First Sled

[dirtroost]

Hey all. I am looking for some advice from you folks so as to hopefully reduce my chances of making a mistake when buying my first sled. First off, to buy a crossover or a mountain sled? I have no idea as to what one encounters in the mountains? I am not interested in hill climbing so are the trail systems such that a crossover would suffice? I would probably only be able to get to the mountains once or twice a year so most of my riding would be on trail systems/ditches within a couple hours of Edmonton. Secondly, two or four stroke. I realize the fours are heavier but does the potential longevity of the motor make it worth the extra weight? How often are the two strokes needing to be rebuilt and is it expensive/difficult to get done? What track length would you recommend? I am looking to pick one up between now and the spring so any advice/direction that you fine folks can give is much appreciated. My budget is around the 6-7k mark so it'll obviously be used. Any specific recommendations would really help me. If I've forgotten any pertinent info please just ask. Thanks.

 

[takethebounce]

I am going to say this with an honest and open mind, you are going to get a wide variety of responses, read them all, take every one of them with a grain of salt.

In the $6000-7000 range there are numerous options. Does that amount take into account any riding and safety gear you may want to acquire? Setting yourself up with riding gear, boots, pack, avalanche safety equipment, the training to go along with that equipment, products and mods you may want to make to a sled and so on can add up quite quickly.

2 strokes are the most common motors. A decently maintained Ski-doo Summit with the 800HO in the Rev chassis wouldn't be a bad place to start. You will want to educate yourself on the differences in each brands models and different engine configurations. This forum is full of knowledgeable and heavily opinionated users, which at the end of the day is all in good fun but you need to be able to separate the bs'ing from the useful posts.

Narrow down your choices to 3-4 and then get some pro's and con's on those sleds for your use and what you want to use it for. Good luck.

 

[DDrake]

For your budget you could probalbly pick up a 09-11 Arctic cat M-series pretty easy. Good solid sleds that are pretty reliable. If your doin most of your riding in Alberta a 153" track would probalbly work best. Do just fine on the trails and still plenty long to take to the mountains. Hope this helps.

 

[dirtroost]

Thanks for the responses so far. I am not including all of the peripherals in that price range. It would be sled only. I can acquire the extras over the summer etc. I will definitely begin researching the two suggestions thanks. Lots to learn for sure. I know about the different opinions and loyalties that this thread is likely to attract and honestly I believe that's what makes it informative and relevant. People are generally loyal to their particular brand for a reason after all...and it is for those reasons that I started this thread. Thanks again!

 

[xmsummit154]

my advice is to buy as nice of machine as you can afford. Part of the sport is working on them there's no question there but when its time to ride you don't want to be in the garage working on it instead of riding. I bought a new xm summit 800 in 2013 and although it was more sled than i needed . I don't have to worry when i go to the mountains about breaking down. The etecs are amazing motors

 

[rightsideup]

my advise would to go to the various dealers in your area of each manufacture and get a blue book cost of sleds in your price range. crossovers and mountain sleds are similar in price. in this forum browse the various sled types and you will be able to find out what models are the lemons and avoid those. Since this is your first sled I would not shy away from a 600 cc sled as they tend to last longer and are sometimes second sleds in a family with low miles. There was an interesting article in snowest about the merits of the 600 sleds. happy shopping

 

[Dakine879]

i purchased an m8 based on engine reliability reputation from this and other forums on the net, acknowledging it is an out of date chassis.

so far so good, I am pleased with the machine, and would recommend it to you.


if you like trail riding fast (ie 50 mph) don't get a 153 mountain track, get a 144" crossover.

i prefer going slower so the loss of the top speed on the M8 is not a problem, and it floats on the snow better for the mountains (I've only been twice) EDIT : this comparison is only between an M8 and Crossfire 6/8, I have not ridden other machines enough to comment, but I assume I'm not too far off...

when I was researching my purchase I was leaning to an M6 as I thought I wouldn't need all the power, but then I found out an M8 sno pro actually weighs less than the M6 ( which was not offered in a sno pro edition)

lots of ppl on here with way more experience than I, so hopefully you'll get a lot of feedback.

 

[dirtroost]

Thanks for the responses. It looks like I've got some research to do on the summits and M series cats!!! It's good to have some direction now.

 

[pano-dude]

Again people advising a guy who may not ever ride the mountains to buy a mountain sled. .....

If you ride once a year in the mountains do not buy a mountain sled.

