I'm thinking about a new sled since I sold my 1M mod sled last season (around 190HP 460LBS) and what I'm looking for is reliability and a fun to ride chassis. The 1M had tons of power (on point and shoot hills it ate poos and doos), but in the trees it just wasn't as much fun to ride. Reliability was good since that engine is very reliable (especially when you assemble it correctly) but the clutching was difficult. It was geared too low which made it stupid quick, but you wouldn't dare go over 70-80 otherwise it would shift all the way out and destroy a belt. Getting a clutch setup that worked well on the high end usually resulted in it shifting too fast and I never could get it perfect with the limited time I had since I just wanted to ride the stupid thing.
Looking at my options, it's between the doo and poo since I really don't care for the cat chassis this year. Here is the pros and cons I've come up with and some questions:
Doo Pros
The engine is the strongest and seems reliable (though we did have guys blowing up 800R motors in our group)
Great fuel economy
More refined than the XP which I didn't care for since it seemed more picky.
Doo Cons
The engine is complex with the fuel system and engine mods are usually lacking, this is probably a leave it stock sled.
It's a bit heavier. I've ridden a 400lb sled and it was a blast.
Chaincase. I hate chains, they break, they need adjustments, they stretch.
The chassis seems more complex with everything being shrouded up.
Poo Pros
The chassis is really nice. It's nice and open, seems easy to work on.
I like the way it feels better (though I haven't ridden either, but I really didn't like the xp)
It's super light and could be even lighter without a ton of effort.
I prefer the polaris clutch over the TRA. The TRA always feels great on the bottom, then flat. The polaris clutch feels ok on the bottom, then rips.
Poo cons
Not as much power.
Lots of reliability issues. Some say the pistons are too loose, some say the rods are too short, some say the cylinders don't hold enough water, whatever it is, many people are not able to get 1500 miles out of these things without issues, and the issues are usually cracked cyls, broken skirts, etc.
Questions:
1. Are the skidoo engines as reliable as the older rotary valve engines? The gen 3 rotax had a lot of problems with rings, then cranks, then they went to a sealed crank bearings which is lame. The original 800 motor really dropped off after one season, and didn't rip again until it had weiscos in it. What is the consensus on the skidoo engine?
2. Can the skidoo chassis stand up to some abuse? The revs and xp's aren't hard to break. One thing I liked about the cat sleds is they are pretty tough.
What I really want is a polaris pro with a cat 800 engine. Put a slp pipe on it and they are strong and reliable.
Perhaps I should just forgo a new sled and pick up an 09m8 and put some money into getting it light.
schu
