2005 900 AND 2006 900/700.... Read Before you Buy

[mountainhorse]

2005 900 AND 2006 900/700 (aka 755).... Read Before you Buy

I've been getting slammed with emails and PM's from new buyers or prospective buyers of these sleds.

If you are looking into buying one there is more to the purchase than meets the Low dollar figure of these sleds.

There are a lot of swinging deals on these sled, some even brand new for Sub $6000 to as low as $2500 fpr used ones.

There is a reason for this...

Simply, they ususlly take a fair investment of time and money to make them worthy.

They all need a comprehensive clutching kit, mandatory of the $170 3211115 belt, 225 lb track spring, Radiator delete, muffler (aka can), new skis, motor mounts on the 2005's, clutch balancing and re shimming for the new style belt, an airbox (I really like the Fire N Ice airbox above all others), venting, Torque arms/stops on the engine, and many other issues that need to be addressed to make them a good reliable sled.

Of the 2 years, the 2006 is a more refined/evolved design that worked out some of the bugs of the prototype year.

This is above and beyond all of the factory updates that may or may not have been done... If the sled is out of warrany and the updates have not been done, YOU will have to pay for these or do them yourself.

This sled has 19 Updates on it I think PLUS the fuel tank recals (doesnt need to be under warranty for the fuel tank recall)

Other things that need attention on these sleds is the electrical system...protecting it from chaffing...

Most people replace the spindles for easier steering as well.

I love these sleds, but I have a bit more resources at my disposal for working on these sled than the average consumer looking at a first time sled...

The 900's and to a slightly lesser degree the 700's have a tendency to blow belts... Polaris came up with the 3211115 to survive a nuclear attack but it is pricey... If you blow a belt under load on one of these sleds it can be the kis of death for the crank...

Also, the 900's and 755's are about 50 Lbs heavier than one of the newer sleds.... AFTER all the mods are done to shed the easy weight.

Many people have these sleds and love them (I'm one of these people) BUT... You need to know before you buy that you will need to make an additonal investment in the sled in order to have a good unit.

If you are not mechanically inclined, I'd recommend a pass on this...

If you are looking for a good mod platform this may be your ticket on a budget... but the resale is in the toilet... plan on keeping it for a while.

This is just a heads up based on the amount of people that have been contacting me...

There are many "newbies" on this forum with this sled that they have just purchased...

There are many other points that a lot of people on this forum will most likely chime in and add to this...

Good luck and pray for some snow!!!!!

 

[guidoxpress]

Mountain Horse is absolutely correct..as usual..

i for one am one of the newbies to this chassis..i bought ONE OF EACH..HOWEVER...i am very mechaincally skilled and after all the help i have recieved from all the fellow snowesters..i can take the load off him and if anyone needs more info or help i would gladly help you out..

MH has gone above and beyond helping everyone on here...

Do your research as stated above, use the SEARCH function and read read read..i spends at least 1-2 hrs a day reading about the IQ sleds..all years..just to learn what i have..

and then i blow my money on them..haha..

PM me if you need info or help..lets give MH a break for once..

 

[Ex-Member]

yep, sorta had an idea what I was getting into with my '06 900.

Few things I disagree with...

-Belts. I blew my first 080 the 2nd ride out. This belt came with the sled, so I don't know what kind of abuse the previous owner put it through. My first ride was pretty hard on it, came off and went on a few times when the sled died (Bad fuel). 2nd ride, 1/4mi from the trucks on the way back, right on the trail, the thing shredded. Put on the spare 080 and ran that the rest of the season without problems. I'm now running the 44x4640 Gates belt (About half the price of the 080) and it seems to pull pretty well. I've put on about 150mi this season already.

-Airbox. The stock one's not *bad*, but there is a lot of plastic there. I'm still using it.

And for the absolute musts:
-Front radiator. I should have done that last season, took about 2hrs to yank out. Well worth it (Cheap kit too).

-Skis: I put Simmons on mine, feels like power steering. Sway bar came out too, that helped with being able to pull it over. Doesn't drive like a tank now, but it takes some getting used to on the trails. Much more tippy.

-Electrical: Haven't ran into too much with it, but this summer I did pull new wires on the TPS. Good connector, cheap wire. Conductor pulled right off the pin.

