*BEGINNER* Opinions? 06 600RMK v.s. 08 Dragon 700

[mariceuh]

Hey everyone!

I am looking into purchasing my first sled. I am looking at two used options due to budget/affordability.

#1: 06 RMK 600. 144 track. A few broken plastic clips on side panels. Seat is slightly torn. Skis are not stock, but spindles still are. Only 1154 miles.

#2: 2008 Polaris Dragon 700 155” Track. Said to run well with no issue. Comes with under Seat Bag , Spare Belt and Plugs, Heated Goggle Storage, Muff Pot Food Warmer, Extra set of Lower A arms, Left hand throttle, track in Good Shape. Has 3832 Miles. (Post says the motor has been replaced once 3+yr ago).

The 600 is 500-1000$ cheaper, so I am leaning toward it but want to hear some thoughts about reliability before going for the cheaper deal. I am a smaller person at 5'3 and 140lb. I will be riding in Montana. Trails occasionally, and powder. I have ridden friends' sleds before, but I would not consider myself a good rider yet. My goal is to see how I like the hobby and find a sled that will get me started with the hopes of keeping it long-term if it works out.

Thank you for any suggestions/tips!

 

[christopher]

Welcome to the forum and to what most of us consider the most addicting sport/hobby out there.

 

[IDspud]

The 600 will bring you back to the trailer.
The 800 will drag on a rope back to the trailer.

 

[chevy_man]

Bump the budget to $5k and you can get a pro chassis. 100% improvement in handling.

Those old ones aren't any fun on anything but the trails. You'll be exhausted trying to learn to sidehill or get it up on edge.

There's a ton of sleds available in Montana. Craigslist and Facebook marketplace have a bunch right now.

 

[mariceuh]

The 600 will bring you back to the trailer.
The 800 will drag on a rope back to the trailer.

Thanks IDspud! I have also seen not-so-great things about those 800's. The ad I'm contemplating is a 700 though, thoughts on that one in comparison to the 600?

 

[IDspud]

I’d buy a 700 but never an 800.
I’m not a Polaris guy but the 6 or 7 around that time ran great.
You can definitely rally around on those older sleds as well, no need to blow your budget.

 

[BeartoothBaron]

I'd lean towards the 600 if they're in the same condition. I believe that's carbureted, which could make life easier or more difficult, depending on the shape it's in and what you're used to wrenching on. Properly maintained, the 600 will probably go twice the miles of that 700, although those were better than the infamous Dragon 800. That said, if one has obviously been well maintained and the other looks sketchy, go for the one in better condition. Same thing if one's been sitting for five years. If you can find someone who knows a thing or two about sleds to look them over with you, that'd help a lot: you do see nice clean sleds that never run right, and ratty-looking ones that can run circles.

I wouldn't pay more than $2500 for either. A newer sled would be nice, but if you're just putting your toe in the water to see if you like it, it's not a bad idea to start with a beater, learn to work on it, and then unload it when you can afford something better. Plus, if you wreck it, you're not out too much. Old sleds can still be a lot of fun, just more limited and more work to ride at the limits. Keep in mind too, if you blow your budget on the sled, you're liable to be miserable riding in crummy gear.

 

[summ8rmk]

I would go with the 700, fuel injection is nice!
I remember back in 07, the 600 carb would sputter when we got above 6k ft. Still an awesome sled, but u won't have that issue with the 700. Plus the extra 20hp and 155 track will be beneficial.

Sent from my SM-G998U using Tapatalk

 

[chevy_man]

I'd lean towards the 600 if they're in the same condition. I believe that's carbureted, which could make life easier or more difficult, depending on the shape it's in and what you're used to wrenching on. Properly maintained, the 600 will probably go twice the miles of that 700, although those were better than the infamous Dragon 800. That said, if one has obviously been well maintained and the other looks sketchy, go for the one in better condition. Same thing if one's been sitting for five years. If you can find someone who knows a thing or two about sleds to look them over with you, that'd help a lot: you do see nice clean sleds that never run right, and ratty-looking ones that can run circles.

