M8 or M1??

[EmEight]

I agree
with keeping the mods basic. I have friends that go to far with the mods and after a while the sled won't run properly.

 

[niner]

The m1000 is a great platform to make improvements as you can afford or find great deals on kijiji. Just last week you could have bought a 174 x 3" in calgary for $500 with no lugs missing. We ride trees all the time with our 174s and never had wished for shorter tracks. I would do the track first. Slp pipe next , adds real hp and dumps a bunch of front end weight. The rear shock is crap look for a better one to keep the front end down. The C3 hood is the best because it still draws into the stock air box. But they are super hard to find used. You can build a rippin mountain sled for a reasonable price.

 

[snowbuster]

I have owned both machines, an '08 m1000,twin pipes, boondocker box,reeds,162" track and a 2010 m8 with an alp kit. Head to head they were inches apart in a race, but what I didn't do on the m1000 was replace the stock challenger track. The m8's powerclaw track would hookup better. The challenger track was too soft and the lugs would fold over in all conditions. Both sleds were lightened but the 1000 was still a good 40 lbs heavier in the front end. That was only noticeable in the trees in really technical situations. I sold the m1000 in favour of the m8 but if I had changed the track I am sure I would still be riding it today. The torque is unmatched on the 1000. I have since installed a turbo kit on the m8 and it is the same weight as the m1. Go figure.