Just like buying a deisel 1 ton if you pull a tent trailer once a year....

 

[CR97WS6]

Again people advising a guy who may not ever ride the mountains to buy a mountain sled. .....

If you ride once a year in the mountains do not buy a mountain sled.

Just like buying a deisel 1 ton if you pull a tent trailer once a year....

Hahahahaha I did both!!

 

[SUMMIT TREE]

This is a tough one because you can't predict the future, BUT,I can. You will go to the mountains.... I see you REALLY love it, wait .... Do you LOVE four feet of fresh carving back and fourth bluebird days yes.. You do. There's something else ..... Uhhhh it's blurry..... THERE I see you .. Your "pinnen" it and there's tail standers too ... Then u go home and.... Riding sucks cuz it's not the mountains. That's my vision lol

Just get a new one... A couple hundred a month, warranty , no worries in the mountains ( well less worries they can all breakdown) and no F' in around trying to figure out what the last guy did to make it "awsomer". My preference is DOO, my Xp has 3500 Kms and no issues yet. I just want to ride no tweaking and wrenching when I could be riding ( riding time is too precious to waste)

 

[dirtroost]

Ha ha Summit Tree. Ya, I here ya. Kinda what happened once I went dirt biking in the mountains too. I'm kind of leaning towards newer ones to be honest mostly for warranty. It won't be brand new but maybe a year old or so. Guess I'd better start saving some more (don't like financing toys lol). Thanks for the advice!

 

[pano-dude]

This is a tough one because you can't predict the future, BUT,I can. You will go to the mountains.... I see you REALLY love it, wait .... Do you LOVE four feet of fresh carving back and fourth bluebird days yes.. You do. There's something else ..... Uhhhh it's blurry..... THERE I see you .. Your "pinnen" it and there's tail standers too ... Then u go home and.... Riding sucks cuz it's not the mountains. That's my vision lol

Just get a new one... A couple hundred a month, warranty , no worries in the mountains ( well less worries they can all breakdown) and no F' in around trying to figure out what the last guy did to make it "awsomer". My preference is DOO, my Xp has 3500 Kms and no issues yet. I just want to ride no tweaking and wrenching when I could be riding ( riding time is too precious to waste)

Ya and 180 month for 10 years..... at 8.5%(saw a brp ad for this ). Do the math, buy at 15000 +10000 interest and in 10 years value is 2500.
Banks/finance companies love guys like you

 

[SUMMIT TREE]

Ya and 180 month for 10 years..... at 8.5%(saw a brp ad for this ). Do the math, buy at 15000 +10000 interest and in 10 years value is 2500.
Banks/finance companies love guys like you

Well I figured you would put the 7k you do have down on it and pay the rest off ASAP. You need to find a new bank if you get charged 10k interest on 15k loan. My sled wad paid off within first 8 months after I bought it. FYI.

 

[nathan#19]

A " mountain " sled that's 141 or 153 x 2" can be used well on the trail AND on a mountain.
A trail sled thats 136 x 1 can be used on the trail but isn't going anywhere on a mountain.
However there will be some tradoffs with whatever model is chosen.
For a first sled, a multi use unit will help you explore what you like to do, be it speed or deep snow.
I have had a few m8 and have been very happy. A few minor issues but no engine ,or major work at all..
People say it's an outdated chassis , but I would way rather be out-dated and having fun in the snow.
I have a 153 and ride 50/50 mountain and prairie Alberta. I wouldn't want less track even for the prairies.

 

[NorthstaRmk]

the polaris 700 is a pretty bullet proof engine, if a guy found a low miles rmk with 144x2" track that would be the best, you could take it to the moutains and ride on the flats, i beleive it still has the gear ratios for some higher speed. stay away from polaris 800 engines year 2008-2010 unless they have a proper fix kit installed. ive heard good things about the m8's too.

 

[dirtroost]

Thanks for the advice fellas. Turns out I was able to trade an old project I had in the garage for a 2013 Cat M 1100t with a 162" track. I was actually looking for something in the 152" range but this one kind of fell into my lap so I'm gonna run with it! Now to figure out what I'm gonna need to get started in the mountains! Cheers!

 

[Dakine879]

Enjoy your new ride and hold on tight when that turbo kicks in! You won't be getting stuck anytime this year in the prairies... (unless we get 3 feet of fresh sometime in the future which i do not see happening)