I wouldn't pay more than $2500 for either. A newer sled would be nice, but if you're just putting your toe in the water to see if you like it, it's not a bad idea to start with a beater, learn to work on it, and then unload it when you can afford something better. Plus, if you wreck it, you're not out too much. Old sleds can still be a lot of fun, just more limited and more work to ride at the limits. Keep in mind too, if you blow your budget on the sled, you're liable to be miserable riding in crummy gear.

I did this. Got a free Indy 500 and went riding with friends. It was miserable, as one we left groomed trails or windblown hard pack I was just a stuck mess. I bought a pro the next year, and axys the next.

Montana has a decent amount of riding, but most of it is very limited on trails. Lots of stuff that they groom every so often but not very long.
Example. Last weekend we hit up 2 trails. We spent less than 1 hour a day on the trail in and out, and 4+ hours screwing around in the trees and on slopes. I never got stuck unless I was doing something I knew was dumb. I would have been stuck on the old sks most of the day.

We don't have much for lakes and bowls. All tight trees and big chutes.

 

[davesilb]

I have had both those sleds and they are both great sleds but I would take the 700 over the 600 because the 700 has 20 hp more, fuel injection, and the great 155" track. My 700 which I still have as a third back up sled has over 6500 miles on it and has never had the engine apart. Just has exhaust valves cleaned a few times, y pipe replaced because of a crack, light switch replaced, and clutch cleaned a couple of times with no parts replaced and it still runs great. Oh I did gear it down some I think one more tooth on bottom and one less on top.

 

[davesilb]

Bump the budget to $5k and you can get a pro chassis. 100% improvement in handling.

Those old ones aren't any fun on anything but the trails. You'll be exhausted trying to learn to sidehill or get it up on edge.

There's a ton of sleds available in Montana. Craigslist and Facebook marketplace have a bunch right now.

The IQ chassis is light years better then the trailing arm sleds and the best sleds for the money in today's market. You are not going to go wrong in picking up the 700 for around 2K if it is in as good condition as he says. This is the sled that started the major move to the getting on edge movement !

 

[Fosgate]

I've had a 6, 7 and 8 at the same time. Loved the weight difference on the 6 vs the 8. With lug screws in both that 6 I felt it could go through the narrow trees, climb over deadfall much easier than the others. Required more effort and tact to climb areas the 8 could shoot up. Only reason why I had a 700 was because hardly anyone was in that class in RMSHA at the time so chances of qualifying and winning were better. Overall the 7 was a happy medium between the two and close to both. Realistically, the 700 has the extra HP and track length that you want for open areas with deep snow on vertical slopes, but you'll want more. If you intention is to see if you like the sport to invest further. I'd go for the 6 if it was going to be near where I live or MN or MI etc. where you need decent trail manners and not a lot of steep and deep as primary riding areas. But Montana/Idaho/WY riding I would go with the 700 due to better floatation with the longer track and few more HP from the engine for the riding terrain there.

 

[mariceuh]

I'd lean towards the 600 if they're in the same condition. I believe that's carbureted, which could make life easier or more difficult, depending on the shape it's in and what you're used to wrenching on. Properly maintained, the 600 will probably go twice the miles of that 700, although those were better than the infamous Dragon 800. That said, if one has obviously been well maintained and the other looks sketchy, go for the one in better condition. Same thing if one's been sitting for five years. If you can find someone who knows a thing or two about sleds to look them over with you, that'd help a lot: you do see nice clean sleds that never run right, and ratty-looking ones that can run circles.

I wouldn't pay more than $2500 for either. A newer sled would be nice, but if you're just putting your toe in the water to see if you like it, it's not a bad idea to start with a beater, learn to work on it, and then unload it when you can afford something better. Plus, if you wreck it, you're not out too much. Old sleds can still be a lot of fun, just more limited and more work to ride at the limits. Keep in mind too, if you blow your budget on the sled, you're liable to be miserable riding in crummy gear.

Thanks for the reply! Do you recommend bringing a compression tester when meeting up with the buyer?

The 700 is $2500, so I'ts good to know that the price is about right.

