Quick history of Sleds to help my purchase dicision easier!

[Whitecourt_Rider]

Hello fellow throttle junkies!!

Im in the market for a sled and am partial to Arctic Cat cause everyone i know except the odd friend rides them.. Im keeping an open mind though. I haven't been much of a sled owner over the years just borrowed them so i have no idea what i should go with. Im looking at the M8 sno pro 153'' or the Polaris Rmk pro with the 150whatever it is track. Ive heard Polaris's blow up but are light but have less HP and Arctic Cat are heavier and handle no where near the Polaris or Ski doo and i haven't heard a peep on the Ski-doo's beside a guy who did like 4 engine jobs in 2-3 seasons (one which was covered by warranty) Might have been rider error but not sure! I dont think i wanna go older than 2010 and would like to buy new if still available in the 2010 or 2011 models (for cheap sakes). As far as the 11 Cat its not that open front style the Doo's and Polaris have that i like visually!

 

[gibsons]

polaris rmk pro seems to be working really well and they never had any real issues with there engines last year so i'm guessing they go it figured out and they handle well. The M8's are reliable, easy handling (except on trails i find they can be a little stiff), and may be a little heavier but put out a little more H.P. The new E-TEC from ski-doo seems to be the way to go with them, great on fuel and oil. can't go wrong with any of them. Go on to the Cats, doo's and poo's forums and read up. they'll all give you honest opinions as to who's is best.

 

[Summiteer]

Where are you going to be riding? Here or the mountains. All three offer good machines, easier to get parts and service in town on Polaris and Cat.

 

[powderhoundbrr]

The M'8s are pretty bulletproof in terms of reliability.

 

[Skinnykid]

It's all in what you like. I am partial to doo but they are all good IMO. Having service and parts near is a plus. Whatever you end up getting you will always have some one tell you that thiers is better but I think that part of the fun with the sport.


Happy Hunting!!

 

[Warhawk]

ALL the new sleds are pretty good. one thing you want to keep in mind is your riding style. light and easy to boondock or maybe your a highmarker type of guy.

--Are you interested in doing your own service or is a shop going to do it for you.
---parts and QUALITY service of the product u choose and the closeness 2 you
---sometimes what buddies are riding is a good thing to go with just because you can all usually help each other out in a pinch. say you need a steering post for your cat if its a cat group that you hang with. just sayin
---- if your a NO tinker type of guy i would think a Yamaha nyto series might be your ticket but again maybe no so good for booning in the trees.


you will get lots of brand wars on here but in the end you have to be comfortable on it.
best sugestion is use some of your past experience on the sleds you have rode and build on that. I would try to get a ride this season on all the chassis you are interested in and then make a decision. sleds are a pretty expensive purchase and i have had friends change brands like underwear because they didn't like the feel of how a sled felt. This can get costly.

hope this helps abit

 

[Whitecourt_Rider]

Wow!! Great feedback!!

I will be mostly riding around Whitecourt area and am not much of a highmarker..... yet! I love to wrench on all my stuff so ill be doing services and am very meticulous on looking after what i have! We have a Cat dealer and a Polaris dealer in Whitecourt and im good friends with the Cat Dealer so that leans me that way in that regard! I wish i had more seat time on these recent sleds that im interested in!

Do you need a handle bar riser for the Polaris or the Brp's? I like the option of moving it up and down but dont know if its really needed as long as there sitting where there comfy i guess! Do you Cat guys fart with that much?

I see Cat has Fox shocks too are they something to have or? i pretty sure the Polaris, Yamaha and Brp have a good shock?? Its just a name thing??

Are any one of these brands easier to work on? I like the response to stick with what friends have for parts and experience but aint afraid to figure something out!

Thanks all!

 

[trench]

I can't comment on the new Cats, but the 2011 and 2012 Polaris is the easiest sled to work on that I have ever seen. You can change out an "A"arm in about 15 minutes, all the steering linkage is easy to access. When you get the plastic off of the front, there is lots of room to work on the engine,, just a very good design IMO