Snowmobile shopping

[JPD0244]

Ok, I do not profess myself an expert on the topic but I will explain the issues I have had.

ZR700-decent sled for the price I paid, little underpowered tho.
F5 sno pro- loved it but ended up eating up a jug and also took it off trail inadvertently. jumped like a dream tho. a little twitchy but that could have been taken care of.
07 F8- rode like a cadillac. Im a bigger guy and used this for trail and ditch banging believe it or not. Wasnt 800 power fast, but I sure liked this sled. Im also nearing 40 and this thing I could ride allllllll day long and walk upright.
09 Switchback 800- what a piece of shit. total turd, got beat by 600 switchbacks, riding in deep powder would list to the left like it was taking on water. wouldnt turn, gave up on it after numerous adjustments
10 CFR800- twitchy on the trail, still working them bugs out, fast....ran a clutched, piped, studded Renegade800r across the lake and was neck and neck. Love this sled. Now the old lady wants to ride so I am debating my next sled to be a Turbo z1.

It all depends on what youre going to do. ditch bang, i would say stick with something light, f5, 440 iq,
trail ride, honestly....the twin spar chassis of the 07 and newer cats rides like a dream. I havent rode many doo's and I have a few friends that swear by them. (they also ditch bang and we ride pretty fast....2 of them have also blown their motors tho)
What ever you decide, make sure you look at ergonomics. If youre a bigger guy, find something that fits you well. My CFR isnt really good for my height. Had to use a 6 inch riser from an f7 and its still not quite tall enough for me to stand and ride which is 90% of my riding if Im not on a trail chillin.

If youre getting a used doo 600, I have heard that they had issues with the bulkheads because they lightened that chassis so much that its a weak point. Friend of mine got an 800 out of the crate with a cracked bulkhead.

Yamaha-2 friends have nytro's. 400 miles for a pair of hyfax. and in off trail riding, they are submarines. Have you seen the solution to that problem? skis that are 10 inches wide. look like snowboards on the front of them. Great torque to 80 mph. Then they fall on their nose. nice ride tho. change your oil once a year, get 30k out of a sled. My CFR got similar mileage as they did tho. suprising considering the differences.

It all boils down to what you want and how you plan to ride. I agree with having 2 specific sleds. The whole crossover idea is one sled that does everything.....mediocre. Who wants to ride around and do crappy at everything??? Not me. (says the guy who ditch banged with an 07 f8-one of the punchline sleds of many jokes.)

Find a sled you like, ride it more than a mile down the trail or ditch and if it fits, has acceptable power, and suits your needs....get it. Screw what we all think of the sled. Find out what issues that model has before you get into it and decide if you can handle fixing shit. Sleds are like boats....they are going to cost you money regardless of what anyone lies and says.

Be safe, have fun, and dont run my fat ass over if I biff it in the ditch in front of you.

[Hatch]

1000 SDI+balance shaft=fail. gobs of power when they do run though

one of the biggest problems is having two big coffee can and the factorys doing a shitty job truing crankshafts, after getting the new crankshaft trued up (which was .007 off) I noticed a big loss in vibration after I got the new motor back together and back in sled

[ClOckwOrk]

I know the feeling, last year I was picking up some parts and there was a 2009mxz 800r all in black I told my buddy that I was going to talk to the dealer owner when he got back and buy it, then he said he would sell me his mach z x needless to say 200miles later it blew up due to a few different issuses (even well maintained sleds go down some times)
I should have just bought that new one it would have costed me less

1000 SDI+balance shaft=fail. gobs of power when they do run though

[Hatch]

I was on a snowmobile trip, hating my old sled. We went to a local dealership to get something and the 09 dragon just the way I wanted was sitting on the show room. The said they would take my old shit box on trade but I just couldn't stomach the 9k sticker price for it.

I know the feeling, last year I was picking up some parts and there was a 2009mxz 800r all in black I told my buddy that I was going to talk to the dealer owner when he got back and buy it, then he said he would sell me his mach z x needless to say 200miles later it blew up due to a few different issuses (even well maintained sleds go down some times)
I should have just bought that new one it would have costed me less

[STROOSS]

I was on a snowmobile trip, hating my old sled. We went to a local dealership to get something and the 09 dragon just the way I wanted was sitting on the show room. The said they would take my old shit box on trade but I just couldn't stomach the 9k sticker price for it.

[Hatch]

Ya I should have specified what it was. I was referring to the 09 800 Dragon 136" with all Walker Evens Shocks.

And it can be tough to test drive sleds. Usually the best resources for that are people you know, even if the sled isn't the same year or model as the one a person is looking for it is still a good idea to ride it to get an idea of what they are like.

And to you old guys who ride slow, when someone comes up on your ass, move the hell over and let them pass.

Dont get me wrong I like the KYB shocks but Walker Evens
these have to be the best shock to work with, coming on a stock sled, I love those shocks.

[Hatch]

I will only say this. I had a 2005 Doo with the 600SDI I am not sure if that is what motor you are talking about or not. It got 20MPG on a regular basis. I sold that machine with 5500 miles and never did a thing but oil and plugs.

