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New 850 or stay with 800ho?

RMK935VA

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Funny story about the old 900s. My buddy was riding my extra sled (Polaris 600) because his Ski Doo 800 has busted the crank at the PTO end which happened 4 times to him. We were at the base of a long hill near Storm Peak in Idaho. Two guys with 900s couldn’t get to the top of that hill. My buddy who is a damn good rider took my 600 over the top on his first try. The 900 guys were pretty bummed out and they left. From then on, we christened that hill as 900 hill! With that being said, I snowchecked an 850. Entirely different situation with Polaris and this new mill. I have faith that it will be a grand slam for them.
 

Big10inch

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The loyalty in the face of a horrible reputation is fun to read! The 900, the Dragon 800, and all the following 800s are time bombs IMO. The 800 is a one season motor, two if you can baby it. That isn't reliability. Needing motor mounts, clutch rebuild, exhaust cable and a new engine in less that 1200 miles is absurd. That's how reliable my Axys was... I had two Pro's before that kept them one year each never had a problem. I thought maybe the Axys motor was the one they finally figured out. Turns out, not so much.


So you think they hit it out of the park with this one? Even though this has NEVER been the case on a first year Poo motor 800 cc+. Good Luck


All three now are on new motors. It will be interesting to see who actually hits it out of the park. Time will tell.
 

cubby

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All three now are on new motors. It will be interesting to see who actually hits it out of the park. Time will tell.[/QUOTE]

Doo is on their 3rd year with their 850 I think they have the bugs worked out of it. Cat is on their 2nd year with c-tec and have heard lots of good about them, very few problems. Poo is the only one to hit the snow with a brand new unproven motor.
 

FatDogX

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In the same boat...............

Currently have a 17, 163 x 2.6 with a bunch of goodies, including a KMod front end and Raptors. Love the sled and it works great but I typically trade every 2 or 3 years. So the big question.......pull the trigger this year or wait until next year and do it for sure then??
 

NHRoadking

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840 (not 850) sounds like a good engine design with a lot of improvements over the 800.

These are toys. There is nothing practical involved here. If you want it then buy it.
 

06redrevx

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In the same boat...............

Currently have a 17, 163 x 2.6 with a bunch of goodies, including a KMod front end and Raptors. Love the sled and it works great but I typically trade every 2 or 3 years. So the big question.......pull the trigger this year or wait until next year and do it for sure then??

Vicious cycle! So you wait til next year then the new chassis pops up in 2021. Can't win, or maybe it's can't lose?
I'm ordering a new 850 coming off a 16 that's been perfect.
It's going to be a looong summer!
 

freak485

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I am in the same boat kinda. I am on 15 163 with boost and a x3 track and thats it. I only have about 900 miles on mine due to two years of not riding much i know i can make good money out of it and have the 850 paid for by the time it gets shipped...i have not rode a axys so i have no clue how much better they are than the pro or if its just marginal...not sure.....i do know if i wait a year or two...and now that i am settled in my new job and all healed up ill have alot more miles on my sled in the next 2 years and not get much out of it....oh decisions
 

turboless terry

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I am in the same boat kinda. I am on 15 163 with boost and a x3 track and thats it. I only have about 900 miles on mine due to two years of not riding much i know i can make good money out of it and have the 850 paid for by the time it gets shipped...i have not rode a axys so i have no clue how much better they are than the pro or if its just marginal...not sure.....i do know if i wait a year or two...and now that i am settled in my new job and all healed up ill have alot more miles on my sled in the next 2 years and not get much out of it....oh decisions

The axys is so much better than a pro. If you had a stock axys and your turbo pro you would never ride the 15 trust me. They go through the snow so much better than a pro. Get the 850.
 

Prayn4snow

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I am also torn. I usually get a new sled every couple years however I am very happy with my Axys. Next year sled is a new motor, but you can do a lot to the old motor. I currently have an 860 big bore that I am extremely happy with. Yes I’ve had TPS and relay issues at first but not since . As far as the new narrowed front end many people already have an aftermarket narrow front end on their sled or could easily add one. I’ll be in Togwotee for two weeks if anyone has an 850 that wants to meet me at a nice steep and deep hill so we can compare?
I’m hoping to do that with an alpha 1 here next week.
 
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E
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I'm as torn as everyone else... I typically trade every 3 to 4 seasons but the pull of the new 850 is super hard to avoid... But I have a 4 year warranty w/ my 17 and I know that there is a new chassis on the horizon. So far I am super happy w/ my 17 and I have resisted submitting my snow check build sheet. The electronics and cooling changes are the big things for me not the extra CC's as the 800 HO is plenty stout below 3000' where I ride.

I think 4 year warranty on my 17 and the memories from my 09 CFI 800 are going to keep me from snow checking this season. Good luck to those who do!
 

mountainhorse

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Same chassis for the 2019's as before with the exception of the end piece on the running boards and the 37" front.

K-mod makes a 37" front that uses the stock leghth shocks and retains the stock ride height...

as for the running board ends... not sure that makes that big of a diff or if the aftermarket will make new ends (I beilve these are in the works).

