Help! Finding Youth Mountain Sled

WyoBoy1000 · Jan 20, 2011

What kind of riding do you expect out of this sled, and where will you be riding.
Might make a big difference.

I would avoid the skinny track, it just get stuck quicker, there is a kid around here that started on a stock m5 at 8 (I think he was 8 and 9 now) this year he is hanging a leg and carvin it up, so if you think the 15" wide track is to wide think again, and the more power it has the easier it will get on it side and stay there. The easiest way to sidehill is with track spin. Whats a m6 weigh stock anyway.

Freeride1 · Jan 20, 2011

How about something like this Enticer:

ezra · Jan 20, 2011

kinda hard to find but the old phazer mountan was a sweet entery boondocker.or the M5 .my bud got his kid a 04 1m or m1 cant remember 570 136 that was a fun sled verry light and the 04 was the last yr of the twin carb and just a few less hp than the 04 and up 500 .I would not spend a ton you know that 1st sled is going to go rolling down the face with chunks flying all the way down.

Shwinecat · Jan 20, 2011

The reason I started this thread is to get input from guys that have been in my shoes, get ideas and get resources of where to go to get something custom if I decide to go that route. I thank everyone for their time and suggestions.

As far as the comment of spoiling him by taking him to a clinic I will argue that all day long. If I can take him to a clinic with one of the top riders in the business like Burandt or Adams they will take his riding to a new level "with out" bad habits. He will learn with less chance of getting hurt and with less damage to the machines he is riding. I use to team rope and in a two day clinic with a professional he could get me farther then I would have got in a year by myself.

You can practice everyday but if you are practicing wrong what good is it. The pro's are giving you what they have learned in their life time of riding and what they have learned from others that have rode their entire lives. The knowledge they can pour into you in two days is unreal.

It is apparent just about everyone struggles through the youth stages because there are not machines designed for this age group. It's a hard decision to make whether you want to pony up the cash to have something custom made where you spend a ton of money and there are very limited parts to fix it when it breaks down or if you want something that is common made and make the child struggle through the stages.

Sorry this got so long but I feel most of the best riders in the business visit this site. I love snowmobiling and want this sport to keep advancing. The reason they are making 50, 60, 80 and on up in the motocross world is so the riders have years of experience and it has pushed the sport to the next level.

Shwinecat · Jan 20, 2011

One thing I would like to add. We rode all day on Sunday and my son spent a couple of hours on his ZR120 and rode the rest of the day with me on my 09M1000. After the ride and shutting my sled off for the day my son took his helmet off sat next to me and said "Dad, this has been the best day of my whole life, I wish everyday could be like this". That's what started me looking for the next sled. His dream is to ride in the mountains and if I can make it happen I will.

RichardCranium · Jan 20, 2011

Its great that you and your boy have something like sledding to have a great time at and it sounds like he loves the sport must have got that form somewhere.....
Alot of what will be right for him will have to do with setup. Suspension will be huge so hes not getting bucked around.
As said before the 570 mountain cat i think would be a great ride. Even though it is not as rider forward as a msled they are still light enough to be thrown around. Im not sure the numbers but even going to a m5 the weight will be more just due to longer track liquid cooling the lot. A custom build for him would be awesome but spendy and when i was learning to ride i had a habit of breaking stuff.....
just my .02:beer;:beer;

Ultra · Jan 20, 2011

Schwinecat, I have been in your shoes. My kids have been riding sleds since they were 3yrs old, and all of it in the mountains of NW Montana. My youngest is now 22. When they were 6yrs old I wanted to put them on something they could handle and concentrate on their riding skills, most importantly not have to worry about temps and rpm and such. It was a no brainier...no liquids. Had to be light, tough and not be a power threat to himself. At 50 pounds they simply didn't need 80+hp(M5) or 120hp(M6).
I bought a 90 440 fan Jag, removed the 440 and installed a 95 340 fan motor. Lightened up the chassis as best as possible. Installed a 95 136" suspension and a 15"x136" track. Built a tunnel extension. Cut down the windshield. Had a 36" ski stance and it worked well for about 2 years. Then reinstalled the 440 for another two years.
When he was 10 put him on a 96 cougar 550 liquid 144. Then at 13 on an 03 900 151. At 15 on a King Cat. All of them worked out well.
That my .02
Even a 570MC is the same chassis at the king. You need to look into the past to find a mid size chassis for a 50 pound kid, then stretch it. Keep the power well below 50 hp. Keep in mind even a 340 with a 50 pound rider will still do over 50 mph on hard pack. Also keep in mind what he is coming off of, a 120 only works on hard pack, they are about worthless in the powder.

tatorsalad · Jan 20, 2011

I have a indy lite 340 and it works awesome for my 7 year old can find them cheap run it a few years and sale it

iride49 · Jan 20, 2011

Son is 8 years old and around 85-90 pounds. Bought him a Mountain Cat 600 with a 136 track. Starts it himself and keeps up all day long. Not bragging, just saying it works for him.