 

[mariceuh]

I've had a 6, 7 and 8 at the same time. Loved the weight difference on the 6 vs the 8. With lug screws in both that 6 I felt it could go through the narrow trees, climb over deadfall much easier than the others. Required more effort and tact to climb areas the 8 could shoot up. Only reason why I had a 700 was because hardly anyone was in that class in RMSHA at the time so chances of qualifying and winning were better. Overall the 7 was a happy medium between the two and close to both. Realistically, the 700 has the extra HP and track length that you want for open areas with deep snow on vertical slopes, but you'll want more. If you intention is to see if you like the sport to invest further. I'd go for the 6 if it was going to be near where I live or MN or MI etc. where you need decent trail manners and not a lot of steep and deep as primary riding areas. But Montana/Idaho/WY riding I would go with the 700 due to better floatation with the longer track and few more HP from the engine for the riding terrain there.

Thanks! I forgot to mention that I am looking for good ski access, so I do think the 700 may handle better for that.

 

[MTsled3]

Definitely the 700, I'd ask for proof of a new engine though. The 2008 is on the more lightweight, "stripped" version of the IQ chassis. It will have a 20lb weight advantage over the 06, and as others mentioned, the fuel injection is worth the upgrade. The longer track and deeper lug will help you as well.

 

[mariceuh]

Definitely the 700, I'd ask for proof of a new engine though. The 2008 is on the more lightweight, "stripped" version of the IQ chassis. It will have a 20lb weight advantage over the 06, and as others mentioned, the fuel injection is worth the upgrade. The longer track and deeper lug will help you as well.

Thank you! The guy mentioned that he bought it 3 yrs ago from a guy in Butte who told him he replaced the motor but he didn't offer him the paperwork. He said it has ran fine for him. Is this a red flag?

 

[BeartoothBaron]

Sounds like there's no proof on the engine, unless you can spot some markings on the engine itself. So kind of a "sound out the seller" situation. No used sled is perfect, so if he mentions some quibbles when you ask what issues he knows of, he's probably giving you the straight story. Obviously there are some sellers who'll tell you the PO replaced everything, they've only put 100 miles on it and it ran perfect the whole time, yada yada yada. Using the sled for ski access does tip the scale more toward the 700. I've got an EDGE 600/144 (predecessor to the iQ), and it handles typical snow conditions around here pretty well, but skis and gear might tip that scale.

My 600 is carbureted, it's seen a lot of less than ideal conditions (I bought and rode it in WA, left it at the parents in MT and barely rode it for four years), but it's never let me down. Last time I rode it, it'd sat a year and a half; I gave it a once-over, put in fresh gas, and it ran perfectly. Maybe just me, but I'd have far less concerns about whipping a sled that old into good running condition if it had carbs; too many places for gremlins to hide with EFI. It's different for someone who's never tinkered on carbs, but I don't worry one bit about my old sled leaving me up a creek because it's got carbs. My 800 is in pieces right now; I don't think it was caused by a fueling problem, but it takes a ton of work to check everything out there. Anyway, ideally you'd do a leak-down check, then pop the clutch and check the crankshaft runout, but you'd need the tools for that. A compression check is definitely better than nothing. You should get at least 120 PSI, but probably more important is that the cylinders are within 10 or so of each other.

 

[BigAir]

If you are not stuck on a Polaris I would look for an M8. In those years it was a better sled than either of those IMO. If you can scratch together enough to buy a Pro that would be better yet.

 

[Fosgate]

I'd take it with a grain of salt unless he's got paperwork showing a new or rebuilt engine and treat it as if original. Guys will try to use the New engine as a selling point to hold at a higher price. Whenever I buy anything from anyone claiming new, I ask for proof. I once drove 2 hours to pickup a NIB (new in the box) rifle. I get there and the guy said he took it out and fired it. I stopped immediately and said, "So it's not new in the box. because new in the box means unfired outside of the factory) and I was no longer interested at his price and prepared to drive off until he cut 40% off his asking (Basically what it was worth) . Same happens with vehicles, guys say "New" and then they produce an invoice that shows Reman or Recycled. Both Far from the value of New. I've seen guys peddling, sleds and motorcycles with new engines and guys claiming they have a new engine only to find out the jugs and pistons were replaced but the bottom (crank, seals, crank case, stator etc are all the same old original.). Don't be afraid to walk away and look for a sled with a deal that is right for you.

 

[czimpel]

Best advice here ^^^^^