Sorry Cat guys...i gave it an honest effort

[m7ascent]

When I first bought my M7 153", I was coming off of a ZRT 600 so there was a huge weight difference. Needless to say, at first I was throwing it all the way onto its side everytime I tried to put it into a carve. Hated it! But after a few rides I got used to the handling and how responsive the chassis is, and now it is quite effortless to manuever.

I let a buddy ride it a while back that rides a Summit 1000 162", lets just say I was following him up a hill on his sled and watched him go to throw mine on it's side for a carve and he litterally pulled the sled over uphill on top of himself. One of the funniest things I have ever seen, granted he is a big boy, but still. He won't ride my sled anymore.

After 3 years of riding this sled I can say this. I love the chassis, no doubt about it, best on the market as far as handling is conserned in my own mind. Not overly impressed with the durability, I've had to replace several parts that just flat out failed that I don't think should have (lots of bushings, same ones lots of times, and much more). Between an XP 800 and a M8 it would be a huge toss up for me if I was buying a brand new one. Love the Arctic Cat handling, love the ski-doo power, wheelie performance and durability.

 

[CATSLEDMAN1]

m's n x's

huge difference between trying a sled with any of the cat pre PClaw tracks and riding with the Pclaw. Earlier tracks vague and slippery..........pclaw way more planted.........some like that some don't.

XP...........ditch the 16" wide track and drop the torsion bars links, will sidehill and handle much more like M sleds.

I rode last spring in Island Park with two N. CA sledders that had 15" tracks and different front shocks on their XP's..........they liked to jump off of everthing. I could ride their XP's.........I only ride my sledding pals XP for testing and exercise.

No question that the 16" wide track might be good in some powder conditons and get the sled up on the snow, doesn't help handling though.

05-09 stock M seat is a cat embarassement, was and is. They finally got it in 2010. Another 5 years we'll get a light weight hood.........oh boy.

 

[tcpeterson]

I've found the M likes you to be standing tall and tucked up tight to the bars, with all your weight driven down thru your feet. Weight a foot, lean a little, countersteer a little, and it goes where you want. Very predictable and forgiving. My guess is you were standing too far back on the tunnel most of the time.

But then, I'm on an 8 not a 1000.

Hit the nail on the head, i went from a MM700 to an M1000. To ride the max you had to be back further on the running boards, so when i first started riding the m-series is tried washing out more but once you step up on the boards it holds it's line. Then when you want to spin a tight cookie step back on the boards it comes around fast! even with a 162

 

[notboosted]

I have both an 07 & 09 m sled. They both ride way different. 09's handle way better. If you are going to buy a new sled, you better try riding a 09 version. My 2 cents.

 

[Kid Rock]

i agree..

....with some of the earlier comments. I hated the mseries when it first came out and could not get used to it. I put some Gen 2's on right away that made it even harder to handle but i was ready to sell the damn sled.

now, when i get on my 04 900, i feel like a harley biker. hate being that low, etc.

I took 40 pounds off my '09 M1000 and can steer it with my feet on powder days. I feel like i am riding an old stand up jet ski.

 

[FurryCURT]

Good stuff guys... It sounds like it was just my technique... the sled's owner didn't come with us so I really didn't have anyone on the hill to coach me...

 

[Dooalot]

are you serious

well you can tell by my name..I am/was a doo guy..i owned an 07 xrs, and an 08 xp 154..both were good sleds..rode an m8 and didnt think much of it..until the part of the day where i HAD to side hill to get to point B..my friend could and I could not..and he could not be that much better than me..sold all of my ski doos bought and 09 m8 162, and frankly..if you gave me a new ski doo every year for the next 4 years or I had to buy a cat with my money...I would go the route of buying the m8..it is that good..and remember i was a doo guy!
the m8 is bar none the best purchase I have ever made..now I go anywhere..

not to mention..ask any doo guy what it costs to bend up a nun..and how easy it is..if you dont know what a nun is you are going to find out the hard way really early next season..also buy an extra pull starter when you get the sled..cause your going to need a couple of those as well..not bashing..those are all first hand facts.
good luck!

by the way the guys are spot on above about standing up right close to the bars and feet foward the sucker will climb a tree..and turn on dime..I could never do any of that with my doo

 

[Sabertooth]

So, I rode a buddies M1000 today in some epic powder and I don't think I liked it much. I have been trying a few different sleds this year to find what to buy next and I think I liked the XP better... My issue today was that the back end kept washing out on me in a hard carve or sidehill. I think its due to the lack of swaybar but how do you other M series riders get used to it? I also think that i'd have to get a taller seat. Felt like I was squatting all the way to the tunnel so I mostly rode standing up all day, even on the trail...
As for positives... it hauled the mail pretty well, just didn't haul me very good...

you better change your title because
there are no sorry cat riders here the ones that are sorry
are riding skidoos

 

[Sabertooth]

+ the biggest pile of krap
comes from skidoo been there done that
owned lots them and ive never looked back

 

[Knizer8hun]

I didn't read all the posts, so Im not sure if this was asked/answered, but did it have the wheels on the outside of the rails ASWELL as inside, or wheels only on the inside of the rails?

