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Lookin to buy a sled for my friends to ride!

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Im lookin to buy a 2nd sled with the hopes of getting some of my non-sledhead friends into mt sleddin. I was looking at 96-99 rmk because they seam to be the right price. has any one had any experience with these in the pow Im not expecting them to highmark as much as just get them out and back.
 

donbrown

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I don't know what you are gonna spend but a clean 2001 -2004 Edge 600/700 RMK are going for 2,000 and an 800 Edge for around 3.
 
Im lookin to buy a 2nd sled with the hopes of getting some of my non-sledhead friends into mt sleddin. I was looking at 96-99 rmk because they seam to be the right price. has any one had any experience with these in the pow Im not expecting them to highmark as much as just get them out and back.


I have a 98 rmk 700.I give that one to my friends to ride.I used to ride it in the mts all the time. But now that i have my M7 i dont realy like the rmk anymore.I think its not a bad sled for a first timer in the mts.Just my 2 cents.:beer;
 
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volcano buster

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I vote for the best sled that fits your budget. If you can get the person on a sled that rides well, handles well and goes well, they will enjoy the trip. If they are on a marginal sled and have to sit on the trail while you high mark, I doubt they will enjoy it that much.

Make sure it has a hotdogger. Nothing like impressing them with a hot lunch.
 

skibreeze

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I bought 2 2001 600 RMK's for family and buddy sleds they have been great for that over the years. I still have one of them for sale, my cousin is buying one of them.
 

donbrown

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How different are the early year RMK from the 02-04 RMK? I've ridden a newer one (03?) with some work and it ripped but have never had a chance to ride an older one.

As you go newer the suspension gets better.

Engines are better as you go newer but the main difference is the suspension.

Also PERC reverse was introduced on the EDGE and would be a good idea to have reverse on a newbie sled.
 
S
As you go newer the suspension gets better.

Engines are better as you go newer but the main difference is the suspension.

Also PERC reverse was introduced on the EDGE and would be a good idea to have reverse on a newbie sled.



Can the suspension on the older sleds be upgraded easily (new shocks or something) or is it more of a design problem?
 
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volcano buster

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Mostly design.

I had a '99 700 RMK and then rode a '00 that had the "Lite" rear suspension. It also had the trailing arms tucked back in under the belly a little bit. HUGE difference in just that one year. The '99 felt flat and stiff with little weight transfer compared to the newer set up. The '00 felt a lot closer to my 2005 Edge chassis. My '94 XLT ended up with the suspension out of the '99 when it was wrecked and it was better, but still not like a newer sled where everything was designed as one unit.

You should be able to pick up the earlier iron for a good price though.
 
W

Wyoming T/A

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i would go 1 yr newer and get a 2000 also--they have the tipped in trailing arms on the rear mount as ststed and handle much better than the 99--i had a 99 700 rmk--good sled but the 2000 was way easier to ride--:beer;:beer;
 

Burr

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I have allways had a older sled for other people to ride.My wifes brother would never go sledding with me after asking him 4 times to go to the big horns with me. He said snowmobiles were bad for the forrest. He is real green!!!. I finally got him to go and he got hooked big time the first time he rode.He wants to go sledding at 7 in the morning! I like to wait for the sun to come up my self! He bought a sled the very next year. I give him a lot of crap about that! I have 3 people that have bought sleds after going out west with me. I think all of us should take new people out with us and get them excited in are sport. We need to get new people started. It has helped me in that i dont have to drive all the time now!!!
 
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Jaynelson

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I had an 01 700 RMK for my first sled (identical to a 2000 model), it was a great, reliable machine.
 
U
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It is not my intention to pee on this idea and it's a nice thing to do for your friends but sleds get broken and wrecked especially with newbies. There have been several threads on here over the years about broken friendships over this kind of stuff. Something to think about, how you would handle that situation if and when it happens to you.
 
S
Mostly design.

I had a '99 700 RMK and then rode a '00 that had the "Lite" rear suspension. It also had the trailing arms tucked back in under the belly a little bit. HUGE difference in just that one year. The '99 felt flat and stiff with little weight transfer compared to the newer set up. The '00 felt a lot closer to my 2005 Edge chassis. My '94 XLT ended up with the suspension out of the '99 when it was wrecked and it was better, but still not like a newer sled where everything was designed as one unit.

You should be able to pick up the earlier iron for a good price though.


Thanks this is what I was trying to find out :beer;:face-icon-small-hap
 
H
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Something to think about is to have a sled that you would also like to ride as a back up. I have a nice 07 685 that I keep in the trailer as a backup and I actually RENT it to friends. I have done the free thing and it honestly just got more and more beat up leaving me to hold the bag in the end. I asked a few close friends if I opted for a better sled if they would want to rent it they were absolutely on board with this since they didnt have to deal with the rental outfits hours etc.
 
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