-Weight. Yeah, they're heavy. And they don't get lighter when the track's full of snow.

Bang for the buck it's hard to beat the 900s; especially if you've got some mechanical ability. I love mine, and i'll be riding it for a while.

 

[diamonddave]

I'm one of those that Mountainhorse is talking about also. I feel bad for bugging him for the info I've gotten. Yeah your not kidding. I made the switch from a doo 1000 to a poo 900 cause I thought it'd be easier to carry one set of tools (buds ride 9's also) The sled I bought looked real good, only thing I could find was a cracked a-arm. I've now spent $2,400 on parts (no internal engine parts either and still have more to buy) getting it ready for what the expert have rec'd it needing. The only labor charge was for the balancing and rebuilding (Carls) of the primary, all the work I've done myself. The person that had the sled before me was so cheap that he removed the SLP torque arm. Evidence of the holes drilled out.

I'm hoping it works out well (crank??) pray!! Thanks to Mountainhorse for the invaulable information that he is COOL enough to share with me and others:beer;:beer;

Bud's didn't have belt issues but have had stators go down in the back country that made for some serious recovery missions.

I can say though that the doo 1000 is not near the issue the 900 is. Time to go pray to the snow-god for snow and a good crank.

 

[diamonddave]

My dealer says that the 06 900 didn't get the entire tank recalled but rather the float deallie-bob?? I know my buddies 06 600's got the tank replaced.

 

[guidoxpress]

dave..
my wifes 06 700 didnt get a tank replaced..

it says fuel pump float and filter replacement??

nothing about a tank..the 05 had a tank replacement for sure..

 

[mtbarr64]

Agree completely

Yep, gotta agree. As I was reading the list, I have done almost everyone of these things, usually at the suggestion my dealer.

Took out the suitcase can and had it reflashed, redid the air intake, changed out the skis, removed the front radiator and added scrapers, the track cut out, and had to replace the TPS and the wiring because it rubs/bangs against the hood.

As well had the handle bars raised. This was more for the comfort of a taller rider.

You definitely either love them or hate them. Gotta say it has been a reliable utility "GMC suburban like ride" sled that gets through anywhere, as long as you go in a straight line.

With the long track it can be hard to move around especially with the heavy front end and the original skis.

And you gotta like getting your feet vibrated by the engine.

Love the 07 700 Dragon for the deep powder playing.

 

[jholer]

yup

Gotta agree with these boys as well. But for the price i paid, with a three year warranty bumper to bumper warranty included, i couldn't pass it up. that and the dealer had already done a full set of vents, 115 belt, fni airbox, and some other fixes, all on a sled with 0 miles. so i know exactly where its been. so with a few mods last season (pp skis for one), i had 1230 trouble free miles, even had to double a buddy out 50 miles who had an apex (we had to ditch it). trouble free, oh except for that tree that jumped in front of it@! So this year, dove right into the mods, bb's, spindles, radiator delete, etc. and am hoping i didn't jinx my good luck of last year. anyway, coming from an 01 700 summit, i couldn't be happier. think hard before you buy one of these. but overall, they're pretty kick-*** for a newbie.

 

[GBCB]

Fraternal Order of the Lemon Sleds

I bought one of these ('06 755) six weeks ago without a clue of all the problems. I've ridden it just a little bit and did a couple of the upgrades and will contiue to due so. But what is truly amazing (other that there are so many things that need to be done) is the complete dedication and appreciation shown on the forum for this macine . I can't believe how addicted I've become to reading these posts. Following everyones progress along with Mountainhorse's eternal patience and Sled Guy's succinct replies is downright therapueutic. I truly feel there must be something special about this sled that I'm soon discover. I've been limping along a '98 Summit for several years so, performance wise, I'm sure to be pleased. Just crossing my fingers I can keep it running. So thanks everyone, there's a lot of us out there reading these tutorials and we'd be really screwed without you.
Grant

 

[Ex-Member]

My dealer says that the 06 900 didn't get the entire tank recalled but rather the float deallie-bob?? I know my buddies 06 600's got the tank replaced.

Both. Just picked my 06 900 up from the shop, they replaced the fuel tank itself.