Yep, The new 600 E-TECH is the same base motor as the 600 SDI
The E-TECH is a much better and reliable fuel system than the SDI, and still get that great MPG and also stays more constent.
The SDI seemed to work ok on the 600s, put them on a 1000 and they tend to have some issues.

[LES]

I will only say this. I had a 2005 Doo with the 600SDI I am not sure if that is what motor you are talking about or not. It got 20MPG on a regular basis. I sold that machine with 5500 miles and never did a thing but oil and plugs.

[HAZZARDJOHN]

I wish

[1moretoy]

Snow sucks! I used to have a sled that was "hot" for it's day, but now I prefer to curse the cold and piss and moan until spring.

~HJ

Move then

[HAZZARDJOHN]

Snow sucks! I used to have a sled that was "hot" for it's day, but now I prefer to curse the cold and piss and moan until spring.

~HJ

[STROOSS]

The pic you had there seem to look like a 151" version I did not realize you were talking about 136",
then yes I agree with you 100% any 136" tracked sled seems to be the best for all around riding for the average rider.
I also agree every rider has different riding styles and should go out and ride sleds they are interested in, the only problem with this is its not just that easy to be able to ride a sled your interested if you are looking at new verions of sleds or new changes to old ones.
I am sure you well tell me that is not true due to the fact that dealers have demo sleds.
But the thing with dealers are only alowed so many demo sleds, so dealers more than likely well not have all models but well have popular models.
It is not easy to get demo sleds they usally get book up for the year very fast also repeat customers tend to book these sheets up and tend to get priority over first time buyers (not always but most dealers do it this way) so if someone is walking in a dealership and has not rode one of these new sleds and was going to buy something right that min.,
a 600 136" is one of the best all around sleds for the average rider, I think you and I are on the same page with this.
Now just like you I have ridden a most of the sleds that are out, I have ridden most of all 2010 stuff that was out last year, but I was to busy to take my trips last year to try out the 2011 stuff.
The only sled for this year that I have any hands on experiance with at this moment is the ski-doo 800 e-tech

Ya I should have specified what it was. I was referring to the 09 800 Dragon 136" with all Walker Evens Shocks.

And it can be tough to test drive sleds. Usually the best resources for that are people you know, even if the sled isn't the same year or model as the one a person is looking for it is still a good idea to ride it to get an idea of what they are like.

And to you old guys who ride slow, when someone comes up on your ass, move the hell over and let them pass.

[KRYPTO]

[Hatch]

It's all subjective. And they ride great on the trail. The 136" actually is smoother on small bumps than the 121" and the turned up rails in the back
cut the turning radius so it handles better.

If anyone was going to buy a sled go ride them first. Find one that you enjoy to ride and works well for your riding style. Don't just buy one based on the opinions of others. I have rode all new models besides Yamaha and all have their pro's and con's.

The 800 Dragon is not meant for the everyday rider who wants to cruise. It is supports an aggressive riding style on and off of the trail.

The pic you had there seem to look like a 151" version I did not realize you were talking about 136",
then yes I agree with you 100% any 136" tracked sled seems to be the best for all around riding for the average rider.
I also agree every rider has different riding styles and should go out and ride sleds they are interested in, the only problem with this is its not just that easy to be able to ride a sled your interested if you are looking at new verions of sleds or new changes to old ones.
I am sure you well tell me that is not true due to the fact that dealers have demo sleds.
But the thing with dealers are only alowed so many demo sleds, so dealers more than likely well not have all models but well have popular models.
It is not easy to get demo sleds they usally get book up for the year very fast also repeat customers tend to book these sheets up and tend to get priority over first time buyers (not always but most dealers do it this way) so if someone is walking in a dealership and has not rode one of these new sleds and was going to buy something right that min.,
a 600 136" is one of the best all around sleds for the average rider, I think you and I are on the same page with this.
Now just like you I have ridden a most of the sleds that are out, I have ridden most of all 2010 stuff that was out last year, but I was to busy to take my trips last year to try out the 2011 stuff.
The only sled for this year that I have any hands on experiance with at this moment is the ski-doo 800 e-tech

[STROOSS]

1: Too long of track for trail riding, ditch banging would be ok depending on conditions, very good for the rest.
2: I dont think these are nearly as well balanced as the ski-doo for ditch banging and trail riding
3: They dont have the hp or the tq and light weight like the ski-doo for back country and powder


Dont get me wrong it is a very good sled but all in all right off the show room floor I think the ski-doo line up has a one up on all the market right now.

Hold on a sec, except the 4stroke market, that I would have to give to Yamaha, yet the Yamahas tend to be the biggest pain to work on.

It's all subjective. And they ride great on the trail. The 136" actually is smoother on small bumps than the 121" and the turned up rails in the back
cut the turning radius so it handles better.

If anyone was going to buy a sled go ride them first. Find one that you enjoy to ride and works well for your riding style. Don't just buy one based on the opinions of others. I have rode all new models besides Yamaha and all have their pro's and con's.

The 800 Dragon is not meant for the everyday rider who wants to cruise. It is supports an aggressive riding style on and off of the trail.