Need help picking a good all around sled!!

[kawasakikx250]

I want to get a snowmobile witch will be all new to me. Have ridden a few sleds before. looking for a machine to ditch,field,trail and lake ride. two of my friend rec ski doo first and polaris second. i know nothing about this topic as i am and motor bike guy. need lots of help. I have done a lot of reading about ski doo and polaris and come up with 50% people say polaris is better engine and chassis and the other 50% say ski doo is. So what is the truth i guess? thanks for the hepl i get on this topic.

 

[sirkdev]

First thing is determine an all in budget, then you will have some place to start.... brand doesn't matter there are some good and some bad of each of the manufacturers. Also do you have a particular attachment to a dealership that you work with bikes? A trusted source here is key if you have one. Snowmobiles are money pits that have limited usage so be prepared for that.

 

[brian h]

all makes have there good and bad,look for a machine that is capabile of your type of riding,don't let others choose for you, I have had ski-doo for 35 years and would not consider other makes at this point

 

[kawasakikx250]

I would like to get a ski doo but i'm worried about the ring and crank problems. I would like to spend in the 3000-4000 range. have been looking at a summit but i don't plan on going to the mountain so think it might be a bet over kill for the ditch,field and trails.

 

[LUCKY 7]

I have had Polaris's for 18 years but almost jumped over due to the 800 engine issues. So if you are looking at the 2008 and up 800's look really hard before you buy one. i now have a 800 pro and hope that my issues are long gone, but just in case I have 4 year warranty

 

[sledneck_03]

600 any brand until you figure your stuff out. Im a fan of 144 600 mountain sleds as a cross over sled.

600 and leave stock and just ride the hell out of it.

 

[kawasakikx250]

Ya I have heard a lot of bad news about the 800 in any brand. I'm looking at the 500 -700 rang. after sledneck_03 sounds like I'm now in the 500-600 range.

 

[Weirboondocking]

Cat has a good 800...
Honestly I would not be brand loyal, if it was for a awesome dealer. We ride all sorts of sled through the year doing what we do and I can tell you first hand that most of today's sleds compare very closely with there compositions sleds, so find a dealer that you can trust and ride what they sell. Also something to consider is that all the 600s seem to last, but I can promise you it wont take long and you will wish it was a 800. What ever you buy make sure and go through it/ clean out under the hood get to know how it goes together, be sure there is no loose wires, missing springs... you can save yourself a tone of headache by a bit of preventive maintenance.

Good Luck and don't right the mountains off, they are a blast.

 

[pano-dude]

things to consider when buying a sled
- what type of riding do you do? mountain sleds are narrower than flatland sleds making them easier to get on edge but also means they are twitchy on the trails and typically handle like crap on hard pack.
-do you like turning wrenches or just like riding? anything that has aftermarket parts on it will require more wrenching and then there is no guideline for tuning, and further to this many people who mod sleds on their own actually make them run worse and don't even know it.
-are you in good shape? find a sled with e-start and reverse, sleds are heavy and can be hard to start. reverse makes getting it out of the truck waay easier.
-will you have a passenger? if so buy a 2 up seat, may not look cool but way more comfortable for both people on board.
-when looking at a sled, look at the owners other stuff, truck, house, yard. if everything is immaculate you probably have a good sled. if everything is beat down, unorganized keep looking.
-find something lady driven.
-after you buy a sled take it to a shop and have them go over it, or find a friend who knows sleds to help get it ready for the first day. nothing worse than unloading a new sled and having it crap out 5kms down the trail.

all sleds cost money to run, new, old does not matter. be prepared to open your wallet every year.

 

[kawasakikx250]

Thanks a lot guys. I sure appreciate all the advice, you have been a great help. I under stand they are going to need work and being a licensed mechanic I wont have to pay for labor and not scared to work on them.

so I'm under the impression that the summit and rmk are mountain machines, is that right? what about a mxz or switch back? what type of sled do you guys rec for me for the type a riding I will be doing in ditches,trail,fields or lakes.

 

[cookgio]

Crossfire 600 with a 141 track arctic cat motors are bulletproof.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

 

[LUCKY 7]

The summit and the RMk are both mountain sleds for sure

Thanks a lot guys. I sure appreciate all the advice, you have been a great help. I under stand they are going to need work and being a licensed mechanic I wont have to pay for labor and not scared to work on them.

so I'm under the impression that the summit and rmk are mountain machines, is that right? what about a mxz or switch back? what type of sled do you guys rec for me for the type a riding I will be doing in ditches,trail,fields or lakes.

 

[sledneck_03]

I dont find my 163 lacks in anyway on the trail at home. May have to lean a bit more in the corners but its a hell of alot nicer to ripp on then trails than my gen 2 121 and edge 121 were.

You get use to what you got. I road my dads f8 and i guess you could call it a dream on the trail but thats about it. I find it boring really, like driving a go cart compared to a sport bike as in you put in little effort.

Theres a nice twisty creek at home and we race down it. He leans a bit and i almost put my knee down to running board level in the corners. He can take them at more speed but i can catch up out of the corner with the gearing. Only thing is ripping on the lake i can go 70 some mph and he can go 90-100+.

Also i find the ditches way funner on the rmk. You can side hill for days and go around the signs and such with ease and it makes it super fun compared to zig zagging sitting down or flying at 90 mph straight.

My brother in law was a first timer ditch banging and feild hopping and he was on a 800 146 summit with a 2" track. He loved it and it was for sale and only had 1000km but the ptek was already blown and rebuilt and he was weary. Told him get the same thing but a 600 and he agreed.

 

[sledneck_03]

Thanks a lot guys. I sure appreciate all the advice, you have been a great help. I under stand they are going to need work and being a licensed mechanic I wont have to pay for labor and not scared to work on them.

so I'm under the impression that the summit and rmk are mountain machines, is that right? what about a mxz or switch back? what type of sled do you guys rec for me for the type a riding I will be doing in ditches,trail,fields or lakes.

Your gonna want to look at for polaris a switchback, for ski-doo a renegade and arctic cat a cross fire. 136-144" and 1-1/4-1-3/4" track.

 

[kawasakikx250]

sledneck_o3 I looked into the sleds you rec and they sound great for all around riding. Thanks a lot for the advice.