You would fit in good with the Polaris guys. For a while there during the high season they were adding a dead one a day to their poll but using the same excuse as you just made. It got so bad they stared claiming people were tainting the poll just to mess with them, that denial is a powerful thing LOL.
The poo 850 IMO was a dismal failure in its first year. Looks like they have made most of the needed fixes for next year though, time will tell. Now as time passes some of the new Doo's and Cat's are starting to fail earlier than it seems like sleds used to fail. I am pretty confident they are all in the same boat now to some extent trying to meet insane EPA requirements by using less and less lubricating oil. The results of this are clear to me and all over this forum.
EPA to blame? Read the forums and a lot of people complain when their 2-stroke sleds seem to use more oil than they think they should. Seems like consumers put pressure on the manufacturers to cut oil usage, especially when the manufacturers are charging us $50 for a gallon of oil.
I have no problem with the EPA saving my lungs either. Every time I ride behind an older sled or a diesel and gag I appreciate clean air standards.
Tech does seem to be the answer to balancing clean air and longevity. Direct oiling, better tolerances, better manufacturing practices, etc. Even with all that though, 2 strokes are a trade off. We get light weight and power for a grenade with an unknown detonation date.