Kid Rock · Jan 21, 2011

x2 for the 600 mtn cat 136. i put my 9 year old on that last year and he did great. they still dont have the a$$ for the deep but will manage and get better every time out. i also have one on a phaser mtn lite, 136 and that works great too.

mine were on trail rides at 1.5 years old and riding minis at 4 so they have pretty good stick time already but every kid is different. my cat rider has the same fettish with pow his old man does and my yami rider would stay on the trails all day if you let him.

i cut off a broom handle and duck taped it to the bars so they couldnt pin the flipper all the way and that worked well. We dropped into the top of lime creek last year and i took it off after 3 rides because it was deep and i knew they would need the HP.

My cat rider does one lap around that field, jumps off his sled and runs over to me and says, "dad, dont you ever put that back on my sled again!" LMAO. one of the raising kid moments i will never forget.

for the guy that thinks they are too big, remember we loose 30% of our HP at altitude so a 600 is really a 440 anyways. hell, i had to drop a 200CC honda in the hole for the minis because the 120s sucked. super modified 120...ha ha

norweigan flatlander · Jan 21, 2011

I think most everyone forgot about the Powder Special, it's got the old style 600 batteryless EFI,which is great, he should have to know what we used to ride and prolly pretty cheap to find. light frame 136" track 2" did i mention light? With the ols style chaincase this thing would be cheap/easy to gear/clutch for him. If you do cut weight from this snowmobile my niece that about 65 Lbs. could ride the thing. They come up super easy in the Pow, easy to manipulate.
A very smart old snowmobiler from back n the day said, get a snowmobile your scared of, then grow into it. If you remember this when getting him a sled, he'll take care of himself, and it'll keep it fun. The old 600 is'nt horrible powerful in deep snow, but still has enough to teach him the do's n don'ts, but he's prolly not 190 lbs either, and when he does get a little older you can mod this sled to take him into his teens, power valve engine/700,800 easy conversion with that sled.

Reeb · Jan 21, 2011

05M7 said:
Easy guys, i was riding a 03 snopro 440 at 10 years old, and i went from a kitty cat to a 2000 Zr 500 and when we went out west it was a MC 800 144 granted i couldnt start these sleds at 10 which my father liked. i made due. i bumped up to a brand new M7 at 15 and now at 18 im riding a M8.
10 Years old and you couldn't start the sleds you rode....totally taboo for my family, especially me and my little bro growing up, we are always screwing off into the trees and boonin' around, if we couldn't atart our own sleds we'd have been walking a whole lot more than we did.

ive never been afraid of a sled cause it has too much power, i just learned how to use the power wisely granted it may have cost me a few brusies and a lot of $ in parts but i learned how to ride. im not afraid to go anywhere and ill go anywhere anyone else can go. i push my sled to the limit every time i ride, thats the only way to get better...
I have a little problem with this statement. Not being afraid, and knowing how to use the power to your advantage are different things. You came from a school of hard knocks, not all parents are willing to go through what you just explained. I'd rather my son/daughter to be able to ride their current sleds to potential before getting thrust onto something overpowering that will put them in a bad situation that puts them at risk. I'm not critisizing, just pointing out a different school of thought, that's all.

just a FYI give your son a little bit of input on it, see what he likes and dis likes. i wish my dad had done that for me, he may not like the feel of one sled to another., it will mean a lot to him.
Awesome advice!!!!

Each kid is different, I was riding a Sea-Doo at 4 years old while my sister wasn't allowed on one till she was in her teens. But if you can't even start the sled, you shouldn't be on it. That's the rule around here, you start it, you can ride it. Bikes, Sleds etc etc. You more than likely rode the sleds....but couldn't ride them(like you do now, am I right?)
Not saying your method of growing into sleds is wrong, just that there are unnecessary risks involved when doing it that way.

My little brother is 16 and weighs 110lbs soaking wet.......some of you guys with 8 year olds weighing 80lbs? WOW.....good genetics there! Better start them wrestling, would be All-American's in no time!

gary ol kitty · Jan 21, 2011

My boys ride 440 zl 121x1 lq and mc 500 efi 136. they like to trade off during the day. The oldest is 9 youngest 7. the oldest likes the 440 when we are riding in the trees and he's not as tired at the end of the day

= less dig outs! The oldest is 73# and can go most any where on the 440. The saying what goes up must come down comes into play at there wieght. The 121 has more #'s per sq in for braking. they both like the efi at the end of the day no tired thumb. I like the 440 burns less gas and not as hard on the belt when puting around my boy only stop to sleep if you make them:face-icon-small-win

longtrack156 · Jan 22, 2011

JasonAK said:
Both my boys ride (Mid sized) Ski-doo 300 freestyles. They are 8-11. My 11 year old will be moving into a M5 or M6 next year. The freestyle is light and easy to carve. Not a lot of power but a good sled to learn how to ride off trail and will go though fairly deep snow. But we are not riding in the mountians with them, just the hills at low elevation.

Here is one some guys put a 136 on and my son on his.

Would be my choice!

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Help! Finding Youth Mountain Sled

WyoBoy1000

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Freeride1

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ezra

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Shwinecat

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Shwinecat

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RichardCranium

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Ultra

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tatorsalad

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iride49

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Kid Rock

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norweigan flatlander

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Reeb

Modding mini's

gary ol kitty

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longtrack156

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