The 850 has new wiring harness... as well as many other new things... Better, possibly.
Will it make more power than a stock 800, yes.. but it will also 'feel' different as the motor has more rotating mass that everyone on here discusses at lenght for all components in the sled (drives, clutches, flywheels, tracks etc etc).... It is a factor.


New is great and this new 840 promises to be a good sled... we'll see at this time next season in the hands of the consumer.





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B
Feb 25, 2018
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I might be stupid but Im thinking of thr 19 pro rmk 800, not 850.
I wont beltdrive, lower weight and 36" not like my SKS. No need for electric start or pidd or better cooling.

However im might buy a 18 pro rmk with 36" (or buy 36")instead.

Does the 19 pro rmk 800 have the new electric wirring?
 

Big10inch

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All three now are on new motors. It will be interesting to see who actually hits it out of the park. Time will tell.

Doo is on their 3rd year with their 850 I think they have the bugs worked out of it. Cat is on their 2nd year with c-tec and have heard lots of good about them, very few problems. Poo is the only one to hit the snow with a brand new unproven motor.[/QUOTE]



I disagree. The Doo has been on the snow less than 2 full seasons now. We should know more after next season. The Cat had it first season this year.


I understand that as a Polaris guy you think a motor that lasts 6 months is epic, a massive improvement. Your friends on Doos and Cats though had been getting 4000 miles from a motor for years now. That takes some time, unless you just trail ride. I do not think one or two short seasons is an indicator of real reliability. It takes a couple of years to really prove them out.


My definition of "new" would be more like out in the last couple of years... still unproven, like all three of them.
 

Latitude 62

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In a word, "yes" I sno-checked an 800. First I have to say this; In 2015 myself and 4 of my pals all sno-checked 2016 Axys 800 with 155 x 2.6 inch tracks. Between them they have over 10,000 miles of hard running on them. Mechanical problems for them all has been a total of 1 flattened roller. I read lots of guys spewing bunk about this motor, it has been nothing but reliable since it showed up in 2015 to the vast majority of riders that have been running one. We have towed 6 sleds out this season from the back country, 5 of them were 850 ski doos, 3 with motor problems, 2 with stator and or ecu problems. Another a good friend of mine owns can go through 4 belts in a day after the updates, so, lets put that to rest. The other was a Cat with a blown chaincase. I'm tired of reading some of this crap, but, don't usually say anything. I have ridden them all over the course of many seasons in the same mountains and don't wear a specific color under wear. Can't say I've owned a Yamaha recently though.

I ordered the 800 for a few reasons: !. I completely trust it. 2. All my accesories, like clutch kit, exhaust can, bags, etc move right over to my new sled at no cost to me. 3. I like light!!! 7 pounds is 7 pounds. Do a bunch of curls with 20 pound dumb bells. Then do the same curls with 27 pounds. Check results, nuf said. 4.The 850 ? 10 or 12 more horses. Will it go where my 800 can't? My guess is maybe in the most extreme situation imaginable, which would be once in like forever. Pick your poison and be happy. Like someone said, we are talking about a toy here.
 
B
Feb 25, 2018
19
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In a word, "yes" I sno-checked an 800. First I have to say this; In 2015 myself and 4 of my pals all sno-checked 2016 Axys 800 with 155 x 2.6 inch tracks. Between them they have over 10,000 miles of hard running on them. Mechanical problems for them all has been a total of 1 flattened roller. I read lots of guys spewing bunk about this motor, it has been nothing but reliable since it showed up in 2015 to the vast majority of riders that have been running one. We have towed 6 sleds out this season from the back country, 5 of them were 850 ski doos, 3 with motor problems, 2 with stator and or ecu problems. Another a good friend of mine owns can go through 4 belts in a day after the updates, so, lets put that to rest. The other was a Cat with a blown chaincase. I'm tired of reading some of this crap, but, don't usually say anything. I have ridden them all over the course of many seasons in the same mountains and don't wear a specific color under wear. Can't say I've owned a Yamaha recently though.

I ordered the 800 for a few reasons: !. I completely trust it. 2. All my accesories, like clutch kit, exhaust can, bags, etc move right over to my new sled at no cost to me. 3. I like light!!! 7 pounds is 7 pounds. Do a bunch of curls with 20 pound dumb bells. Then do the same curls with 27 pounds. Check results, nuf said. 4.The 850 ? 10 or 12 more horses. Will it go where my 800 can't? My guess is maybe in the most extreme situation imaginable, which would be once in like forever. Pick your poison and be happy. Like someone said, we are talking about a toy here.



So im not the only one?.
Is there any improvement on the 800. I mean like electric wiring like the 850? I know stuff like React front
 

Latitude 62

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Yes, the relays and wire harness are upgraded, not the same as the 850 though, along with the narrow front end. I am not sure about the TPS. Other than that though, still the same as an 18. By the way, I believe that in the right hands the new 840 is going to rip!!:face-icon-small-coo
 
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