Cat vs. Doo vs. Polaris vs. Yamaha Let's dickmeasure cuz nosnow

MrMezger996

Formerly CobraSki
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It seems like everyone has different opinions on sleds, just like Ford Vs Chevy..... I'm curious to hear why Polaris, Skidoo or Artic cat? I did ride my buddies 16' SkiDoo XRS 800 and it was an awesome sled. Not trying to start a debate but next year I will be looking to get into the Braap game and now I'm leaning towards a SkiDoo

Edit:
Let me clarify a couple things, I have only rode a sled one time, about 300miles last wknd. I have only rode trails and no off trail. I'm not looking for a cheap starter sled and nothing brand new either.
 

PANDA

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It seems like everyone has different opinions on sleds, just like Ford Vs Chevy..... I'm curious to hear why Polaris, Skidoo or Artic cat? I did ride my buddies 16' SkiDoo XRS 800 and it was an awesome sled. Not trying to start a debate but next year I will be looking to get into the Braap game and now I'm leaning towards a SkiDoo

Edit:
Let me clarify a couple things, I have only rode a sled one time, about 300miles last wknd. I have only rode trails and no off trail. I'm not looking for a cheap starter sled and nothing brand new either.

Your not going to find the one sled that does it all the best. You need to research all and figure out what you want to sacrifice to achieve your goal. I don't feel anyone makes a BAD sled. But some sleds do stuff better than others. Example: You can't buy a 121 (length track) and expect it go straight up a mountain side. AND you can't buy a 162 and expect to be in the front of the pack on groomed tight corner trails. Same can be said about fastest sled on the lake. It is most likely the heaviest and not as trail friendly as the sled that tops out 10 mph less. Different sleds do different things. All sled makers sell "crossovers" usually 137ish tracks that are setup for both trail riding and "off trail/mountain". These sleds are not the best for either but they are a balance and that is what I feel most riders look for. Everything is going longer track these days. The shortest track Yamaha makes is im pretty sure a 129 and that's coming from when most everything (except mountain) was 121. Its not just track length either. Even identical sleds are setup with different shock packages. Some are designed for "racing" and most everyone will never push the sled that hard even though they think they do and others are setup for touring a soft conferrable ride. They also have sleds setup for in between. If you are seriously considering a new sled and are not brand loyal hit up the Milwaukee show and talk to each manufacture. Also ask your buddies if you can ride their sleds. Not just a quick 5 min ride either but maybe 20 miles or so. This will also help you figure out what you like. Some sleds look awesome but when you ride them you will hate it.
 

Yaj Yak

Gladys
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i feel like everyone should have to ride like an 80's boggey wheel leaf spring front something first 100 miles they ride.


then. an early 90's something, where they advertised 5-6" of rear travel, as a lot, and a 500 liquid cooled sled was midrange or almost upper.


then a late 90's something. where 7" of travel in the rear was a lot, and a 670 twin was a beastly sled.


oh. and make all of those be sure to not have reverse, :rofl:
 

Yaj Yak

Gladys
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Or estart.

YES.

fucking absolutely.

i remember being on snowmobile trips when i was younger and the adult guys on the "big" 600-800cc 2-strokes nearly ripping their shoulders off trying to restart their sleds the next morning on big trips when it was cold.

oh cool it's -23*, here your sled is going to take 57 pulls to start, and every inch of strength you have. :rofl:
 

Eagle

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Failures are just part of the game. You have a tiny machine with SO much power and you literally FLOG that poor SOB all day long over shitty trails, heavy throttle, long days, low fuel, drinking oil, etc etc etc....

It's a tough life the snowmobile machine has to endure at the hands of even the tamest of riders. Then there's the assholes like [MENTION=2616]Chester Copperpot[/MENTION] and I who beat the ever living shit outta their machines.

By few exceptions ever, do you have a trip where if you have 4 or more guys, that one sled doesn't break down and need work to continue. Probably 1/4 trips where the failure is terminal and takes that sled out for the rest of the trip. Even with newer sleds.

But like [MENTION=16]PANDA[/MENTION] says, every sled has its strength. I would prioritize my own preferences this way:

1. power - because you KNOW I need to be fast.
2. weight - honestly, this one belongs first, because a heavy stuck sled will fuck your life up. Lighter sleds are just more enjoyable to ride as well.
3. durability - because no one likes to wrench on their shit in the morning with a hangover.
4. styling - really? Does this matter at all? Yes. Yes it does. Styling is what makes so many people bite the bullet and buy a sled that is more than they really need for what they'll be doing. But a purdy sled is killer when you see people turn their heads as you're riding by...

As stated though, get out there and ride as many different sleds that you can. Ski-doo will be a solid contender for sure. The Rev chassis is no joke and REALLY is probably the best all around option for trail riding with a little off-trail mixed in. Polaris is also making a killer sled line up right now that is well engineered, easy to work on, and has killer performance right out of the box. The AXYS chassis is a close second in my opinion, although most of the market favors it as the best out there. Arctic Cat & Yamaha were aligning very closely over the last couple years, but not that Arctic Cat has sold off, you might see them start to drift apart again. Time will tell. The turbo powerplant they offer currently is all they can thank for their sales increasing. Their chassis are nothing crazy to write home about, AGAIN, IMO. (and I own one).

I for one cannot wait to see if Yamaha does anything crazy to the 2018 Sidewinder platform and also what Polaris releases as their powerplants are a bit long in the tooth (but still better than all non-turbo alternatives).
 

Shibby50

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Mar 30, 2008
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YES.

fucking absolutely.

i remember being on snowmobile trips when i was younger and the adult guys on the "big" 600-800cc 2-strokes nearly ripping their shoulders off trying to restart their sleds the next morning on big trips when it was cold.

oh cool it's -23*, here your sled is going to take 57 pulls to start, and every inch of strength you have. :rofl:

At least by the time you're on it, you're already warm lol. I was like 130lbs when I was 16 when I went with my dad for my first time. On a 80s something 440 scorpion. Everyone should have to learn on that old shit.
 

BeerOrGasoline

Me & Dead Owls Don't Give a Hoot.
Mar 15, 2009
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oh. and make all of those be sure to not have reverse, :rofl:

Or estart.


I've never owned a sled with either hahaha. Still stuck in the 90's with my 700 hot rod. With that said I've never had a horrendous pull-start experience except for once which I figured out the problem the next morning (much more sober) and facepalmed. Sleds start on the first pull or two when your spark plugs are all snugged down...


I prefer an older sled because its hard to take your minty $10,000 sled through the rough stuff to do a little back country boogie

this is also true.
 

BeerOrGasoline

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c6d47280b13b6924f1770db769bd734b.jpg



The only sled in that photo that has e-start doesn't have a working battery haha
 
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