06 FST Switchback -- your opinion?

[chrisleav]

I've heard that these have a 4 or 5 second "overboost" on the turbo that tends to cause belts to blow. Is this true? Otherwise, is this a good sled for an amateur, non-aggressive rider? I know this sled won't do so well in deep powder as it sits, but I feel like it would be a good first sled, something I can use to get a feel for the sport before I upgrade... race across meadows and down trails on...

 

[Roadwarrior102]

They are great sleds, make sure that all updates are done, turn the key and go. If you want real performance, add a lightweight silencer, and a 2" track to make a super trail and off trail sled. I have a lot of them in my area and belts have never been a problem.

 

[xcr800man]

My friend has one (this is his 3rd since 06) and it is a very under-estimated sled. They have had there share of problems but after the updates and fixes they are a solid sled. Here are the positives IMO

Power - They have great power. Polaris lists at 140 and it is all of that. Generally they are probably the fastest sled from Polairs especially in midrange. I doubt that the Polaris 800 ( I have a 800 Dragon 163) is a match. I also have an Apex GT and in midrange the 09 FST will jump ahead every time about 1 ski length. From a dead stop, I can take them and on a packed trail, the Apex is at least 10 MPH faster. But, IMO that is saying alot about the FST. BTW, there is NO turbo lag. The sled is seemless on power.

Chassis - i love the IQ chassis. It is a fun chassis to ride and the rider select is a love hate deal. i like it and miss it from my Fusion.... That's all I miss about the fusion

Negatives

Sound - The sled sounds like azz. I think it sounds like a big old hound dog that is trying to snuggle up next to you. Seriously this is an issue for me. Coming from the Apex, this is a major drawback for me.

Heavy - This sled is HEAVY. It is NOT a ditch banger or a rough trail masher. Not that the Apex is, but if I am listing issues, this is one. To me it feels quite a bit heavier than the Apex. It is heavier, but not as much as it feels.

Top End - Other's may argue, but every FST (probably about 6 of them now) that I have ridden with have pretty poor top end for as much midrange as they have. Not a one has topped 110. May not seem like a big deal but they pull like a freight train till 95 and then drop hard.

As far as the belts. The early IQ chassis has had issues with the belts but mostly in the 900 motor. It has Nothing to do with the FST motor. The Fusions were complete crap for this. This same friend ran an 900 Switchback for 4-5000 miles and went through about 9-10 belts. The current FST has about 2500 miles on the original belt. The "overboost" only adds about 10hp for a few seconds. Not enough to make a difference on belt life.

My Friend rode this sled in the mountains with the stock 144 (2006) and the sled was a tobbagan down hills, WAY worse than any other sled with a 1.25 track. If you are going to consider riding it in the west, i would invest in a 166 x 2" to help with flotation and general traction - Also buy a sled jack! Your back will thank you.

My suggestion... if you are going to keep it on the trails, it will be fine. If you venture off trail, you will be better off starting with something that weighs 100 lbs less. Occasional meadow riding will be OK but dont expect it to be as easy to throw around as a IQ Dragon or even an Edge RMK.

Good luck!

 

[307 Snow*Moto]

So Chris...
I would like to start by saying that xcr800 hit on alot of really valuable issues. First off I noticed that you are in Steamboat so more than likely you will be riding this down the trails, to some mountain powder fields and potentially up and down some hills. Having said that if you are considering buying one and not changing the track forget it, the track is to short and lugs to small to do any good in the mountains. So here is my experience and first hand knowledge of this sled. For the past few years my dad has been playing "keep up with the Jones" in regards to sleds. I have been buying new, latest and greatest Polaris sleds, updateing, adding, lightening up, etc. And so in return my dad has been under the impression he needs the baddest mountain sled out there. The problem is he never uses them to the fullest potential and there is no reason for him to have them. This year I told him no more, I hate to see him spend the money on sleds he doesnt need or use, so we decided to explore what he needs it for. My mom and dad primarily ride the trails, they get off to play in flat powder fields and if my mom doesnt go my dad rides with us and we take him off the trail and up some hills to get to our favorite spots.

So our dealer had 2 of these 06 FST sleds still in the crate, and we realized they had a couple of faults. So my dad traded in the high powered mountain sleds for "realistic" useful sleds. He knew that if they were going to ride these sleds in the pow they needed bigger tracks and deeper lugs. One way and the best way to accomodate this is to put a 151 2" track under it. In 06 the 144 and the 151 tunnel where the same so it fit wonderful with out tunnel extensions. You can not put anything bigger than a 2 inch lug under these sleds without a drop and roll so forgot that. We found an SLP FST can for my dads which lightened it up tremendously. Bar risers for both, dads got fly bars and about 6 inch of rise after we changed it from a flat post to a pivot style. We put side panel vents on both sleds because these sleds get hotter than hell. We did the SLP hot air elimination kits as well, with the console SLP intake vents. Holz EZ steer spindles worked really and helped the diet. Sly Dog Skis on dads helped float the heavy tractor, but flexi-skis are good for moms down the trail and work good in the powder put push alittle bit.

So performance, this sled spanks a 600, a 700 and wont guarantee all 800's but most 800 RMK's. The thing people dont understand about 4 strokes and turboed sleds is that they dont lose power with elevation. Naturally asperated sleds lose horsepower as you get higher, so for example an 800 dragon rated at 154-156 ish is really only 125ish at 7000 feet. Obviously it is not a perfect equation, but naturally asperated sleds lose HP with elevation. These FST's are 140 and still 140 at 7000 feet.

Bottom line they are a great sled, yes heavy as a house but all 4 strokes are right now. They make a heavy duty belt for them like the 1115 kevlar belt made for the 2 stroke RMK's, can not remember the number right now but mom and dad have 4 of them and are still on the first 2 with 800+ miles each on both sleds.

Summary - bigger track, deeper lugs, lots of vents, heavy duty belt, spindles, bar riser = untouchable sled with loads of horsepower.

I road dads sled around in West Yellowstoen this past weekend and held it wide open the whole time I rode it and it packed the skis around everywhere I went, up hills, in the fields, etc.

I am glad someone finally asked about this sled, I love it and if you can get over weight the power makes up for it.

 

[FST]

two other good mods. for the FST are simmons gen 2 skis which are 10 inches wide and the high alt. which lower the gearing chain case this helps with the belt issues

 

[chrisleav]

Thanks for the insights! I bought the sled, and I've been out on it a couple times. It's all stock, and so far it's done everything I wanted it to (except stay together. It lost a primary clutch bearing after 50 miles ) I wasn't in extremely deep powder, but there was probably a foot of powder on top of a good base. Didn't get it stuck at all, and it had good enough traction to get it up a small hill. Probably 35 vertical foot climb at about a 45 degree angle. I've been thinking about a Challenger track, but I think I'll have to look at a can too, since it's a general consensus that a can is the best way to lose weight. Skis are something I was considering changing out too... the skis that are on it are pretty slim, and on the trail there's never a break from bump steer. I'll have to give it some more thought, and see how much more reckless I get on it. Like I said, it's done what i want it to do so far!