 

[tm969]

I worked at a Polaris dealer for 3 years, and thats what i did 75% of the time is do recalls on those 866/755 sleds, from 05 to 06, then they came out with the FST. I have put hundreds of miles on all these sleds, i would take one for free, but i wouldn't buy one. Seems like Polaris is going good from 2007.5 to 2009.

 

[HUNDO]

Either you love em or hate em. I love mine and figure it will be cheaper and more fun to drop a few grand a year into it than get a new sled that just needs aftermarket parts anyway When they're set up right, you're gonna need a turbo to beat a 900. And yes, PLEASE USE THE SEARCH FUNCTION!

How do we go about making this thread sticky so every other new thread is not a question (usually the same one asked the day before) about whether these are good sleds or not.

And finally, another big thanks to Mountainhorse and the rest of the experts here for all of the great info on these sleds:beer;

 

[jsledder]

I'd also like to thank MH and the others that have gone through the trials and tribulations to find out what it takes to make these sleds work, without their knowledge many of us would be stuck in the snow looking for a tow I'm afraid.

Just to throw this out in case someone hasn't seen it yet, but there is a site dedicated to the 900's and many of the same knowledgeable people are helping out there also. 900 Club.

Polaris should be proud that it takes a website full of invaluable information to help make these machines run like they should, too bad Polaris wasn't part of that.

 

[treedog]

Tractors Rule!!!

 

[kane13]

I just posted my 2005 rmk 900 with 400 miles here in B.C. for sale for the price i am asking i would'nt expect anyone from the U.S.to call anytime soon, But to me this is what it is worth.I bought it this year i added a rumble pack silencer,slp torque arm and push arm,slp cold air kit clutch side, i had the clutch balanced and installed 72 gram weights. I have rode with 3 other stock sleds and the mods i did made a world of difference, i rode it in the mountians once before i put the torque arm and push arm on and twice afterwards what a difference they made my sled runs excellent with very little vibration and has tons of power the only reason i am selling is because i bought a new m8, I am not dissapointed in the rmk at all the m8 is a little easier to manuver but as far as power well the rmk takes it. As far as i am concerned if i dont get what i want for the rmk i will keep the both machines i enjoy riding them both and its always good having a spare . P.S. when i bought it it was still on the same belt for 300 miles clearance was a bit much so i changed it, i guess some are worse than others but another guy at work has one too 3000 miles bad vibration but no problems after updates,you think polaris would have fixed them instead of getting dealers to sell them dirt cheap they just made a good sled look bad and screwed the people who paid the full price as the guy i bought this one of did.

 

[gonehuntnpowder]

Add a left hand throttle, super size those fries, because you need to be a big, strong man to ride it, but with the 166 track with a good rider behind the bars, they are a force.

 

[LPIdaho]

this should be pinned to the top!


Admins?

 

[Dogmeat]

this should be pinned to the top!


Admins?

sounds like an excellent idea, I second this notion :cheers:

 

[ckspeed]

Seems the 900's could have their own sub-category all to themselves,,,,:face-icon-small-win :face-icon-small-win, considering the low functionality of the search engine when searching for numbers and three lettered terms, I feel it would reduce a lot of the repeat questions.

I am one of those "new" owners and I almost hate to ask anything anymore which somewhat defeats the purpose of this board. However, being 7-9 hours away from riding, I cannot express how much I appreciate all the assistance and advice the experts and other 900 owners here have given. (mountainhorse, treedog, dogmeat, supplicate, etc., etc.) :beer;:beer;

If we ever meet up in the Snowies, I'll buy you one, or three, at Corona Village

 

[Dogmeat]

Seems the 900's could have their own sub-category all to themselves,,,,:face-icon-small-win :face-icon-small-win, considering the low functionality of the search engine when searching for numbers and three lettered terms, I feel it would reduce a lot of the repeat questions.

I am one of those "new" owners and I almost hate to ask anything anymore which somewhat defeats the purpose of this board. However, being 7-9 hours away from riding, I cannot express how much I appreciate all the assistance and advice the experts and other 900 owners here have given. (mountainhorse, treedog, dogmeat, supplicate, etc., etc.) :beer;:beer;

If we ever meet up in the Snowies, I'll buy you one, or three, at Corona Village

I agree, there have been more than a few times I've searched for something specific to the 900 rmk I know we've had discussion about before only to not be able to find the thread and post a new one ...