Other '16 sleds, Poo rider point of view?

geo · Mar 2, 2015

Lot of converts (previous "other branders") in the Pro forum. Rightfully so, great sled out of the box for the mountains. Good enough for me (performance, reliability, and most importantly "grin-factor") that I have no intention of changing until I ride something better. That includes the new Poo.

Thought I would start a thread about the "others" here 'cause if you go over there to express your thoughts,,,, you know, the "hater" thing lol.

New Doo's. I had 10 model yr's on a Doo. Great memories until the 800's.
It's a meh for me. Rode the T3 and it is very improved from the first XP's but I'm not a rider-forward rider. Old guy with old habits,
So the colors faded quickly for me. Maybe they will come out with a new chassis next year.

New Yamaha's. 9 model yr's on them. Started sleddin with them and every spring hope to see them return to the mountains the way I ride.
Not bad for a four stroke. Still waiting for what I want though. Been on 2 strokes and the snap too long. Promised myself I would never ride anything heavier after the first season on the Pro and I still took weight off it. Nothing new to most of us guys lol.
Maybe they will make a 800 triple 2 stroke next year.

New Cat's. 9 model yr's with them too. It was a good run with the same up's and downs as the other brands.
I will always thank Cat for making my '12 HCR. Got me to buy a '13 Pro after seeing their "fix kit" in the fall. Without that fail I probably wouldn't of because of the great dealer. It was good luck for me.
Well now. Cat made a lot of bold changes eh. Almost like they are trying to make it back to the dependability of old. Makes you think if Yamaha and Cat are no longer just dating.
Nothing is proven until it's on the snow but, wait,,, non-China stuff?? More expensive, harder to market changes that address issues that are said to be non-issues on the other side?
The new front end is obvious and looks neater compared to the original wall. Should help in feel on the snow. Clutches, jackshafts, gears and chains not from the lowest bidder?!! I can't believe Cat is trying to address the deepest trenching skid too OMG! New rail profile and geometry after all these years.
Wow. Other than still needing sheet metal screws and duct tape for the bodywork still it looks like what I wanted in '13 from Cat.
Maybe they will hire new plastic guys next year.

Good job Cat. I'll be looking to try one next year along with an Axys. so far they are the exciting intros for me.
It'll take a lot to pry the ol' Pro out of my hands though. Bin dere don dat with "new is better" thing one time too many.

Sheetmetalfab · Mar 2, 2015

The cat improvements look decent.
The team primary is a known reliable setup.
I want to ride one.
At least where my buddies cant see.

Fat chicks and mopeds fun to ride when nobody's around.

CO Powder · Mar 3, 2015

I am also pretty stuck on my Pro, hard to improve on. I tried the XM when it came out, I like it but not like the Pro. Get rid of that stupid t-motion BS and I might try one again. Now that everybody is jumping on the 3" track bandwagon Doo really doesn't have anything unique I can't get elsewhere.

The Cat improvements look good but it is still MUCH wider feeling than the Pro and, it is still a fair amount heavier. The ski stance doesn't address the wide bodywork... The rest is just fixes for problems, problems that should have been fixed years ago.

Yammicat is still 100 lbs too heavy regardless of how much power it can make with a turbo.

The Axys seems to be moving even further my direction, drop and roll for better performance. Better front suspension arms and spindles to get it out of the snow in conjunction with the D&R. Less weight, under 400 lbs with just a can swap. New motor with more power, lighter crank for even more responsiveness. IF Poo can get the motor right I think the Axys will continue Polaris' domination of the terrain and the market.

Reg2view · Mar 3, 2015

Came to poo from doo, S, ZX, Rev, XP summits, lots of mods, and lots of other doos going back to early 90s. Ridden them all in my groups. Picked up the 11 pro in 10 for a change, I'm a typical early adopter. If poo wouldn't have spit out the 11 pro, would have went with a M8 or M1000, knowing exactly what I was getting into, but knew the writing was on the wall for the M chassis. Was just done buying XPs, tho I still have one. Like the doo motors. Love the sukes.

With the XM, I could easily go back to doo. Probably 163 T3. It works, has it quirks. They all do. Always disappointed in poo motor output stock. Great clutching. Find the poo easiest to ride now. If cat gets the clutches to work, and they can screw up anything, hero or zero, the M8000 would be right there, assuming the skid and front end changes work better. Would need miles on it before I'd buy. Never buy a first year cat anything (even my cat dealer tech friends echo that comment in private).

I am doubtful that ACAT will ever offer a mt sled like the 05 M again - trail sleds rule for those boys, the braintrust in MN makes sure of that, and being the least capitalized OEM hurts them bigtime. Doo was like that for years with Valcourt always knowing better. They've changed quite a bit. Poo has the best mt sled engineering team, and MN listens to them. Likely I could ride an XM or Axys and be happy, and an M if they deliver next year. Too many tools tend to keep me in a brand for awhile, not the sleds themselves.