When I put the 2 wheel kit on my M8, I noticed the *** end liked to slide it way more, compared to "carving" with the wheels on the outside of the rails.

This could have alot of say in that action...

 

[trackpoacher]

and don't forget, it has a 153, that isn't much track for a 1000, when I go from my 1000 with the 162 to an M8 with a 153 I feel the back end slipping out on me at times

 

[bgreen776]

Personally, I cant tell the difference between 2 and 4 wheels on the rear axle.

 

[WyoBoy1000]

had same sled with same mods ( except they where slp ) but it was a 162. I weigh around 210 dry and I'm 6'6" and loved that sled. I could put it on one ski any where and hold it, in fresh snow I could side hill one handed looking back at the person behind me. I have sidehilled in almost all conditions sitting down(low seat=low center of gravity). If you learn how to ride the m it takes little effort, you just have to let the sled do the work. On my 07 I set the front skis with about 2 3/8" of threads showing on the bottom( pretty soft but still enough to take on a trail with 2' humps without bottoming ) front skid shock I set just enough to hold the front of the skid down so that the limiter straps where straight( all the way out)and the rear spring was on the middler adjuster. You want it set so it almost teters on the center shock, if you have to much pressure in the rear it will wash, to much on the front and it will trench find the middle. On the 07 It didn't work for me to hang a leg like some do I just leaned a little and steered it into a sidehill. on the 09 putting the opposite foot in the front of the running board and hanging a leg works so well I was dumbfounded, I was getting pi$sed because I'd flop one way or another then I hung a leg and the breaking point of falling over one way or the other just wasn't there. But on the 09 I have to run a lot more rear skid pressure due to over wheeling and lack of rebound. It want to wash a little more but being used to the sled I can hold a side hill in hardpack with quick steering, took me about a month to get it down pat and make it look easy on both sleds(6-8 rides) I found if you stand all the way to the front and extend your arms down you want the handle bars to be right there, shorter and it will take more energy than needed, had mine so my arms where bent and they where to tall to use my full body to move the sled and found myself using more upper body muscle than needed.
Last If you think it needs a sway bar, just ignore this it wont help.
The best part is I put down tracks xp's couldn't pouch and make as far. But the xp is still a fun sled, and has better hang time than a m1000.

 

[Killerk]

When I demoed an 07m1000 before snowchecking my 08, I had a hard time getting used to it, and I came off of an F-7.
Like most others have said, knee pads are a must, and you need to ride with your knees up against them and the cowling, especially when standing up.
I was trying to keep my knees back, and I felt like I had no control, especially downhill.

 

[ajay]

Personally, I cant tell the difference between 2 and 4 wheels on the rear axle.

Agree 100%, there is no difference just weight loss, the outer edge of the track is not flexing anywhere while in motion to make any difference in sidehilling, tried both ways, no difference.
Just my .02$.
Oh yeh I agree with the handling on the M sleds, I came off a Mod T-Cat and just hated my new M1000 for its handling UNTIL I rode it for a while, there is no comparison, you don't have to manhandle it to make it go where you want.

Ajay

 

[Knizer8hun]

there is no difference just weight loss, the outer edge of the track is not flexing anywhere while in motion to make any difference in sidehilling, tried both ways, no difference.
Just my .02$.

So it's just your 2 cents, yet you're forcing your opinion on a 2 wheel kit upon us?

I didn't think it would have an effect either, I just bought the thing because I think no outside wheels looks pretty trick, but I can feel a difference in tight snap turns and often times when sidehilling.... whether anyone else/YOU does is aronious.

 

[Best Place Boost]

I bought a new m8 and installed a bd pgturbo, I had almost as much trouble going from my Polaris to my rev. It took about two months on each machine before I could trust my self to pack speed through tight trees going up steep.
I do have to say that the M8 did have better manners at speed in the end than my doo.

 

[Xrider]

I just bought a new XP 146. I found it very hard to sidehill on first ride. Did a bunch of changes to the chassis as mentioned above and it's much better but the Polaris and the Cat are still easier to lay over and hold there. However the bottom end power and traction hookup of the XP is what sold me. WHat a blast to ride.

 

[Puddy Tat]

When we first bought our M7 and had all the friends that were riding the older chassis ride it the first thing they would do was pull it right over on its side. we would laugh our a$$es off! All you have to do is lean and it will follow your lead. my husband hated it at first comming off a 1M900. Now he wouldn't go back for nothing!

 

[WyoBoy1000]

I just bought a new XP 146. I found it very hard to sidehill on first ride. Did a bunch of changes to the chassis as mentioned above and it's much better but the Polaris and the Cat are still easier to lay over and hold there. However the bottom end power and traction hookup of the XP is what sold me. WHat a blast to ride.

I haven't seen a xp hook as hard as my 09 m1000 yet except the first 2 seconds of take off but once I hook I blow past them in less than 5 sled lengths and my clutching is still off.

A two wheel kit is way diff if you ask me they turn a lot harder than the older m sleds and it takes very little to maneuver going up hill just a slight bit of pressure on the running board and you shoot sideways. I had trouble switch backing up steep hills that couldn't be pulled straight up, but this year I can carve side to side over the top.