 800 h.o. with absolutely no engine work. runs like a champ. I'd rather keep it then sink into debt and get a new one because I know how to ride it. No use fixing something that's not broken.

Sent from my Nexus S

 

[white ghost]

I just had my 04 top end with 6000kms on it rebuilt and the mechanic said it honestly could have gone longer no problem. Cylinders were perfect. Some blow by but still ran solid! It's all in the way you ride and maintain. If you have the throttle pinned to the bar all the time, they're all going to let go early. Using crappy oil doesn't help either. I ride with quite a few guys that have the 04 and 05 Rev and they certainly haven't had the problems you're speaking of. Just because you know one guy that has had issues with this sled doesn't make them all problem prone. They ALL have their issues! If you're on a budget, I still say the 04/05 Rev is the best bang for the buck. Judging by your avatar I'd guess you'd be recommending a Cat?

well i guess i have to say my 2010 m8 is the perfect ride for me! I would recomend it!
although they have a DD bearing issue, it is a cheap upgrade if you dont let it blow first!

 

[powderhoundbrr]

I've got like 5 or so seasons in my 800 h.o. with absolutely no engine work. runs like a champ. I'd rather keep it then sink into debt and get a new one because I know how to ride it. No use fixing something that's not broken.

Sent from my Nexus S

Same here, 5 solid years, one top end for maintenance sake, about 6000 km's and never had any engine problems (I am sure I will lose a crank this year though). Pull the cord and ride. Of course keeping the front ends straight is another matter. Bang for your buck buy a 05 - 06 REV or 05 and up M7!

I have a rule in life that toys cannot be bought on credit so that is why I am running the older sled. One fo these days I will save up for one of those fancy new M8's.

 

[CatRyder88]

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