You can whine about prices, the but the sleds we get now stock, with a warranty, crush anything we could build for a fraction of the cost just 5 years ago.

Jaynelson · Mar 3, 2015

It LOOKS like all 3 will have great sleds for 2016. The best ever.

Revamping their garbage clutches is a smart move for Cat, been a long time coming. Narrower and 3" - worked for Doo, sure it can't hurt the Kitty.

Doo T3's were good this year, so more of the same ain't bad.

Pol came out with a lighter, more powerful, redesigned model, with a ton of great features/options, that picks up where the Pro left off. The Pro arguably still leading the segment in it's outgoing year.

So there is fun to be had on all....but given equal dealer support, and putting brand loyalty aside, there is no way I'd buy anything but a Polaris this year, if buying a new sled. Less weight, more power, powdercoating, less stuff dragging in the snow, 2 big-lug track choices, yada yada.

Other than pie-in-the-sky stuff like factory turbos, it has addressed everything people frequently ask for on here....it would seem. Price went up, yes, but take the cost of a Pro and add airlocs', new track, 20hp more, some lightweight goodies, etc, and it's MUCH more expensive to go that road.

turboless terry · Mar 3, 2015

Now ya tell me after I already put air locs on.

Jaynelson · Mar 3, 2015

turboless terry said:
Now ya tell me after I already put air locs on.

Don't worry, I bought a new 2015 instead of waiting till 2016 so I feel like a bit of a genius too :face-icon-small-con:face-icon-small-ton:face-icon-small-coo

That said, my 2015 has been rad, and is still plenty of sled to have fun on.

Reg2view · Mar 3, 2015

Not enough miles on my 14 with fox evols, sled works, but I will be buying a new 163 or longer next year, either a carryover 16 or a 17. I do suspect there will be some Axys improvements - second year new models are always a big step up for any OEM with little fixes, been that way with every mountain sled released in the past 10 years. We'll see. Fun to watch, and gonna ride the 16's next season, first.

edgexcsp · Mar 4, 2015

I'm not a steep and deep guy being from the East Coast so this year was kind of a let down from Poo for us flatland boondockers since the SBA didn't move to the new chassis & motor. The SKS looks like an awesome sled but I don't need a 155" skid where I ride, and the external shock switchback doesn't cut it for me despite all of Polaris marketing to the contrary.

So if nothing changes for 2017 I will prob be off to Doo or Cat. I think Cat really stepped up their game this year with the TEAM clutches and other driveline improvements. The 800 Suzuki is about bullet proof and the sleds look sharp! The XF high country would fill the void left by the SBA.

A lot of the same for Doo this year, it that's not a bad thing. Nice sleds with great fit and finish. I lean towards the Renegade Back Coutry w/ the 146" skid but I'm not sure about the T motion and how it would trail ride? We have to do that in these parts...

If Yamaha ever builds a 2 stroke again I would maybe look their direction...

Super A · Mar 4, 2015

We are winnning!!!

Remember back to Big Bearing Kits, RX 1 tons, 05 M7 clutches, the attack 20 & running boards with no holes, 755 and 900 polaris', 07 Rev's and 800 Dragon's. The list goes on and on.

In the early 2000's I worked in a dealership, we dreamed of a sled that weighed 425lbs and had 125hp. You could get there with a ton of mods and money. Fast forward to 2013 and you can buy it off the showroom floor with warranty.

Ten years from now we will be drinking coffee and talking about the good old days, I'm here to tell ya...the good old days are TODAY!!!

In the last week, all four manufacturers combined have put out some of the best sleds we've seen in a decade, we can nit-pick them til all the snow melts, but the bottom line is you wouldn't go back. This is a great time to be a mountain rider there is a great selection of products out there...pick one and go have fun.

See ya on the hill.

A

jlpearl · Mar 4, 2015

I'm an east coast boondocker coming off a '12 HCR 800 which I could never get comfortable on. Did the 38" a-arms, drilled mounting holes, numerous suspension adjustments, upgraded clutches etc. Almost everyone riding off trail in northern NH is on a Pro and there's a good reason why... great dealer support and phenomenal sled. It's amazing how well this thing works out of the box! I've only got a couple hundred miles on a '15 Pro RMK 155, but I can already attack lines and try maneuvers I never could with three years on the HCR. Right now I'm in the honeymoon period with the Pro, so no Axys RMK until '17 for me. Looks like Cat is going in the right direction but they lost this guy awhile ago.

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Other '16 sleds, Poo rider point of view?

geo

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Sheetmetalfab

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CO Powder

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Reg2view

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Jaynelson

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turboless terry

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Jaynelson

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Reg2view

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edgexcsp

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Super A

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jlpearl

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